Igbo Group Urges Tinubu to Halt Demolition of Properties in Lagos
The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and stop the ongoing demolition of properties owned by Igbo residents in Lagos State.
In a statement issued in Umuahia, ASITU urged the Federal Government, the Minister of Works and Housing, and the Attorney-General of the Federation to prevail on the Lagos State Government to suspend the demolitions and show fairness to affected property owners.
The President of the group, Chief Emeka Diwe, expressed concern that the demolitions were worsening ethnic tensions and could damage the long-standing relationship between the Igbo and Yoruba communities. He described the exercise as an act of selective justice that undermines national unity.
“The relationship between the Igbo and Yoruba people has been one of the defining features of Nigerian history—sometimes cooperative, sometimes competitive, but always deeply intertwined. We must not allow this demolition issue to poison and demolish that relationship,” Diwe said.
He further lamented that Nigeria was “dying slowly from the cancer of ethnic discrimination, selective justice, constitutional violations, and the erosion of trust between citizens and government,” insisting that “these demolitions must stop.”
ASITU maintained that the affected properties were not illegal structures but legitimate investments built through years of hard work. “These are life investments: plazas where mothers sell to feed their children, warehouses where young men store goods for their families, and shops where dreams of prosperity are nurtured with sweat and prayer,” the group said.
