Ethnic Profiling and Renaming of Streets and Bus Stops in Lagos:Trial of Our Nationhood
By Chuks Ibegbu
Since 2023, Lagos, a once melting point of all Nigeria people and culture has been turned into a hub of Ethnic bigotry and intolerance.
In 2023 elections a whole race ,the Igbos were forcefully disenfranchised by ethnic bigots.
The Nigeria constitution was put on trial and rulers of Nigeria failed to protect their fellow citizens hounded by political scoundrels in Lagos .
Today,with a bolder testament these agents of darkness with seeming state backing have committed another harakiri by renaming the tag of bus stops and streets in some parts of Lagos.
The Chief security officer of the state has not deemed it fit to react to this constitutional breach.
The federal authorities whose duty is to reprimand anti unity policies have kept mum.
Of course, the people mainly targeted were Igbos with a shadowy group purporting to be Yoruba Elders Progressive Forum, clinically in progressive, lauding this ethnic irredentism with disturbing ambience.
Spewing several demeaning postulations on why all Nigerians,Igbos in particular should live in Lagos as total strangers ,kowtowing to Yoruba domain supremacy in Lagos,the Lagos the Binis,Igbos,Aworis,Hausas,Efik’s,Ijaws ,Europeans contributed in building to its present status.
The micro negative nationalists and ethnic irredentists in Lagos may not be aware that in several Igbo and Nigeria cities there are streets and bus stops bearing Yoruba names.
In Umuahia alone,ABIA state we have Awolowo street,Macaulay street, Fajuyi lane,Ibadan street Oyo street and many others. The tallest building at Abiriba street before the war was owned by one Bar Ishola from Kwara state.
He abandoned that building at the outbreak of the war but till date nobody encroached into the edifice.
In Enugu,Onitsha,Owerri Aba ,Abakiliki among virtually all Igbo cities there are numerous bus stops and streets with Yoruba names.
Ofcourse the great Awo is virtually named in all Igbo key cities as well as Herbert Macaulay
In other parts of the country,North and Niger Delta too,it’s the same. There is Yoruba street in Kano and Onitsha.
These bigots in Lagos think Nigeria began and ended in Lagos unaware of possible backlash today or in future.
For Ndigbo ,they are nation builders and nationalists . There is virtually no major city or great figure in Nigeria that has no street or bus stop named after them in Igbo and Eastern cities.
Inspiring however is the fact that some patriotic Yoruba leaders like Prof Balaji Akinyemi,Femi Falana ,former Governor Fashola among others have openly condemned that barbaric act which challenged everything the great Yoruba race is known for,a race that exhibited sophistication ,tolerance and communalism in the past.
Annoyingly ,the chief security officer of the state and the federal authorities have remained mum till date indicating perhaps a fore knowledge of the barbaric act.
If this is happening today ,then no one knows what the barbarians may do in 2027
If we are fighting xenophobia in Ghana and South Africa ,we have urgent reason to halt this xenophobia in our own country.
May God help us.
Chuks Ibegbu is a
former spokesman
Ohanaeze Ndigbo world wide,
Director General
AkuruoUlo Media international
and Secretary General
Africa Democrats.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication with Second Class(Upper Division) at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
