The socio-cultural group, DeRenaissance Patriots Foundation, has denounced claims linking it to the #IgbosMustLeaveLagos campaign, calling such associations irresponsible.
Recall that the #IgbosMustLeaveLagos campaign surfaced during the hunger protest that began on August 1, but it was swiftly tackled by the government.
The group emphasized that it is a reputable and responsible socio-cultural organization based in Lagos and clarified that it is not affiliated with any far-right Yoruba group.
In a statement released by its media office, the organization highlighted its primary objectives, which include promoting social and cultural values and encouraging citizens, especially natives of Lagos, to fully participate in the affairs of the state.
The statement reads:”Our attention has been drawn to an article published in a national paper, where they wrote that, “The Lagos De Renaissance Patriots want to develop indigenous culture, use indigenous language and allow indigenes to reclaim the Lagos government. Ethnic Eko, who think other Yoruba are “atohunrinwa” aliens, should know that Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja and Epe divisions were excised from Western Nigeria by General Yakubu Gowon to join Eko that was colonized in 1861.
“And that the Western Region Governments led by Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola developed Ikeja, Apapa and Ilupeju industrial parks of the Western Region that the military further splintered into unviable beggar states. To be sure, far-right politics is not peculiar in Nigeria. The Make America Great Again movement, led by former American President Donald Trump, is the antiseptic public face of racist and far-right Ku Klux Klan, Proud Boys and QAnon.”
“First, we take an exception to the tag of far-right on De Renaissance Patriots Foundation. As a socio-cultural group of very senior eminent citizens of Nigeria that have been culturally and constitutionally blessed with indigeneship of Lagos State, we consider such uncharitable, wicked and unguarded use of vulgar language as unacceptable. That vitriolic name tag of far-right on these very responsible citizens does not show sensibility on the members of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation. We are not far-right in ideological description.”
(allnews.ng)
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