A rejoinder: On the Igbos – Of Femi Fani-Kayode’s ignorance and a proud display of it

by Ayokunle Odekunle

Femi-Fani-Kayode1

What really have my fellow Yorubas contributed to Lagos State? What have they contributed to Lagos State that they have not been able to contribute to Ibadan, Osogbo, Ekiti and Akure? Apart from being Academicians and brilliant administrators, I dare say that the Yorubas have not contributed anything of note ECONOMICALLY to Lagos State.

Through the course of my stay on this earth, albeit short, and my interaction with people both good and bad, I have learnt one very important lesson: IGNORE IGNORANT PEOPLE.

[READ: Femi Fani-Kayode: Lagos, the Igbo and the servants of truth]

However, in as much as one might be tempted to ignore the ignorant, it is imperative to call them to order for some reasons. Firstly, ignorance could be contagious. Once an ignorant person basks in the euphoria of his ignorance and is proud of it, others are tempted to emulate him; thus, ignorance spreads. Again, I know I will be accountable to God on judgment day and if I fail in my duties to call an ignorant person to order and stop the spread of ignorance, I will have committed an infamita (heinous crime in Sicilian language).

I read Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode’s article titled “Lagos, the Igbos and the Servants of  Truth” with mixed feelings. At the same time I was sad at the way he derided the Igbos, angry at his proud display of ignorance, irritated by the arrogant tone which swept through the write-up and then a strong urge to ‘educate’ him a bit.

I felt worse with the feeling that Mr. Fani-Kayode would have given himself imaginary pats on the back for that poorly written write-up which is devoid of logic but instead laced with half-truths and vexatious fallacies.

Before going further, I should state here that I am Yoruba like Mr. Fani-Kayode and I have no Igbo roots whatsoever. I however have a strong aversion for distortion of facts and injustice. To me, his piece is just a subtle continuation of the injustice, ill treatment and maltreatment the Igbos have been made to undergo in Nigeria right from Independence till now.

Perusing through his article, I have only been able to decipher one message which is that ; THE IGBOS DID NOT DEVELOP LAGOS.

Before I distill my issues for determinations and go into the nitty-gritty of my argument, I have to inform my dear readers of the background facts that led to his infamous write-up.

Sometime last week, it was reported that 76 Igbos were ‘deported’ from Lagos to Onitsha, Anambra State. The Lagos State Government felt that as destitutes, they should go back ‘home’ but the 76 ‘deportees’ still claim that they do not qualified to be called destitutes.

While arguments have gone back and forth on this subject, I refrained from joining issues with anybody in as much as I am so disgusted that one can now be ‘intra-deported’. It means Governor Ajimobi of my state can now deport Hausas back to their states? I find the idea utterly classless.

I expected Fani-Kayode as a lawyer to state his case as regards the deportation issue, only for him to start go on about ‘How Igbos did not develop Lagos’. To me, that is akin to acute ethnocentrism.

These following issues formed the basis of his write-up and I would attempt to showcase why his arguments and postulations should be dismissed with a mere wave of the hand.

 

  1. Are the Igbos not the most industrious people in Nigeria?
  2. What really have the Yoruba contributed to the growth of Lagos State?
  3. Was Lagos developed by Yoruba money?
  4. Should the Igbos consider it a ‘favour’ from the Yorubas that they were allowed to claim back their properties after the civil war?
  5. Is Lagos a no-man’s land?

 

ISSUE 1

Are the Igbos the most illustrious and industrious tribe in Nigeria? Without thinking twice or mincing words, I will say YES!

I believe that only a deliberately mischievous person will question the illustriousness of the Igbos. The Igbos are so illustrious that they are capable of turning nothing into something. While they have their vices (like every tribe), the spread like ants wherever one of them settles and they bring nothing but economic development to the place.

Perhaps, no greater example of Igbo illustriousness abounds than the Civil war story. After the Civil war, Obafemi Awolowo who was a Minister in charge of the Economy under Gowon formulated a rather wicked, inhuman and obnoxious policy which was that Igbos, no matter how much they were worth before the civil war will only be given 20 POUNDS to start life with.

