USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: FANI KAYODE’S FLAWED ARGUMENT

There is a paper by Brenan Kraxberger titled - Strangers, indigenes and settlers: Contested geographies of citizenship in Nigeria. Interesting reading for anyone who is a student of society. The author argues among other things that 'cultural pluralism and the lack of a meaningful national identity inform the institutionalisation of multiple citizenship containers in Nigeria.' The deportation of Nigerians within Nigeria is another reflection of the lack of national identity that the writer alluded to. This time, there is a blatant demonstration of a lack of national identity by the Lagos state government. It is still difficult for me to understand how and why Nigerians residing in one part of the country can be said to be deported to their home-towns or homestate or any other state for that matter. How were the deportees identified? My understanding of the concept of deportation is that there are entrance clearance requirements that have been flouted, therefore such persons need to repatriated to their places of origin. Hey! These are Nigerians... So what is the entrance requirements for anyone wishing to visit or reside permanently in Lagos. This is where I am tempted to align myself with the sentiments of Benjamin Aduba that: 'What Fashola did...was start a class warfare: the rich vs. the poor. The deported Igbo and the upper-class Igbo that are allowed to live in Lagos are Igbo.' However I think it is a combination of class discrimination and politics. In a federal democracy there will always be cities and states that attract more people than others. This should be regarded as a strength and not a problem. Lagos state government is in a position to strategically challenge the federal allocation on the basis of this kind of migration pattern, rather than resorting to deportation of fellow Nigerians. I am particularly disturbed because of the implication of this practice, not just for other ethnic groups but for all non-lagos state indigenes who have offsprings that are born in Lagos.This is why I think that the national assembly needs to debate the issue of the 'contested geography of citizenship in Nigeria'. How long do I need to reside in a state before I am able to claim citizenship of that state. Why would anyone ask someone that had never been a taxpaer in his state of origin  to return to the state for bursary awards for his children? Why is it almost impossible for someone from Oyo state who had lived in Enugu state for 20 years to contest for an elective position in that state. Unless this questions are addressed by the national assembly, as we count down to 2015 general elections, the insidious practice of internal deportation will become the order of the day. As Ola Kassim concluded, 'First they came for the Jews...'  Today it is the Igbos, tomorrow it might be the Hausas, next day, it would be the egbas, then the ekitis, Ijebus, oyos, ijeshas, ilorins, edos, ibiras etc. Then in due course those from badagry will be separated from those from epe; while the people who originate from the lagos mainland will be expelled from the island... where and when will it stop? 

On Saturday, August 10, 2013 7:06:47 PM UTC+1, olaka...@aol.com wrote:

Dear All:

 

We are conflating two unrelated issues on this thread, The poor and homeless Nigerians

of SE origin who were deported back to their states of origin were not deported because

the Igbo didnot "own" Lagos, but rather because the Gov. Fashola led government of Lagos

state felt it could no longer continue to bear (alone without financial assistance from the federal and other state governments) the huge financial cost of looking after the homeless and the destitutes in Lagos state--most of whom ae migrants from other states in Nigeria and sometimes from other neighbouring countries including the Republics of Niger, Chad and Mali.

 

As I will argue later even though I consider this act of deporting fellow Nigerians to their states of origins not only unconstitutional and undemocratic but also immoral, I do not agree with the critics of Gov Fashola that he alone and his government should bear all the blame for this unfortunate action,

 

Conflating the issue of the deportation of destitute and homeless Nigerian citizens

some of whom suffer from varying degrees of mental illness from Lagos to their states of origin

with the issue of who owns or who does not own Lagos is not only an unfortunate distraction from an important social problem

it is like engaging in a fruitless task of watching to see whether or not

two runners on straight parallel lanes would eventually converge or collide at a single point if they run long and far enough.

