The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has called on the Lagos State Government and his counterpart in Anambra State not to allow the alleged deportation of some Igbo indigenes to degenerate into crisis between the two states.
A statement signed by Chairman and Secretary of TUC, Comrades Bala Kaigama and Musa Lawal, respectively advised that all alleged detention cells in the state be disbanded and detainees released.
“ The reason why we make this case is that all Nigerians irrespective of state of origin have the right to live wherever they feel provided they do not break the statutory law of the land. As has been the case there is hardly any part of the world where you do not have people from different tribes, states and countries living together. Migration did not start today and it may never end. To be conservative with the truth, it will not be an overstatement to say that we have foreigners in their millions presently living in the country”, the TUC said.
The labour union explained that many people are raising eye-brows over the deportation.
“For them no matter what Lagos State government calls it -whether integration, relocation, repatriation or deportation, the fact remains that every Nigerian be it Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa has the constitutional right to live anywhere in the country. They are all Nigerians, whether rich or poor. It is a known fact that the Igbos thanks to their enterprising nature live everywhere in the world and so do Hausas and Yorubas. Lagos, the Centre of Excellence is no exception. There is no gainsaying the fact that Igbos like other indigenes contribute reasonably to the huge Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Lagos State today, hence, former governor, Senator Bola Tinubu was able to meet the financial needs of the state during his feud with former President, Olusegun Obasanjo”, the statement said.
TUC is of the opinion that governor Babatunde Fashola and governor Peter Obi should shun insinuations from the supporters and elsewhere and come together as brothers and colleagues to see how the issue can be amicably resolved.
“ The way the issue has been reported since last week, stating how the Igbos were manhandled, maltreated and dumped has given the congress serious concern. Our candid advise is that they should meet to resolve this misunderstanding as the country cannot afford another bloodshed or major crisis at this trial times. The Congress believes that whatever the case may be it can and should be resolved through dialogue”, the TUC said.
