By ABANIKANDA OLUMORO (UK)
“If you claim that power is not served a La Carte, how does that relate with relinquishing power to people who are the rightful owners of their state and land? What right do you have in the first place to lay claim to dominating power in other indigenes’ state when you know well that it cannot be acceptable to be seen happening in your own state?”
It is no any longer news that a new socio-cultural organisation in De Renaissance Patriots has debuted in Lagos State, just like what the group of eminent citizens of the extractions seek to establish is not in any ambiguity: There is no state in Nigeria where non-indugenes govern and dominate all stratas of endeavour of the constitutional establishment except in Lagos. This, they say, must now change.
More saddening is the vehemence with which fellow Yoruba from other South-West states are breaching the Constitution and backing the breach of it by their support for continued annihilation, isolation and marginalisation- without mercy – indigenes of the hospitable society of Lagos thus paying the Eko people’s tolerance and accommodation towards strangers back with evil, as seen in the commenced displacement project that the non-indigenes started in 1999 and amidst which many of their own, including Engr Funsho Williams, have been grusomely murdered with cases yet to be concluded till date.
The questions are in many ways: How many more Lagos indigenes can this non-indigenes displacement project still murder through their deliberately shrouded means before they are tired of killing again? All in the quest to unlawfully takeover Lagos State!
For how long will a people continue to live in denial of facts about the rights of indigenous owners of Lagos to be respected in their decision to choose who governs their state from across the political parties?
If you claim that power is not served a La Carte, how does that relate with relinquishing power to people who are the rightful owners of their state and land? What right do you have in the first place to lay claim to dominating power in other indigenes’ state when you know well that it cannot be acceptable to be seen happening in your own state? Do you not realise that it is because you know these facts and truths that you will do anything impersonating indigeneship, committing identity theft, whether under the influence of drug or cultism, to justify your holding on to political power that you now claim is not served a La Carte? Whereas resources that should be used to develop Lagos State, you take through your illegal occupation of political power back to your own states of the South West to benefit your fellow indigenes, while Lagos State indigenes, who have no alternative, are left to continue living in poverty and penury?
It is the reason all Nigerians especially in North, South South and South East as well as some good-hearted ones among the other South West states, who know the constitutional implications of the illegalities these South West Yorubas have unleashed on Lagos State indigenes for the past 24 years (since 1999), must now rise up and speak against the injustice by the occupants of Lagos and force them to go back to their states and stop being impostors on the land that is not lawfully their own.
How on earth do you claim that Lagos of the Oba Akinsemoyins, Eko of Oba Akintoyes, the Lagos of the Oba Adeniji-Adeles, Oba Oyekans of blessed memories have nobody that can occupy the office of the governor thus you justify your illegal occupation of its power with such unholy claim?
Does it not strike your conscience that whereas good other South West Yorubas like Chief Olu Falae, now an Oba in Ondo State; Late General Adeyinka Adebayo, former Military Governor of Western Region from Ekiti, who came to Lagos to achieve their greatness, does it not strike your conscience that they all returned to their constitutionally granted home states of Ondo, Ekiti, and so on and so forth, even the Abubakar Tafawa Balewas, the Arthur Ezes, the General TY Danjumas, the Aliko Dangotes, the Isiaka Rabius, the Yusuf Chachangis, the Alex Nwokedis, the Sam Amuka-Pemus, the Nduka Obaigbunas, the Olusegun Osobas, the Bisi Onabanjos? Does it not?
They all came to Lagos, owned houses and businesses in Lagos and lived peacefully and harmoniously with owners and indigenes of Lagos State until 1999 such that they had and have always returned to their states when they needed to pursue any political career, without records of attempted occupation or struggle to contest power of Lagos State with its rightful owners (the indigenes).
Do you think, after making their lawful achievements, that their returning home to their respective states was from the point of weakness? No. They did it because they know that by law, no one can claim to be indigene of two states and because they know that the Constitution of Nigeria is supreme regardless of whatever compromise anyone can do of judges to twist the scale of justice.
As for them that ask, “What is the percentage of indigenes in the populationof Lagos State?” If you still have some modicum or milk of humanity in you, it should be clear to you that it is not business of anybody to think that a people can be too small in the matter of their own natural assets, land and patrimony and the economy they are socio-culturally bequeathed. That is to say such question cannot fly anywhere. In the United Kingdom today, no matter the number of foreigners, the rights of ownership of the land belongs to the indigenous people.
To this end, to say the Lagos State of the Obas mentioned above gmhave no qualified people to govern their state is fallacy unpardonable. Yes! Lagos State has countless of them who have also produced qualified children of the likes of General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, former General Officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, former Commander Army Corp of Artillery, former Member Provisional Ruling Council and former Minister of Communications of the Federal Republicof Nigeria; the likes of General Leo Ajiborishas, pioneer Military Governor of Osun State on the slot of Lagos State indugeneship posted to serve; Baba Akin Martins, prominent Nigerian from the land; Chief Bode George (Retired Navy Commodore) and former Military Governorof Old Ondo State and former Flag Officer Commanding, Easter Naval Command; Mr. Yomi Tokosi, a former bank managing director in Nigeria; Mr. Gbadebo Dallas, former Managing Director, Nigerian Idlndustrial Development Bank (NIDB); Engr Lateef Onikoyi, Mr Bolaji Are, Comrade Adeniyi Adams, CP Tajudern Bakres. TO CLAIM that the Lagos State of these eminent people has no persons qualified to govern their own state as governor chosen from across the political parties is an assault to the Constitution. There is no need to go to court over this before anyone knows what is lawful to be done.