 

 

 

There are two concepts about ownership of a given place at any point in time--namely anncestral ownership and legal and or economic ownership

of specific real estate properties and businesses in a given jurisdiction. The entire new world (Noth and South America and the Caribbean is the ancestral home of native Indians (or First Nations Peoples.Aborigenes). Even though the Aborigenes would always collectively claim sole ancestral ownership of the homelands of their ancestors, the economic ownership of this same jurisdiction is now withing theuir reach.

 

Lagos is unarguably a 'Yoruba' city and more specifically a city 'owned' in ancestral terms by its original settlers--the Omo Ekos

who are unquestionably of Yoruba ancestry.

 

Apart from the original Omo Ekos (the real Mckoys  amongst  Lagosians)

the rest of the millions of Nigerians who reside in Lagos are foreigners (Ara Okes--peoples from the north, but also applies to those from the east, west or south--possibly ncluding also some mammie waters --water dwelling species (mermaids etc.)--including the majority of fellow Yoruba and non Yoruba --who were either born or who have always lived in Lagos. The varying degrees of araokeness (foreigness) is directly proportional

to the distance between an indvidual's original hometown and Iga Idunganran--the palace of the Oba of Lagos, located in Isale Eko area of Lagos Island. The longer the distance your hometoen is from Lagos Island, the more deserving of the araoke label you are regardless of your ethnic origin.

 

Hence Lagos (Eko) could be deemed an ancestral Yoruba city only to the extent that the original settlers and ther progenies identify with their other Yoruba kins as being of common stock. 

 

Regardless of whether or not the Arabs or the Asians end up buying up 90% of all real estate properties and businesses

in London, England the owneship of the city of London (in ancestral terms) will continue to rest

with the English for the same reason that Lagos will always be a city owned (again in ancestral not necessarily economic

terms) by the Yoruba. Both London, England and Lagos, Nigeria would remain both English and Yoruba respectively

regardless of whether or not the English or the Yoruba become minority populations in these two cities.

Thus while the Igbo, the Hausa and other Nigerian ethnic groups might have legal ownership of properties in Lagos--which give them the rights to do whatever they want to do with properties (as longer it is not illegal), such ownership would never replace or supplant the ancestral ownership of Lagos--the same

for the same reason that Kano, Enugu and Benin City would forever remain Igbo, Hausa and Edo cities respectively.

one is ancestral the other is legal and economic

 

Regardless of the states of origin of the deporated Nigerians, the deportation from Lagos or ny other jurisdiction

fails the following yardsticks originally suggested by Tope Fasua: Constitutionality, Morality and Tradition.

 

Constitutionality:

 

The deportation of some Igbo destitues and earlier beggars from Norrthern Nigeria

back to their states of origin  is an egregious violation of the civil rights of the poor, economically marginalized

and mentally ill Nigerian citizens.

 

 The government of Lagos state cannot win this fight on  constitutional grounds, even though it might successfully argue that there was nothing else it could have done considering that the Federal and other state governments in Nigeria have failed

to negotiate a fair compensation for the extra burden  its government bears in having to to look after hundreds of thousands of additional migrants from all over Nigeria--all in search of the golden fleece.

 

In well developled and fully functioning federal democracies, e.g Canada, the Federal government compensates the regions/provinces and states with additional funds which assist the state governments in looking after the welfare of the destitute, homeless and mentally ill migrants.

 

One of the salient civil rights of a citizen under a federal model of government in constitutional democracies is the right

to free movement and ability to settle anywhere within the geographic boundaries of the country.

The deportation of destitutes from Lagos bythe state government is an illegal act that must be ecognized for what it is.

A poor citizen in a democractic setting should be accorded the same rights as that of the richest of her citizens.

 

The failure of leadership that led to the painstaking decision by Gov. Fashola to start deporting the poor and the homes as well as the sick and infirm amongst them rests squarely with President Jonathan and the Federal government and at alower level

with the collective of the state governors for their failure to negotiate how the states which eceive most of the homless migrants

would be compensated.