Still, the Igbos survived and within a short time, with the paltry 20 pounds aided with some  uncommon common sense, the Igbos shot up back to the top of the Economic ladder and controlled major sector of the Nation’s economy of which Lagos forms the fulcrum.

 

ISSUE 2

What really have my fellow Yorubas contributed to Lagos State? What have they contributed to Lagos State that they have not been able to contribute to Ibadan, Osogbo, Ekiti and Akure? Apart from being Academicians and brilliant administrators, I dare say that the Yorubas have not contributed anything of note economically to Lagos State.

From the Big Banks in Victoria Island, to the Computer Village in Ikeja, to Ladipo Spare Sparts Market, to Alaba International Market, the Igbos hold the reins of the major economic activity in Lagos State. My Yoruba brothers are more of ‘subsistence business men’.

ISSUE 3

Was Lagos developed by the Yoruba money? No! Let us not forget that Lagos has always been the major city in Nigeria right from when the Europeans found their way into West Africa. Lagos has always gulped majority of Nigeria’s budget which has been used to make the State a major one.

Let us not also forget that Lagos State was built was oil money. As Capital city of the country, special attention was paid to the aesthetical growth and infrastructural development of the state.

The Igbos with their uncountable and numerous investments in the State have also made the State’s economy particularly buoyant. If I may refresh our memories, Nigeria’s first Millionaire, Late Sir Louis Ojukwu had majority of his investments in Lagos (many of which are still in Apapa) ,while the Yorubas were still doing small-scale business.

Till now, Lagos gets the bulk of Federal allocations and is also home to many Multi-Nationals, many of whom have Igbos as core investors. Mr Fani-Kayode’s claim that Lagos was built “through our (Yorubas) hard work and money” is both spurious and outrightly laughable.

 

ISSUE 4

In the 3rd paragraph of his article, he said “Meanwhile the Yoruba of the old Western Region and Lagos were very gracious to them and not only allowed them to return after the civil war to claim their properties….” I find this particular assertion appalling.

What is the gracious act in allowing me take back what is mine? What was the favour the Yoruba people did to the Igbos by allowing take back their properties in Lagos after the civil war? So if the Yoruba people were not going to be ‘gracious’, what would they have done? Seize the properties? Claim ownership of property that they did not work for?

Again, Mr Fani-Kayode while trying to appear as overly smart has only succeeded in putting  in Italics a question mark over his claim to be a ‘Nationalist’. Nationalists don’t come up with the above quotation as it negate everything a Nationalist and non-biased Nigerian should be.

 

ISSUE 5

Is Lagos a no man’s land? Yes… and No!

I said No because Historically, Lagos State is a Yoruba state and a Yoruba State it shall remain. No matter how long visitors stay in Lagos, they will at the end of the day go back home while the real indigenes will stay behind.

However, I am saying Yes because due to the influx of Nigerians from all tribes into Lagos and also due to the massive investment they have made in Lagos, it will only be fair to say that Lagos cannot be called a Yoruba State per se. I believe Lagos is Nigeria’s center where the bulk of money is made and expended on. You cannot keep calling Lagos a ‘Yoruba’ state when it was built to its current enviable state through the efforts of ALL Nigerians and also with the generous input of Oil money; Money made from the improvished Niger-Delta.

 

WAY FORWARD.

I make it bold to say that Mr.Fani-Kayode with his write-up has only cemented the wide notion that he is an unrepentant ethnocentric and eccentric, who believes his race to be superior to all others. While a little ‘patriotism’ is not bad, one should not close his eyes to the truth and cold hard facts.

I also believe that as a one-time Federal Minister, he should know better than to insult the sensitivity of a particular ethnic group. In as much as Mr Fani-Kayode is short of people who see him as role models, it will still be a gross disservice to the very little who see him as role models because all they will be gaining from their role model is pure, crude, unrefined and undiluted ignorance.

On a last note, I affirm the theme of my write-up which is ; The Igbos do not deserve what was meted on them in the past, what is being meted on them now by the Lagos State Government and Mr. Fani-Kayode. I believe Nigeria owes a lot of its economic development to the Igbos and they should be honoured, not dishonoured.

