Igbomustgo threat: Lagos Dep. Gov Hamzat frowns at ethnic bigotry

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, faulted the anti-Igbo slogan, saying there is no room for ethnic bigotry in the state.

Hamzat said this while speaking on Arise TV Programme, ‘The Morning Show’, noting that the Lagos State government has been engaging the youth across different sectors to get them involved in how things are done and run in the country.

He also said the state government would continue to engage, interact, and communicate with the youth believing that this would enable them to collaborate and partner with the government in achieving the set desired goals and programmes.

While condemning the comment made by “Lagospedia” on X formerly known as Twitter, with the hashtag #Igbomustgo#, the Deputy Governor said there is no room for ethnic bigotry in Lagos State.

He further stated that such a comment has no place in the policy direction of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noting that Lagos is a place where people of divergent tribes coexist peacefully and the government will not allow faceless people to divide them.

According to him, though some people are trying to do whatever it takes to divide the state, the government will never allow that to happen.

He said: “These faceless people just came up and said the Igbo must leave, this is absolute nonsense; which is why the Governor immediately denounced it. Lagos is accommodating and that is who we are.

“Even when we were young, we’ve all lived together peacefully and there is no need for people to become ethnic bigots.”

The Deputy Governor highlighted some of the initiatives the current administration has put in place to ensure that the youth are engaged and unleash their potential for prosperity, noting that some of the youth in the state have been sponsored to different countries to see how things are done.

He said: “We think that we cannot be a metropolitan state without a rail and finishing the blue and red line is our target. Let us be able to move our people conveniently.”

He reiterated the state’s commitment to improving local agricultural production, which will foster economic growth, address food price inflation, and promote food security.