…Yoruba Leaders Move to Ease Ethnic Tensions
In response to the outcry over the #IgboMustGo campaign, prominent Yoruba leaders and organizations have acted swiftly to calm the situation, urging Nigerians to reject divisive ethnic rhetoric.
Southeast leaders and groups have condemned the ethnic profiling and intimidation targeted at Ndigbo in Lagos and other parts of the country. A handle on X (formerly Twitter), @Lagospedia, which claims to “proclaim the virtues of Lagos,” recently issued a 30-day ultimatum for Igbo residents and business owners to vacate Lagos and other Southwest states.
The post read: “Lagosians and every Southwest stakeholder should prepare for the massive protest of #IgboMustGo on the 20th–30th of August. They have one month to leave and relocate their businesses from all Southwest states. We urge all Yorubas living in the Southeast to return home.”
This ultimatum has sparked widespread outrage, with many questioning the motives behind it. The timing of the campaign is particularly concerning, as it coincides with hardship protests that have seemingly united Nigerians across ethnic lines.
Swift Action
This alleged move is seen as a dangerous and divisive ploy that threatens Nigeria’s diverse cultural landscape. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have condemned the online campaign, describing it as a violent threat to Nigeria’s unity and calling for those behind it to be investigated and prosecuted.
“I call on the Nigerian government and relevant authorities to take immediate and strong action against those inciting such hatred and division. It is imperative to investigate, arrest, and prosecute individuals promoting ethnic discrimination and violence. The rule of law must prevail, and those found guilty of incitement should face the full extent of legal consequences. This will serve as a deterrent to others who might consider pursuing similar paths that threaten our national security,” Atiku stressed.
Obi warned: “Such rhetoric threatens our unity and is fundamentally opposed to our Constitution. Those in authority must show leadership and urgently speak out against such divisive rhetoric. Immediate action should be taken to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those behind this heinous agenda.”
Dangerous Ethnic Profiling
The South East Caucus in the National Assembly has also condemned the anti-Igbo stance in Lagos, asserting that such dangerous ethnic profiling must stop. In a statement jointly signed by Enyinnaya Abaribe (Senate) and Igariwey Iduma Enwo (House of Representatives), they expressed disappointment that Igbos are still being scapegoated and targeted as instigators of protests.
“This dangerous ethnic profiling is unwarranted and must stop. It was such profiling that led to millions of deaths in Nigeria from the 1950s to the unfortunate civil war from 1967 to 1970. Elsewhere in Africa, it led to the genocide in Rwanda and xenophobia in South Africa. Such should not be our fate again in Nigeria. We demand that security agencies bring to book the purveyors of these hate speeches in line with the cybercrimes act and criminal laws of the country. We continue to appeal to Igbos across the country to remain law-abiding.”
Envious Ramblings
Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu, the Convener of Ikoro Ndigbo, dismissed the threat as “absurd and envious ramblings from idle charlatans.” He added, “However, I don’t believe the Igbo should dignify such juvenile proclamations from faceless individuals with a response. If some regions are indeed tired of this flawed amalgamation, then we should consider responsibly exploring an amicable restructuring of the country into a geopolitical zonal arrangement. This would enable a more manageable and proportionate distribution, fostering positive competition and cooperation.”
Inching Close to War
The Igboezue International Association Nigeria and the Diaspora (IIAND) has urged President Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu to warn those chanting “#IgbosMustGo” to desist from such actions, as they are inching close to causing another war in Nigeria. Addressing newsmen, IIAND National President Chief Pius Okoye, through the Anambra State chapter chairman, Chief Ikechukwu Nwafoawa, said, “We want to warn that we can never accept or keep quiet about any further attack targeted against Ndigbo anywhere in Yoruba land or any place in Nigeria. We have had enough attacks on our people and their property. Nigeria belongs to all of us; we will never run away from any tribe in Nigeria. We are even more Nigerian, rooted, and contribute to the all-round development in the states and places where we are being attacked.”
