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By Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos
Igbos in Lagos State have cautioned its various leaders including religious leaders to be mindful of their utterances in order not to expose Igbo outside the South East region to danger.
The Igbo in the state under various communities groups and political groups, including Igbos in All Progressive Congress (APC), Lagos State chapter, from the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) made the plea at a press conference while reacting to a statement credited to the chairman of its Elders Council, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and a popular cleric, Father Emmanuel Chibuzor Obimma a.k.a Ebube Muonso.
The apex leader of Igbos in APC and Special Adviser to Lagos State governor on Drainage and Water Resources, Joe Igbokwe, condemned various attacks on Yorubas, saying: Igbo are not at war with Yoruba.
Igbokwe said hitting the polity with reckless statements would do Igbo outside South East no good but serious harm within their various abode.
“We are concerned, how can someone sit in Akwa, Anambra State and say something that will cause trouble everywhere, knowing that the Igbo are everywhere?,” he said.
“A Reverend father that supposed to promote peace now saying words that can cause disharmony.”
Igbokwe said no tribe in Nigeria that is not important and it is wrong to look down on any tribe, stressing that “we need each other to survive in the country.”
“We should be mindful of what we say. The danger of it is that the statement can spread. I appeal to those who keep saying Lagos is no man’s land to desist from saying such. No place in Nigeria that is no man’s land. Lagos is owned by the Yoruba and it was the capital of Nigeria for some years, we are not competing with them, we are not dragging it with them.
“Anybody that says Lagos is no man’s land is looking for trouble,” Igbokwe added.
Igbokwe’s vice, Jude Idimogu, also sought forgiveness of Yoruba and Hausa over the statement credited to their leaders.
“We are apologising to the whole nation. We appeal to Nigerians not to take their statement too seriously.”