From Chinedu who left Abakaliki to sell spare parts in Lagos, to Nnamdi who has decided to be the majority shareholder in a multinational which has its headquarters in Lagos and which pays tax to the Lagos State Government, to Eloka who left Anambra to become a film Producer in Lagos, to all countless Igbos who are toiling hard to make it in Lagos, while contributing to making Lagos what it is today, they deserve our utmost commendation and not condemnation.

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Ayokunle Odekunle tweets from @0ddy4real

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (67)

  1. YES WISDOM BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE, IN THIS SIMPLE REVIEW A WISEMAN HAS SPOKEN, I SAY MAY WISDOM NEVER DEPART FROM YOUR GENERATION. AMEN

  2. All this still begs the question. why is Lagos the preferred destination? if a Man has a very good land and everybody wants yo cultivate on it,who deserves the praise, the Landlord or the tenants cultivating on it?

  3. We are getting a clear view of where the pendulum is tending towards. Nobody for sure is claiming anothers land but posterity requires we recognize the balance and strike it. If the Yorubas denies the Igbos today, well someday they might be needed. We should remove the lace of hatred we harbour pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

  4. Mr.Writer are you sure are a yoruba man? Am not trying to be ethnocemtric here but one thing I noted while perusing your fallacious write-up albeit correct in some aspect.You spoke ill of the Yorubas in every aspect without even commending them rather u condemned them.If u are truly a yoruba man and still writing all these against your people, The question is: Are u trying to b a “modern day super hero nationalist?” When we all know Nigeria is not a nation.

  5. we have for so long in peace with yoruba why is fashola doing this now

  6. I really think this matter is given too much importance. I don’t think its much of a tribal issue. The destitutes said they didnt have enough money to have returned back to their villages, when they needed an excuse to beg in lagos. The Governor of Lagos simply gave them a ride to the closest place home for them.

  7. I commend you, Ayo, and I appeal to you all to take time to read this piece and remove biase from your thinking. Ayo’s point wasn’t butressed on the deportation, was based on Fani’s saying the igbos have not contributed to the development of Lagos. funny? cos as ayo says they are the most illustrious and industrious. Ignorance is a greater fool when it place on the intelligence of the unknown. Fani, be careful with wanting to be heard, it makes me begin to wonder, if………

  8. SEGUN ADEFILA WROTE: There we go! Just as in the past! The so called new generation are on their way to join the opportunists that call themselves nationalists. If GOD wants just one tribe, there would be no other tribes. When are we going to learn that the basic things we share as humans have no tribe or tongues? In what language do we laugh or cry? What is the language of hunger and thirst? If the essence of existence is about tribes alone where would we all be? We quickly forget the ‘mallam’ who helped us in the past, we hastily discard the ibo neighbour who has been more helpful than most relatives, the ‘ngbati’ or yoruba friend who would go through thick and thin with us. All because of extreme generalisation. The igbos,Yorubas and Hausas ‘at the top’ break bread at grand banquets. Some share loots like they are the same roots yet scream ‘my people are better’ when such obscenity serves their selfish purpose. The man at the bottom rung of the social ladder bears the brunt. Are we saying that breaking up is the solution to our myraid of problems? What about those yoruba neigbours who still hack eachother down at the slightest provocation? What have you to say about Hausa kinsmen who will readily slaughter one another over a parcel of land and are the Igbos so united? Nigeria (though fraudulently put together for selfish reasons) can still rise above petty tribal mongering and attain her height if this new generation will be more progressive in their thinking and more considerate about posterity in their action lest we leave a perennial legacy of ethnic rivalry while others make progress. Where we are today is not where we would be had we retained our moral and cultural values. May my true friends from the East, the North and the South not lose their souls in a country driven almost souless by tribal conflict-mongering cabals. If you have had siblings from other mothers hold you when your blood relatives let you down,think twice before your proclamations. You are my brother till you get worried not by my character but by my language or religion!

