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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Letter from Africa: Playing the ethnic card | Letter from Africa: Playing the ethnic card |
| (17 days later) | |
| In our series of letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa in Lagos writes about how ethnicity is exploited in Nigeria to win political support. | In our series of letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa in Lagos writes about how ethnicity is exploited in Nigeria to win political support. |
| I laughed in amazement shortly after an otherwise well-informed friend living abroad telephoned to alert me about a serious political crisis about to burst in Nigeria. | I laughed in amazement shortly after an otherwise well-informed friend living abroad telephoned to alert me about a serious political crisis about to burst in Nigeria. |
| He said that the Igbo people of the south-east and the Yoruba of the south-west were smarting for war over alleged maltreatment meted to some Igbo people residing in Lagos, the commercial capital. | He said that the Igbo people of the south-east and the Yoruba of the south-west were smarting for war over alleged maltreatment meted to some Igbo people residing in Lagos, the commercial capital. |
| He said the matter was already dominating social media sites. | He said the matter was already dominating social media sites. |
| I asked what the meat of the matter was. My anxious friend explained that some Igbo persons were "deported" from Lagos to the south-eastern town of Onitsha in Anambra State and abandoned at a dangerous roadside. | I asked what the meat of the matter was. My anxious friend explained that some Igbo persons were "deported" from Lagos to the south-eastern town of Onitsha in Anambra State and abandoned at a dangerous roadside. |
| My friend said that the angry governor of Anambra had sent a strongly worded protest letter to President Goodluck Jonathan over the matter. | My friend said that the angry governor of Anambra had sent a strongly worded protest letter to President Goodluck Jonathan over the matter. |
| "All Igbo people were angry," he added. | "All Igbo people were angry," he added. |
| "Is that all," I asked? "You too have been conned," I told him and burst into laughter. | "Is that all," I asked? "You too have been conned," I told him and burst into laughter. |
| He was surprised. "So that's all you will say," he demanded to know. | He was surprised. "So that's all you will say," he demanded to know. |
| 'Integration' | 'Integration' |
| I then told him that I heard the story when it first hit the airwaves two weeks earlier. The accounts available from Anambra were so disjointed that I did not find them credible. | I then told him that I heard the story when it first hit the airwaves two weeks earlier. The accounts available from Anambra were so disjointed that I did not find them credible. |
| Were the "deportees" 62 or 73? Did they travel in a passenger bus or a goods lorry? | Were the "deportees" 62 or 73? Did they travel in a passenger bus or a goods lorry? |
| Where exactly in Onitsha were they driven to - a roadside or motor park? They arrived at 03:00 or thereabout and by day-break they were being attended to by Nigerian Red Cross officers in front of press and TV cameras! | Where exactly in Onitsha were they driven to - a roadside or motor park? They arrived at 03:00 or thereabout and by day-break they were being attended to by Nigerian Red Cross officers in front of press and TV cameras! |
| Suddenly, it occurred to me that there would be elections for governor of Anambra in two months' time. | |
| The governing party at federal level, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), had launched a strong campaign to oust the All Progressives Grand Alliance (Apga) of outgoing governor Peter Obi from power in the state. | |
| Also, a new opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), had joined the fray. | Also, a new opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), had joined the fray. |
| So, the governor fell back on a line which was sure to resonate with the justifiably angry electorate: Igbo people were being persecuted in Lagos and he was standing up in their defence! I don't know of a better election winner. | So, the governor fell back on a line which was sure to resonate with the justifiably angry electorate: Igbo people were being persecuted in Lagos and he was standing up in their defence! I don't know of a better election winner. |
| The governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, who ordered the evacuation of the people, has since come out with his side of the story. | The governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, who ordered the evacuation of the people, has since come out with his side of the story. |
| According to him, the number of people involved was 14 and he listed them. | According to him, the number of people involved was 14 and he listed them. |
| 'Rich versus poor' | 'Rich versus poor' |
| He said that the state had been in correspondence with the government in Anambra since April over the issue. | He said that the state had been in correspondence with the government in Anambra since April over the issue. |
| He described the action of his government in transporting the 14 - described in reports as beggars and people who were destitute - as "integration" with their families and not "deportation". | He described the action of his government in transporting the 14 - described in reports as beggars and people who were destitute - as "integration" with their families and not "deportation". |
| And now, as I was sure it would, the matter has died down in the media. | And now, as I was sure it would, the matter has died down in the media. |
| The ethnic warriors have stood down. Mr Obi's Apga party is cruising towards the election with some more confidence. | |
| Meanwhile, the more important constitutional issue of the freedom of Nigerians within Nigeria has been swept under the carpet. | Meanwhile, the more important constitutional issue of the freedom of Nigerians within Nigeria has been swept under the carpet. |
| Soon, the federal government will "abduct" poor people and the destitute from the streets of the capital, Abuja, and send them away. | Soon, the federal government will "abduct" poor people and the destitute from the streets of the capital, Abuja, and send them away. |
| State governments - all of them - are doing this in the name of urban renewal. | State governments - all of them - are doing this in the name of urban renewal. |
| As it is, only the rich and comfortable are guaranteed the enjoyment of freedom of movement, of residency and of speech stated in Nigeria's constitution. | As it is, only the rich and comfortable are guaranteed the enjoyment of freedom of movement, of residency and of speech stated in Nigeria's constitution. |
| The rest of us are at the mercy of the various governments. | The rest of us are at the mercy of the various governments. |
| Ethnicity has little or nothing to do with it. It is a case of the elite versus the rest, the rich versus the poor. | Ethnicity has little or nothing to do with it. It is a case of the elite versus the rest, the rich versus the poor. |
| Correction 4 September 2013: An earlier version of this article stated that Peter Obi was seeking re-election as governor of Anambra state. The story has been amended as he will be standing down after serving two terms in office. | |
| If you would like to comment on Sola Odunfa's column, please do so below. | If you would like to comment on Sola Odunfa's column, please do so below. |