Does the Nigeria constitution allow for the deportation of fellow citizens from one state to the citizens' home state? I believe not. Nigeria is a federation that gives her citizens the inalienable right to live anywhere within the federation. Before the recent hoopla regarding the deportation of people of Igbo extraction to Anambra there have been numerous cases of deportation which did not garner much public attention and noise.Beggars of Northern extraction have always been routinely sent back to their home states via the railways and other modes of transportation. As much as the assertion of Mr Femi Fani Kayode raised some hackles(mostly in the East), the Ibo response is also instructive. The kernel of the Ndi Igbo response is that since the Ibos contributed and are contributing in no small measure to making Lagos what it is today they also share in the Lagos Yoruba patrimony.
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| The deported Ibos |
In Nigeria of today irrespective of how ,long you stayed or contributed to a locality you may not be accepted or fielded as a candidate for an elected office representing that area. You will always be asked to go to your state of origin in order to fulfill your political aspiration. Your 'state of origin' is also a prominent field in any form you need to fill in Naija. Don't also forget the quota system where you are employed based on the quota allocated .The states go to the
center cap in hand every month end to collect their allocations(read handouts).The above examples are just to show that the so called Nigeria Federation exists only on paper. It bears no relation to the realities on ground.
All these examples are antithetical to the letter and spirit of federalism. The recent action of Lagos state should therefore be situated in the light of our so called federalism. As long as the constitution status quo remains Igbos can not lay claim to Lagos patrimony. Hence the call for a Sovereign Nation Conference to discuss the terms and conditions of our collective future.
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