Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu Urges President Tinubu to Stop Demolition of Igbo Properties in Lagos
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu urges President Tinubu to stop the demolition of Igbo properties in Lagos. He pleads for dialogue and document regularization, praises Tinubu’s inclusive appointments, and commends Governor Alex Otti’s development projects in Abia State.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing demolition of houses and business premises belonging to Igbo residents in Lagos State.
Kalu made the appeal on Friday during a reception held in honor of President Tinubu at the commissioning of landmark projects executed by Governor Alex Otti in Aba, Abia State. The Deputy Speaker described the demolitions as heartbreaking, saying they have caused deep pain to many Igbo families struggling under harsh economic conditions.
“The destruction, demolition of the houses and offices of the Igbos in Lagos makes our heart bleed,” Kalu said.
He urged President Tinubu to appeal to the Lagos State Governor to consider a more humane approach that would allow affected individuals to regularize their property documents instead of losing their investments.
“Mr President, for some of them who have not gotten the right document, my plea to you is to appeal to the Governor of Lagos State to keep accommodating our brothers and please allow them to rectify their document instead of destruction,” Kalu pleaded.
He added, “Let them come into the room and find a way of regularizing some of these documents. It bleeds our heart that in this hard time that houses are being destroyed. But I know that Mr President who cares for the Igbos, who made the Igbos one of the first commissioners of finance in his administration, will listen.”
Kalu also praised President Tinubu for his inclusiveness in governance, citing the appointment of several Igbo personalities into key positions. He noted that the president appointed an Igbo man to head the Ministry of Works, supported his emergence as Deputy Speaker, and also named an Igbo officer as Chief of Naval Staff.
“These are not small gestures,” Kalu said. “They show that the president values the contribution of the South East and believes in national unity.”
He further commended Governor Alex Otti for the massive infrastructural transformation going on in Abia State. “The governor has done well. We must continue to support him to do even more for Abians,” Kalu said.
President Tinubu was represented at the event by the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, who commissioned key projects, including newly completed roads and other urban renewal works in Aba.
The event brought together top government officials, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and community leaders who commended the collaboration between the federal and Abia State governments in promoting peace and development in the South East.
