Lagos Demolition: Ejimakor Urges Igbo Residents To Remain Resilient

Human Rights Lawyer, Barr Aloy Ejimakor, Sunday, urged Ndigbo, especially victims of alleged selective property demolition in Lagos, to be courageous in the face of their ordeals.

Ejimakor,through his X handle, said Ndigbo had triumphed over many national problems, and expressed optimism that the current setbacks would not be different.

He wrote, “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.”

Meanwhile, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, says Nigerians of Igbo extraction developed Lagos from its original swampy terrain to what it is presently.

Iwuanyanwu, who was reacting to the alleged demolition of property belonging to the Igbo in Lagos, described Ndigbo as ‘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.”