Nigerian TV Host Smile Baba Questions Plans to Build Igbo Community in Ghana
- Radio and TV media personality Smile Baba has weighed in on the plans to establish an Igbo community in Ghana
- In a Facebook post, the former GH OneTV and Class FM host backed Ghanaians kicking against the move
- In his post, he shared an experience with an Igbo friend and advised the citizens of Ghana to be cautious
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A former radio and TV show host in Ghana, Smile Darlington, aka Smile Baba, has cautioned Ghanaians against His Royal Majesty Eze Dr Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu's plans to establish a 50-acre Igbo community in Old Ningo.
Source: Facebook
The self-styled Igbo king's ambitious project and activities have stoked a frenzy on social media as Ghanaians aim to resist the move.
Scores of residents fear that the project could embolden the foreigners and make them abuse their privileges.
In a Facebook post on July 8, Smile Baba claimed that the concerns of Ghanaians kicking against the Igbo king's plans were justified.
Smile Baba claimed that an Igbo friend once tried to turn another Igbo friend against him because he didn't belong to their tribe.
Source: Instagram
In his Facebook message, the TV personality, who used to work with GHOneTV, criticised the Igbo King's move, saying:
"I would like to share an experience I had some years ago that has stayed with me, involving my visit to Dallas, Texas. USA. Upon arriving in Dallas to visit an Igbo friend of mine - someone I have known and respected for many years - I reached out to another friend who had been my neighbour in Accra, Ghana and had since relocated to Texas."
"I informed him that I was in town with his fellow Igbo countryman. My former neighbour requested to speak with my Igbo friend. They conversed in Igbo, and after the call ended, my friend relayed what was said. Shockingly, my former neighbour advised him not to allow me to stay in Texas with him simply because I was not Igbo."
Smile Baba said this encounter brought to mind a common saying:
"If the Igbo community in Ghana were allowed to establish their own town, in the future they might push for independence, [and] they might even exclude other Nigerian tribes because they don’t speak Igbo, reinforcing tribal lines."
He explained that he held no ill will toward his 'Igbo brothers' but said it was undeniable that the tribalism among some groups was pronounced, with language barriers often becoming a hindrance to acceptance.
"I question why there is a desire to establish what amounts to a kingdom on foreign soil. Such actions should rightly be a concern for the Nigerian government and the broader community. From this perspective, the firm resistance of Ghanaians to such moves seems justified."
Sam George shoots down Igbo King's claims
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Ningo Prampram MP had shot down rumours of a Ghanaian Igbo stronghold being established.
According to Sam George, no such property was being planned in his constituency and asked that these claims be disregarded.
The Ningo Prampram MP's response came after viral claims that the self-styled Eze Igbo was planning to establish a conclave in Ghana.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
