The Council of NdiEze in Diaspora has appealed to the Lagos state Governor, MrBabajideSanwo-Olu to ensure the safety of Igbos and their property in the state.
This appeal is coming on the heels of the reported unprovoked attacks on the Igbos who are perceived to have voted against the All Progressives Congress in Lagos state in the February, 2023 presidential election.
In a communiqué issued by the Council of NdiEze Lagos on March 8th 2023, and signed by the Ezes from the Local Government Areas in the state, they frowned at the attacks targeted at their people, stressing that Igbos were not the only ones that voted during the last presidential election and should not be singled out for unprovoked attacks by the area boys.
They highlighted some events which took place as aftermath of 25th February, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections including;
i) The burning and locking up of shops / market stalls owned by Igbos in Agege.
ii) Locking up of market shops belonging to Igbos in Ikosi, Ketu and Mile 12 areas of Lagos.
iii) Locking of market shops, belonging to Igbos at Apapaetc, in all three cases above, it took the intervention of Ndieze and or Obas and Baales to restore normalcy.
iv) Akere market in OlodiApapa was set ablaze, one person dead, shops and goods were burnt to ashes.
v) We have seen also serious threats to life should any Igbo person vote against a “preferred” party.
Such happened in a lot of areas in Lagos including Lekki, Surulere (a polling booth in FehintolaGwiwa street), Irawo, Ijedodo etc. such threats are currently making the rounds even for the yet to be held election of the 18th , March 2023.
The communiqué further read, “While these miscreants act in this manner, they forget that a great majority of us all belong to this same great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Nobody in Lagos is more APC than the Igbos. You may argue that.
“Without taking much of our time let us recall that it is a known fact that the Yorubas are in majority in Lagos and the only way their preferred candidate can lose any election in Lagos is when most of them support the opposition.
“In any case, when attacks take place, why must it always be against Igbos. Why not attack the Hausas, the Fulanis, the Binis, the Urhobos, theEfiks etc. who also constitute part of the electorate? Meanwhile in some parts of Lagos, many Igbos were not allowed to vote on the 25th of February, 2023.
“By this press conference Ladies and Gentlemen, we Ndieze unequivocally elect to state as follows-
i That we are for peace and we are suing for peace as we are a peaceful people.
ii That we call for calm and urge our subjects to be calm even in the face of difficulties, molestation and disenfranchisement as highlighted above.
iii. That our subjects should watch situations and communicate or report cases of imminent breakdown of law and order to the appropriate authority promptly.
iv. That we also remind all to be mindful of self-defense as such is on the side of the law also.
V. That we remind our people in all circumstance to respect others and in fact do that without loss of personal dignity.
vi. That our subjects have been advised to work in consonance with their Ezes especially in these unusual times.
“Since 2019, Igbos in Lagos have continued to act in ways that suggest that they are in tandem with the wishes and aspirations of the extant government of Lagos headed by His Excellency Governor BabajideSanwo-Olu. Xenophobia and other forms of racial attacks are preventable especially when nipped in the bud and that is why we implore the Governor, His Excellency Sanwo-Olu through his various agencies to work on the sensibility of Lagos youths to be more friendly and accommodating, all virtues Ndigbo promise to reciprocate.
“As NdiEze, we have constantly and subtly too appealed to the psyche of our youths in order to improve the fortune of the ruling party in Lagos but please reason together with us to recognize the fact that the 2023 voter is the most sophisticated of all Nigerian voters since 1960 of Independence.
“Given the above situation, Ndieze are therefore rallying points for their subjects wherever they are domiciled, or which their “kingdoms” are a microcosm of influence, interest, control and somewhat power, which revolves around the macrocosm.
“While the microcosm represents the L.G.A., the L.C.D.As, Wards, streets and such other conurbations as you may wish to define, the macrocosm on the other hand is the state and in this case, Lagos State. Let us use this singular opportunity to announce to the whole world that NdiezeNdigbo Lagos have across time built up acceptance, trust, confidence and influence with their subjects and as such they command the obedience of such subjects more or less.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that Igbos are in statistical majority in Lagos coming only after the Yorubas. The Igbos are a hardworking lot who always seek to eke out a living legitimately anywhere they find themselves especially in Lagos.
“Igbos in diaspora are not touts, agberos or miscreants, they are a bunch of civilized people who have come to add value to the society. It is our motto as a people to add value to the status quo ante wherever we find ourselves. No wonder this has been proven in various facets such as trade, commerce, politics etc.
“We have watched Lagos with keen interest and we Ndieze can confidently say that Igbos have become a politically endangered specifies as they are being targeted during every cycle of election.
“In the year 2019, you may well recall the ferocity with which agberos at Ago Palace Way descended on the Igbos living in the area as one of “their own” was stopped from doing away with INEC ballot boxes in some polling booths. It took the intervention of the State Governor to restore calm in the area. Other such attacks happened to Igbos in other areas in that year.
“We NdiEze by this release vow to be at the head of this vanguard of peace , and we therefore appeal to governor of Lagos state, Sanwo-Olu to please ensure the safety of all especially Ndigbo. This is the position we have taken as Ndieze.”