Former Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike may not be a politician, but his recent outburst over the demolition of properties in Lagos has struck a nerve that politicians dare not touch. His words — accusing the Lagos State Government of targeting a particular tribe — reflect a deeper unease within Nigeria’s urban and ethnic politics: the enduring question of who truly belongs, and at what cost.
For years, Lagos has stood as Nigeria’s economic heartbeat and a symbol of multicultural coexistence. Yet, it has also become a recurring flashpoint where urban planning collides with ethnic suspicion. The state government insists that demolitions of illegal structures are part of a long-term effort to restore order, improve drainage, and protect the environment. But for many affected residents — particularly those of southeastern origin — it feels like more than just urban renewal. It feels personal.
When Emenike wrote that “the Igbos suffer these demolitions because they do not invest in their home states,” he was not merely lamenting economic misplacement. He was exposing the unspoken anxiety of millions who have built lives outside their ancestral homes — citizens who contribute to city growth yet face subtle reminders that they remain outsiders.
It is a painful irony that Lagos, the city that thrives on diversity, also harbors some of Nigeria’s deepest ethnic suspicions. The demolition debate has thus become a mirror reflecting a broader national crisis — one in which state policy, however well-intentioned, can easily be interpreted through ethnic lenses due to decades of mistrust.
Urban renewal should never be weaponized or perceived as such. It must be transparent, just, and evenly enforced, regardless of ethnic affiliation. The Lagos State Government owes the public a clear, data-backed explanation — which properties are being demolished, why, and under what legal framework. Selective enforcement or opaque communication only deepens the perception of bias.
At the same time, Emenike’s call for Igbos to invest more in their home states opens another uncomfortable truth. Nigeria’s federal imbalance has concentrated wealth and opportunity in a few cities, leading to overdependence on Lagos and Abuja. The result is that regional development remains stunted, and migration-driven inequality keeps widening.
The lesson here is twofold: Lagos must protect its cosmopolitan identity by ensuring fairness and transparency in urban governance, while Nigeria’s federating units must build environments where citizens can prosper without fear or exile.
Demolitions may clear structures, but if they destroy trust, the damage is far deeper and longer lasting. Lagos must not become a city where citizenship is conditional.
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Reporting by Favor Akpan, News Writer in Lagos, Nigeria.
