Why Ndiigbo Must Leave Lagos Now and Invest in the East.

by Dokubo Asari

1. First and foremost, Lagos is not a no man’s land. Lagos belongs to the Yoruba. In the event of an uprising, the owners of Lagos will eliminate any group they consider a threat and Ndiigbo are first on the list. You cannot continue to invest where you are not willing to defend with your blood.

2. The main reason why Ndiigbo are rushing to Lagos is because of the ignorant belief of making more returns or profiting very fast, which, on its own, is greed for quick money. Other tribes mock them for idolizing money more than anything.

   

   Former militant leader of the Niger Delta and an outspoken Ijaw self-determination agonist, Dokubo Asari of Bayelsa state.

3. Ndiigbo always claim their abandonment of their zone is because there is no deep seaport in the Eastern Region, including Rivers and Calabar. While this may be true, they are not the only ones affected. People living in Kano and Kaduna equally travel long distances to Lagos to bring back their imported goods, but the difference is that they move it back to Kaduna or Kano to invest in their land. Nothing stops the Igbo man/woman from doing the same thing.
4. The Nigerian system is skewed to sabotage the Ndiigbo economically. But we must learn from the people of Nnewi. They have created an economic hub for themselves, thereby bringing back their goods down to their town. We can do this in other places in the East.
5. We can have our own Lagos in Anambra (Onitsha) and Abia (Aba). It starts by bringing back your investment, one after the other. Gradually, there will be a cluster of businesses and economic boom. People in Lagos will come down to the East to look for you. This can be achieved in 2 years if you start today.
6. People falsely claim that the East is small. It will not fit all of Ndiigbo. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Lagos is just a little bigger than the size of Abia state. Despite the massive influx of people all over Nigeria into Lagos, including Ndiigbo, right from the creation of this country, it still accommodates everyone. That’s not an excuse at all. There are empty lands all over Igbo land.

7. Ndiigbo must realize that it’s all a grand plan to spread them out and make sure they can’t unite again, after the Civil War, as a strong opposition. They monopolized the seaport to Lagos alone and strategically locate federal structures outside the East to weaken the zone economically and politically. Why are we naively supporting a grand plan that was designed for our detriment? The national railroad plan under Buhari is quietly excluding the East.

   This has made Ndiigbo to leave the East to Lagos or Abuja in other to get these things they have been deprived of. The result is that Ndiigbo now live outside the East, get married, develop outside the East and have their children outside the East and even hate their kin in the East.

   These children have little or no knowledge about their parents’ language and culture. They only travel back home during the festive period. They are forced to learn the language and practice the culture of their masters.

   This federal government strategy has worked wonders for Nigerian leaders. By strategically blocking Ndiigbo from education and employment in Nigeria, the bulk of the Ndiigbo were forced out of Nigeria to search for survival outside the country. Some of these people are now the second-highest source of income for Nigeria after oil due to their remittances back home in their quest to invest in Lagos and Abuja as designed by their master.

8. This has led to the Igbo language becoming endangered and increase in disunity among the Ndiigbo. That’s why you can bet that Ndiigbo in Lagos or those outside the East will never support the idea of Biafra because they have made investments where they were not supposed to. They are so scared to death about losing their idol – “Money located outside the East”.
9. Ndiigbo must learn from history. After the war, Igbo properties were taken away with the full consent of the government. Yet, they have not learned anything from that.
   

   Recently when the Arewa youths gave Ndiigbo quit notice. The federal government made no arrest. They were already targeting Igbo properties to be taken when the time comes. Yet, Ndiigbo have nothing to learn from all these.

   

   From its modest beginning in a waterlogged part of Lagos, the Alaba International Market has since grown to become the largest electronics market in the Nigerian and West African sub-region. Shops are usually filled with electronics goods imported from all parts of the industrialized world.

10. Let’s stop the idea that we should be the ones practicing “one Nigeria”. That’s a lie. Hausa said they want one Nigeria on their terms. But over fourteen Northern states have instituted the Sharia Islamic law over the Nigerian constitution. The Islamic Sharia law happens to be binding on Christians and non-Moslems also.

    The Igbo quest to invest in another land is strictly driven by the mindset of making quick money or returns. Let’s tell ourselves the truth.

    Dangote, with all his wealth, doesn’t have a land in the East. You only find cement depots. How many Hausa or Yoruba have land or investment in the East? Are we now more Nigerian than them?

    The average wealthy Northerner will bring his cows to the East to sell during Christmas, even though he hates Christians. But he will not even sleep in your hotels. He will rather sleep underneath his trailer and will quickly depart from the East after selling his cows. For God’s sake, why do you think that you are smarter than these people who share a common unforgivable passion for spilling the Igbo blood?

11. The government of Lagos is demolishing markets dominated by Ndiigbo and relocating them to the outskirts of town. This should be a wakeup call for Ndiigbo to return home and create their own Lagos in the East. They usually point Ndiigbo to any undeveloped forest and in a matter of weeks, Ndiigbo will spring up a new market at the site and still pay taxes, levies, bills for the site.
    The property tax alone the Ndiigbo pay yearly where they reside is enough to pay the salaries of the teachers in these places, especially Lagos.

12. Ndiigbo must now understand that they are being used due to their ignorance.

    During the budgetary period, the places where you reside include you in the count. But after the money has been allocated, they tell you to go back to your state of origin.

How many times do you want to get screwed before you learn that these people are taking turns screwing you for nothing?

Stop the self-imposed marginalization and empower the Igbo land.

Make sure you send this to all Ndiigbo and Igbo groups.