Igbo Community in Lagos: ‘We Won't Protest, We're Proud Contributors’

Lagos Igbo community - contributors, not protesters...

Igbo groups in Lagos distance themselves from nationwide protest, citing impostors using Igbo names to create confusion. They urge dialogue and constructive criticism, highlighting their contributions to Lagos' development.

The Coalition of Igbo political and socio-cultural groups, representing 16 organizations, including prominent bodies like the Council of Ndieze and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, announced that its members will not participate in the upcoming nationwide protest scheduled for August 1-10.

At a press conference held on Tuesday, the coalition urged Igbo traders and business owners in Lagos to remain indoors and keep their establishments closed during the protest period, emphasizing their decision to distance themselves from the demonstrations.

According to Anselm Njoku, the coalition's coordinator, the masterminds behind the planned protest are impostors, masquerading as Igbos, and have no genuine connection to the Igbo community, but are instead exploiting Igbo names to create confusion and lend false credibility to their cause.

“We are distancing ourselves and the entire Ndigbo in Lagos from the planned protest by some unscrupulous faceless elements, who are partly using Igbo nomenclatures to fan the embers of unsounded agitation,” Njoku said.

“We are distancing ourselves and the entire Ndigbo in Lagos from the planned protest by some unscrupulous faceless elements, who are partly using Igbo nomenclatures to fan the embers of unsounded agitation,” Njoku said.

“Nigerians should develop a culture of dialogue with the government and deploy constructive criticism without resorting to unnecessary provocative protests and violence.

“It is in this regard that we enjoin all Igbo of all extraditions, stakeholders, residents, traders, and captains of industries not to join in the protest.

“Lagos is Yoruba land, and Ndigbo, who are residents here, have contributed immensely to its development, so they cannot be used, coerced in whatever form, to destroy assets.

“We are not destruction-prone and cannot be part of those seeking to destroy what we partly built. Ndigbo are not wired for destruction but develop wherever we are residing.

“Let it be known that from all intelligence gatherings, the faceless organisers of this planned protest are not known to us, not Igbos, and are merely hiding under Ndigbo names, dropping Igbo names to create confusion and gather credibility.

“We are also using this opportunity to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the South-East Development Commission, for deeming it right, and due to appoint an Igbo illustrious son as the Chief of Naval Staff, therefore allowing the Igbo ethnic group a say in the National Security structure.

“We will greatly appreciate it if the president makes the commission rewarding and beneficial to Ndigbo in general, touching the lives of people in that zone.”

A nationwide protest is set to commence on Thursday, August 1, amidst growing concerns and opposition from various quarters.

In a bid to maintain public order and stability, the Federal Government has appealed to the organizers to cancel the planned demonstrations. Meanwhile, a group of youths took to the streets of Abuja on Monday, staging a counter-march to express their disapproval of the upcoming protest.