DE RENAISSANCE PATRIOTS, under the Chairmanship of Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd), is therefore correct to insist that THE REBIRTH STARTS NOW sounding it to All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and all others that they must begin with the 2027 process to respect the rights of indigenes of Lagos State by fielding Lagos indigenes as governorship, deputy gocernoship and legislative candidares.
The Patriots came in their second release to say something tgst is not ambiguous. Read them below:
“We have come to further realization that:
“a) The Lagos State’s political, economic, social, and administrative systems have become mired in betrayal by some of our elites and by those also in denial of the indigenous constitutional and economic rights. We pointed this out in our first stage release recently where we gave the pre- colonial history, related historical interest and up to the final creation of Lagos state in 1967, and there were other factors filial to the struggle for the creation of the state that were also highlighted.
“b) An appeal was necessary to many of our traditional leaders, market leaders, educational elites, authors, great politicians, and very important personalities of Lagos origin to stop the bleed for the sake of prosperity. Historical revisionists and hustlers from within including usurpers will be viewed in bad light and unfavorably.
“c) With the exception of the Raji Babatunde Fashola Administration, the Lagos State indigenes have been deliberately schemed out of participatory governance in the state. The source of our legitimacy of our claim is that there is no state in Nigerian space that has a non indigene as its Executive and Legislative authorities except in Lagos State.
“d) The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes the right of the indigenes and rightfully introduced it into the Constitution. The Constitution does not however allow a person to be an indigene of two states. The current Executive Governor cannot be an exception, He cannot be an exception and we regard whatever claim he is making as an indigene of the state as in bad taste and very open to conflict of interest. His interest and passion for our dear state is therefore very suspect.
“e) The marginalization confronting us in Lagos State has no political boundaries. It extends from political to our traditional and cultural identities,” theyvsaid in this aspect described as five takeaways from De Renaissance Patriots second release.
According to the release jointly signed by its Protem Chairman: Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd); Protem Secretary: Yomi Tokosi; Coordinator: Prince Adelani Adeniji-Adele; and Patrons: Professor Liasu Adele-Jinadu, Justice Shola Hunponu-Wusu (Rtd), Major General Leo Ajiborisha (Rtd) and Mr. Akin (Baba) Martins, they mean business this time and anyone who still values name and believes that no one is above the law is bound to respect the decision of these eminent Nigerians, who have come out to say now is the time to take back what rightfully belongs to them of Lagos.
“We will redefine Lagos State as what it used to be and what ordinarily a progressive society should be like. Ours is to stop the profligacy in government approach to public spending Accountability in every sphere of the way will be entrenched because the pedigree of whom we will give our support will be known and appreciated.
“OMO ONILU KONI FE KILU BABA E BAJE. We will put a stop to the transactional attitude of some of the people in government today. LAGOS STATE MUST WORK FOR THE INDIGENES TOO.
“As an observation, it is pertinent to highlight some of the paradoxes in governance of the state today. Lagos State is:
“I. 6th largest economy in Africa
“II. IGR for three years referenced are i) 2022 reported to be N651 billion; ii) 2021 reported to be N753 billion; iii) 2020 reported to be N660 billion, and iv) 2019 reported to be N646.6 billion.
“III. 2023 budget is N1.758 trillion – The biggest so far in history.
“IV. The richest state in Nigeria and the highest debtor state in Nigeria.
“V. Social development: Extreme riches and Extreme poverty.
“VI. The city of aquatic splendour and 6th least livable city in the world after war-torn Damascus.
“VII. Comatose Medical care, Environment, Education (Note: Schools etc).
“VIII. The first state to have pipe-borne water in Nigeria and now a state that practically cannot provide adequate sources of drinkable pipe-born water to its people despite the humongous amount of money borrowed and spent.
“IX. Entrenched Violence/Insecurity, mainly due to lack of positive mentorship and deliberate misrepresentation of our values.
“X. Infrastructure (Note: Hospitals, Sewage, Waste management).
“These paradoxes are unfortunate and should not be reflected in a decent society of normal human beings. We are so traumatized that we think an intervention is a necessity. An intervention spearheaded by an indigene at the helm of affairs.
“In conclusion, we seek support, understanding, need from indigenes as well as residents to effect a better Lagos. THE REBIRTH STARTS NOW,” De Renaissance Patriots said and all concurred both here in the Diaspora and over there at home in Nigeria.
*Sent in by Abanikanda Olumoro, a Nigerian in Diaspora (United Kingdom)