    Thumbs up Segun Adefila

  9. hmmmm! while the former article seems to have been written without any obvious ‘pretensions’ perhaps, the rejoinder may be flawed on several grounds; attacking personality, devoid of reflexitivity, and unschlarly. taking the first writer’s percieved past disservice for granted at the moment,his writing intelligently beclouds any suspected tribal bias(even if there’s one anyway), which makes it appeal to any fair reader and analyst. his citation of another authority justifies the facts put forward in historical literature.

    with the tribal tendency already unnecessarily introduced into this discourse by the rejoinder and some people who have passed comments here, i hold my piece here for now so as not to get misinterpreted as such too. meanwhile, i find it quite inspiring and cool reading through the seemingly ‘objective’ comments passed by Al Hakiku, Muhammed,Pissed, Osasuna Tosin, Onyekachi and Nasir, as i find them as like-minds than those tens of others.

  10. My heart bleeds indeed anytime I read this type of articles. It only boos openly the vindictiveness of some Nigerians who never believed in oneness and unity. Sad to note, our nation is facing a mammoth problem that is threatening our existence as a nation. Our major problem now is insecurity, hunger, disease pandemic, bad governance (corruption), man’s inhumanity to man and what have you. The time that has passed is sufficient enough for us all to have been able to live above ethnicity and racism. Just like late Prof. Chinua Achebe pointed out in his book “the trouble with Nigeria”. Really, Nigeria has one of the best climate in the world. She has one of the most talented persons who ever walked the earth. Nothing is really wrong with the Nigerian soil but with the people. Yes, people lable us wicked, insensitive and bigots. An honest self appraisal of ourselves will enable tread the way sofly. Our history confirms it that we are industrious as Nigerians. Not only are we industrious, we are also intelligent people. More than 30% of successful doctors in the US are Nigerians. More yorubas are in London than a small village in Abeokuta, more Igbos are in Califonia than a small village in Owerri. More Hausas are studying in Harvard than in almagiri. More South-south, middle belt and other minority groups are becoming more professional than before. All these are Nigerians.

    I would rather any state government proffered a solution to the ravaging hunger and a state of hopelessness encountered by its inhabitants than treat the lowly one with disdain. Deportatation from East, West, North or South under any guise is both arbitrary and regreable. What is the role of the government of this country, if its citizens can not catered for? No social security of anykind for anybody. The yoruba man is as pinged as the Igbo man, Hausa, Efik, Ijaw and so forth. A responsible government looks beyond the podium to address the issue of destitutes in the society. Except if they do not want to work, they can be gainfully employed. What has been done about the menace of the Arabs, with their children at every nook and cranny of our streets?

    Whether you are Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba, you have got no reson to boast for if you had a choice, perhaps you have wanted otherwise or even better in same tribe. Yeah, Aliko Dangote, Wale Adenuga, Jim Ovia, Pascal Dozie, Evelyn Oputu, Raymond Dokpesi, Dora Akunyili to mention but afew are philantropists. Men and women who gave in different areas, forms and formats. These poeple fly the flag of Nigeria high. We see empathy in their thinking, actions and utterances. They are busy not with ethnicity but in nation building.

    If you are a Nigerian, you are to be most pitied. You breath bad air almost everyday. You are always afraid of being kinapped. You are labelled 3rd world or more repectfully, developing country. Irrespective of your seemingly achievements, you are still a Nigerian. A nation held in contempt by most people in the world. A nation were people are happy at the misfortune of fellow Nigerians. A nation where a particular tribe feels superior to another. That nation must be sick and needs an urgent medical attention. What futher are we building for our children and what legacy do they intend to leave behind? Igbo for sure that the Igbos are the least to expect war. If not for anything, the wounds are still healing. My grandfather lost all he had in Portharcout and so did many Igbos. The yoruba will ever love to merry and have times with family and friends and war does not affort such reckless luxury. The Hausas would like to see a better North where sporadic shootings is not the order of the day and will all Nigerians.

    To all you cowards who are beating the drum of war, stop forthwith. To all you good-for-nothing chauvinists, who do not see anything good in anybody, retract your steps. Wisdom does not necessarily come with age. Do not overheat the polity. Nigeria could be better is we learn to respect one another.

    In conclusion, solve problems and do not fuel it. Provide jobs for our teaming population both graduates and non-graduates alike. Above all, Nigeria is bigger than you, a Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo man.

