Renowned economist, Pat Utomi, has called on supporters of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, and his Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, to desist from making statements capable of complicating further the issue of alleged deportation of Igbos from Lagos state.
Lagos government insists it only deported 14 and not 67 as claimed in a purported petition to President Goodluck Jonathan by Governor Peter Obi.
Speaking, Utomi said he was compelled to react when he read the outburst by the publicity secretary of the Lagos State Chapter of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Joe Igbokwe.
Igbokwe had called Igbos living in Lagos State “ingrates.”
According to Utomi: “Are we not taking this deportation issue too far? I’m sure Governor Fashola and Governor Obi can work this out if their supporters stop this media frenzy.”
DailyPost recalls that Igbokwe stated that “My experience with Ndigbo in Lagos will take a book to tell. Our people do not know their enemies. They do not know their friends either. Igbo must have the power of creativity, the power of strategic thinking, power of critical thinking. Igbos are about to repeat the mistakes of the past in the South West.
“If Ndigbo can attack Gov Fashola the way they have done in the past few days, then I can conclude that we do not really know who our friends are.
“Look at former Gov. Orji Uzo Kalu threatening to take Gov. Fashola to Court when he could not do anything when his successor threw Igbos in Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi out of Abia Civil Service.
He further lamented that “When a lady, Uzoma Okere, was brutalised by a Yoruba naval officer, did any of these empty heads shouting from the rooftops stand up for the young lady? Fashola did! Kidnappings in Lagos are one hundred per cent Igbo-driven and yet Gov. Fashola has not deported any of them. Our people have been involved in armed robbery, 419, drug trafficking, vandalisation of street lights, cables etc in Lagos, yet Lagos accommodates them.”
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