BEING A SPEECH DELIVERED BY H. E. PASTOR MICHAEL OBIERIKA AT A UNIEC SUMMIT
Distinguished Elders, Respected Leaders, my brothers and sisters in the struggle for the survival and prosperity of Ndigbo—I speak to you this morning as a Concerned Elder Statesman.
Just a few days ago, the Lagos State Government sent in its bulldozers. And in the twinkling of an eye, Alaba Rago—was demolished, reduced to dust and silence.
In case you do not know, Alaba Rago is that sprawling Hausa cattle market that had fed countless families, powered trade, and stood as a testimony to Northern enterprise in Lagos.
That, my people, is not just the fall of a market. It is a warning from history. A message written in bold letters, not only to the Hausa who owned that market, but especially to us, the Igbo—because we, more than any other people, have invested the sweat of our brow and the blood of our youth into Lagos.
But let me ask us here today: if Alaba Rago could fall, what then is the guarantee of our plazas in Alaba International? What is the security of our massive shops in Trade Fair? What is the future of our electronics markets, our building material depots, our factories, our hotels—all the billions we have sunk into Lagos soil?
One government policy. One signature on a file. One wave of bulldozers. And a lifetime of investments will go down in ruins.
My brothers and sisters, let us not be deceived: Lagos is not, and will never be, “no man’s land.” We are tolerated, not entitled. And he who builds his house on borrowed land should not complain when the landlord comes knocking.
This is why I rise today, with fire in my bones, to sound a clarion call: Igbo businessmen, Think Home!
Let us channel our billions into Aba, where the spirit of industry already lives.
Let us revive Nnewi, our cradle of technology.
Let us strengthen Onitsha, the greatest inland port in Africa.
Let us transform Enugu, Owerri, Awka, Abakaliki into hubs of trade, technology, and industry.
Why must our children become perpetual tenants in other people’s land, when they can be landlords and empire-builders in their own? Why must the sweat of Igbo men fertilize foreign soil while our homeland lies neglected, waiting for us to awaken it?
The fall of Alaba Rago is more than demolition—it is prophecy! And the wise must heed the writing on the wall.
Brothers and sisters, the time has come!
Invest in Igbo land. Build in Igbo land. Secure your future in Igbo land.
For if we fail to act now, the bulldozers of tomorrow will not spare us. But if we rise today and Think Home, no power on earth can shake our destiny.
Ka anyi cheta, Think Home! Invest Home! Secure the future of Ala Igbo!
Anyị bụ UNIEC, onụ n'ekwuru Ndị Igbo.
Ọnụ n'ekwu, ntị ana agwa ọga anụkwa?
Udo dịrị unu.
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