 

 

Morality:

 

The deportation of fellow Nigerian citizens from any region of Nigeria is an immoral act.

We cannot accept the rich, the middle class and the working poor (source of cheap labour)

from any region of Nigeria who actively contribute to the economy of Lagos  or any other jurisdiction

in Nigeria, while turning away some

 other citizens who are unable to cater for themselves  because they are indigent and or mentally ill and are temporaily

o permanently incapable of providing for themeselves.

 

Tradition:

 

This is about the weakest argument anyone could use to justify the deportation of the destitute and homeless Igbo from

Lagos--considering it is untaditional for Lagosians not to accept and help assimilate new settlers--a tradition that is

enshined in the saying that:

 

"Eko Gbo'le; O Gba Ole"

 

(translation--Lagos accepts all comers including the seasonald thieves and the lazy).

 

Begging and being homeless is neither unique to the Igbo nor to Nothern Nigerians.

 

In conclusion, while I disagree vehemently with Gov. Fashola's decision to depot some Igbo to their states

of origin, I can understand what could have led him to take such an unconstitutional, undemocratic, untraditional (for a Lgosian)

and immoral action of eporting fellow Nigerian citizens.

 

We must learn to call a spade a spade. Those amongst the Yoruba who are jubilating over thie illegal and undemocatic deportation of Nigerians fom within thei own country should remmeber the morals in the following quote: First they Came for The Jews" by {Pastor Niemoller)

 

 

"First They Came for the Jews"
By Pastor Niemoller

 
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

 

 

 

The need to start deporting fellow Nigerians back to their homestates is a symptom of leadership failure and deficit in Nigeria. The federal government should be calling a meeting of all state governors and members of the Council of state to consider and solutions to the problems of the homless that are

plaguing not only Lagos but all other major Nierian jurisdictions,

 

The blame for the deportation of Igbo destitutes from Lagos by Gov Fashola from

is a shared responsibility of all levels of government of Nigeria!

 

Bye,

 

Ola

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---- Original Message ----
From: ericayoola <erica...@aol.co.uk>
To: Innocent Igwilo <igwil...@yahoo.com>; Baduba54 <badu...@aol.com>; biokonkwo1 <bioko...@gmail.com>; OKONKWONETWORKS <OKONKWO...@googlegroups.com>; omoodua <omo...@yahoogroup.com>
Sent: Sat, Aug 10, 2013 8:37 am
Subject: Re: FANI KAYODE'S FLAWED ARGUMENT

Lagos is and will always remain in Yoruba land! Whether some chose to be asinine and deny this indubitable fact is neithet here nor there.

If Nigeria were to break up today, Lagos will undoubtedly be the commercial, if not the administrative capital of Oodua Republic. And all non Yorubas would have a clear choice, to relocate to their home-lands, stay as foreigners or take on Oodua Citizenship.

What they will not be able to do, in a million years, is to wrap up Lagos, put it on the bacl of an Ekene Dili Chukwu bus and transport it to Onitsha or to Enugu!

If you don't like this unassailable fact, then go jump into Lagos Lagoon. Or better still relocate to your homeland to recreate your own Lagos where Yorubas would also love to come to for settlement and for ownership claims!

In the meantime, the Yorubas as great host will continue to create a warm and enabling environment for all and sundry to settle, succeed and thrive! Simple as that!

Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media

---

From: Innocent Igwilo <igwil...@yahoo.com>

Sender: okonkwo...@googlegroups.com

Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:44:00 +0100 (BST)

To: Baduba54<badu...@aol.com>; bioko...@gmail.com<biokonkwo1@gmail.com>; OKONKWO...@googlegroups.com<OKONKWO...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: Innocent Igwilo <igwil...@yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: FANI KAYODE'S FLAWED ARGUMENT

This write up by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba is the truth of the matter. Simply put, it is the rich vs the poor. Period.

