All Nigerian tribes are guilty of buying and building on illegal lands and settling the system. The biggest problem is actually with the leadership that knowingly allows buildings where they shouldn’t be or allow buildings without approvals. 

If you have built in any major city in Nigeria, you will know how government officials come and mark X (Stop Work!) on a building under construction no matter how remote the location is. The money the government agents collect is shared up the food chain. So the leaders can’t feign ignorance.

Loss

 Of course, the buyer suffers the biggest loss when, for a common good, politics, or other less noble reasons, houses built on drainages, pipelines or without proper approval are demolished. Hence, buyers should resist the temptation to buy and “sort” the system. 

The system can commit and get away with it. Illubrin in Lagos is a major swamp, has cultural-spiritual significance for Lagos Island people and is under high tension power lines, yet, the state government sand filled and sold it. Some of the areas in Lagos and Port Harcourt that were sand-filled and sold or built by the government cause similar and, sometimes, more flooding and environmental problems than those individuals sand-filled illegally.  

Social justice

 Unfortunately in Nigeria, laws are not always made or implemented based on common good, social justice and equity. We see laws like pensions for governors and allocation of choice property to politicians which fly in the face of the common good. Might sometimes determines the law and its implementation here.

In sane climes, some of the individuals whose houses have been demolished will sue the government and cash out because if you get a document from government, it’s government that is still liable even if its staff shouldn’t have given that out.

Victims

 Why Ndigbo are mostly (hardly ever the only ones) culprits or victims of building in these illegal sites in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and some other cities is multi-factorial and it is unfair to attribute it to our arrogance (and we are proud, loud and arrogant by nature but we are not alone in that). I will examine some of the factors below:

Firstly, building new frontiers to expand our businesses. Igbo are usually early settlers in most remote or hard-to-reach places to establish new businesses. From the business, they buy and build close by. The rapid development of the Amuwo axis and Iba/Ikotun areas of Lagos on the back of Alaba and Aspamda is just one case in point. Most times, these places are all swamp and the city plans come later. Most of Alaba was swamps before its unplanned development. The only clear things were the rivers. Amuwo, all the way into Ago Palace Okota, was mostly sand filled.

Secondly, economy and purchasing power. Courtesy of business and the purchasing power it provides, Ndigbo tend to buy more properties that are available in areas close to where they do business or live as tenants or landlords. It is a game of numbers of those with purchasing power per location. Bear in mind that indigenes who own land or have access to government-facilitated lands have less need to buy. Discount for indigenes and ask yourself who amongst the “settlers” are more likely to have the purchasing power. Every tribe is buying legal and illegal lands. We just buy more amongst the population of non-indigenes/indigenes and those without access to government.

Thirdly, the population of non-indigenes and people without direct access to government-facilitated lands. I already touched on this in two above. Takeaway indigenes and people with access to government support, outside the South-East, who is likely to make up the biggest proportion of the population that is left?

If Ndigbo were the biggest law breakers or most greedy people in Nigeria, the country would be doing well, since we have not been leading it over the last 50 years. By leading, I don’t even mean the President but the leadership of all the institutions that make and implement policies; represent Nigeria in the comity of nations, enforce laws, and ensure justice, etc. We have not had the opportunity to superintend government-controlled wealth, yet corruption is rife. We have not been leading law enforcement yet laws are not obeyed. We have not been in charge of justice but the judicial system is a mess. Who has been leading Nigeria and why are we blaming Ndigbo?

Supremacy theories

I am not a tribalist and don’t believe in Igbo supremacy theories, but what I can’t deny is the fact that we are one of those tribes that survive under harsh and often discriminatory conditions in our own country. We go as far as appointing people from other tribes to be directors in our private businesses without them making any contributions, to improve our chances of either getting businesses or not being treated unjustly.

What is going on with demolitions in Lagos is sometimes necessary, but sometimes has other undertones driving it. At the end of the day, it is sad and a big indictment on government itself.

Lesson

Finally, it is a lesson for Ndigbo and all Nigerians to do things the right way, especially when acquiring land or any other ventures you put your hard-earned money into. It is better not to be a victim than to cry for sympathy.