The Lagos state government has distanced itself from the campaign for the forced relocation of Igbos from the state and other Southwest states.
An X user @Lagospedia had on July 27 made a post stating that stakeholders in the Southwest states should prepare to enforce the relocation of Igbos from their states from August 20- 30.
In a statement released last night, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Lagos state governor, Gbenga Akosile, said the state government distances itself from the ‘’reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric”. Akosile said Lagos remains home to every Nigerian citizen regardless of their ethnic nationality. He said the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, views the post as not only reckless and divisive but also 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 mentioned that the security agencies have been urged to promptly investigate those behind the handle and bring them to justice.
This is coming after former vice president and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar called on the Federal government to arrest and prosecute those calling for the mass relocation of Igbos from Lagos and other Southwest states. Atiku said such rhetoric is not only divisive but also endangers our peace and security as a nation. He noted that five days after the divisive calls were made on social media, there has been a ‘’troubling silence.”
Read the statement by the Lagos State government below…
‘’REJOINDER
The attention of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been drawn to a post by LagosPedia, a social media handle on X (formerly Twitter) that calls on the Igbo to vacate Lagos and Southwest of Nigeria and brace up for a massive hashtag
#IgboMustGo protest from 20th to 30th August, 2024.
The Governor of Lagos State and indeed, Lagos State Government wish to distance themselves from the reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric, saying Lagos remains home to every Nigerian citizen regardless of their ethnic nationality.
Governor Sanwo-Olu 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.
The Governor appeals to Lagosians not to allow any person or group of individuals to create tensions in the State, calling on the security agencies to promptly investigate those behind the handle and bring them to justice.
Mr. Governor enjoins Lagosians to ignore the post and any post of that nature, promising to double his efforts towards ensuring lasting peace in the State.”
