Why people of the Southeast opted out of #EndBadGovernanceProtest
By Paul Ibe
Emilokan, Awalokan. Now, it is time for governance, and the bumbling Tinubu and his bigoted choir are singing the tiresome tune of #IgboMustGo. And what is their grievous sin? They dared to sit out the #EndBadGovernanceProtest.
I do not reside in the Southeast. I was born and bred in Lagos, a city I called home and served loyally until duty whisked me away to Abuja. Yes, my ancestral roots lie in Imo, but like any true Nigerian, I can live, work, study, or run a business wherever I choose. This does not render me a second-class citizen. Indeed, where you live and work is often more significant than where you hail from. The place where you invest your time, energy, and pay your taxes becomes an extension of you, much like an umbilical cord to a baby. Naturally, you would strive to ensure the prosperity of that land because your well-being is intertwined with it.
Is it not the height of absurdity to suggest that an Igbo entrepreneur in Lagos or Kano would instigate protests to destroy the very cities that house their businesses? What possible advantage could this bring to their state of origin? Such twisted logic could only emerge from the dark playbook of Tinubu’s “parapoism” politics. The aim is clear: to drive a wedge between the Igbos and Yorubas, perpetually fostering division.
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The genocidal threats against the Igbos by the malevolent entity known as Lagospedia are part of this sinister plot. Yes, I hail from the Southeast, but I do not claim to speak for the entire zone. However, I can venture a guess as to why the people of the Southeast opted out of the protests.
The truth is, the Southeast is weary of protests. Their lives have been a constant struggle against state-sponsored economic blockades and insecurity, marginalization, and exclusion from national governance. Their infrastructure is in shambles, and they are often treated as second-class citizens. Like Snowball in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the Igbos are scapegoated for every conceivable woe in Nigeria, including, unbelievably, the failure of a president’s goat to conceive.
On a lighter note, perhaps they stayed away from the protests out of sheer adoration for President Bola Tinubu and his exceptional performance. Or can anyone offer a more plausible reason why they remain focused on their own affairs, ignoring the bigoted rhetoric of Tinubu’s Squealers?
- Paul Ibe is head of Atiku’s media team