PoB warns S’ East landlords on discrimination against indigenes from other states
By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on all landlords in the South East geo-political zone to stop any form of discrimination against Ndigbo within the area it tagged as Biafra land.
It warned that no Igbo person should be discriminated against and mistreated based on his state of origin or based on past experiences with people from the particular state.
IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, who gave the warning in a statement to newsmen in Anambra State yesterday, said the attention of IPOB leadership has been drawn to the actions of some landlords in Igbo land who refused to rent their houses to some people from a particular state, especially Ebonyi people.
The body noted that some of these landlords, particularly in Anambra and Enugu states, said some of the landlords’ actions were based on the ugly experiences they had in the past with tenants from the state in question.
“Even if it is true that some individuals and criminal elements murdered their landlords in cold blood while others deliberately damaged the house rented to them, that should not be the basis for discrimination against an entire state.
“So, we condemn the attitude of generalization of these bad behaviours to everyone from those states and regret punishing innocent people for the sins of others. The fact that there are innocent and good people in every community and state means there are also criminals and bad people in each community and state.
“The landlords in Biafra land must stop any form of stereotyping and discrimination against other Biafrans from other states. Nobody should be allowed or denied housing based on his community’s or state’s reputation. From coastal Biafrans to hinterland Biafrans, no state or individual is more Biafran than others.”
“People must be treated as individuals and not discriminated against based on their State of Origin or actions of others from their state. IPOB advises landlords to conduct a thorough investigation of their potential tenants before renting a house to them. Even after renting houses, the landlords have the right to carry out investigative inspections on his or her property and the tenant’s use of it.”
IPOB said “Ndigbo is known for justice in towns and villages, individual criminals are singled out and treated without discrimination against their families unless the family collectively supports and benefits from the crime.
“Even the Nigerian constitution does not allow you to use crime from one person to harm another. No Igbo man is more important than the other. Ndigbo see themselves as one tribe and we must remain one tribe till eternity. We call ourselves brothers and sisters (Nwanne) wherever we meet each other. The enemies have worked so hard to create disunity, division, and prejudices among Ndigbo after the Biafra genocidal war.”
“They have used movie makers, actors, politicians, skit makers, and content creators, and now they also want to use Igbo landlords. These mischief makers should go somewhere else and leave Ndigbo alone. God Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama made us who we are. We must not allow our enemies to divide, conquer, and rule us through prejudices and discrimination.”
