Former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo claims that the Igbo community contributed greatly to the development of various cities across Nigeria, including Lagos, Abuja, and others.
![Nobody Can Deny The Fact That Igbos Developed Lagos, Abuja, And Others - Okwesilieze Nwodo [Video]](https://media.kanyidaily.com/2024/04/25095048/Okwesilieze-Nwodo.png "Nobody Can Deny The Fact That Igbos Developed Lagos, Abuja, And Others - Okwesilieze Nwodo [Video] 1")
In an interview on Arise TV, Okwesilieze Nwodo highlighted the substantial impact of Igbo traders in transforming swamps into thriving markets, citing that in Lagos, for instance, a significant majority of markets were established by Igbo entrepreneurs.
The ex-governor also pointed out the substantial presence of Igbo-owned businesses in the hospitality and real estate sectors in cities like Abuja.
‘’What nobody can deny as a fact is that the Igbos have contributed immensely to the development of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and many other cities. In any city the Igbos have contributed to building, they have come very close second to the indigenous population and sometimes neck to neck.
“In Lagos, if there are 10 markets in Lagos, seven were built from swamps by Igbo traders, not to talk about manufacturers in that city, not to talk about those who have built residential houses, not to talk about those who have built the hospitality industry.
“In this city, Abuja, about seventy percent of the hospitality business are owned by Igbos and about 70% of the plazas are owned by Igbos. Not to talk about houses that are up for rent. These are things that are common knowledge to anybody.,” he said.
Addressing those who may dispute these contributions, Nwodo explained that the concentration of Igbo businesses in cities like Lagos and Abuja is largely due to the availability of vital infrastructure, such as seaports and government-built facilities.
The ex-governor emphasized the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo community, noting that they leverage existing infrastructure to develop their businesses.
He said, ’How many cities in the SouthEast have people outside the SouthEast have contributed in building? The answer I have for them is that business goes where there is infrastructure. The Seaport in Lagos is about the only Seaport operating in Nigeria and the Igbos do a lot of importation of goods.
“So they have to settle where the Seaport is, build markets to sell whatever they have imported into the country and whatever they have manufactured, they can easily send them along the West African coast to other West African cities.
You cannot compare the infrastructure that the Federal government has built in Abuja to any infrastructure in the South East. As people that are entrepreneurs, they come, take advantage of it and develop the place for their business and I do not think anything is wrong with that”
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KanyiDaily had reported how a Yoruba woman appealed to Igbo traders who traveled to the South-East for Christmas celebration, urging them to swiftly return to Lagos.
