Be fair to Ndigbo, group urges FG, Lagos govt

Be fair to Ndigbo, group urges FG, Lagos govt

Igbo Leadership in the United Kingdom and Ireland has called on Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to be fair and considerate in dealing with Igbo residents in the state.

Eze Okwuchukwu C. Nwosu, Eze Isiobi Ndigbo 1 UK and Ireland, in an open letter he personally signed, noted that the Igbos are not treated fairly in Nigeria. He claimed that since Nigeria’s amalgamation in 1914, the Igbo nation has been at the receiving end.

He cited the Jan 15, 1966 military coup, which was tagged Igbo coup, and the consequent killing of the Igbo in the North.

According to him, the “no victor, no vanquished” declaration by the Gowon administration “was a hoax”.

“After the war, Ndigbo were almost beggars. During the regime of Gen. Obasanjo, import licences were introduced, and Ndigbo got nothing. The FG also introduced a quota system to kill merits. If Igbo students scored higher in JAMB, they won’t be admitted until students from other nationalities designated as disadvantaged were admitted.

“In state creation, Ndigbo got only five; South-South, six; south-west, six, and North over twenty. Ndigbo continued with their resilience and trade.

Their sources of importation at Onne Seaport were closed in 1999. They began importing from Lagos, and the route was made impassable coupled with exorbitant import charges”, he said.

On the demolition of buildings in Lagos, Eze Nwosu said, “Ndigbo legitimately bought empty lands and swampy areas in Lagos, and built their houses and other investments. They destroyed property of Ndigbo at Ladipo, Balogun, Alaba, Trade Fair, etc. They never destroyed the Igbo property in past administrations. These oppressive measures are being used against Igbos in Lagos with no justification.”

In politics, Eze Nwosu alleged that Nigeria is structured in a way that makes the emergence of an Igbo president impossible.

Hear said: “Nigerians agreed that it should be the turn of the Igbo through rotational presidency. But PDP and APC never allowed it. Peter Obi emerged against all odds in the 2023 general elections. INEC ensured that votes did not count”.

On the way forward, he said: “Two things must happen: to take Ndigbo as partners in decision-making  of government in Nigeria or let us go. Ndigbo want one Nigeria. We are law-abiding. Allow us to do our trading because that is the only thing we can  do since we are not allowed to preside over the affairs of this country.

“If you want Ndigbo to leave Lagos, let Federal Government peacefully quantify Igbo property in Lagos and settle the owners. Stop using the federal might to fight Ndigbo.

“There should be immediate compensation for Igbo property already destroyed. Let every Igbo man submit all their investments in Lagos, and get compensated so they can return to Alaigbo peacefully.

“It is our plea. Our investments across the federation can never be in vain. This is the last cry, or Igbo people will defend themselves again. We have seen the war; we lost almost five million souls. Our youths are intelligent. In Lagos, only Igbo properties are discriminately marked for demolition. These injustices must stop”.