IGBO PEOPLE AND MARKET POLITICS IN LAGOS. AT countless TIMES OVERHEARD SOME INDIGENOUS LAGOSIANS MURMURING OVER THE LARGE NUMBER of IGBO PEOPLE IN SOME MARKETS IN LAGOS

IGBO PEOPLE AND MARKET POLITICS IN LAGOS. AT countless TIMES OVERHEARD SOME INDIGENOUS LAGOSIANS MURMURING OVER THE LARGE NUMBER of IGBO PEOPLE IN SOME MARKETS IN LAGOS.

I am trying to use this political season to offload all the societal ills bedeviling our society especially in Lagos where I lives. I have at countless times overheard some indigenous Lagosians murmuring over the large number of Igbo people in some markets in Lagos.

The markets are computer village in Ikeja, Alaba international market in Ojo, Tradefair complex and Ladipo automobile spare parts markets in Mushin. I don't know why they don't includes Oshodi market and Balogun market in Island among the markets in Lagos they would like to vanish forever in Lagos.

 If you are contesting for an elective positions in Lagos and you are secretly telling the indigenous Lagosians from the Yoruba ethnic group that if you eventually wins the governorship election, the first thing you would do is to close down all these markets I mentioned above, you are likely to win the election because they will massively vote for you. Unfortunately, that gubernatorial candidate is deceiving them because he will never close down those markets. He simply took advantage of his people's evil heart desires to see these markets closed down forever to win their supports and secure their votes. 

I am not writing to cast aspersions on Yoruba tribe. I am writing this piece based on what I have experienced. 

Unknown to these tribal bigots, the amount of money the local government and state government are generating from the above mentioned markets in a year is enough to build and equip over 100 schools in Lagos. Countless local chiefs and their local politicians are been settled with money from these markets. So how could they close the market?

For more than 15yrs, Computer village in Ikeja has been scheduled to be relocated out of Ikeja. But even the Ikeja local government officials are pained because of the revenues they stand to loose if the market is relocated out of Ikeja. The Ikeja local government is likely to do everything within its power to make sure that Computer village remains in Ikeja.

Ojo local government will do everything possible to make sure that Alaba international market remains within its jurisdiction in order not to loose the revenue accruing into its purse from the markets. Likewise others .

An envious Lagosian may want these markets to be bulldozed overnight while the space is turned into a football field but that is never the wishes of the Local Government Areas controlling those markets. They generates lots of revenues from these markets. When there is riot, it is even the government that usually sends the military to go and protect these markets because the markets are very important to them.

But let me advise my fellow Igbo people doing their buying and selling in different organized markets in Lagos. It is risky to put all your hope in a market which government can wake up tomorrow and decided to lock up its entrance in order to punish a particular tribe. Arena market in Oshodi is an example. If all your shops are located inside the market and tomorrow maybe due to politics , government decided to lock it up for two weeks, it mean you will be hungry and angry for two weeks. Learn to operate at least a shop in an isolated area especially along the road. If people could get all they needed from your shop without going to Arena, definitely they will be patronizing you and you won't be at risk of been locked out for weeks because of market politics.

Be as wise as serpents.