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What We Want - Igbo Leader

Vanguard (Lagos)
INTERVIEW
May 15, 2004
Posted to the web May 17, 2004

By Tina Anthony
Kano
President-General of the Igbo community in Kano State, Chief Boniface Ibekwe
laments the colossal losses incurred by Igbos and other non-indigenes during
the reprisal attacks and points the way forward for peace.
We are not happy at all about the development here in Kano. This riot has
caused untold hardship to many of us who are non-indigenes in Kano. It is not
only the Igbos, the Yorubas and others who are not Hausa-Fulani ethnic groups
who have made Kano State their second home. We (all the ethnic groups) who
constitute the non-indigene groups here are the ones who are greatly hit by the
violence.
Some of us who are traders and businessmen cannot even begin to talk about the
losses we have suffered. We have lost our businesses completely to the mayhem.
Our homes and other important belongings have been destroyed. It appears that
each time there is a crisis in this area, we are usually the target.
But in terms of peace, we have been the greatest contributors to peace in Kano
because there is a proverb among the Igbos which says that it is the duty of
the visitor or sojourner to ensure peace at all times with his host. That is
what we have done over the years. But as things stand now, we the non-indigenes
have met and taken a common position which we've communicated to the governor
of this state (Kano) when he met with us yesterday (Wednesday). We have told
him that government should do something to protect us or if it is incapable of
doing that, we should be given just six months to pack our things and quit Kano
to our home states. We cannot afford to be losing our property and loved ones
anytime there is violence or small skirmishes here.
We were very definite in our demand but the governor assured us that we are
protected. But even though peace seems to be gradually returning, we have
decided to watch things. But we hope that government will sincerely do
something to protect us as the governor has promised. We don't have any reason
to doubt him yet.

   

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