A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has issued a scathing rebuke against individuals from the Igbo ethnic group who have been asserting that their mass departure from Lagos to the Eastern states for the Christmas and New Year holidays left the commercial capital "empty and dry."
An Open Letter Condemning "Absurd" Claims
In a strongly-worded open letter addressed to Ndigbo residing in Lagos, the activist described the notion circulating on social media as not only absurd but also "very petty, a senseless effusion, multiple ignorance, lack of knowledge, outright brigandage, arrant stupidity and at best a shame." Igbokwe stated that he observed these "funny posts" from December 15, 2025, featuring images of sparse roads and markets in Lagos, purportedly proving the city's emptiness due to the Igbo exodus.
Lagos: A Melting Pot, Not an Igbo Monopoly
Drawing from his nearly 40 years of residency in Lagos, Igbokwe countered the narrative by highlighting the city's diverse demographic. He argued that Lagos is a vast business empire and Nigeria's economic hub, inhabited by millions from every region.
He pointed out that while millions of Igbos live in Lagos, so do millions of South Westerners from states like Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Kwara, who also travel home for Christmas. Similarly, he noted that people from the South-South and the Northern regions (North West, North East, North Central) travel en masse during their respective festive periods like Muslim festivals.
Igbokwe directed attention to markets in areas such as Ketu, Agege, Ajegunle, Lagos Island, and Badagry, where Northerners are dominant, to disprove the claim of Lagos's reliance on a single ethnic group.
A Call for Humility and Focus on Homeland Development
The APC leader used the letter to urge his tribesmen to abandon what he termed an "ugly selfish sense of superiority" and "paranoid grandiosity." He advised Ndigbo to stop provoking and intimidating other tribes in Nigeria, emphasizing that every ethnic group has significant value to contribute.
Igbokwe made comparative references, stating that the richest Nigerian, Aliko Dangote, and other billionaires from the North do not make excessive noise, nor do the Yorubas, whom he described as the most sophisticated and successful group. In contrast, he lamented that "We the Igbos make thunderous noise in Nigeria" and are "too loud."
His central plea was for Igbos to "lie low" and channel their energy into rebuilding Igboland, which he said has been deliberately destroyed over the years. He criticized the focus on mocking other regions that have developed their zones while neglecting their own.
"Let us begin to work on our young Igbo people to learn how to make less noise. Let it not be all noise and no substance," Igbokwe concluded, warning against a "childish and kindergarten mentality."
