…advises Igbo traders
The Coalition of Igbo Political and Social-Cultural Groups, as well as market leaders in Lagos State, has distanced itself from the proposed 10-day national hunger protest, stating that Ndigbo will not participate in any demonstration.
The coalition, made up of 16 large groups, which include the Council of Ndieze in Lagos; Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos; South-East Forum in Lagos; Igbo Mandate; Seven Igbo Towns Unions; Igbo Speaking Community; Igbo Vision APC Lagos; Igbo Market Men and Women Associations, and Ndigbo in APC, advised Igbo traders to stay home and not open their businesses on days of the protest, fixed for August 1 to 10, to avoid being attacked.
The Igbo stakeholders in Lagos State noted that while there is no dispute that there is hardship in the country, the current economic situation bedevilling the country is not limited to Nigeria and was not caused by the incumbent government led by President Bola Tinubu.
They said the present situation of things in the country was a cumulative effect and result of past bad governance, which logically and sensibly could not be attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which is barely one year in the saddle.
Speaking during a press conference held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, the coordinator of the coalition, Chief Anselm Njoku, said a national protest at a time when the federal government was trying to revamp the economy was going to be counter-productive, hence ill advised.
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He said, “We are distancing ourselves and the entire Ndigbo in Lagos from the planned protest by some unscrupulous faceless elements, who are partly using Igbo nomenclatures to fan the embers of unsounded agitation. Nigerians should develop a culture of dialogue with the government and deploy constructive criticism without resorting to unnecessary provocative protests and violence.
“It is in this regard that we enjoin all Igbo of all extraditions, stakeholders, residents, traders, and captains of industries not to join in the protest. Lagos is Yoruba land, and Ndigbo, who are residents here, have contributed immensely to its development, so they cannot be used, coerced in whatever form, to destroy assets.
“We are not destruction-prone and cannot be part of those seeking to destroy what we partly built. Ndigbo are not wired for destruction but develop wherever we are residing.
“Let it be known that from all intelligence gatherings, the faceless organisers of this planned protest are not known to us, not Igbos, and are merely hiding under Ndigbo names, dropping Igbo names to create confusion and gather credibility.”
Njoku, who noted that President Tinubu inherited a bad economy and should be given time to settle down, thanked the president for approving the South East Development Commission.
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