Why is ethnic hate rising in Lagos? | Nairalaw

Azuka Onwuka

Even though there have been violent ethnic clashes between the
Yoruba and some other ethnic groups in Lagos and some South-West
states in the last 20 years, there had never been such a violent
ethnic clash between the Igbo and the Yoruba in the South-West or
in the South-East within the same period or before then.

Why have the Yoruba and the Igbo not been engaging in perennial
bloody ethnic clashes? One could find the answer in the respect the
two peoples have for the sanctity of the human life as well as
their tolerance level and love for conflict resolution.

On different occasions, some Yoruba and Igbo have had
altercations at the individual level within their markets or
residential quarters. Some of these altercations even resulted in
the death of someone. Happily, none of these quarrels has been
allowed to degenerate into ethnic clashes and killings.

However, in recent times, ethnic hate between the Igbo and the
Yoruba has been on its head, especially in Lagos State. The first
occurred in 2013 after the “deportation” of some Igbo from Lagos to
Anambra State by the Lagos State Government during the tenure of
Babatunde Fashola. Many Igbo felt bad about it. Verbal exchanges
were made by the Igbo and Yoruba, including prominent
politicians.

Similarly, in 2015, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, was
quoted as threatening some Igbo leaders that if the Igbo did not
vote for Akinwunmi Ambode of the All Progressives Congress as the
governor of Lagos State, they would perish in the Lagos lagoon.
That utterance was condemned by many Nigerians, including most
Yoruba people. However, shortly after, it was hijacked by ethnic
bigots and turned into an Igbo-Yoruba verbal war.

When the 2015 elections results were announced, even though
Ambode won the Lagos governorship seat and Maj.-Gen Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.) of the APC also beat the incumbent, Goodluck
Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, to become the President,
the PDP won some House of Representatives and Lagos State House of
Assembly seats in four Local Government Areas: Amuwo Odofin,
Ajeromi/Ifelodun, Oshodi/Isolo and Ojo. The ethnic origins of the
winners were Yoruba, Igbo and Urhobo.

For some Yoruba, this emergence of non-indigenes in Lagos
elections was simply a result of the cosmopolitan nature of the
city, just as is obtainable in great cities like London, New York,
and Paris. It was a sign of potential greatness. But to others, it
was an affront and a sign that the Igbo wanted to “dominate” the
Yoruba in their own land, “grab their land” and “re-colonise” them.
Threats and taunts started flying around again.

No major issue arose again since 2015 until February 23, 2019,
which was the date for the rescheduled presidential and National
Assembly elections. Before the elections, the prevailing argument
across the nation was whether it was better to vote for the
incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari, or former Vice President,
Atiku Abubakar, of the PDP.

However, while votes were being cast on February 23, there were
reports with pictures and videos that some thugs stormed some
polling units in the Okota and Aguda areas of the state, which have
a high population of the Igbo residents, beat voters up, scared
voters away, destroyed the ballot boxes and already cast ballots,
setting some on fire in some cases, and telling the voters to go
back to their states of origin to vote.

Even though this action of the thugs was condemned by some
Yoruba, it was justified by some others. Soon afterwards, a war of
words ensued between the Yoruba and the Igbo. Sadly, some of the
educated and enlightened ones, who were expected to look at the
issue from exalted perspectives, got mired in the ethnic cesspool.
One of them was Mr Femi Kusa, a former editor of The Guardian
newspaper, who wrote an article with the title, “Okota: The Igbo
Question, Jimi Agbaje, Afenifere and the Rest of Us.” In the
article, he argued that by choosing to vote for candidates and
political parties of their choice which contrasted with the
political preferences of the mainstream Yoruba people of Lagos, the
Igbo were on an expansionist, jihadist mission. He added: “The
major problem, in my opinion, is the Igbo penchant to wish to take
over another person’s land.”

If this had sprung from someone in the low class (with little or
no education, travel experience and exposure to the world), it
would have been dismissed as typical and borne out of ignorance.
But that this came out from an educated and urbane person and was
put in writing worry to no end. It showed growing ethnic
intolerance and ethnic xenophobia in Lagos and the South-West. It
is dangerous because it is this type of write-ups that seep into
people and create the fire in them to execute a genocidal attack on
another ethnic group in the name of defending their land against
“expansionists” and “neo-colonialists”.

The irony in this whole thing is that Nigerians celebrate
anytime they hear that their compatriots, who emigrated to other
countries or were born there, have been elected or appointed into
political office. In fact, in Peckham in the London Borough of
Southwark, the Yoruba are so much in the majority that they decide
who hold which post. And this is portrayed as a thing of pride.

This current crisis is all about political power, concealed in
ethnic garb. It is nothing but power tussle between the APC and the
PDP. It is all about who controls Lagos State. And nothing more.
Unfortunately, many people who are not politically and
intellectually savvy get carried away into believing that it is an
ethnic tussle. After the elections, it will fizzle out, only to be
resurrected in a fiercer dimension in 2023, when there will be a
contest of not just who will rule Lagos but also which ethnic group
will rule Nigeria.

There is something unique about Lagos that other states of
Nigeria do not have. No doubt, Lagos is geographically located in
the South-West and Yorubaland, but being the capital of Nigeria for
77 years, Lagos acquired a unique image as the melting and meeting
point of all Nigerians. Naturally, it attracted government presence
and investments. It also attracted foreign missions, international
bodies and businesses. Even after the capital was relocated to
Abuja, Lagos did not feel it much, because by that time, it had
attracted a surfeit of human beings and businesses.

The greatness of Lagos is in its diversity. Take that away and
it becomes like any other city in Nigeria. And the more a city
grows, the more its diversity increases. That is why it is possible
for London to have the son of an immigrant and a Muslim, Sadiq
Khan, as mayor. That may not happen in other remote cities in the
United Kingdom.

Nobody can take away Lagos from its location. Anybody who calls
Lagos a “no man’s land” is either ignorant or mischievous. But
nobody should use that as a pretext to tell Nigerians that they are
not welcome to vote in Lagos or any part of Nigeria. Anybody who
harasses citizens and prevents them from exercising their franchise
is breaking the constitution and courting trouble. And should be
treated as an outlaw.

Insecurity is the greatest enmity to great cities. Lagos has
benefited from a feeling of security and safety. Those who love
Lagos must not create a sense of insecurity in it. Some decades
ago, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was the commercial hub of the
Middle East. Warlords destroyed the place with strife. The United
Arab Emirates took advantage of that by projecting Dubai and
welcoming people. Nobody hears of Beirut today. Dubai is the new
tourist kid on the block. The leaders of the UAE will resist any
attempt to create ethnic or religious tension in Dubai, because
they know its implications. Those who love Lagos should drop the
ethnic threats and think of how to make Lagos comparable to other
great cities of the world. It is not termed a megacity for
nothing.

–Twitter @BrandAzuka