Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has warned his counterpart in Anambra State, Peter Obi not to incite the Igbos against the Lagos state government, following the recent bussing of of some Igbo destitute to Onitsha.
Fashola, spoke with newsmen on Thursday after inspecting the on-going light rail project and Jetties in Mile 2 area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
The governor accused Obi of playing politics with the matter and using the media to blow the issue out of proportion, saying that the governor has not deemed it fit to call him on the issue, only for him to make it a media issue.
“There is too much at stake for anyone to begin to incite the Igbo community against their host state. There is too much at stake here. It is a very dangerous and unwarranted precedent.
“And I hope that common sense will prevail here. Also those who are baying for blood should know that there is too much at risk here. When I get a formal complaint from the government of Anambra State or notification from the Presidency, I will lay the facts bare.
“It is unfortunate that my colleague governor has made this a media issue. As I speak, I haven’t received any telephone call or letter from him to complain and I don’t think that is the way government works. On less important matters like this, he had called me before,” he stated.
According to Fashola “this is a political season and Anambra will be up for contest and in a political season, unusual things happen and perhaps we are living in an interesting times. And some of the evidence was when one see two adults kissing on television, it tells you that some things are afoot.”
He added that it was regrettable when one saw issues of governance being trivialized or tried on the pages of newspaper, with all sorts of columnists writing on it.
On Obi reporting him to the presidency on the issue, the governor said he was not aware if there was any place in the constitution that gave the president the power to adjudicate in disputes between states.
“Yes, I know that the president has a moral authority because he is the head of the sovereign state of the country. But I am not aware that the constitution states that the dispute between states should be settled by the Presidency.
“If Anambra State has an issue on this matter, and they feel aggrieved, they should call or write to us. I feel that the final arbiter should be the court. And it is really important to say that our hospitality in Lagos state is legendary. And it is a global legend that the people of Lagos State are hospitable people and so is the present government of the state and previous administrations,” he said.
Fashola stated that there is a large Igbo population in the state and that their presence was evident in Alaba with the Alaba International Market and the ASPAMDA market, saying that they are doing their business peacefully while the state government is working tirelessly to provide the required transport system, that would help improve the travel time and their businesses.
] - The Nation-Governors-Forum was designed for Governors to meet-and-interact to discuss matters of mutual-interest and deliberate on issues of common conflict... if only they had allowed such a Forum to function without politics; but in according to design with the specifications.
ReplyDelete"He (the Anambra state Gov) has not called me", The question is, Did you consult, inform, call him before you decide to deport those Nigerian citizens in a nigerian state?.
ReplyDeleteYes,it is high time we addressed some issues the way it is, frankly speaking a lot of these people are just a nuisance on the accient city of Lagos state and I think whoever is not having tangible work doing should go back to his or her fathers land and start roaming about the street. Anybody that is not satisfy with this development should go to court
ReplyDeleteReading what Governor Fashola said, did he contacted Obi before sending those people to Onitsha. Most of the people are not Igbo's but Hausa's, and they are all Nigeria's. Is Lagos a country now, for them to be deported from Lagos or are we no Longer one Nigeria. Fashola is very stupid to have acted the way he did. He needs to go back to the the class room. I use to think is one of the best Governors, but his act has shown me his very fullish. Now his blaming Obi for his stupid act, saying Obi should have contacted him, while he never contacted Obi before dumping those people at Onitsha. Fashola go and read the Nigerian constitution and tell us where it states that a Nigerian should be deported from his or her own country or deported from any state in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteFrankly speaking the Igbo are a bunch of parasitic bloody whiners. They are greedy and will take a mile if you give them a foot. If they feel lagosians or Yoruba hate them that much they should shut the fuck up and fuck off to Igbo Land. Charity begins at home. If they are so industrious as they claim, they should fix Igbo land and stay there. Yorubas are not trooping to Igbo land so Igbos should stay where they belong. They have overstayed their welcome. We were brought together as a nation by the british; but it is time for everyone to go home where they belong and fix it. Yoruba do not need Igbo. Yoruba do not hate Igbo. Yoruba do not consider or feel anything for Igbo. Good or Bad. Yoruba are not saints, but they are tolerant in ways Igbo can never imagine. Yoruba are cultured. Igbo=Greedy=419=Immoral= Sell their own Mama for Money=Can not be trusted.
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