Dan Ulasi, the former Anambra State Chairman of the now-defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), has expressed his views on the reported demolition of Igbo-owned properties in Lagos State.
The ongoing controversy surrounding the removal of illegal structures in Lagos has prompted outcry from affected residents, as the government justifies its actions as an effort to restore order.
The Lagos State government maintains that the demolished structures violated state laws, sparking a debate on the broader implications of Igbo migration and the need for regional development.
Ulasi, during an interview with The Sun, criticized the idea of Igbos leaving their native land to invest elsewhere. He argued that had Igbos focused on developing their states. Emphasizing the need for regional self-sufficiency, he highlighted the irony of Igbos importing goods for the nation while facing property demolitions in Lagos.
Ulasi said, “We import virtually everything Nigeria uses but reside in Lagos. Today, they are destroying our properties in Lagos which I predicted more than five years ago in a major interview I granted. Now, people are calling me, oga you said it. I said, well, the much I can do is to praise the Lord, whatever inspiration I am given, I will say it. So, leaving our place to go and develop other people, I think is becoming a foolish idea.
“Somebody showed me an interview Shettima who is now Vice President of the country granted three or four years ago where he was praising Igbo, that without Igbo, this country cannot stand. So, we don’t have Igbo who are governors in our land who could have made our land a mini-Japan, a mini-Taiwan, to hell with the rest of the country.
“If we had developed our place, Nnamdi Kanu will not be in jail, he will not have a reason to complain. It is because nothing is going on in Igbo land that Igbo are now the ones killing the Igbo in Igbo land.
Ulasi concluded by expressing optimism that, with divine grace, addressing the root causes of insecurity could pave the way for regional progress.
