ASITU appeals to President Tinubu to stop the demolition of Igbo-owned properties in Lagos, calling for fairness, unity, and national brotherhood

ASITU appeals to Tinubu over Igbo property demolitions — The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and halt the ongoing demolition of properties reportedly owned by Igbo people in Lagos State.

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In a statement issued in Umuahia, the group appealed to the Federal Government, the Minister of Works and Housing, and the Attorney-General of the Federation to prevail on the Lagos State Government to adopt a humane and brotherly approach in dealing with affected property owners.

ASITU’s President, Chief Emeka Diwe, described the demolitions as a potential threat to long-standing relations between the Igbo and Yoruba communities.

“The relationship between the Igbo and Yoruba people has been one of the defining features of Nigerian history — sometimes cooperative, sometimes competitive, but always deeply intertwined,” Diwe said.

“We must not allow this demolition issue to poison and demolish that relationship.”

He warned that the demolitions risk deepening ethnic mistrust and aggravating national disunity.

“Nigeria is dying slowly from the cancer of ethnic discrimination, selective justice, constitutional violations, and the erosion of trust between citizens and government. These demolitions must stop. The pattern of selective enforcement must end,” he added.

ASITU maintained that the affected properties are not illegal structures but legitimate investments built over years of hard work.

“These are life investments — plazas where mothers sell to feed their children, warehouses where young men store goods for their families, shops where dreams of prosperity are nurtured with sweat and prayer,” the statement read.

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The union appealed to President Tinubu to act swiftly in the spirit of unity and fairness, stressing that “a government that protects all citizens equally, regardless of ethnicity or region, strengthens the very foundation of the nation.”