No big deal with ethnic politics in Lagos; it’s global trend

Nigeria’s works and housing minister, Babatunde Fashola, says he sees no problems with the ethnic strain that marred the last general election in Lagos, arguing that identity politics is now a global trend.

The election, especially the March 18 governorship poll was fraught will voter intimidation and violence inspired by ethnic slurs against non indigenous Lagosians, especially the Igbos

But Mr Fashola, a former Lagos governor, said on Channels TV Sunday night that people must learn to accept the new reality of divisive politics.

“Now let me go to ethnic and all of these. You see there is a gaining currency of identity politics globally and nobody should start trying to hide behind a finger,” Mr Fashola said in answering a question on the subject.

“There is identity politics all over the world. So people vote and are impacted in making choices by so many items of stimulus. It may be my identity, it may be my faith, it might be how you cut your hair, it may be how you knot your tire. So many things influence the voter. So you can’t wish those things away.”

Elucidating on electoral violence during the elections, Mr Fashola said though “one incident of violence in election in my country does not cover us in glory,” the level of violence was not too worrying.

“That said, when you look at violence and the number of polling units disrupted, they are too insignificant compared to what we have seen in elections in the past. This was the election that had the least incident of violence,” he added.

In the run up to the Lagos guber poll, notorious Lagos this, Musiliu “MC Oluomo” Akinsanya, threatened Igbos who would not vote for his party APC to stay away from voting.

In a crude enforcement of MC Oluomo’s threat, thugs ran riot across the street of Lagos, barring and assaulting any voter they cannot confirm their loyalty to APC.

As a result, the United Kingdom Government condemned ethnic profiling and disenfranchisement of Igbos in Lagos during the governorship election of March 18.

“People chanting anti-Igbo messages and walking on the streets by polling units on election day is totally unacceptable. Not just in Lagos, but also in Enugu and Rivers where we had our teams as well and many other places,” Ben Llewellyn-Jones, British deputy high commissioner to Nigeria, said.
https://gazettengr.com/no-big-deal-with-ethnic-politics-in-lagos-its-global-trend-fashola/

ekolobaba:
Nna ndigbo dey lucky say Sanwo Olu no be Fashola cuz he for give ndigbo lagos better wotowoto. Hahaha

But Mr Fashola, a former Lagos governor, said on Channels TV Sunday night that people must learn to accept the new reality of divisive politics.

“Now let me go to ethnic and all of these. You see there is a gaining currency of identity politics globally and nobody should start trying to hide behind a finger,” Mr Fashola said in answering a question on the subject.

ekolobaba:
Nna ndigbo dey lucky say Sanwo Olu no be Fashola cuz he for give ndigbo lagos better wotowoto. Hahaha

jaytimeo:
If you promoting divisive politics what’s the use of one Nigeria?if the idea is to disintegrate you can encourage divisive politics,,but if you want to integrate there’s no place for identity politics ,the uk and USA are enjoying the benefits of integration ,whose benefiting from this divisive and identity politics ,it’s the crooked rulers that have failed our people.

FreeStuffsNG:
You know that you are being dodgy if you suggest that insisting on protecting the dorminant political view of your communal land is not one Nigeria.

Please what kind of politics is here in Agulu result but Yoruba should not identify as your host in Lagos their ancestral land?
If our forebears and parents had not bequeated Lagos to us what will you meet when you came down to Lagos?

jaytimeo:
Whose really benefiting from tribalism ?even with all the tribalism as a race and a people have we evolved ,what’s the difference between tribalism and racism, what do we stand to profit by been tribalistic ,can we say tribalism has helped improve the lives of Africans what are the dangers of tribalism.

Same blood different casing body doesn’t have a problem,you can sit eat and do business with each other but it’s your mind and thought that makes you feel you feel your life is different from that of another man ,youths that claim woke and wise can’t see who’s benefiting from this old order.

lexylaw09:
All igbo should leave Yoruba land

Ofunaofu:
So what Fashola is implying is that it is global practices and trend that Bayo Onanuga, FFK, MC Oluomo, his thugs and hoodlums engaged in ethnic profiling, voter suppression, killing, maiming and destruction of lives and properties of individuals believed to be from a particular ethnic group because they have or made a different democratic choice.

Fashola might also be consuming the stuffs Tinubu is notorious for

FreeStuffsNG:
Tribalism is not the problem. It is hypocrisy and covetiousness that are the problem.

The Yoruba will not do diiferent from the way you Igbo do. The problem is that you are being hypocritical when you hold your own resources yet want to snatch another person's own. If you allow people thrive and own land in your Igboland, appoint them as Commissioners and vote for them then you are on a high moral ground to make demands or complain if the Yoruba do not reciprocate your gesture.

The problem now is that you do not allow Non Igbo thrive in your land and the Yoruba say they will have none of it anymore.

The solution is to give the Yoruba what you want then now place a demand. If you do not do that then there is nothing wrong if the Yoruba demand you do so. That is the point we are now. The Yoruba are particularly upset with Igbo who live among us yet hate us on our own land.Haba!!

Identity politics becomes absolutely necessary to ensure you Igbo go back home and be nice to the Yoruba in your land then come back let us now discuss. Identity politics is not same as tribalism. It is a domain of power and it is used everywhere. The LGBTQ+ are now a political group in the west yet they are not all from same race.

Malory:
Fashola is a well known bigot.

jaytimeo:

ekolobaba:
Nna ndigbo dey lucky say Sanwo Olu no be Fashola cuz he for give ndigbo lagos better wotowoto. Hahaha

FreeStuffsNG:

You are still not getting it. This is the hypocrisy I mentioned that you are repeating. If you are from SW as claimed then you should know that real power reside with even those not in govt and not even with the names you read on the pages of newspapers.

Go and read my previous posts slowly to understand why I reminded you that the problem is hypocrisy and you are displaying it again. Nobody has time for tribalism. It is the covetiousness and hypocrisy of our non-Yoruba fellow Nigerians living among us that is causing the Yoruba people to recaliberate power and retain it in identity politics in this case.

FreeStuffsNG:
Tribalism is not the problem. It is hypocrisy and covetiousness that are the problem.

The Yoruba will not do diiferent from the way you Igbo do. The problem is that you are being hypocritical when you hold your own resources yet want to snatch another person's own. If you allow people thrive and own land in your Igboland, appoint them as Commissioners and vote for them then you are on a high moral ground to make demands or complain if the Yoruba do not reciprocate your gesture.

The problem now is that you do not allow Non Igbo thrive in your land and the Yoruba say they will have none of it anymore.

The solution is to give the Yoruba what you want then now place a demand. If you do not do that then there is nothing wrong if the Yoruba demand you do so. That is the point we are now. The Yoruba are particularly upset with Igbo who live among us yet hate us on our own land.Haba!!

Identity politics becomes absolutely necessary to ensure you Igbo go back home and be nice to the Yoruba in your land then come back let us now discuss. Identity politics is not same as tribalism. It is a domain of power and it is used everywhere. The LGBTQ+ are now a political group in the west yet they are not all from same race.

Isobug:
They asked you question and you parried it. Does Bola Tinubu posseses a Guinean passport? You indirectly refused to answer the question and keep saying it's a path to greatness. So we should just forget about legality and delve into dirty deals so we can get to greatness.

Meanwhile, what said here is not true. Ethnic profiling has since departed from Western and even some African politics. Reason a Yoruba man is a mayor there