August 4, 2013 by LEKE BAIYEWU
Igbokwe
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
The Publicity Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU, explains why the state government comes hard on the destitute in the state
What was the motive behind the recent relocation of over 70 people from Lagos to Onitsha?
Since the movement of the destitute (over 70) from Lagos State to Onitsha in Anambra State to re-unite with their families, as requested, many have decided to play politics with it. Many have called it deportation, some called it ‘descent to Nazism,’ and some gave it ethnic colouration, while some said it is the story of Nigerians made ‘illegal aliens’ in their country. The truth of the matter is that Lagos has said it will not accept a situation where people board buses from Sokoto, Ibadan, Onitsha or Aba to Lagos to beg for alms and, in the night, sleep under the bridges and by the roads sides. They constitute danger to themselves and to the society at large. Some women among them have been raped or sexually abused. Some of them have been recruited into armed robbery and some other gangs. Some have been used for ritual purposes. Some have been killed and dumped.
Were all the destitute you relocated not having means of livelihood?
Most of these people who were picked up are mentally retarded, terribly abused, sexually dehumanised, hungry, weak, and suffering memory loss. What Lagos does is to pick them up and take them to rehabilitation centres. There, they are rehabilitated until they are strong enough to talk and give account of themselves. Some of them, after recovery, may decide to engage themselves by joining skill acquisition centres we have in Lagos. Some may decide to join their kits and kin in their states of origin. After interrogations and investigations, those willing to go are taken to a central place close to their towns to find their way. They are provided with logistics for that. However, they may not admit it just to get sympathy and attention.
Why only the Igbo?
The so-called Onitsha deportation was not the first time such was done. Lagos had taken the destitute to Oyo, Osun and some northern states in the past. Lagos had gone to Akwa Ibom recently to pick its destitute too.
Before moving the destitute to Onitsha, Lagos State Government wrote to the Anambra State Government on the matter and there was no reply until the Lagos decided to move them to Onitsha. Now, the political jobbers call this deportation. Lagos does not deport people. Lagos is home to all Nigerians. But, Lagos frowns at people who come to the state to become a threat to security of lives and property. It borders on security. Millions of Ndi Igbo (Igbo people) living in Lagos are critical stakeholders in the state. They control all the markets; they control the commerce. Eighty per cent of rich south-easterners made their fortunes in Lagos. They are in transport, commerce, engineering, oil and gas, construction, estate, banking and finance, etc. Now, tell me how Lagos has been deporting other Nigerians. A school of thought has said there should be a balance between citizens’ rights and confronting security challenges. Lagos does not indulge in irresponsible, dishonest and unquestionable activities. Decisions are taken in the overall interest of Lagosians, Ndi Igbo inclusive. It is all about security.
But why were they dropped before daybreak?
Don’t listen to what they are saying. You can leave Lagos in the morning and get there (Onitsha) in the evening. When people want to play politics, they can go dirty. What I’m saying is that this was not the first time; we had done same for Ogun, Oyo and other states. Even for Anambra, it’s not the first time. Look at the picture of those people and you’ll see that they are not well; they are the destitute. These were people that were picked, rehabilitated for months. For those of us who travel a lot, we can leave Lagos in the morning and get there in the night. What they are saying is that Fashola is ‘deporting’ Ndi Igbo with 1,000 buses, searching from street to street, forcing them out of their houses and putting them inside the buses to be taken to Onitsha.
These are peculiar circumstances that have to do with security. People can disguise like orange sellers and wreck havoc. If anything happens to the economy of Lagos, Nigeria will suffer. And that is why the state government is being hyper-proactive and people must think that way.
Why is Lagos an exception in this case?
Lagos is the only state in Nigeria where almost every graduate heads to after graduation. It is a place to be, in terms of anything business. It is the commercial hub of Nigeria; the ‘heads’ of all Nigerians and the city you can call your own, if you abide by the rules. It is the economic nerve-centre of Nigeria. Lagos is a pride of Nigeria.
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is an exceptional governor, a detribalised Nigerian, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is level-headed, disciplined and lettered. He does not engage in meaningless and frivolous things. He understands the strength of diversity and plurality in a state like Lagos. He knows also that all ethnic nationalities drive the economy of Lagos. He cannot toy with the destiny of Lagos.
Again, some of those taken to Onitsha were not from the state but were left to their fate in a strange land. Why?
By the time they were picked up, they couldn’t even speak. They were so weak that they couldn’t speak. They were not well fed and nobody gave them anything. It was after months of rehabilitation, when they could speak, that we interviewed them to ask for their states of origin. Some of them couldn’t still say anything coherent. Some, because they heard other people mentioning a state, would mention the state they heard. Some of them were given money to take them home but when it comes to situations like this, they won’t admit it. Fashola wrote the governor of Anambra State (Peter Obi) to come, the way Akwa Ibom wrote us. We went there and took our people that constituted menace in Akwa Ibom. I’m speaking as an Igbo person from Anambra State, so that nobody plays politics with the issue. I know what my people have in Lagos and they are free to do anything. They operate as if they are part and parcel of Lagos. Let nobody play politics. When you see Fashola do something, there must be something behind it and you don’t expect everybody to know because he is the one in government. He is the one that sees the problems; he is the one that knows what to do. Everything we are doing is for security; it is very important. We need to secure the only state that is developed in Nigeria; the state where 80 per cent of Nigerian youths come when they graduate from schools. They have no other place to go and we need to secure it. And people don’t just board buses from Sokoto, Kano or Onitsha to come to Lagos without having a house or means of livelihood.
Were their families aware of where they were moved to? What were the steps taken to reach out to the relatives of the people?
Most of them were the destitute driven into the streets by their people, until they were rehabilitated. They didn’t even know the telephone numbers of their people. If they had, why would we take them to Onitsha? We would just call them to come to Lagos to pick their kits and kin. Let me give you an example, most of the boys you see hawking on the streets of Lagos are from Ebonyi State. If you seize their goods and chase them out, tomorrow they will be back on the streets. The government was making efforts to get their leaders in the state to speak to them. The leaders spoke to them, yet those boys are still on the streets. We have been doing this for over two years and by the time Lagos State Government start dealing with those boys, people would start to talk. These boys come to Lagos in hundreds every day, only for them to start hawking. You’ll see a young boy, between nine and 12 years old, hawking goods not more than N3, 000 and exposing himself to the risky traffic situation in Lagos. Some of them have been kidnapped for ritual purposes, some have been killed and nobody asks about them. These are the problems.
Is there anything political about the relocation, going by insinuations?
Politics of 2015 is fast approaching. I know that ethnic chance-takers, political opportunists and the rudderless opposition in Lagos have been taking advantage of the so-called Onitsha ‘deportation’ to score cheap political points. No, it can never happen. We have to set the records straight. Boko Haram is a security challenge in Lagos, as well as the whole of Nigeria. People say Lagos is the safest state in Nigeria. Yes, I agree, but remember, Lagos has achieved this as a result of certain activities — taking hard, drastic and tough decisions within the rules of engagements and the rules of law to get things done.
I have been in Lagos since 1986 and I know the situation here. I’ve worked for Lagos in various capacities. Mr. Ben Akabueze has been working for Lagos as Commissioner for Budget and Planning for years now. There are also countless Igbo people working in various parastatals, agencies, and local governments. I know the strength of my people here. I know that they have made great successes here more than what they have made in the whole of the South-East. Let us not play politics with this matter. Let us show understanding
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