Public Outcry Forces Withdrawal of Indigeneship Bill

Lawmakers Pull Back Indigeneship Bill Amidst Widespread Opposition
Indigeneship Bill Scrapped After Social Media Backlash
Critics feared the bill would worsen ethnic tensions

The “indigeneship bill,” which was championed by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu and a few other lawmakers, has been pulled back. This decision came after a lot of public anger, especially on social media, and concerns raised by various groups.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that, the bill aimed to change the Nigerian Constitution to allow people to become “indigenes” (native residents) if they were born in a place, lived there continuously for at least ten years, or married someone from there.

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However, many critics argued that this bill could make ethnic tensions worse and divide society, potentially leading to serious problems following a lot of people on social media who strongly opposed it, seeing it as a clever trick to change who makes up the population in certain areas and an invitation for chaos, especially in sensitive places like Lagos.

Adding to the pressure, some of the lawmakers initially listed as co-sponsors, such as James Faleke and Blessing Amadi, and others publicly denied any involvement, stating their names were included without their knowledge or approval.

The withdrawal was further influenced by a report from the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). Even though the report acknowledged the bill’s goal of promoting national unity, it pointed out possible problems like people having “double” or “multiple” indigene status.

Moreover, experts, like Dr. Aminu Hayatu and Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, criticized the lawmakers for not doing enough groundwork, involving the public, or engaging with communities before introducing such a sensitive law.

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