  11. Gosh! The comments here just prove how divided Nigeria is! You cannot say yea other states are ‘deporting’ so Lagos is right too,that is extremely faulty logic. The real question is ,is it right for this kind of thing to happen? Is it constitutional? Should a country that is fighting ethnic and cultural differences really be doing this?
    P.S- This article is not lame,it is well written and a good rejoinder. Maybe the writer failed to list some Yoruba achievements but that in no way makes it lame. FFK’s article did not deal with the real issues and smacked of ethnocentrism from top to bottom. Sorry for the epistle.

  12. You did not complete ur research with the lack of any major industrial activities in the east despite their “industrious attributes”. I think the easterners should seriously start looking into strong developmental needs in their home state. Dear blogger, you sound so bitter that i find it difficult to believe your trends which is the same reason i dont believe FFA

  13. time will tell…igbo will take their rightful position in committe of nations…it’s a matter of time

  14. In the light of the truth mr oddy, you stand the much awaited mollification for all wounded Easterners both in the past and in the present. This I shall tag the very perfect alphabetical bondings Ohaneze will never forget. A masterpiece indeed.

  15. Ibo people are playing with fire with this silly argument raging about the relocation of destitutes to their state of origin by Lagos State Government. Ibo are in a every corner of Yoruba land especially those that were chased out of Northern Nigeria by BK and Kidnappers in Ibo-land, they have found safe haven in Yoruba land. So this argument that “Lagos is no man’s land” when they know fully well that was not the case might come back to bite them if the elders in the Ibo community do not put a stop to it as quickly as possible.

  16. Why does YNaija have to publish anything and any rubbish any fool has to write. This is the worst piece of shit I have ever read. Poorly written. Your paymasters are wasting money getting you to write this poorly.

    1. What is the problem that you have with this piece exacly? it is not enough for you to come to a public forum and throw tantrums like a kid

      1. @Muhammed make your points and stop attacking others.

  17. Poorly written article. Full of junk! It is obvious you have issues with FFK and your hatred for him is the best thing you have displayed here. You make claims without a single reference. Nothing to back your badly written article up safe for your incompetent passion

    1. Lol. i guess you are a FFK voltron. you call this article a poorly written piece of junk? i doubt if you can even write an ordinary primary school composition; talkless a complex and articulate writeup like this

  18. Before you try to make witty comments just to create a lofty impression, get your facts straight and follow all sides of the story…..go to the link below for more, as written by Sina Fagbenro-Byron.

    http://premiumtimesng.com/opinion/142210-lagos-the-igbo-and-the-servants-of-truth-by-femi-fani-kayode.html?wpmp_tp=1

    Am loving the debate, very insightful. Well written Ayokunle. but please young people lets all read more before taking sides on issues of national and historical significance….bless you

  19. I thought I was the only one that noticed the absurdity of FFK’s article. This rejoinder and the majority of comments on this forum show I am not a alone.

  20. Anyone can adopt any name on the internet and write under such a false nomenclature as can be seen by a lot of contributors on this forum. Not withstanding however, I will advise this ‘ayo’ to try and balance his wrtie-up next time. If the Igbos love Lagos so much that they can help develop it, why don’t they go back to the east and develop it as well? It is only a bastard that will leave his father’s house in ruins and be busy developing other people’s father’s house. The yorubas are traditionally accomodating, to now start claiming Lagos as a no man’s land is somewhat ominous. No nation survives two civil wars. The Igbos as usual will lose the next war. A defeated nation should think twice before beating drums of war. Next time the yorubas will not be as generous. Remember Benjamin Adekunle the black scorpion who single-handedly sent ojukwu into exile. Be warned! A word is enough for the wise!

    1. @Rashy, you sure do write like a fool.

  21. The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. FKK article is lame, ethnocentric and ignorant(which I won’t waste my time to read but take your word for it). Yours is just lame. And completely marred by your statement that “Historically, Lagos State is a Yoruba state and a Yoruba State it shall remain. No matter how long visitors stay in Lagos, they will at the end of the day go back home while the real indigenes will stay behind”. You see this whole concept of ‘indigene’ is the problem. Either we are all Nigerian citizens with freedom to settle, live and REMAIN anywhere in Nigeria or we’re not and FKK and his ilk can take the day already. While it is conventional wisdom the igbos invest in Lagos I would have liked to see statistics in form of amount paid in taxes, total investments etc etc etc. And most of your other assertions about the igbos ignore completely the contributions of all 250 ethnicities in Nigderia who maybe less visible due to their relative numbers. You seem to be pandering to Igbo sentiments here. I wonder why?

