CULTURAL FESTIVALS AS BRIDGES: COUNTERING ETHNIC DIVISION IN LAGOS
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Picture: protesters in Lagos, Nigeria . Between August 1 and 10, 2024, during the #ENDBADGOVERNANCE and Hunger Protests in Nigeria, an online campaign emerged in Lagos State calling for Igbos to vacate the city. The campaign, tagged #IgbosMustGo, was driven by unidentified individuals who announced that their efforts would be “intensified” between August 20 and 30, 2024. The use of the word intensified suggests that the campaign had been quietly ongoing but was now being openly promoted. Its message was clear: Igbos from the Eastern region residing in Lagos should leave the state. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu strongly condemned the campaign, describing it as reckless and senseless. He urged law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute those behind it. At the time of writing, however, there has been no official statement confirming whether the perpetrators have been apprehended. Yet, the focus here is not on arrests or prosecutions, but on how diverse groups within a geopolitical ...