Lagos is increasingly racing backwards—attempting to erase both the historical record and the present reality of Igbo contributions to the development of the state. This regression is being driven by envious actors who have abandoned their own states to decay, yet now seek to monopolize Lagos by turning indigenes against productive migrants.
History has shown that when you want to push people toward self-destruction, you don’t need facts—just an imaginary enemy.
Predictably, some of my Ronu friends will swarm this conversation with familiar gaslighting: “Can this happen in Igbo land?” or “Yorubas are the most enlightened and broad-minded.” But no amount of deflection changes the evidence. Numerous examples from Igbo land—one of which is the well-known Canada Igbo/Ijesha community story—prove a simple truth: migration is ultimately about contribution.
Migration is the primary catalyst of development.
This is not an “Igbo issue.” It is about the constitutional right of every Nigerian to freedom of movement, residence, work, and enterprise in any part of the country. These freedoms are what spread enlightenment, innovation, and economic growth.
Yoruba migrants in Igbo land contribute meaningfully to local development—just as Igbos do in Lagos and elsewhere in Nigeria. In fact, when you look at outcomes, the average Yoruba-owned business in Igbo land is often more successful relative to its numbers than the average Igbo-owned business.
Development does not come from exclusion. It comes from openness, competition, and shared prosperity.
Undermining migration is not a defense of identity—it is an attack on progress itself.
Published by Chuks Nwachuku