    1. I beg to differ sir. Firstly, this is not a ‘lame’ article. furthermore, i dont agree that the writer tried to whip up igbo sentiments. he just said things as they are

      1. No, he said things as he sees them

  22. thk u Ayokunle, u r a true detribalise nigerian, Godbless u for ur boldness and daring character…..james

    1. The writer has done worse than FFK…. Nice write up tho!

      1. how has he done worse?

  23. As it is, the general tone of your article is unnecessarily bitter, somewhat disrespectful and threads the very same ethnic disposition that Femi Fani- Kayode and Peter Obi have displayed in the past.
    Let me digress a little and say this, Peter Obi is a very tribalistic man and I would give reasons for saying this: In 2012, when El-Rufai did his analysis of the Anambra budget, instead of tackling the issues raised in the article, Obi went to the press describing the article as ‘an insult to the Igbo race’. As much as we all have disagreements with El-Rufai, the proper thing to have done in such a case is address issues, not stir up tribal sentiments.
    This is the same thing Peter Obi has done with this. Would it not have been easier to simply engage his colleague privately as opposed to writing to the Presidency? Should he not have explored channels available to him at the Governors Forum as opposed to escalating it to the Presidency? and allegedly leaking the memo to the press?
    As regards your disgust on what you term ‘intra-deportation’, the practice of returning destitutes to their families did not start with the Lagos State Government. As far back as December 2011, the same Peter Obi ‘intra-deported’ 29 beggars to their Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom home states. At that time, the Governors did not make it a public spectacle or thread ethnic lines. They simply discussed it and resolved it peacefully among themselves.

    1. what is bitter and disrespectful about the article?

    2. Wonderful write -up, God bless you.

  24. As it is, the general tone of your article is unnecessarily bitter, somewhat disrespectful and threads the very same ethnic disposition that Femi Fani- Kayode and Peter Obi have displayed in the past.
    Let me digress a little and say this, Peter Obi is a very tribalistic man and I would give reasons for saying this: In 2012, when El-Rufai did his analysis of the Anambra budget, instead of tackling the issues raised in the article, Obi went to the press describing the article as ‘an insult to the Igbo race’. As much as we all have disagreements with El-Rufai, the proper thing to have done in such a case is address issues, not stir up tribal sentiments.
    This is the same thing Peter Obi has done with this. Would it not have been easier to simply engage his colleague privately as opposed to writing to the Presidency? Should he not have explored channels available to him at the Governors Forum as opposed to escalating it to the Presidency? and allegedly leaking the memo to the press?
    As regards your disgust on what you term ‘intra-deportation’, the practice of returning destitutes to their families did not start with the Lagos State Government. As far back as December 2011, the same Peter Obi ‘intra-deported’ 29 beggars to their Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom home states. At that time, the Governors did not make it a public spectacle or thread ethnic lines. They simply discussed it and resolved it peacefully among themselves.

  25. Oddy, while I find FFK’s piece paritcularly senseless and unneccesary, u have not done better. In fact u are as guilty as FFK. Ur article didn’t deal with the main issues to. . . I’d have loved u to state the companies owned by Igbo and Yorubas b4 concluding that most are Igbo-owned. It is fallacious to ascribe Lagos devt exclusively to Igbos just because other states are not as developed. Why have Igbos not developed Enugu or Aba to 1/3 of Lagos? Face it, South West is far more developed than the East. Igbos just take advantage of the population of Lagos to do business (credit to their ingenuity). However, the devt of Lagos is a mix of geographical and socio-political factors. . . and as FFK truly pointed out, Igbos are not too hospitable, the reason more Yorubas are in the North than the East. You’ll have done better if u purged yourself of anti-FFK, anti-APC sentiments. . . Beautiful writeup still!

    1. perhaps, you should re-read the piece. this time, calmly

  26. Interesting piece though, wild conjectures and subjectivities, your piece is really no better then FFK's piece, just subtly bigoted…anyway we have always had our Solagberu and Afonja and their causes have this your familiar tang. Regards

    1. from your comment, every Yoruba who fails to tow Fani-Kayode’s lane is an ‘Afonja’, abi?

