Demolition of Computer Village: Fact Ndigbo must know

The group reportedly arrived early on Saturday, December 30, and worked into Sunday morning. By the time the accompanying bulldozers ceased operation in the afternoon of the same day, the plaza of the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) located in the Computer Village of Lagos had deteriorated significantly into a heap of debris. The objective was achieved.

Shop proprietors were soon depicted in videos circulating that depicted individuals rummaging through the ruins in search of valuables. However, nothing of value could be located. A voice was even audible in one of the recordings describing the assault as "politics" and stating that it took the demolishers some time to break into the stores in order to remove the valuables.

Ignoring the contents of those shops, which reportedly were carted away prior to the bulldozers' arrival, would have required an idiot, an individual devoid of value perception, or monks in the monastery uninterested in worldly affairs. Such contents included cutting-edge technology such as smartphones, laptops, air conditioning systems, inverters, solar panels, and anti-burglar systems. Certainly, a subset of the speculators maintained this view.

If this assertion were to be confirmed, it would be preferable and more commendable in my opinion, as it would indicate the emergence of a new group of millionaires at the very least, and those who removed them would be able to resell them to new buyers, even at half the price, or even distribute them away as gifts, allowing them to be utilised rather than completely destroyed.

Yes! Consider it! Consider hypothetically a scenario in which those expensive items were engulfed in the debris; consider the information that might have been lost. Assuming, for example, that those items were not removed prior to the deconstruction, what is the monetary value of the damage? Are you aware of the price of a single iPhone, for example?

I noticed last week in one of these Shoprite stores in Lagos that the iPad we once purchased for approximately N300,000 has increased in price to N1.5 million. Consider that you possessed five copies of iPhones valued at N1.5 million in a single store. Multiply that amount by the alleged destruction of over a thousand stores. In what amount does it total?

However, these are stores that stocked cartons of these items rather than merely five duplicates. Consider the price of inverter batteries individually or entire cartons of solar panels; what would their total cost be? Are millions, billions, or trillions of Naira being referred to? What is the aggregate expenditure of Lagos State for the year 2024? Consider it, my cherished fellow citizens. Clearly, stealing them would constitute a patriotic obligation as opposed to destroying them. However, that is only a portion of the narrative.

Consider once more an additional element: the timeline. It appears that they had a deliberate intention behind it. They made a very wise selection. They waited until the vast majority of shop proprietors were likely unreachable. In fact, the majority of them had travelled for Christmas prior to their attack. They delivered their 24-hour notice at that moment. How brilliant! For individuals residing in regions as remote from Lagos as Izzi, Cross River, Ikom, or Kaura Namode in Zamfara State?

Similar to Pontus Pilate in the account of Jesus Christ, the Lagos State Government has now thoroughly cleansed itself of the issue. Commissioner for Information Gbenga Omotoso has the following to say on the matter: "Those spreading the fake news are opportunistic ethnic chauvinists who will perpetually find pleasure in empty propaganda that can fuel their malevolent mission; they will never succeed in dividing Lagosians." Indeed, indeed!

Having acknowledged this, the subsequent inquiry is which government worldwide would permit such a massive devastation of the property of its citizens, whom it claims to cherish and do not wish to divide? Would such a monumental waste be tolerated in any other nation of the world besides Ukraine, Palestine, or Yemen, which are officially at war with or failed states like Somalia?

In the event that governmental intervention was absent, what were their obligations? Once more, what is the state's total budget that would allow for the destruction of an economic hub that has the potential to generate a substantial amount of revenue? This revenue could be generated not only directly through taxes paid by the plaza's owners, but also indirectly through the multiplier effects of those conducting business with the establishment, which indirectly and directly employ millions of people.

Does the government imply that POWA might have been capable of committing such massive devastation had it not been authorised, or does it genuinely concern itself with the merchants or the proprietors of the merchandise? Undoubtedly not! A responsible and empathetic government would have intervened to determine how to salvage the situation.

The police authorities have provided the following explanation regarding the demolition: "It has become crucial to officially establish that the complex, which is designated for the wives of police officers and their relatives and is property of the Nigeria Police Officer's Wives Association, has been scheduled for demolition in order to facilitate the Force's immediate construction of a contemporary shopping complex on the same plot of land.

"The determination to demolish and reconstruct is based on professional assessment that the existing structure poses an imminent environmental risk due to its vulnerability to flooding and sudden collapse; therefore, immediate landscaping and reconstruction are required." The deliberate demolition and subsequent reconstruction will be executed in stages and is intended to benefit all parties involved, according to a statement released on Saturday by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesman for the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), hours before the bulldozers began their work.

Consider the prospect! The initial reason for the demolition was to make way for the police authorities to build a "modern shopping complex." Additionally, the site "poses an imminent environmental hazard due to its susceptibility to flooding and sudden collapse, which necessitates immediate landscaping and reconstruction."

Is it not humorous in nature? It signifies that the plaza was initially constructed without conducting the necessary due diligence, integrity testing, or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which justifies the exorbitant expense associated with its subsequent demolition. What a tale! Pray! What ought a responsive and accountable government, which is committed to safeguarding its citizens, to do in such a circumstance?

Okay, since flooding is a concern, would it not be reasonable to assume that the worst fears have passed now that we are in the dry season and the government could have negotiated for the shop owners to return from vacations prior to the demolition, or does flooding occur in Nigeria in December? However, no tale is too humorous to hear in Nigeria. There is nothing too complex or immature to recount.

