By Adadareporters
Foremost human rights activist, Barr Aloy Ejimakor, Sunday, advised Ndigbo who are casualties of selective property demolition in Lagos, ‘to be strong and of good courage’ in the face of their oppression.
Ejimakor stated this via his verified X handle. He said the Igbo had triumphed over many national problems, and expressed optimism that the current setbacks would not be different.
Quoting him, “Ndigbo: ‘Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed’. Together, you triumphed over a pogrom & prospered in short order. Even the last 8 years were hellish but you went through the ordeal standing tall. So, no travails of the moment should subdue you.”
In another development, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has recalled that it was the Igbo that developed Lagos to its enviable status.
Iwuanyanwu was reacting to the demolition of property belonging to the Igbo in Lagos. He said Ndigbo ‘are the heroes of Lagos’.
According to him, Igbo people came to Lagos when it was made the capital of Nigeria and invested heavily in the state.
Iwuanyanwu said, ‘’Lagos was accepted as the capital of Nigeria. Igbos, most of them are dead today, our forebears rose to the challenge. The challenge at that time was an investment, massive investments to make the capital Lagos a proper, befitting headquarters for Nigeria.
“That is how Igbos scattered all over, moved into Lagos by a sense of patriotism. Igbos came into Lagos, found some swampy land, and bought the land. Igbos when they came into Lagos, they never came there to take anybody’s property. They came there, bought the land, and converted swampy lands into habitable places. They built businesses, they built homes, schools, they developed Lagos.
“In effect, without the enterprise, of the patriotism of Nigerians like the Igbos, many other Nigerians did the same but it will appear that because of population, Igbos were in large numbers. These pioneers, our forebears, are the heroes of the time, the heroes of what we call today a very strong Lagos. When they came there, Lagos was basically swampy but they converted it into a very wonderful, beautiful headquarters we see today in Nigeria.”
