The Igbo apex socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode as the number one enemy of Ndigbo.
The reasons they say is because he ordered the demolition of Owonifari market in Oshodi, which is mostly occupied by Igbo traders when most of them were still celebrating the Yuletide in their villages.
National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, alongside the National Secretary, Okwu Nnabuike, at a press brief briefing in Enugu today announced that the Governor had drawn a battle line between himself and the entire Igbo land by the demolition.
Claiming that the act was done “in bad faith”, the OYC questioned why the Lagos State Government chose to carry out such act at a time when it clearly knew that the owners of the shops were in their villages for the Christmas and the New Year festivities.
While maintaining that the Lagos State Government’s action was a threat to the unity of the country, the group demanded adequate compensation of traders who had suffered great losses as a result of the demolition, stressing that “it is quite inhuman for people’s means of livelihood to be taken away from them in such a manner.”
Isiguzoro further contended that the state government’s claim that arms were recovered from that section of the market is neither here nor there, “because it cannot be a reason for such a wicked treatment purely targeted on a particular people.
The OYC’s response comes few hours after the umbrella body of Executive Secretaries of local governments and local council development areas in Lagos State under the auspices of Conference 57 faulted those castigating Ambode for the demolition, and insisted that the action was a positive step geared towards development and progress.
Chairman of the body, Hon. Alabi Kolade David, who stated this, claimed that those calling the Governor names over the demolition were exhibiting ignorance and lack of foresight, as same was in line with the transformation plan of government for Oshodi.
David, who described Oshodi as an international gateway to Lagos and, indeed Nigeria, said the demolition was a positive step towards transforming Lagos into mega city compared to other cosmopolitan city-states of the world.