Referendum
The President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, advised, “Yoruba should give an award of honour to Ndigbo because the significant development done in Yoruba land is done by the Igbo. Ndigbo brought fortune to Yoruba in commerce and industry. However, I advise the proponents of #IgboMustGo to campaign for a referendum. That’s how to know people of great courage. They should fasten up for Yoruba to have their own Oduduwa country so they can determine who will go or stay in Oduduwa country.”
Impossible Task
Most Rev. Biereonwu Livinus Onuagha, the Methodist Archbishop of Okigwe Archdiocese, stated that those demanding that Igbo leave Lagos are only joking. “What they are asking for is an impossible task. It is simply an impossible task. It is like telling somebody that you are a Nigerian but you cannot be a Nigerian. What they are saying is a defeatist attitude. They know that the wealth in Lagos is Igbo’s. Remove whatever the Federal Government did in Lagos, remove whatever Igbo have done in Lagos, and there will be no Lagos. But they are simply joking. I must tell them that the Igbo are not cowards to be in panic with such a threat. They know that they are asking for the impossibility.”
Leaders Intervene
Meanwhile, as the controversy continues to simmer, Yoruba leaders have intervened to prevent it from escalating. Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, distancing himself and his administration from the reckless, divisive statement, said he “views the post as not only reckless and divisive but an attempt to sow a seed of discord between the Yoruba in the Southwest and other tribes, especially those who have made Lagos their permanent place of abode.” He urged Lagosians to ignore the post and any similar posts, promising to double his efforts towards ensuring lasting peace in the state.
Similarly, pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization Afenifere, through its National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi, declared that those behind the unwarranted, provocative campaign “are out to cause disaffection among Ndigbo and Yorubas. Our Igbo brothers and sisters living in Lagos and the Southwest should not entertain any fear of expulsion. We are all Nigerians. In view of the danger such a call for expulsion poses to peaceful co-existence, Afenifere is calling on the security agencies, especially the police, to round up those behind this unpatriotic move as contained in the quoted LagosPedia post.”
Count us out
Lagos Indigenes, under the auspices of the De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, in a statement by its media office, said, “We have nothing to do with the campaign. It is the handiwork of Southwest Yoruba who are non-indigenes in the state. They are either residents or sojourners whose aims and intentions are to capture the state permanently and dominate the natives. The current level of peaceful coexistence the citizens are enjoying should not be allowed to dissipate. The #IgbosMustGo campaign in Lagos is not organized by the indigenes. The DSS and the Police should work to nip the crisis in the bud. The indigenes of Lagos State unequivocally condemn the protest and campaign of calumny against our Igbo residents. We categorically dissociate ourselves from it.”
Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, a one-time Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba Summit Group, former Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, a member of the Eminent Elders Forum, and a leader of the Western Regional Organization, warned that “anything built on hatred is destined for destruction.”
Non-Lagosian Politicians
“Pathetic is to see the drunken southwesterners on a spurious, dubious route of anger to the wrong places. The Igbo once fought to leave Nigeria. They were kept back by force of arms. Now, they are being asked to leave. Really? The Southwest political leaders who funnel hate should make up their minds what they want. Then, all the non-Lagosian politicians from top to bottom will have to leave Lagos for true Lagosians. If you play dog whistle politics, you end up like the proverbial dog not hearing the hunter’s whistle. It happened to the Nazis and the Jews.”
The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), through its General Secretary, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, said, “The Igbo are our brothers and sisters; they are not going anywhere. Even if they want to go, we love them so much because they are the third leg of Nigeria and Nigeria cannot stand on two legs. The tripod is the best thing we can have and we must keep it. That is the position of the Yoruba Council of Elders. We have a lot of things together and we must remain together. We are strongly committed to having one Nigeria in line with President Bola Tinubu’s desire. So, asking the Igbo people to go away will be at variance with the President’s position. We must not be a divided nation.”