  27. @Ayo

    1. Your appeal to your “Yorubaness” is amusing,as if you are more Yoruba than Alimi and Solagberu of the Ilorin of yore
    2. You are as guilty as the man you accused of Ignorance,you made wide assertions without and data to prove it, only warped conjectures.
    3. Lagos is either a no man’s land or the native land of the Aworis, Eguns, Ikorodus and others who called it home
    4. Yorubas have contributed nothing to Lagos? which of the Lagos sir? perhaps you forget in a hurry that the Action Group administered a large chunk of the present day Lagos State?Awolowo’s Industrial estate and other infrastructural interventions?
    Sir, perhaps the man you dismiss might not be too wrong.

  28. I wonder what some people are saying is wrong with this piece…who on earth in his right frame of mind would support what the lagos state government did…how can u justify whatever form of intra deportation..I feel Nigeria is gradually tilting towards a completely failed state…same femi fani-kayode that once was a federal minister?come on how did he get to add such lofty position to his current Cv…that guy is just a pugnacious bunkum…suffice to say all he does these days is, strive so as he remains in the limelight…femi cannever win any free or fair election in Nigeria…he’s just HUSTLING to remain relevant like El-rufai and their likes but please!!!!There are better ways to go about that my so called past ministers…what do we live for but make life less difficult for eachother…I’m Ibo YES no doubt but for goodness sake am Nigerian…I’ve lived, co existed, co habitated and suffice to say,in the past, dated only yoruba and core hausa girls…yes u can say that again… am a pan nigerian!femi should take a cue from Rihanna…Shut up and drive ur home!!!U are a drowning politician!!

  29. I wonder what some people are saying is wrong with this piece…who on earth in his right frame of mind would support what the lagos state government…how can u justify whatever form of intra deportation..I feel Nigeria is gradually tilting towards a completely failed state…same femi fani-kayode that once was a federal minister?come on how did he get to add such to his current Cv…that guy is just a pugnacious bunkum…suffice to say all he does these days is to strive so as he remains in the limelight…femi cannever win any free or fair election in Nigeria…he just HUSTLING to remain relevant like El-rufai and their likes but please!!!!There are better ways to go about that my so called past ministers…what do we live for but make life less difficult for eachother…I’m Ibo YES no doubt but for goodness sake am Nigerian…I’ve lived, co existed, co habitated and suffice to say,in the past, dated only yoruba and core hausa girls…yes u can say that again… am a pan nigerian!femi should take a cue from Rihanna…Shut up and drive ur home!!!

  30. What more can i say? Even an igboman couldnt have put it better.
    Much respect Mr Ayo. God bless u for having the courage to do this.

  31. What more can i say? Even an igboman couldnt have put it better.
    Much respect Mr Ayo. God bless u for having the courage to do this.

  32. What more can i say? Even an igboman couldnt have put it better.
    Much respect Mr Ayo. God bless u for having the courage to do this.

  33. you havent done any better than fani-kayode. no fact or figure to substantiate any pointless points you are struggling to make.
    igbos are the most industrious, igbos control lagos, igbos are the pillars etc etc..we hear these all the time. please next time your write an epistle, spare us the torture of what you contrived ‘off-head’, endeavor to quote economic and financial figures, make reference to history,quote expert opinions. don’t just blab and publish it.

  34. I've always felt Fani-Kayode just wants to be heard at all cost, even if he talks nonesense

  35. I really love ur write ups,always look forward to reading them….u are so not biased and I love the fact that u don’t take sides..you are one of my best writers any time,any day

  36. You are writing with a Jaundiced-eye. This piece is poorly written and will not contribute to nation-building. Remember in Lagos after the civil war the properties of the Igbos were returned back to them, alongside thetrent for the whole period of the war. Please do not try to distort history in the name of writing a rejoinder.

    1. i think you are the one with deficient comprehension skills. you need to read the piece again

  37. What is your objective in writing all these? Do you have a personal issue with Fanikayode or one of those who see every issue as an opportunity to attack a peceived political oponent? I am not suprised, Yorubas are the best at starbing their brothers at the back.

