Lagos belongs to the Yoruba people, and lawmakers will establish new laws governing property and company ownership that would only benefit locals: Obasa, the speaker
Following a vow by its speaker Mudashiru Obasa to “reverse all the reversible,” the Lagos State House of Assembly is preparing to promulgate legislation that may threaten the ownership of land and property by non-natives, particularly Igbos, in the state.
The tenacious and hardworking Igbos, who originated in South-East Nigeria, were the victim of countless vicious verbal and physical assaults by Yoruba politicians and their adherents. Many Igbos supported the Labour Party and its presidential candidate Peter Obi during the most recent presidential and governorship elections. On February 25, they were held accountable for the defeat of the APC and then-candidate Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
Contrary to certain people’s claims, Lagos is a Yoruba land, Mr. Obasa said. Therefore, ensuring that the legislation approved by this House are translated into Yoruba is a key component of our legislative agenda.
In his acceptance speech for a third term as speaker of the Lagos parliament and the swearing-in of the 10th Lagos assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Obasa, a steadfast member of the establishment and a longtime ally of Mr. Tinubu, said that the plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pass new land and property laws would only benefit locals.
The Lagos speaker exposed the APC-controlled state legislature’s scheme to utilize “all legislative instruments” to favor natives over other tribes.
We also strive to realize our common objectives of establishing a strong legal system that safeguards the interests of our citizens. Going forward in this manner, we will use all legislative tools to support Lagos natives, said the speaker of the Lagos parliament.
Mr. Obasa added, “There would be laws and resolutions in the areas of economy and commerce, property and titles, and we will reverse all that are reversible to protect the interest of the indigenes.”
Igbos were pitted against Yoruba leaders in the APC, and their hordes were pitted against Igbos and the Labour Party, in the 2023 presidential and governorship elections. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the latter’s governorship candidate, was singled out and de-marketed because of his Igbo origin.
Following the March 18 governor’s election, the United States made a statement denouncing the APC-led suppression of Igbo voters in Lagos and announced new immigration sanctions on those responsible. Musiliu ‘MC Oluomo’ Akinsanya, a renown Lagos thug, threatened Igbos who would not vote for the APC to remain home just days before the governorship election.
Following a serious scare in the race for Lagos governor (the APC’s victory is being challenged at the tribunal), Bayo Onanuga, another key APC figure, pushed for the outright exclusion of Nigerians of Igbo descent from the political power in Lagos, escalating the ethnic tensions that surrounded the election.
A few months after the election, Nigeria’s then-works and housing minister, Babatunde Fashola, claimed that identity politics is now a global trend and that he saw no issues with the ethnic tension that plagued the elections in Lagos.
