Lagos
State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Thursday said the Ndigbo are his
kindred and tendered an unreserved apology to the segment of the people who
misunderstood a recent action of his administration even as he insisted that
there was a need to discuss factors that could be responsible for
under-development in the South East.
Governor
Fashola, who spoke at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria
Island venue of a Symposium to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Igbo socio-cultural
group, Aka Ikenga, said although majority of Ndigbo in Lagos understood and
appreciated the action of the State Government, it was obvious that some Igbos
did not understand it.
According
to the Governor, who referred to Ndigbo everywhere as “My kindred”, “There are
people who clearly do not understand me and they have misunderstood words said
or misrepresented actions taken in the way that it has pleased them to do so.
To those people, I owe an explanation in defense of what has happened and that
is partly why I am here as well”.
Noting
that the Igbo and the Yoruba have built a relationship based on tolerance,
based on mutual respect, based on trust and love”, Governor Fashola declared,
“That relationship was started by our ancestors. It was handed over to us and
we have nourished it with a lot of trust and a lot of understanding and a lot
of fidelity”.
“Those
who misunderstand that relationship, who think that there is no value in that
relationship, I have come here to correct that. I put a lot of value in that
relationship. And so if those people have misunderstood me or they have
misunderstood actions taken by our Government, here, now, today I offer an
unqualified and unreserved apology”, he said.
The
Governor, however, said even the apology does not take away the real issue that
provoked the misunderstanding pointing out that the real issue lay in the
reason or reason why some sections feel compelled to migrate from one part of
the country to the other.
Urging
Aka Ikenga to rise up to the challenge of underdevelopment in the Southeast,
Governor Fashola declared, “There are questions that caused the
misunderstanding and it is those questions the Aka Ikenga must address if it
must continue to fulfill its purpose”.
Continuing,
the Governor said there was a need to raise certain pertinent questions. “Is
there one part of this country that is less endowed whether with human or
natural resources? Is that the problem? Is it the case that, perhaps, some
parts are so endowed and not well managed? Those are the honest debates that we
must have”, the Governor said.
He
recalled the remarks of the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Nnachi,
who made a distinction between the Igbo in Lagos and those at home, adding, “As
he began to distinguish between the Igbo in Lagos and the Igbo at home I knew
there was a real issue; that those at home don’t look like those of you here
and you don’t look like them. They are questions that I think the Aka Ikenga
should address”.
Stressing
the commitment of his administration to making life better for residents,
Governor Fashola said if other state governments and their indigenes should
commit to developing their state and making life better for the rural
communities, the issue of people being compelled to migrate from their homes to
other states, without any concrete plans, would be greatly curtailed wondering
how a state that produced so many great Nigerians could lag behind in
development.
“How
can development be so difficult in the part of Nigeria that gave us Ike
Nwachukwu; that gave us Chinua Achebe, Azikiwe, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ekwueme and so
on and so forth? How can development be so hard in that part of this country? I
think those are the real issues”, he said adding, “And as I listened to talks
about Ndigbo, perhaps, we should reflect deeply more about the issues that
Bishop Kukah’s speech has provoked here. Are we more Igbo than Nigerian or are
we more Nigerian than Igbo”.
Governor
Fashola debunked the notion that he was at the occasion “to settle his problem
with the Igbos” pointing out that such a “problem” was non-existent pointing
out that he had come first to thank the Igbo who, according to him, donated the
largest herd of cattle during his father’s burial.
