Against the backdrop of heightened social media tensions promoting unfortunate apprehensions and hate narratives between Ndigbo in Lagos with their egalitarian Yoruba hosts, Aka Ikenga, the Igbo Think Tank has called for caution, wisdom, and responsibility on all parties and nationalities involved. “We request and encourage all responsible citizens and critical stakeholders of development and peace, that we must now rise together to categorically reject these incendiary baits for hatred and dangerous slide to ethnic profiling, by digital purveyors of falsehood and deliberate escalators of our fault lines across board”.
The President of the Think Tank, Agbalanze Chike Madueke, in a statement by the Director of Communications, Mr Collins Steve Ugwu said, “By extant history and established memories, the ethnic comradeship and social cohesion between our two enlightened great nationalities has not only been self assuring, but has topped the mark from that of generous hosts, inseparable friendships to a bonding brotherhood in every index of culture, arts and commerce, with our strength fixed on development, happiness, and prosperity.”
We make this assertion without equivocation, but with every sincerity, given the facts of our centuries old interactions, diversities, and expanding compatibilities, that has been nurtured and sustained together, through marriages, language and hospitality, in a Nigeria that keeps evolving for better statehood.
We must bear in our hearts that our common threads of harmony in businesses and investments to ensure good life is deep rooted in competitive transparency, so effervescent on that episcopal Yoruba proverb “Obẹtọdu Ọwọlọnkpa”, best translated in pidgin, “Good soup na money kill am.” The efficiency of this classic norm is poignant that our shared civilizations, enjoy emotional parity in celebrations of good life earned legitimately, as the liberty of all humanity, since the end of slavery and colonialism that we fought against together proudly.
But we do admit and sincerely too, that some exhibitions by a few class of loud kindreds has tended to rile and offend sensitivities, infact annoying indulgences that displays arrogance and poor awareness of our historic comradeship. That is at the very core of this statement, that challenges of cultural diversities, sometimes prone to ethnic, religious and political manipulations, must be acknowledged, with an honest urgency to address and resolve collaboratively and intentionally. The goat does not deliver in tether where elders of conscience abound, so this unhelpful toxicity should be tamed now.
We reiterate that there is no superiority contest in our shared zeal for industry, just as our commonality for respects to the dignity of labour and rewards, remain magnificent.
Resilience and competition, sometimes fierce and intense even in families, neighbors and communities are accommodated ladders for generational innovation, reinvention and sustainability, for societies that must not be relegated to redundancy, when moderated by firm social behavior, law, justice and equity for all.
Aware of the dark clouds by preying opportunists who has no regard for legacy and regeneration, Aka Ikenga wish to assure all, that Ndigbo as a Nation are not “buying up Lagos”, or “taking over” their hosts lands. We have never authored nor adopted such propaganda poison, that “Lagos is no man’s land” either by proxy, intent or attitude. The open truth rather, is that Lagos has actually been a home away from home for Ndigbo, as anywhere in Nigeria we reside and find generosity. No person will harm or hurt his nest of peace and comfort, except an outlaw, a deep anathema to both civilized cultures.
As a body of Ndigbo conscience, we will therefore quickly activate channels of engagements alongside our apex socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo to dialogue with our hosts, stakeholders and the governments, to decisively douse these tensions, address misbehaviours and interrogate the serial collective mis-characterization of Ndigbo in Lagos particularly and elsewhere in Nigeria.
Let’s remind ourselves again that the Igbos and Yorubas remain on the same page in prioritized pursuits of enlightenment, education, and productivity generally. We are together in defense of our fatherland whether in Sambisa forests or the creeks of seas fighting crimes and banditry. Politically, we are clearly together in clamour for everything noble for our fatherland; democracy, good governance, a peoples Constitution, proper national census, fiscal federalism, merit based competition, respect to federal character, and the rule of law for justice, fairness and equality of all citizens. These are defining ethos that unite our attainments together and sacrifices must continue to be made to protect and build on it without alienation or bitterness.
Thank you.
Collins Steve Ugwu
Director of Communications
AKA IKENGA
07084400909.
