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I will return to South-East if Nigeria splits – Onyeka Onwenu speaks

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Music legend, Onyeka Onwenu has revealed that she will be returning to the South-East if Nigeria disintegrates. 
 
Speaking at a virtual pre-book launch briefing ahead of the release of her memoir ‘My Father’s Daughter’ on October 1, the music urged people from the South-East to develop the region while pointing out that they’ve be marginalized for a long time. 
 
Onwenu said; 
 
“It doesn’t take away whatever you are doing in Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt. You are free to live and do business wherever you are but remember back home, we are being marginalised for a long time. And our people have always done things for themselves.
“We built the Imo Airport. I was part of the process. It remains the only airport in the country that was built by the citizens and handed over to the Federal Government.
“My father went to school abroad, people in his home town collected money and supported him. That’s how we do things, we are communal people. So, I’m not afraid to go back home.
“If that happens (referring to Nigeria breaking up), I will go back to the South-East because I want to go back home. And even if we don’t split, I want to do so much there.”
 
Referencing her marriage to a Yoruba Muslim, the music icon urged Nigerians to let go of tribalism and focus on the positive values inherent in the different ethnic groups in the country. 
 
Onwenu added; 
 
“We are blessed with the richness of our culture and everyone should see themselves as one and not let divisions break the country.”
See also  LAWMA warns against street trading The Lagos Waste Management Authority has announced that from next week, people found buying goods from traders operating illegally on roads, medians, setbacks, walkways and other unauthorised public spaces will be arrested and prosecuted. LAWMA said the measure is in line with Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the move formed part of a renewed enforcement strategy aimed at curbing illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and the obstruction of public infrastructure across Lagos State. Gbadegesin said enforcement would no longer focus only on traders operating in prohibited areas, as customers who patronise them would also be held accountable under the law. “The law does not only prohibit illegal street trading. It also makes it an offence to buy goods exposed or offered for sale in prohibited places. From next week, anyone found buying from traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks or other unauthorised spaces will be arrested, alongside the traders, and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said. He added that anyone convicted of the offence could face a fine of N90,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both. Gbadegesin said illegal markets operating on roadsides and medians frequently generate waste that is dumped in drains, on roads and in other public spaces, contributing to blocked drainage channels, traffic congestion and public health risks. “Our objective is to stop the cycle that allows illegal trading and indiscriminate waste disposal to return after enforcement operations. Traders occupy public spaces because people continue to patronise them. Buyers must understand that their actions sustain the problem and that they are also accountable under the law,” he said. The LAWMA boss also said the Authority was strengthening waste collection in inner streets and communities around areas where illegal dumping hotspots had previously been cleared. He said identified service gaps would be addressed, while deliberate dumping, repeated dumping and continued patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement. Gbadegesin urged residents and businesses to use recognised markets and approved waste collection channels, saying personal convenience should not come at the expense of public health, environmental sanitation, road safety and the orderly use of shared public spaces. He reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to sustained enforcement, stakeholder engagement and improved waste collection services as part of efforts to eliminate open dumping and improve sanitation across Lagos.

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