LAGOS DEPORTATION OR RELOCATION SAGA .... ORJI UZOR KALU REPLIES FASHOLA. DEPORTATION: FASHOLA GOT IT WRONG - KALU ***insists on a court action if... There is something I often dread doing: joining issues with somebody I admire or somebody so dear to me. This is why I usually dwell on issue-based articles. Again, I am always very collected as a person – not given to vulgarity or banality. Nevertheless, in the case of Governor Babatunde Fashola, it is a complex mix: He is a man whose performance as governor has attracted him wide accolades and encomiums, and he is very close to my personal friend and colleague, Senator Bola Tinubu. I met Fashola for the first time when he was serving as the Chief of Staff to then Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He passed off as a calm, humble and urbane person; which of course influenced Tinubu to hand over power to him at the end of his tenure. Since his emergence as Governor Fashola has shown character, and comported himself honourably. That was the case until he committed a recent blunder, which has the capacity of erasing all the good works he has done so far in the saddle as governor. I was taken aback when the news broke out penultimate week that his administration had deported 67 Igbo from Lagos and dumped them in Onitsha in Anambra State without defining what their offence really was other than for the fact that they were destitute persons. At first, I did not believe the story, because of the respect I have for Fashola. But further investigations have since proved the story to be veracious. I do not care about the spirited defence by Fashola and his media men to twist the fact and paint their critics as villains. That is their right though. But I had expected him to show some remorse for his thoughtless and unprovoked action against a people whose only crime is that they were born in a country that has chosen to hate them for no just cause. Let me quickly point out here that I am disappointed at some of the comments made by some highly-placed individuals in defence of the illegal and indiscriminate action of the Lagos State Government. These articles and comments smacked of fallacy, irrationality and non-seriousness. A few of them are outright provocative and ethnocentric. Nonetheless, one fact these armchair commentators cannot sweep under the carpet, try as they would, is that Igbo are hated for no justifiable reason. What offence did the innocent 67 deported Igbo commit to warrant such a dehumanizing and demeaning treatment in their own country? The most grievous offence anybody can commit today in Nigeria is treasonable felony or murder, which often attracts the death penalty. In this circumstance, what the government of Lagos State should have done was to commit them to the legal process and not take the laws into its hands. Facts gleaned from the victims of the racist act by the Lagos State Government showed clearly that they did not commit any criminal offence to be so treated. Even if they had committed any punishable offence what the government should have done (as I indicated earlier) was to arraign them before a competent court for trial. One worrisome aspect of the whole thing is that it was shrouded in secrecy and only came to the fore when the victims and their relations started crying blue murder. Why was the deportation of the ‘illegal aliens’ secretly carried out if the government had no skeleton in its cupboard? What would it have cost the government to publicize the matter before taking such an ill-advised and irrational decision? To bundle 67 bonafide Nigerians into a ‘container’ escorted by security operatives and dumped them at Onitsha Bridgehead was callous, degrading, and an affront on the sensibility of all Igbo in particular and Nigerians in general. In reaction to what happened the whole world has been speaking out to show how outrageous and unjust the action of the Lagos State Government was. If this kind of thing could happen to our co-citizens on our own soil what becomes the faith of those living in other countries? Is it not deceptive for us to condemn the nations that mistreat our citizens when back home we have no respect for human rights and the constitution? The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria explicitly condemns what Fashola and its cohorts did, because its provisions are very clear on the freedom of every Nigerian to live in any part of the country without any let or hindrance. Again, even if those deported were destitute persons as their accusers claimed should that warrant such an inhuman treatment? There was an incident that happened when I was governor grievous enough to warrant some persons to be sent packing from our state, but I stood up against such an action, even when I was advised not to. My primary focus at that time was what the constitution said about citizens’ rights and privileges. I was not carried away by the euphoria of the office of governor, because I knew deep inside me that one day I would leave the seat and walk the streets like every other Nigerian. This is why I find it very detestable the actions of some governors that pander to undue emotionalism in matters bordering on human rights, citizens rights and the law generally. It has to be made clear at this juncture that nobody or government has the right, under whatever guise, to ask any citizen of Nigeria not to live anywhere of his choice in Nigeria. It is a pity that what rules some of our leaders is pettiness and narrow-mindedness. For the 8 years I was governor, I made it a standing rule that the so-called non-indigenes should not be discriminated against in any form as I never believed that any Nigerian resident in any part of the country other than his state of birth is a non-indigene. Our government offered jobs to ‘non-indigenes’ from all parts of Nigeria, and even sponsored a bill to the state House of Assembly to make it possible for any person born in Abia State or has lived in Abia State for up to 8 years to qualify to stand for an election and enjoy other privileges. Against all odds, we even appointed an indigene of Imo State as a Commissioner. There were also Special Advisers and Assistants who did not come from Abia State appointed into exalted positions. They included people from the West and North. Abia State was truly a home for all Nigerians at that time. I believed, and still do, that wherever any Nigerian lives, ekes out a living and pays his tax is his home and is, therefore, entitled to any benefits accruable to the indigenes of that state. This is the spirit of the United States of America and many other developed nations of the world. Why does it look as if everything works in the United States? The answer is simple: there is patriotism and respect for the life and property of their citizens. This is why an average American can die for his country. As rich and developed as the United States is it still grapples with the stifling task of