Nchara:

"This coalition was structured with multiple tentacles that galvanized together non-Yoruba language speaking ethnic groups from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu Imo and Rivers States".

olabukola:

This is biased where are the hausas and the middle belt.

9jaganja:

This is bull poo!!! No tribal preference!!!!! Whoever can run it better should!!! Also Lagos is not 50% Igbo stop making up statistics. Yet people complain that when you go to Lagos they think everyone speaks Yoruba and start speaking Yoruba to you!!. Lagos is not culturally diverse but socially it is very very!!!. Thanks to Yoruba hospitality!!!! This post wasn't necessary anyways!!!

ziddy:

@ topic
igbo kwenu!
in fact lagos is 95% igbo.

philip0906:

now all d yoruba dudes including those agberos who stalk hard working igbo spare parts dealers,computer village boys and alaba boys,(just name any main market 4 lag,na igbo get am) asking 4 owo ile,r now running their mouth,yarning dust about "yoruba hospitality". . .hmm

This is bull poo!!! No tribal preference!!!!! Whoever can run it better should!!! Also Lagos is not 50% Igbo stop making up statistics. Yet people complain that when you go to Lagos they think everyone speaks Yoruba and start speaking Yoruba to you!!. Lagos is not culturally diverse but socially it is very very!!!. Thanks to Yoruba hospitality!!!! This post wasn't necessary anyways!!!


I see some cats here posting with we've conquered attitude. shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit don't stop!!

Katsumoto:

Nchara, care to tell us how you came up with that figure?

[size=16pt]Arewa in Lagos[/size]

Author: Date: Jul 23rd, 2010. | Category: Metro, News. | Follow comments: RSS 2.0. | You can leave a response below. |
[b]The chairman, Arewa United Group, a political group of northerners in the Lagos Action Congress, AC, Nigeria, Architect Kabir Ahmed has been speaking on why the group had always supported the Lagos State government’s policies.
Born and raised in Agege area of the state, the Chairman, Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring authority, LASPEMA, spoke on his group’s agenda and why the National Assembly should enlist the 37 LCDAs in Lagos, among other issues. Excerpts:

What’s your political background in Lagos?
I started politics as far back as 1990. I contested for the position of vice chairman, Agege Local Government under the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC and lost. In 1996, I contested again under the umbrella of the defunct, UNCP as vice chairman to Hon. Enoch Ajiboso, the present Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos State and we won.
In the advent of this fourth republic, I joined the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and I worked along with my kinsmen to ensure the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as governor then.

What elective post did you contest for then?
None. I played the role of a mobilizer and motivator of the Arewas in Lagos politics.

So, what was your role in Tinubu’s government?
I was appointed the chairman of the Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority, LASPEMA, a position I hold till date. I was appointed in 2002.

What has been the role of your Arewa United Group in Lagos politics, especially when you tilt towards Action Congress?
We have actually been carrying out a lot of activities politically to support the government and good people of Lagos State. For example when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua ordered that Governor Fashola should revert to 20 local governments and cancel the 37 LCDAS, we stood our ground against the decision at a press conference. We made the late President to know that we northerners in Lagos know better and we were aware of the enormous advantage of more local governments in Lagos.
Our stand was based on the fact that the newly created LCDAs have been able to stand the test of time and were duly constituted through the normal process in the State House of Assembly after referendum by the people. The president came out two days later to say that the state and the federal government would dialogue over the issue, and that was the end of the issue.
We contribute meaningfully to the development of Lagos State because our grand fathers and fathers were born here, we and our children were equally born here, we pay our taxes here.

What’s your present view on the Lagos Local government issue?
The 37 LCDAs have come to stay, all I will advise President Goodluck Jonathan to do is to tell the National Assembly to formalise them by listing them in Nigeria’s Constitution and empower them financially. Jonathan should toe the line of democracy.