    1. So seeing evil and turning a blind eye ‘because the perpetrator is your brother’ is the best way to build a nation, abi? Carry on.

  38. This is a great article Indeed..As kayode claimmed why Has’nt Ekiti, oyo,osun turn to Lagos state? Well enough said….Let this matter die..Nigeria is for everybody

    1. Good one frm Ayo….its unfair what the lagos state government did, this is tampering wif pple’s fundamental human right! Anyways, if states start doin this to non–indigenes, then Nigeria is failing. I just pray some pple live to collect their rewards!

      1. This just reeks of sentiments. Sentiments and ignorance! The issue is not about states repatriating non- indigenes. Perhaps you need to read some more on the issue before discussing it.

  39. Ayo,its either u are totally ignornt,not a yoruba guy or in PDP n ready to oppose femi by all means.u are even worst than him,to talk abt wht Femi said,I expectd u to cm wth facts.if u ve a land n u let it to smone or allow smone use it,does that mean that once d prson is industrious n make use of d land then it bcomes his when u didn’t sell it?pls lagos is no man’s land bt it wl be wrong fr anyone to take side abt d isue of deprtatn when u dnt know d fact.how many are they?were they really destitude,rehabilitatd?on wht ground du u blieve eithr of d party wthout prove?except u are out fr vendetta,I thnk no one shld support eithr party wthout facts first.stop being ignorant,no one wl support or want any body frm any part of ths country to be deportd or support d act.we love d igbos.

  40. Thank You! Fani Kayode is truly an ethnocentric nationalist!

    1. @abbey- the counter argument is as a result of issues by Fani.it is a good rejoinder.Fani has lost some national points

  41. Thanks Ayo, the best human is all of us put together cos we can only complement each other, hence nobody should be taking for granted.

  42. You have only acted like Femi by not making any effort to come up with the truth.
    1. No one deported anyone.
    2. 14 destitutes that have been previously treated were returned back to their families as a way of reintegrating them back into the society after due correspondence with their state government. This is to prevent a relapse.
    3. This is standard practice as Akwa Ibom sent back some Lagosians under same circumstances just a few days ago and no one is making any noise about it.
    Further fueling tribal discussions under any guise does no one any good

    1. Mr Abbey, i doubt if the writer’s main crux is deportation.

    2. another masterpiece by Mr Odekunle. you are sure going places

  43. this is a very good brillant rejoinder to Mr Fani-Kayode’s HOGWASH of an article

    1. If the intention had ben to sing praises and glorify the Igboman, this article would have been a masterpiece. Unfortunately, this writer has displayed even greater ignorance than the Fani-Kayode he has tried to disprove.

      The offending article was more of a quotation of another person’s write up by Fani-Kayode who, to all intents and purposes, just made a few comments before and after the rather lengthy quotation.

      Maybe Fani-Kayode was just too enthusiastic in making the quotation but interestingly, nobody has faulted the original writeup quoted by Fani-Kayode. We are all playing with the truth and very soon it will come to blow up in our faces.

      Fani-Kayode was right. He obviously knows more about the subject matter than the writer of this article.

      Long before Nigeria ever was conceived, Lagos has been a trading port. This was long before the first Igboman set foot in Lagos. The Yoruba have developed Lagos. The Egbas, Ijebus, Ekitis, Ibadans, Binis etc have been traders in Lagos and have made their names and fortunes.

      Long before Sir Louis Ojukwu, there were Yoruba millionaires in Lagos. I am sure the writer had never heard of the legendary DaRocha – he was originally from Ilesha, sold into slavery to Brazil and came back to settle in Lagos. He was said to have borrowed the British colonial government money to run Lagos during the WW1.

      The writer also does not understand the place of commerce in the wealth of nations. Most of what he called “Igbo money” are mere trading activities which are in themselves signs of a greater invisible ‘infra’ structure on which commercial activities thrive. Compared to the quantum of wealth in this underground support, I am sorry to say, whatever money the Igbos have in Lagos is mere pittance.

      Who controls that underground money? The writer obviously is ignorant of the answer.

      All we can say is: The day the egret wants to die, it will challenge its chi to a wrestling match.

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