The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has warned that the ethnic profiling and violence that marred the just-concluded 2023 elections in Lagos State could truncate the peaceful co-existence of residents in the state if not promptly checked.
The Archbishop, in a statement signed by the Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, condemned in very strong terms all forms of ethnic profiling, provocative utterances, and incidents of violence witnessed in some parts of Lagos State before, during and after the recent elections.
He described as unfortunate and unacceptable the tension, hate speech and violence, especially before and after the recent gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in some parts of the state.
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, had witnessed a sudden surge in ethnic tensions before, during and after the 2023 elections, particularly the governorship and state assembly elections, leading to ethnic clashes in some parts of the state.
At least 21 persons were killed across the country in electoral violence during the March 18 governorship and State Assembly elections, the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission said in a preliminary report on Monday. This includes Lagos.
The Lagos Archbishop urged the state government to, as a matter of urgency, call all parties to order and put in place a machinery for the quick restoration of peace and normalcy.
He also implored law enforcement agencies to safeguard the lives and property of all residents of the state irrespective of tribe, religion, or ethnic groups.
Archbishop Martins also urged the residents of Lagos to remain calm and not allow themselves to be divided against their neighbours.
“The ethnic and discriminatory comments making the rounds, particularly on social media, are not a reflection of the true nature of Lagosians, who are known to be peace-loving, accommodating and cosmopolitan, including by promoting inter-tribal marriages for many decades,” the Archbishop said.
He called on all Lagos residents to put a stop to the spread of hate speech and fake news and shun all forms of rancour.
“The divisive comments and behaviours, particularly along ethnic or tribal line, are not conducive to good neighbourliness and peaceful coexistence. The people of Lagos must not allow the political class to whip up such divisive sentiments to disrupt their lives and livelihood,” The Archbishop said.
“We are all equal before God and the only man-made distinction among people is between the poor and the rich, the privileged and the under-privileged. We are all Nigerians and have lived and interacted together as one people for decades in Lagos and other parts of our country.
“With the elections over, we hope that all those who have been fanning the embers of ethnic division will be more circumspect and desist from further heating up the polity. We must be law-abiding citizens and not take the law into our hands in any guise,”he said.
He commiserated with families that lost their loved ones and persons whose properties were destroyed in the violence in the state and across the country, while urging law enforcement agencies to do the needful, where offences have been committed, as part of efforts to facilitate a national healing process.