Unsurprisingly, individuals who hold such expectations or pose such inquiries are labelled as ethnic chauvinists by Omotoso, a fellow graduate of Rutam House, The Guardian, where the inscription “Conscience Nurtured by Truth” is the initial thing that beholdens one at the entrance. How unfortunate! How extremely depressing!

Obviously, Omotoso is not required to use euphemisms. Even infants who are still nursing their mothers are aware that he is speaking of Ndigbo. They are the primary victims. They possess over eighty percent of those retail establishments. In any case, when and how did this type of demolition become so popular in the state? Did this not occur immediately following the 2023 general elections, when the same individuals were threatened with fire and brimstone for daring to cast their ballots?

Given their lack of involvement in the previous assault, who if not the Lagos government that oversaw the onslaught at Alaba International Market in the aftermath of the election, instructed the police on the feasibility of launching such a monumental assault against the wealth of individuals and communities?

Abule-Ado's experience occurring prior to Computer Village would not have been comparable in nature had it not been for Alaba, the location where structures and products valued in the billions were destroyed. Unpredictably, this could potentially be the final instance. As Ndigbo persevere through their present adversity, which is not solely attributable to the Lagos government but also to the entire nation, additional structures will undoubtedly collapse.

Nevertheless, I never fail to shake my head at the futility of the eventual result whenever I consider the mindset and motivations of those responsible for these actions, particularly those who are bragging and revelling about it.

Destroying an individual whom God has not yet obliterated is an exceedingly difficult task. In reality, how far can one travel? Could one argue that Ndigbo are in a worse position than other Nigerians who had everything at their disposal during that period, despite receiving 20 pounds promptly following the war? In Port Harcourt and Rivers State, whose residences were seized, who are the true new proprietors of the properties? It baffles me how individuals participating in this offensive against Ndigbo might fail to recognise that their endeavour is in vain.

Specifically, what offence have they perpetrated outside of Lagos by exercising their independent will? After three years of hailstone blitzkrieg and bombardment, which resulted in the deaths of over two million of their kin, do their current translators genuinely believe that they are capable of whipping an Igbo man into line with the manner in which they are striving to accomplish the project?

Could they have known? Do those promoting this laborious effort to intimidate Ndigbo in Lagos not realise that just as a father cannot compel his son to vote for a specific candidate, neither can a spouse or wife. Is it not the case that an individual named Samuel Gumsu (SG) Ikoku, affiliated with the Action Group (AG) of Obafemi Awolowo, ran against his father Alvan Ikoku of the United National Independent Party (UNIP), emerged victorious in Igboland, and subsequently continued to share a plate with his father? Aside from the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, which is now a university bearing his name, the N10 bill features an image of the elder.

Ok. What if you were to intimidate the proprietors of the shops, some of whom, incidentally, are in close proximity to the corridors of power? Furthermore, what would happen to the apprentices who assist them with duties and hustle? Do you believe their superiors could influence their voting locations during elections? No! The fundamental reality that must be communicated to all individuals is that the endeavour has been unsuccessful. It failed prior to its inception.

The error that would befall anyone is to believe the concomitant narrative they are attempting to propagate, which suggests that this is about Igbo and Yoruba people, when in fact it is about the APC's desire to maintain power regardless of the circumstances. Which rivalry could possibly surpass that which exists between Zik and Awolowo? However, throughout Lagos, during the UPN of Awo, all Igbo children were provided free education, similar to their Yoruba counterparts.

Numerous Igbo inhabitants acquired rental properties in Jakande, where some of them or their offspring continue to reside, without establishing any personal connections; rather, their success was contingent on their good fortune in the balloting process, which was administered similarly to that of other Lagos residents.

Never before had anyone heard the abhorrent refrain that Ndigbo desired to conquer Lagos. Undoubtedly, nobody did so for a specific purpose. For the purpose of remaining at home with the people, Baba Kekere could conceivably secure over 80% of the vote by sleeping the entire election period and resuming his duties the day after voting.

Why would he not? The sole opulence associated with his persona, both in and out of office, were his ever-present Datsun Laurel and his secluded residence in Ilupeju. His routine breakfast of moi-moi and ogi, which he consumed every morning, gained such widespread recognition among the citizens of Lagos.

In contrast to the extravagant frivolity, licentiousness, and open excess that characterised his successors, particularly during the APC regime, this lifestyle was uncomplicated and disengaged. Once you comprehend this, you will be able to comprehend why a Jakande would donate immense tracts of land for the development of the Alaba International Market in order to facilitate investment in Lagos, while his APC counterparts would demolish prime buildings in the same market to accomplish the exact opposite.

For those who are still at sea, it was indeed Jakande himself who proclaimed Lagos a no-man's land, and with good reason. Presently, that declaration he issued in an effort to persuade other Nigerians to assist in the city's development in the same manner as cities worldwide is being retracted for other negative reasons, entirely due to shady politics.

I do not know the duration of this; therefore, please do not inquire. But one thing is certain: it will not endure indefinitely. If the PDP's tenure of impunity could be abruptly ended, and if Nigeria could endure the abhorrent Abacha regime, then this tempest will also pass. That I am certain of.

Source: Whirlwind News