By Ifeoma Geraldine Ihesie Esq.

Who owns lagos is irrelevant in the country we claim one Nigeria.

What is relevant is the position of the 1999 constitution and its applicability.

Burning igbo dominated markets in Lagos and demanding that they should respect your culture or leave lagos is the height of ignorance and stupidity, it is an infringement on their fundamental rights as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sections  39,40, 41, 42 and 43 are the foundational rights of every citizen of Nigeria. No culture or religion of any ethnic group can operate to abrogate these fundamental rights in this country.

Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria provides inter alia that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information without interference …”.

Section 40 of the constitution guarantees :

“RIGHT TO PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION.

Section 40 states as follows :

Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests.”

Section 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides as follows :

(1) Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom.”

Section 43 of the 1999 Constitution – guarantees the right to property by stating;

”Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, every citizen of Nigeria shall have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria”.

In the light of the above ongoing provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended) the yorubas have no constitutional rights to torment the Igbos and other citizens in Lagos.

Lagos was the capital of Nigeria, it belongs to Nigeria irrespective of the fact that it was founded by Benin empire hence the name Eko before the migration of the the Warring Yoruba groups. Eko is Benin name not yoruba name.

Eko was renamed Lagos by Portuguese trader. Lagos in Portuguese means “lakes”, it was a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese. Throughout history, it was home to a number of warring ethnic Yoruba groups who had settled in the area. Following its early settlement by the Awori nobility, the state first came to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.

The notion that Lagos is no man’s state is fact and reality. That the Yorubas Warring groups migrated to the area before Igbos does not make it their exclusive place of abode.

If we are truly one Nigeria, why all these ethnic, cultural and religious discrimination from Yorubas in Nigeria.

Constitution is the Supreme law of Nigeria, it supercedes every other law whether enacted by the National Assembly or State House of Assembly as such should be respected in every part of Nigeria.

In the case of Governor of Oyo State. V. Oba Ololade Afolayan(1995)8 NWLR(PT. 413) Page 292 SC at page 329 Para D-E, the Supreme Court stated that ;

” The provisions of  an ordinary Statute are subject to Constitution and cannot render nugatory the provisions of the constitution”.

In a plan language, those Yorubas who are indulging in those barbaric act of burning citizens houses, shops and asking them to respect their culture or leave lagos should refrain from such unconstitutional acts.

Yorubas are living in other parts of the world, no one is intimidating and destroying their properties, why do they allow themselves to be used by their politicians to torment Nigerians in Lagos.

Your culture cannot supercede Nigeria Constitution no matter how much you treasure it.

A word is a enough for a wise, stay away from intimidating the Igbo and destroying their properties. Enough is enough.

I rest my case.

Ifeoma Geraldine Ihesie Esq.