FASHOLA WARNS ON DANGERS OF INCITING IGBO AGAINST HOSPITABLE HOSTS

Warning against the danger in willfully inciting the Igbo community in Lagos against their hosts who are known nationally and globally as being hospitable people, Governor Fashola, while responding to a question on the issue from media men in the course of an inspection tour of projects said deliberately fanning the embers of ethnicity would serve no good purpose to anyone.

“It is a very dangerous and unwarranted precedence and I hope that common sense will prevail here”, he said. The Governor who described as unfortunate the fact that his Anambra State counterpart decided to make the matter a media issue, declared, “As I speak, I have not received a telephone call from him to complain. I have also not received any letter from him complaining and I don’t think that is the way governments should work. On less important matters than this he had called me before so he knows my number”.

Describing the hospitality of Lagos State as legendary, Governor Fashola said, “It is not just a national legend, it is a global legend that people of Lagos are hospitable people and so have the government of Lagos and so have previous governments in the past”, adding that there are large Igbo communities in many parts of the State doing their businesses while the Government is working to make their life better.

“Having said that, this is a political season, Anambra will be up for contest. So in a political season, unusual things happen and perhaps we are even in interesting times. When you see two adults kissing on TV, you know something is afoot. When you see issues of governance being tried on newspapers, all sorts of back-page columnists jumping onto it in an executioner type mode, I thought Journalism requires that you get the other side and get all of the full facts”, the Governor said.

On the threat by Governor Obi to take the matter to the Presidency, Governor Fashola said, “I know that the President has the moral authority to head the sovereign state of Nigeria but I am not aware that the Constitution says that disputes between states should be settled by the President.”

“If Anambra State has an issue with us and it feels too aggrieved not to call us, not to write to us, I feel the final arbiter must be the courts”, the Governor said adding, ”When I get a formal letter from Anambra or when I get a formal letter from the Presidency, I will lay bare what the facts are”.