Protest, counter protest by Arewa community over call to remove Lagos commissioner

Some members of the Arewa Community in Lagos on Thursday held a rally in support of the State Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Arch Kabiru Ahmed Abdullahi, countering the earlier call by some members of the same community that the commissioner should be removed.

Recall that a set of Arewa Community members had on Monday stormed the Assembly premises in protest against the commissioner armed with a petition addressed to the speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, demanding for Abdullahi’s removal for failure to carry the group along as its representative in government.

However, the group of people, who stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday and led by the State Secretary General of Arewa Community, Alhaji Musa Saleh, said that the Arewa Community in Lagos was very pleased with the commissioner’s performance in terms of representing the community in the state cabinet.

Saleh, who spoke with newsmen, maintained that Arch Abdullahi remained the leader of Arewa Community in Lagos, describing those who came to protest earlier as disgruntled members of the community.

“Kabiru Ahmed Abdullahi is and remains the leader of Arewa Community in Lagos, we are very pleased with his performance in office. Those who came to protest earlier for his removal from office are disgruntled members of the community and, therefore, should be ignored,” he said.

Saleh, therefore, urged the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the State House of Assembly not to honour the call that the commissioner should be removed.   

Earlier on Monday, a set of Arewa Community members had stormed the State House of Assembly in protest and led by Alhaji Ado Dansudu.

The Arewa Community members, in the petition addressed to Hon. Obasanjo, Speaker, Lagos State Assembly, demanded that the State’s Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Abdullahi be removed from office.

In the petition, they lamented the failure of the commissioner to carry the group along despite “parading” himself as the Chairman of Arewa community.

Alhaji Dansudu said that the commissioner was never an Arewa leader in the state, maintaining that Abdullahi imposed himself on the group, as he was never elected, even as he added that the commissioner had been running the affairs of the Arewa community through a three-man executive team.

It would be recalled that the embattled commissioner is also having glitches with the State House of Assembly over the way he has been running the affairs of his ministry.