taking care of thousands of homeless persons. There are over 56,000 homeless persons in New York City alone. Despite their menace the New York City Council still fends and caters to them. The beauty of the American spirit comes to play during the inclement winter. The councils go round providing shelter and comfort to hundreds of thousands of homeless persons. In fact, a sizeable part of the financial resources of the New York Mayoralty goes to catering to the hordes of homeless persons that are seen in open places across the sprawling city. The same situation obtains in the United Kingdom and major cities in Europe. In London, Hackney to be precise, there is a particular place where drug addicts stay and beg for alms. I learned from a reliable source that the City of London takes care of them in spite of the fact that they are drug addicts. I am sure that if it were in Nigeria, Lagos to be specific, probably Fashola would have dumped them at the Eleko Beach at night to be swept away into the Atlantic Ocean. Today, all kinds of obnoxious things are happening in our country in the name of politics and ethnicity. Some states have gone a step further to sack non-indigenes – something I find loathsome and repugnant. Who is a non-indigene? The word is totally alien to the Nigerian Constitution or any part of our statutes. The word was a creation of those whose vision about Nigeria is bighted and jaundiced. If they should place Nigeria in a broader perspective – beyond their parochialism and clannishness – they would likely see the beauty of the vision of our forefathers that promoted unity and oneness of Nigeria. There is no way we can make progress as a people if we failed to pull resources and work together irrespective of creed, religion or status. What should define our vision is our common patrimony. If Fashola did not know, let me tell him in plain language: his unpopular action has placed him in the darkest part of history and drawn the ire of our people. The angry outbursts from a cross-section of the country will simply tell him how pained the people have been over his action. And he has just one way of not writing himself into the book of infamy and that is to make restitution over his decision and offer unqualified apology to our people, especially the families of those deported. This kind of illegal and provocative act should not be made to have a place in our national life. In fact, the menders of our current constitution should insert a clause in it that will make it impracticable for any power-hungry governor or local government chairman or any person for that matter to wake up and sack any Nigerian resident in his area of authority for the mere reason that he or she is a non-indigene. A provision should be made for any infringement of such a law to attract stiff penalty. Let me use this opportunity to dismiss as daft the arguments by some uninformed persons that Igbo do not contribute anything substantial to the development of Lagos. It is an open secret that Igbo comprise a sizeable percentage of the businesses and population of Lagos State. Ajegunle to Ijanikin, Yaba to Oworonshoki, Surulere to Agege; Alimosho to Ajangbadi; Mafoloku to Badagry, Ikoyi to Epe are populated majorly by Igbo who own properties and businesses that yield billions of naira daily for the Lagos State Government. What of the Trade Fair Complex that houses ASPMDA (Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association), Idumota and Balogun Markets – where Igbo own large businesses and drive the economy of Lagos? What of individual Igbo who own and operate large businesses such as real estate, publishing and manufacturing? There are Igbo who have led all their lives in Lagos. I know I have lived in Lagos for over 30 years and own businesses employing over 3,000 Nigerians and foreigners. Two out of every five huge business outfits in Lagos are owned by Igbo. The interesting thing about the Igbo is that they are republican in nature and see wherever they stay as their home. This is why they build mansions wherever they are resident – whether it is their ancestral home or not. Their enterprising and accommodating disposition has placed them at the receiving end of hostility by their host-communities. Is it not the same situation in the north where Igbo are killed in their thousands by their militant hosts, yet have refused to leave? It is for reason such as this that I can safely state here that Igbo are more sincere than many other ethnic nationalities to drive the unity and progress of Nigeria. I challenge Fashola and his co-travellers in this bus of shame to disprove the claim that Igbo contribute more to the development of Lagos than any other tribe in Nigeria. Apart from the income from the federal allocation, the second largest source of revenue for Lagos State comes from investments by Igbo. There is no other tribe in Nigeria that has contributed to the physical development of Nigeria as much as Igbo. I can state at this point, without any fear of contradiction, that I can count on my finger tips the properties owned by non-Igbo in the entire Abia State. But go to Lagos, Port Harcourt or Kano and see the massive investments Igbo have made in those places. The reason for this is simple: Igbo believe truly in one Nigeria. Even in leadership, Igbo exhibit the same attitude. This could account for Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s (Zik) inability to do much for his people when he held office as first indigenous Governor-General and President. We are all witnesses to what has been happening since Zik left the stage. Successive leaders have spent enormous resources developing their own places and offering juicy positions to their kinsmen. Zik was detribalized unto death. Permit me to use this space to sound a note of warning to those that fan the embers of hate and ethnicity that times are changing very fast. They should change with the tide or be ostracized by fate. It is a very sinful and callous act to discriminate against any Nigerian in any part of the country for the lame reason that he is a non-indigene. It was Bola Tinubu that first appointed an Igbo into his cabinet in Lagos. Interestingly, Fashola retained the man. If he could sustain this legacy, why then has he allowed himself to be manipulated by anybody or, better still, self-delusion? Ordinarily, I would have called for the arrest and prosecution of Fashola and all those involved in this dastardly act but for my deference to the injunction of the Holy Book: to err is human, to forgive is divine. In that spirit, I hereby discharge and acquit Fashola and his band of human rights abusers on the condition that they show remorse, confess and own up to their sin and ask God for forgiveness, promising to go and sin no more. Failure to do so, I will be compelled to seek redress to court. Source. Africa communication of nigeria
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 17:30:52 +0000