Lagos State indigenous people have said they will not be part of the Western Region if the bill seeking approval of the National Assembly to return Nigeria to the regional system of government is considered.
Speaking under the aegis of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, the Lagos Indigenes, through its Media Office, Adelani Adeniji-Adele, revealed that the proposed bill does not bode well with them.
A statement by Adelani Adeniji-Adele reads: “This bill that is being proposed or suggested spells an ominous sign to us from Lagos State. It is a further attempt to subsume our aspiration into a larger group antithetical to whatever we believe in as indigenes of the state.
“The most important issue is that vast consultations were not held on the matter to find out if being submerged into another subgroup is a thing we desire. It cannot be generally assumed. Generally and since Lagos and environs became a colony, we have always maintained that we prefer a stand-alone status and not be part of any Western Region or Province.”
They enjoined their representatives in the National Assembly to consult with elder statesmen and stakeholders before taking any action on the bill.
The statement added, “This is beyond the ruling party and state government. Lagos cannot be brought into nothingness through the South West Region proposal by this bill surreptitiously.
“The old cry of our struggle during colonial rule still stands.”
