From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Elder statesman Chike Obidigbo has alleged that those he called enemies of President Bola Tinubu are behind the current campaign to evict Igbos from the South West.
The industrialist urged the president and several well-meaning Yoruba and other Nigerians to step in and save the situation before the misguided activities of the unrepentant Yoruba ethnic bigots championing the ejection of Igbo from Lagos and entire Yoruba land, get to irredeemable state.
Obidigbo, in a statement, yesterday, regretted that the inglorious agitation was now becoming very clear, loud and threatening with no meaningful and convincing official reprimand or security caution.
He attributed the increasing Igbo hate since the inception of the administration to the fact that President Tinubu had been surrounded by ethnic bigots and political riffraff, who believe Yoruba would be better off without the contributions of citizens from other parts of Nigeria. He said the people, perhaps out of ignorance, forgot that the success of any administration must be rooted in cooperation and collaboration with allies, from other camps.
Obidigbo said the threat to start a massive protest from August 20 to 30, 2024, under the hashtag #IgboMustGo#, to compel Igbo out of Lagos State and by extension, all of Yoruba land did not come as a total surprise, because it was a reflection of the body language of some political rabble rousers that are unfortunately loyal to the president.
He declared that Igbo from mainly South Eastern, and other parts of Nigeria are not without homeland, stating that their decision to see every part of Nigeria as home was in the spirit and letter of the country’s constitution, and so must never be used against them. Rather, it should be considered a big positive to the desired unity of the country.
“It is most unfortunate that younger Nigerians are being schooled to mistake divisive rhetoric as realpolitik. Right from the 2019 general election up until now, exclusion of Igbo from Nigeria in all ramifications, has become an easy plea to divert attention from the malaise plaguing the country as a whole.
“Igbo had been threatened with possible massive drowning in the Lagoon if they voted according to their God-given conscience and against the dictates of potentates.
“The violence and threats got to a dizzying height during last year’s elections, when homes and business premises of Igbo were targeted and destroyed under many guises and policies, while government agencies and security outfits looked the other way, and in some cases openly participated in the atrocious treatments.
In all these vengeful and punitive measures against Igbo in a country where they are true bonafides, nobody remembers that Igbo make positive contributions to the development of their areas of residence.
“Not long ago, even our revered Wole Soyinka of all persons, expressed the hope that Mr. Peter Obi does not bother to contest the 2027 presidential election. As if that was not enough, a presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, another Yoruba elite; blatantly and with no valid proof accused the former Anambra State governor, Obi, of sponsoring the ongoing nationwide hardship protest, just to serve the same purpose of ethnic baiting of Igbo.
“Ndigbo wanted to participate in the ongoing nationwide hunger protest. They became automatically profiled. They decided to withdraw, they became stigmatised. Where then lies Igbo comfort inside Nigeria,” Obidigbo queried.