Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is strongly against the recent calls for Igbo people to leave Lagos and other Southwestern states, describing it as “arrant nonsense” and “arrant stupidity”.
Speaking at an interactive session with the media on the State of the Nation, George, a Lagos indigene, emphasized the long history of coexistence and mutual respect between the Igbo people and Lagosians.
He recalled the close relationship between former President Nnamdi Azikwe, an Igbo man, and his great grand uncle, Sir Herbert Macaulay, a Lagosian nationalist.
George attributed the hateful campaigns to non-Lagos indigenes who have been accommodated in the state, stressing that Lagos has always welcomed traders and strangers, offering them land to build and opportunities to thrive.
He said,”It’s nonsense to tell the Igbo people to leave. They pay their taxes, and we have grown with them here. I’ve known them, we played local football together. Those proposing this nonsense have no bearing, no family connection to Lagos.” He emphasized on the importance of unity and inclusivity in Lagos.