 

Innocent O. Igwilo (Ph.D)
Senior Lecturer

Department of Applied Biochemistry,

Faculty of Biosciences,

Nnamdi Azikiwe University,

P. M. B. 5025, Awka.

420211

Anambra State,

Nigeria.

+234 8036780058

---

From: Baduba54 <badu...@aol.com>
To:bioko...@gmail.com; OKONKWO...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Friday, 9 August 2013, 14:02
Subject: FANI KAYODE'S FLAWED ARGUMENT

FANI KAYODE'S FLAWED ARGUMENT

Mr. Fani Kayode argues that the region known as SW Nigeria is Yoruba land. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is possible that at one time that land was  Yoruba land, but not anymore. At that time it was a land that was owned mostly by Yoruba but in practice the land was owned by many Yoruba families. Ondo people did not own Lagos land, just as the Igbo did not own any Lagos land. Even in Lagos, families owned pieces and no one stepped into another family's property. But as time went own ownership of land started to change hands and some Ondo, and Igbo people bought parcels of land and became Lagosians. Today there are many acres of land owned by the Igbo in Lagos some are leased and some are owned in perpetuity depending on terms of sale or lease.

 

So far for the mythology that Lagos is Yoruba land.

 

But the issue of the 'deportation' of the Igbo is something that is beyond land ownership. It is about citizenship. Nigerian citizens collectively own Nigeria, all parts of it. A simple way to think of this is that each sq inch of Nigeria is divided into 140 million and each person owns a fraction. My pieces are located all over Nigeria and the other Nigerians cases are just exactly the same. It is collective ownership. You cannot expel me because you do not have enough space to stand on your piece to expel me.

 

Mr. Kayode does not know that the change in the first paragraph had occurred. And he does not understand the concept in the 2^nd paragraph. If he did he would not have written as he did. It was possible to expel the beggars because they did not belong to the group of the Igbo who have bought the land in Lagos. The concept of Yoruba hospitality could not be applicable to the Igbo who own land. Mr. Fashola could not deport them or expel them from their property even if they became serial killers or worse criminals. He could jail them or execute them after a court trial but could not round them up and send them across the Niger.

 

Their residency in Lagos has nothing to do with Yoruba hospitality. It has every thing to do with commercial transactions.

 

The non land owners: the Igbo, Ondo, Hausa, Efik, Kanuri, etc, in Lagos live there on the basis of collective land ownership as explained in paragraph two above. These citizens can no more be deported at the will of a power drunk Governor Fashola as he did for the same reasons the land owners could not be deported. They too own the place.

 

This brings us to the next set of points. What Fashola did was not to set in motion a tribal warfare. What he did was start a class warfare: the rich vs. the poor. The deported Igbo and the upper-class Igbo that are allowed to live in Lagos are Igbo. The former's offense was poverty.

 

It is the way this matter should be looked at.

 

If you are poor, you are uprooted and thrown into the dust bin; if you are rich you are invited to the governor's mansion. If the beggars were up to it they would have voted for governor Fashola just as their wealthy brothers did and their servant could not have turned around and thrown out his constituents. When I am in Lagos, I would dare Mr. Fashola to try to deport me to Enugu. Or Mr. Kayode to withhold his so called Yoruba hospitality and we see what happens. The poor can be desecrated and played as puns. But it is wrong and sinful. To accept this and to defend it is just as sinful. It makes the person who ordered it and the people who support the order co-conspirators' in a criminal activity.

 

The wise heads that are trying douse the fire from this conflagration are not doing anybody any good. Mr. Orji Kalu if he is a true patriot should go ahead with his threatened law suit not as an Igbo man for this has nothing to do with Igbo. It is through the courts that the rights of the individual as enshrined in the laws should be most secured. And forever. If he does this he would be a defender of the faith.

 

The faith that all Nigerians own Nigeria collectively.

 

All parts of it.

 

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

August 9, 2013

 

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