The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has decried the level of destruction of Igbo businesses at the Alaba International Market (AIM) by the Lagos State government.
Ohanaeze has subsequently set up a nine-man committee, chaired by Dr. Charles Odunukwe and Vincent Ikwueze as Committee Secretary to look into all the issues surrounding the demolitions and plight of the Igbo traders in Lagos.
The terms of reference for the committee include the verification of authenticity of the various claims, and cost of damages, among others.
Ohanaeze President General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in a statement signed by the organisation’s spokesman, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, and issued on Wednesday after a fact-finding visit to the market for an on-the-spot assessment of the demolitions, lamented the level of destruction seen there.
Iwuanyanwu said the government of Lagos State marked only three buildings that were said to be distressed but ended up demolishing 30 buildings.
He said the demolished buildings were reallocated to other business concerns, a development he said was unacceptable to Ndigbo, more so when those properties were originally bought and paid for by Igbo traders.
Iwuanyanwu who expressed deep grief over the extent and loss incurred as a result of the demolition exercise, assured the traders that they would overcome the immediate challenges.
He explained that if a Nigerian can buy property in any part of the world, there is no reason for the Nigerian to have their property demolished in any part of Nigeria, at very short notice.
He asked the Igbo traders to remain unfazed and in high spirits, promising that he will stand against any form of injustice against any Igbo people anywhere and anytime.
Iwuanyanwu, however, expressed delight in the warm reception from thousands of Igbo who trooped out to receive him and the members of the Ohanaeze delegation.
Earlier in his speech, the President of the Alaba International Market (AIM), Chief Camilus Amajuoyi expressed immense gratitude to Iwuanyanwu and members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for responding to their yearnings over the “callousness meted to the Igbo population in Alaba market”.
Amajuoyi expressed surprise that soon after they supported Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his re-election for a second term in Office, the authorities of the Lagos State have served them with a calamity that can only be contemplated on an enemy zone in wartime.
Lamenting the stiffness imposed on Igbo traders by the Lagos State government, Amajuoyi listed some of the challenges the Igbo face in the market daily as follows:
“The road to AIM is in a very bad condition. Also, all the road networks in the market are in a detestable condition. The roads are worse during the rainy season as the pot-holes are always filled with water, making it extremely difficult for people to navigate the roads.
“The Lagos State authorities marked about three buildings for demolition; according to them, the buildings were distressed and could collapse anytime. Surprisingly, they ended up destroying over thirty buildings at very short notice. The worst part of the tragedy is that the lands are being resold out with fencing going on. Worst still, the authorities are not contemplating compensation on the properties that were officially purchased with all the relevant documents in place.
“That over two hundred mobile policemen were present when the structures were being pulled down, indicates that the State Government is aware of the demolition exercise.
“That after the imported goods or containers are cleared at the Lagos Wharf, the Agbero or those who claim to be agents of the State Government intercept the goods and sometimes they pay up to N200,000 per container before it gets to the warehouse.
“For anybody to build a house on a property he has duly purchased, he pays fees/levy at the foundation level; another fee/levy at the first decking; for any other decking, a fee will be paid; even to put glasses, attracts another levy.
“The customers are daily embarrassed after they have purchased goods from the AIM; the buyer of the goods is levied between five and ten thousand naira without which the goods may be seized or damaged.
“All they need from the State is to streamline or define the rules of engagement with the Alaba businessmen so that they will understand their legitimate boundaries.
“Every Igbo man that dies in Lagos, the corpse is always taken to the ancestral home. Therefore, the Igbo in Lagos lay no claim or pretensions over the ownership of Lagos.
“Remarkably, all the properties we occupy in Lagos are never procured by force; we either buy or rent with official legal documents in place.
“We pay all the legitimate dues to the Lagos State, thereby adding value to the economy of the State; so why all the indignities?
“The committee that has been set by the state government to investigate the Alaba tragedy does not have a representative from the Alaba International Market. One may then ask, how can you shave a man’s hair in his absence?
“Over one million Igbo young men and women in the AIM are not asking the government for any payment; we are self-employed. All we ask the Lagos State Government is a conducive environment for our businesses and a cordial relationship with both our neighbors and the host communities.”