Never has Nigeria witnessed the desperation of just one man at the detriment of the entire country like this. That’s what the emergence of Peter Obi with his Obidient movement is to Nigeria – to destroy and balkanize the nation.
At the height of his desperation to rule Nigeria or no one else does, Peter Obi of the Labour Party was bent on dragging Nigeria to religious war as recently revealed by a leaked video with one of his Christian daddies telling him that Nigeria belongs to the Christians and they must fight to take the country back in what he termed a religious war.
Peter Obi’s hatred for the Yoruba people and his campaign of calumny to stop the May 29, 2023 swearing-in of President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is basically an offshoot of the historical bellyful animosity and hatred the Igbo people have had towards the Yoruba race. It dated back to pre-Independence.
Attempts in the past for the two ethnic groups to form political alliances had always ended in deceit and fiasco.
. It’s a case of two major ethnic groups living like cat and mouse. The suspicion got to its crescendo in 1993 when the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, a Yoruba man, contested and won the presidency. While the Igbo voted in favor of Bashir Tofa, Abiola won, but the electoral body at that time was prevented from announcing the final results
Pressure was mounted from far and wide against the military from annulling the election The military junta found a ready-made tool in Arthur Nzeribe, an Igbo man who emerged overnight with the Association for Better Nigeria, ABN, that turned out to be an orchestrated destroyer of the march to democracy at that time. ABN aided the annulment of the freest and best election in the history of Nigeria.
Arthur Nzeribe went haywire in his destruction of Nigeria without a word from the Ndigbo. They kept quiet and the injustice was carried out against the interest of a Yoruba man.
Here we are again! Another Igbo descent is bent in scuttling the February 25 presidential election. Like a bolt from the blue, a desperate candidate who came a distant third as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, came out with his own Algebra and ridiculous equation proclaiming that he won the election.
He proceeded to submit himself to due process by approaching the tribunal. But rather than wait for the tribunal to finish its job, Peter Obi and his Vice presidential candidate have resorted to inciting Nigeria and spewing treasonable statements throw willing newspapers, television stations, their usual social media and foreign media to malign the personality of president-elect, including calling him names and blackmailing INEC as an irresponsible organization.
It has become inevitable on my part as a history student to add my voice to what has become so controversial in our public space for decades. We all know that at some point in our political history, even before independence, Lagos was either jokingly or inadvertently described as ‘ no man’s land ‘and same statement was echoed during the build up to the 2023 general elections
This time, the Yoruba who are unarguably the owner of the land became curious and even went emotional because it’s same group of people from the South East that are still saying what their grandfathers said several years back.
Let me also use this occasion to emphasize and set the record straight about the history of Lagos. Lagos is the inheritance of the Yoruba people which includes the Ijebus, Epes, Aworis, Eguns and the rest of them. Lagos had gained prominence as a centre of commerce even before amalgamation. It was the most unique and commercial hub for the Europeans, including the Brazilians before the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914. The argument that certain people from the East (Zionists) came to develop Lagos is totally false and with no evidence to support this claim.
How can people who came to Lagos with a pair of trousser and shirt, and spent months sleeping on bare floor or under the bridges but suddenly hit the goldmine in the city and become rice now turn around to say that they built Lagos? Balderdash! Rubbish! Provocative!
As a matter of fact, before the civil war between 1967 – 1970, the Eastern people (Zionists) took Port Harcourt as their economic capital in that zone but when their property were not returned to them after the war in 1970 because some of their properties were described as abandoned and confiscated by the natives, the few of them who were living in Lagos that time saw the humanity in the Yoruba people who graciously returned their property, including rents collected for them during the war. Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Chief Emeka Ojukwu’s accounts on the benevolence of the Yoruba can suffice here.
Above accounts was actually the tonic that attracted the South East people to South West, especially, Lagos from 1980’s, 1990’s , 2000’s and till date. The social and ethical liberal ideology of the Yoruba which makes them to always open their doors to any strangers.
There had been several attempts to strengthen inter groups relations especially in Lagos, parts of Southb West region, including the Northern parts of the country. Inter groups marriages, offer of chieftaincy titles, including employment of the South East people into the public service especially in Lagos and other States in the South West are very glaring.
You will notice that this particular gesture may be impossible to come by in the South East. So who is claiming to be a true Nigerian or Biafran here?
With all these conscious efforts being made by the South West people for intergroup relations especially in Yorubaland, while other tribes are here in Lagos and other parts of Yorubaland, conducting their businesses peacefully without any molestation, the Zionists, are here buying property, getting contracts from State governments, including being employed in the public service, enjoying free Education, free medical treatment in public schools and health centers.
They are here beating the drum of war during elections, doing the opposite of what they can’t accept in their States, yet have the effrontery to call Lagos ,no man’s land because some of them have houses here. Wait a minute, does the fact that you have houses in Kano ,or Adamawa or Dubai or UK or businesses like PZ, Unilever, MTN, Mikano etc ,make them owner of these countries ?
This is highly insulting against the collective heritage of the Yoruba race. While the generality of Yoruba felt their elites may never be involved in this unwholesome and unwarranted behavior, recent studies during the 2023 elections revealed that the best of their elites are members of IPOB and Biafrans.
That was how they turned the political space during the 2023 election to tribal and religious wars, and they kept on pretending and dishing out propaganda upon propaganda to instigate and incite people for civil disobedience.
And again, it’s becoming the habits of the Zionists to claim they develop Lagos. I stand to say this is very fallacious. What the Zionists are known for in Lagos and most parts of the country is importation of fake drugs, expired drugs, illicit drugs, Mercantile, fake parts and general container economy . Lagos had gained her prominence as a centre of commerce dated back into history before Nigerian as a country was born.
What we see today as the expansionism of the Igbo did not start yesterday, It was dated back into history before independence .
This tendency is similar to what is causing the Palestine-Isreali crisis in the Middle East which has defied all diplomatic resolutions till date. It’s therefore my considered view that , the people who always have their own mindset about any issues without objective assessment, can’t achieve any head in any relationship building because of their anger and vexation.
They will also not achieve any political success in Yorubaland or Nigeria without building a strong political base of their own which will enable them to reach out to others ,showing courtesy and mutual respect.
Your desires to encroach into the Yoruba Heritage, including calling it’s land ‘no man’s land ‘ should be seen as insulting and very derogatory to the collective intelligence of the race.
.Otunba Sola Olatunji, Chairman, Ikale Heritage Development Association, IHDA, writes from Lagos
