‘Don’t try to come to Lagos’ – Igbo traders warn Nnamdi Kanu
Igbo leaders and traders in Lagos have expressed disgust at the reported plan by the leader of the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to storm Lagos soon in continuation of his visits to states of Nigeria, warning him to desist from making such an adventure, because he won’t be welcome in the city.
Most of the Igbo leaders and traders in Lagoswho spoke to Sunday Telegraph in separate interviews warned Mazi Kanu and his followers that by what they profess, “taking their Biafra outside the East amounts to warmongering.”
They further charged them to desisting from heating up the polity by crisscrossing Nigeria in contravention of his bail conditions.
Chief Chiemeka Ibeh of Alaba Amalgamated Traders Association, warned the IPOB leader to stay away from Lagos, urging him to leave Igbos in Lagos alone because his visit to the commercial nerve centre of the country it will create the impression that Igbos in Lagos are supporting Kanu and IPOB activities.
“He should keep his Biafra in the East where our unemployed youths are following him all over the place, not knowing what they are dabbling into. Most of these youth do not understand what Biafra is about and what it has cost Igbo people.
“Since his actions led to the quit notice by the Arewa youths, I expected Kanu to have paid upfront all transport companies on the northern route to be conveying Igbo people who might be interested in coming back to the East, but he has not paid a kobo to anybody. Is he bothered about the economic wellbeing of the people whom his actions could dislocate?”
Also speaking to NewTelegraphOnline, High Chief Egbogu Udemba, electronics dealer and a member of the executives of the Alaba International Market Electronic Dealers Association said Biafra is bigger than Kanu and cannot be a project for a young man like him and the youths he controls.
“We appreciate the fact that the agitation is the product of years of neglect and marginalisation of the zone by successive administrations in Nigeria, as you can see that agitations are coming up from different zones of the country now. These issues are things that should be well articulated as Ohanaeze has done and an informed demand made.
“The tension Kanu is creating will not do us any good; it might further drag us back. As you can see our Niger-Delta brothers are concentrating on economic agitations and government is answering them. Nobody is looking in our direction because we are assumed to be asking for Biafra, which unfortunately nobody will give us,” Udemba said.
He further asked, “The two modular oil refineries the Acting President promised the oil producing states, where is Abia’s and Imo’s own or are they not key oil producing states in Nigeria?”
According to him, what the country needs now is restructuring “and the issue is bigger than IPOB, MASSOB and Arewa Youths. Igbo leaders, Igbo intelligentsia, traders associations and our professionals should come together and pursue the cause with one voice.
Udemba said: “Ohanaeze has taken the lead by making the demand for restructuring so that we can have a true federal system of government. I think Kanu should rather mobilise the youths who are listening to him to support the demand, than going from state to state and threatening the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra. He should use the followership he commands to drum support for true federalism.”This development came as a prominent auto spare-parts dealer at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex and a leader in the Auto Spare Parts & Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA), Chief Alex Ejiofor has warned Nnamdi Kanu to desist from distracting struggling Igbo people from concentrating on finding their daily bread.
He wondered if Kanu had not asked his father what happened to Igbos during and after the civil war.
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