Think, Before You Rwanda Lagos!

 By Jide Johnson

Long before the ethno-political madness for power started in 1998, which has taken an untoward dimension in recent years, Chief Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi sang a song, ‘Lagos State is the place for all…’ I am sure a lot of revisionists and ethno-bigots will disagree with me now because of the high stake politics of a selfish few, with disregard for the good of the majority. 

Folklores, music, and literature are the sources of knowledge, wisdom, and prevailing history of all societies. Long before now, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, the official songster for the political establishment of Lagos, sang: ‘Gbogbo wa la l’eko’. I am sure, like many, his tunes would have changed too.

But, my professional calling requires me to be non-partisan. I am not for, nor against any of the candidates or political parties jostling for the executive seat in Alausa. Let the electorate decide that; after all, power belongs to the electorate – indigene and non-indigene alike in a democracy. Like the famous quote of Asiwaju, power is not served ‘a la carte‘. We must remember that after elections, there is a state to be governed and people to be served by the winner of the contest. That is what matters.

So, how did we start this irridentist, bigoted, and narrow-minded politics of 2023? Nigerians are contesting and winning elections in Britain, Canada, and the US. Nobody is telling them they are not British, Canadian, and American citizens. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the capital and home of the Anglo-Christian Diocese, is of Indian heritage. What is the percentage of the Indian population in the UK? Rishi Sunak is also Hindu. Meanwhile, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is of Pakistani heritage. Is the London population dominated by Pakistanis? In fact, he is a Muslim and the Mayor of the King’s home, Buckingham Palace.

The Vice President of the USA, Kamala Harris, is of Indian and Jamaican heritage. Barack Obama of Kenyan heritage was elected US President, and we all applauded his emergence, proud of the “African connection”. What is the population of Kenyan descendants in America? Add that to the population of African-Americans. Are they up to 20 per cent of the US population? Kemi Badenoch twice contested for the leadership of the Conservative party in the United Kingdom that would have made her the Prime Minister had she won.

 What are we saying? This Yoruba versus Igbo conversation has gone beyond far enough. Members of the political class have always played this up to serve their political purposes, but now, it is going too far. Like proverbial handshake getting to the elbows. For those who recall, in 1999 and 2003, the Yoruba versus Hausa ethno-card was played to the detriment of all. Those who lost loved ones are still living with the bitter taste and agony of their losses. How many children do Yoruba people give birth to? How many do Igbo people give birth to? Know this and know peace. It is just a matter of time, the population of minorities in many cosmopolitan cities, add states, will soon change. 

The demography is changing. We saw the power of the younger generation in dislodging a lot of established orders across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Yes! Very few were left unswept off the political landscape in the tsunami of the first-time voters, and believe me, it will not end anytime soon. I am sure some of you are already labelling me a omo ale, but I only seek to speak the bitter truth. Call me that which you choose, it’s your opinion and not my reality. 

The Igbos we have come to realise are like the Jews, hated by some but embraced by many for their industry, commerce, and resourcefulness. Can Nigeria do without Igbos? Can we do without the Hausas and Yorubas, too? Can any community in Nigeria do without the other? When the Super Eagles, Super Falcons and D’Tigress play, no one cares about the players ethnicities, we all root for them as Nigerians, even when the team is dominated by one ethnic tribe or the other, they are Nigerians, our own. The spirit and attitude is: we do not care as long as they are the best. This is the spirit that should dominate our national life.

My best friends till date from university were not only my brothers from Yoruba land, and we lived like family; they are: Emmanuel, Ama, Kevin, Chibiotu, Bob-Manuel, and others, from the South-South and South East. We need one another; politics will come and go, but our nation remains. The perpetuation of the mutual distrust between the East and the West of Nigeria’s political divide is a self-serving strategy of the political class to hold on to power. Like pawns in the political chess game, they play us against one another; seeking protection from Bishops and Imams and safety in their castles. To them, it is a game. It is chess. If you know the game you will understand the pawns, bishops, and castles.

Let us  reflect on this poser: Do the political class play the tribal ethnic card with one another when they want to share our national treasure? At the top, they relate as one, but for political expediency, they play us against one another. In fact, there is a healthy rate of cross-cultural marriages amongst them, including their children. If we are arch enemies as they profess, why are they and their children inter- marrying from other tribes portrayed as “enemies”? 

The much-touted economy and population of Lagos is a contribution of all tribes and ethnic groups. Like I have justified in many studies I have done, using Lagos as a field for Nigeria, arguably, every family and every community in Nigeria has a representative in Lagos. Lagos is a pot-pouri of the Nigerian society; the melting pot of all cultures, which has transformed the city into the economic nerve-centre of Nigeria,and commercial capital city of Africa. 

And as Chief Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi sang: Lagos is the place for all. This is Lagos; my Lagos, your Lagos and our Lagos. The only state where you don’t see the sign: “Welcome to…” In Rwanda, there are no Hutus and Tustis but Rwandans; same with Lagos, everybody calls himself or herself a Lagosian, that is the beauty and uniqueness of Lagos. Both sides need to bury the hatchet and put aside vitriols and hate speeches that can set Lagos on fire. 

If you love Lagos, you will care for peace because, in her peace lies our collective prosperity. Whoever wins, is the Governor of Lagos State and not Governor of one ethnic group or the other! Let the best candidate win. “Gbogbo wa la l’eko”,   a la Wasiu Ayinde!  Eko akete ilu ogbon. We cannot afford to be stupid! You have to be a Sodiq, as Asake sang, to survive in Lagos: “ogbon   oti gbon ju”; let’s be wise,organise and not agonise.

Dr. Johnson teaches at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos.