Lagos Govt Has No Plans To Punish South Easterners, Jandor Tells Igbo Leaders …Urges Them To Avoid Destabilisers

A former governorship candidate in Lagos State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran aka Jandor has said that the Lagos State government has no plans to deal with the Igbos in the state.

Jandor, who addressed Igbo Leaders and members of Team Jandor from the South East that are resident in the state at the Liberty House, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja on Tuesday urged the Igbos living in the state to forget the past and disabuse their minds from the perception that the Yorubas in Lagos hate them.

“I want to let you know that the people and government of Lagos State don’t hate you. Forget what happened at the opposing camp because we were looking for something then.

“Let me first remind you of how hospitable we have been in this state. What you cannot get in many other states, we freely give you here.

“We sell our lands to you which shows how hospitable we are. Lagos is the first state that accommodated non-indigenes in the state cabinet.

“We are all living witnesses to it. You might have issues with the then Governor, now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a nice man.

“Other states have started copying him. Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has Yorubas in his cabinet just like Imo State. It started from here,” he said.

The Lead Visioner of Lagos4Lagos urged the audience not to listen to politicians that he said are instigating that the Yorubas don’t like them, saying that if the state government didn’t like them they would not sell lands to them.

Jandor, who said that he is from Ojo Local Government, said that the majority of the people doing business there are Igbos.

He added that he could attest to the amount of businesses Igbo people bring there, and that they are making money there because Yorubas sold lands to them and allow them there.

“If we have issues because a few of you have gone to the wrong side of the law and the government takes actions, people should not think it is about Igbos.

“The demolition going on in Lagos is not targeted at Igbos. The office of Ola of Lagos was demolished because he built under power lines, yet he is a Yoruba man.

“We may have people in government that are overbearing, but law is law. If Yorubas in other states go on the wrong side of the law it would not stop the government from taking actions. We should use whatever is happening at this moment to our own advantage.

“It was not the entire Trade Fair that were demolished, only few structures that have gone on the wrong side of the law that were demolished.

“We want to appeal that we should know that the government and the people of Lagos State don’t hate you. It is only here that we have made someone that is not from Lagos a local government chairman.

“Don’t see us as enemies, if we hate you we will not admit your children in our primary and secondary schools or allow you to work as teachers or civil servants in our state,” he said.

Jandor however, said that some of the issues bothering Igbo people living in the state are sensitive, and promised that they would create an avenue for dialogue.

He also promised to visit all the places that were affected by recent demolitions and tell them where there are wrong and also let the state government know his own observation about the exercises.

He said that the meeting was not about politics, but how to ensure that the APC continues to win in Lagos State after the 2027 general elections irrespective of who is on the ballot.

While promising to take the lead and finance the processes, he urged them not to allow those who are not from the state destabilise the state.

“I know some of you who have been supporting this government from day one. Lagos and its people are hospitable and they have been good to non-indigenes. This was started by President Bola Tinubu, when he was the governor of Lagos State as he appointed non-indigenes into his cabinet.

“We love you and you have to love us back. We have been living together for long. I have many Igbo friends from primary to secondary schools and higher institutions. We cannot allow someone that came with selfish interest to cause division among us. Talk to our people and educate them.

“The Deputy Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Governor is an Edo man. Don’t allow external forces to divide us, if it happens, they will run away, but we have nowhere to go,” he said.

Responding, a leader of the group, Chief (Dr) Sunday Udeh, who said that he has been with the progressives from the days of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the APC, said that the body of Igbo speaking community in Lagos State is not partisan.

Udeh said that they know where they are going and that they can never fight the government or the party in power.

“Igbos are ready to work and they are working. I want to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning under him as Lagos State governor was an Igbo man.

“Igbos and Yorubas have been working together. In Igbo speaking communities during the time of the late Lateef Jakande and Sir Michael Otedola as Governors, we worked together.

“Igbos and Yorubas work together and there is nothing that should stop that. Your message will go round because we have our leaders here.

“After 2023 general elections, those of us on the field understood what was happening, it was as if there was a demarcation between Igbos and Yorubas. It is not hatred, but the election brought demarcation between the Yorubas and Igbos. We know that demolition is everywhere once your structure is in the wrong place.

“We however, believe that it got worse after the 2023 General Elections.

“We used to have an Igboman in the state house of assembly, we had a special adviser to the Governor and an Igbo commissioner, but after the 2023 general elections, we don’t have anyone. We want you to help us pass our message to them,” he said.

Also speaking, HRH Eze Dr Okey Anorue, Eze Ndigbo Igbogbo/Baiyeku LGA, Babaloja of Tejuosho Market told Jandor that the remaining peace will start from him to protect them and propagate the ideals of living together in peace in the state.

While praying that God will make Jandor to accomplish his dreams during the primaries, he stated that they were afraid of him when he was in the PDP as members of the APC, but that he is sellable, and promised that they would work for his success.