The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and stop the ongoing demolition of properties owned by Igbos in Lagos State.
In a statement issued in Umuahia, the group urged the Federal Government, the Minister of Works and Housing, and the Attorney-General of the Federation to prevail on the Lagos State Government to halt the demolitions and show a sense of unity and fairness toward affected property owners.
The President of ASITU, Chief Emeka Diwe, expressed concern that the demolitions could strain the long-standing relationship between the Igbo and Yoruba communities, describing their bond as “one of the defining features of Nigerian history.”
“The relationship between the Igbo and Yoruba people has been one of the defining features of Nigerian history — sometimes cooperative, sometimes competitive, but always deeply intertwined. We must not allow this demolition issue to poison and destroy that relationship,” Diwe said.
He warned that Nigeria was “dying slowly from the cancer of ethnic discrimination, selective justice, and constitutional violations,” urging the government to act with fairness and sensitivity.
“These demolitions must stop. The pattern of selective enforcement must end,” he added.
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ASITU maintained that the affected properties were not illegal structures or makeshift buildings, but long-standing investments built through years of hard work.
“The properties being destroyed in Lagos are not abandoned structures or overnight shanties. They are life investments — plazas where mothers sell to feed their children, warehouses where young men store goods for their families, and shops where dreams of prosperity are nurtured with sweat and prayer,” the statement read.
The union called for dialogue and reconciliation, stressing that protecting the rights and dignity of every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity, is essential to maintaining peace and unity in the country.