How do you see the appointment of other tribes like Hausa, Igbo, etc into Lagos cabinet?
It is the policy of the Action Congress to detribalize governance by carrying everybody along, provided you can deliver. Moreso, we have a governor who is ready to carry everybody along regardless your religious or ethnic status. Even at local government level, Hausas and Igbos occupy councillorship, supervisory and Special Advisers positions. That’s the beauty of politics, to us Lagos is home, we cast our votes here with our wives despite being in purdah and our children.

In recent times, we learnt that there was problem within your group, what happened?
Every organization making progress must fifth columnists, not forgetting that the 2011 elections is around the corner, so they would do everything possible to destabilise you. Other parties are also prying on us, being the ruling party in the state, trying all tricks to wrest power from us. They can never succeed, Insha Allah.
I must ell you that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is trying to use some perennial motives to bring disunity among the Arewa group knowing that we give block votes to the Action Congress.[/b]
You can imagine them going to the extent of involving the Boko Haram group from Ketu-Mile 12 market to invade our meeting to create disharmony. I’m using this opportunity to implore the state government to keep serious watch in terms of security.

Are you saying Boko Haram people are in Lagos?
Yes, there are synopsis of such. These fifth columnists, I told you about have been discovered to be the ones behind the food scarcity in Lagos by instigating those in the trade to go on strike on flimsy excuses.

But they called off the strike?
Yes, it was due to the efforts of good Arewa leaders in the affected markets. People like Alhaji Dandama, Alhaji Mamuda and Alhaji Haruna in Ketu-Mile 12 Market; Alhaji Gagare Moh’d in Ojo-Alaba and Alhaji’s Sule Yaro and Rabiu Wagagu in Oko-Oba abattoir.

So who are the members of the Arewa group?
It comprises Hausas, Fulanis, Kanuris, Nupes, Tapas, Ibiras and other northerners based in Lagos.

MaziUche0:

Each day, I am starting to see a united Southern Nigeria as more feasible than anything else. As much as people do not want to admit it, the Yoruba need the Igbo and the Igbo need the Yorubas. Many people form each respective group may hate the other, but the fact in the matter is that we need each other.

I see a day when the Igbo and the Yoruba will form one single group just like the Hausa-Fulani. It will be like the Igbo-Yoruba.

sjeezy8:

Olorun maje-
God forbid- unless igbo people change into muslims and marry hausas, we aint got nothing in common homie.

sjeezy8:

Olorun maje-
God forbid- unless igbo people change into muslims and marry hausas, we aint got nothing in common homie.

MaziUche0:

I see a day when the Igbo and the Yoruba will form one single group just like the Hausa-Fulani. It will be like the Igbo-Yoruba.

Katsumoto:

Why do you debate in this manner? What has changing into muslims and marrying hausas got to do with this? Are all Yorubas muslims? Or are most yorubas married to hausa?

ezeagu:

I don't see it, or maybe you're experimenting. Yoruba people hold their culture more dearly than any other in Nigeria and will not and cannot let go of or compromise their culture. There's more chance of the Yoruba people joining the Republic of Benin.

spikedcylinder:

Are the Igbo Governors and other Igbo law makers going to take a cue? i.e include a higher members of other tribes in their cabinet shuffling?

ezeagu:

I don't see it, or maybe you're experimenting. Yoruba people hold their culture more dearly than any other in Nigeria and will not and cannot let go of or compromise their culture. There's more chance of the Yoruba people joining the Republic of Benin.

Katsumoto:

Why do you debate in this manner? What has changing into muslims and marrying hausas got to do with this? Are all Yorubas muslims? Or are most yorubas married to hausa?

Why can't each group respect the differences it has with the other groups? Must they change into what you are before you accept them?

Katsumoto:

Each group has its culture and there should be tolerance. I love my culture and I expect others to love theirs as well. That I love mine does not mean that you have to let go of any part of yours. I can celebrate my culture and celebrate yours with you. Diversity increases lives.