THE RISE AND RISE OF THE IGBO IN LAGOS POLITICS
By Ugo Egbujo
Friction and sparks must abound
It’s a complex social problem .
Lagos is Yoruba land. Enugu is Igbo land.
But Nigeria is a country.
And citizens are allowed to reside wherever they wish.
Igbos who reside in Lagos can democratically assert themselves , protect and promote group interests , if they wish.They are not bound by the wishes of anybody.
That’s the essence of democracy.
Nobody can dictate to them how to go about it, once they act within the ambits of the law.
But since Lagos is Yoruba land, when the Igbo try to change the political order in Lagos they must expect some resistance and hostility by the Yoruba their host.
That’s a natural social reaction.
That would happen if Hausas acquire the number and try to determine who becomes governor in Imo. It will spark hostility. The hosts will rightly feel they are being conquered. Ethnic passions will be inflamed.
Lagos has been very peaceful. The Yoruba have been very accommodating. But these new tensions won’t go away soon.
The city is growing and it is developing wrinkles. Fast growing urban centres pass through these phases of social puberty. Voice will crack and facial hairs will sprout , homogeneity and innocence could be lost.
The Igbo have discovered late that they are a major factor in Lagos politics. The Yoruba who own Lagos feel the audacity of the the Igbo must be contained.
It’s an unavoidable social conflict whose time has come.
In many places in the US, American whites, self acclaimed landlords, feel threatened by the growing influence of blacks and Latinos in American politics. And many wouldn’t mind if those sub pops were denied franchise.
It’s a complex social problem.
The Igbo can’t leave Lagos. They are now entrenched. And they cant be denied the freedom to associate and choose. And they are free to promote ‘ O to ge’ in Lagos.
But Nigeria is not America. Nigeria is not yet that kind of country yet.
So the Igbo must proceed without inviting avoidable acrimony, without inflaming already swelling tensions. They must not be timid but they ought not to be brash. They dont have to thump their noses into the faces of their hosts. They dont have to brag about their electoral prowess in Lagos.
They should understand they would react worse than the Yoruba if Imo politics came to be determined by the Fulani.
We saw how everybody was alarmed at the idea of cattle colonies. That is proof that there is no ‘no man’s land’ in Nigeria yet.
But nobody should attempt to disenfranchise Igbos in Lagos. This is supposed to be a free country.
An inescapable truth however is that Lagos politics has changed forever…… and those who want to maintain a firm grip on it must court their noisy guests.
The shift happened long ago. It’s only coming to the fore now. It could be hard to take. But it’s a new reality.
But like someone said, the Igbo should not puff smoke into the faces of indignant but kind hosts.
Championing an ‘O to ge’ march around the city is within their democratic rights as citizens. But it could be political tactlessness in a fractious third world country where ethnic passions have inhibited sense of nationhood.
The most hypocritical thing about this conflict is that those who are championing Biafra are same folks championing ‘Lagos is no man’s land’. If Lagos is no man’s land then even the idea of Biafra cant exist
And on the other hand acclaimed pro democracy activists are actively supporting attempts to intimidate Igbos and curtail their electoral influence in Lagos. What sort of pro democracy activism is that ?
Ugo Egbujo
