Lagos indigenes have come hard against the ethnic profiling of the Igbo of the Southeast extraction even as influential traditional rulers and clergies from the region unite in calling for caution and action from the ruling authorities
By Mathew Obinnakwere
Igbo Professionals and Civil Society Organizations, a convergence of Igbo groups, has called on the federal government to defend the rights of every Nigerian citizen. The group made the call on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
The call came at a time when yet-to-be-identified persons are campaigning against Ndigbo to leave Lagos and other states.
In a communique signed by Prof. Chinedu Nebo President, Nzuko Umunna, Engr. Chris Okoye President, Anya ndi Igbo, Agbalanze Chike Madueke President, Aka Ikenga, Dr. Law Mefor President, Igbo bu Igbo, Iyom Josephine Anenih President, Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo and Barr, Chidi Udekwe President, Otu Oka Iwu, Igbo Professionals and Civil Society Organizations condemned hate speeches and ethnic profiling of ndi Igbo.
The groups urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute all enablers of genocide, hate speeches, ethnic profiling, and bigotry against ndi Igbo.
The communique reads: “A group of Igbo Professionals and Civil Society Organizations met to discuss matters of urgent national importance especially the recent issue of ethnic baiting, the threat of genocide, and the #Igbomustgo campaign carried out by some identified and yet-to-be-identified persons against Ndi Igbo.
“The meeting discussed extensively on this issue and concluded that the recent call for genocide against Ndi Igbo is unconstitutional, defies all reasonable logic, and is against the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), and numerous international conventions”.
Similarly, the joint body of the South east Council of Traditional Rulers and Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops on Peace and Conflict Resolution last Monday, August 12 expressed concern over resurgent escalation of hate speech and ethnic profiling targeted at the Igbo community.
A statement signed by Obi Nnemeka Achebe, Chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council and Most Reverend Chibuzor Opoko Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, among others condemned the hate speech against the Igbo.
Condemning ethnic hatred against the Igbo of the South east, some Lagos indigenes under the aegis of De Renaissance Patriots, on Wednesday, August 14 warned against linking the group to those spreading the Igbos must leave Lagos slogan saying such call was shameful and irresponsible.
It also faulted a report describing it as a far-right socio-cultural organisation, saying such claim is unfounded.
They warned that they would not back down in the mission to rescue indigenous Lagos from marginalisation, lamenting that deliberate policies to dominate them had been implemented by non-natives ruling Lagos.
The natives stated that the writer of the report was ill-informed about their antecedents, noting that facts were available to prove their position.
In a statement by its media office, the group insisted that the writer was also wrong to have stated that their ideas conformed to the group instigating ethnic crisis in Lagos.
The statement reads: “We take an exception to the tag of far-right on De Renaissance Patriots Foundation. As a socio-cultural group of very senior eminent citizens of Nigeria that have been culturally and constitutionally blessed with indigeneship of Lagos State, we consider such uncharitable, wicked and unguarded use of vulgar language as unacceptable. That vitriolic name tag of the far-right on these very responsible citizens does not show sensibility on the members of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation. We are not far-right in ideological description.
“It is a vitriolic name identity which blemishes our moral, social, intellectual and political struggle in ideological terms as a right-wing association. We are not. The ruling elites in Lagos State, whom we suspect are doing the hatchet job, belong to a formative association of narcissists, who have seized the state for themselves, family, and friends. The writer got his historical information and its linkage with Obafemi Awolowo wrong. If he could not understand what the outcome of the Constitutional Conference in London in 1952 was, we would avail him the details at the appropriate time.
“It is a shameful and irresponsible act to link the faceless hashtag #IgbosMustLeaveLagos (Lagospedia) with De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, a highly responsible and respected socio-cultural organisation in Lagos. The organisation has, among its objectives, promotion of our social and cultural values, encouraging such factors that afford the citizens and, in particular, the natives of the state, to partake fully in the affairs of their own state.
“In a progressive clime, commonsense dictates that political, social and economic benefits, among other things, should be the purpose of governance. De Renaissance Patriots Foundation is always ready to stand up against the mean-spirited policies that are considered detrimental to the progress and development of the voiceless indigenous people. The indigenes deserve a fairer allocation of state resources for their well-being; Lagos being the only state they can claim.
“Our socio-cultural organisation is a non-political entity, but that of a mixed nationalistic element who have, in one way or the other, contributed to the unity and development of this nation in different sectors. We shall forge to maintain our principle of IBILE identities and credible values and integrity, but we will not fail to respond to reckless and derogatory statements, tyranny, and demagoguery. We are open to dialogue and will equally support strategic intents and policies recognising the meritocracy of our indeginous ibilr citizens, both home and abroad.
“We are aware of some other faceless writers, who wish to demonise us because of what we stand for; the voice of the voiceless indigenous people of Lagos State. De Renaissance Patriots Foundation is ably led by indigenes of Lagos State from all walks of life, including senior citizens, retired top echelon elite and committed indigenous communities from the five Divisions in the state namely Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Mainland Areas, and Epe (ibile).
“It might be worthy to express the fact that the most acute consequence of the political machinery in Lagos State is denial of the natives in reaching topmost positions in the state administration and the House of Assembly – two-third of whom are non-indigenes. This is a deliberate policy of a desperate group of leaders, designed to marginalise and dominate the natives with very few opportunities, which are not commensurate with their true entitlements as natives of the state. The only excuse the defenders of the people in power usually give is that the natives don’t have the qualities and skills to fill top positions. This is their normal propaganda because it is unproven and not empirically tested in any form. We have more qualified, skilled and professional indigenes.
“While it might be concluded that the ruling party ‘won’ the elections at the political level, the party suffers a moral and reputational deficit for keeping the indigenous people at the back seat, preferring non-indigenes over the natives of Lagos State. By this, the ruling elite for 24 years has provoked a savage modern genocide in history in the hearts of the natives in the entire state. There is no state in Nigeria that has suffered such indignity, inferiority and lowest standards of esteem than
