I am an unapologetic sympathizer of Lagos State indigenes and very conversant with developments concerning them. The Sunday, December 29, 2024, meeting of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a group called Egbe Omo Eko sent me to the archives. For the first time in my research experience, I returned with no clue about what the group is, what it stands for, and who the people in that meeting with the president represented.
Vanguard Newspaper did a good job bringing the meeting to the fore in one of its front-page photographs, featuring Alhaji Femi Okunnu, a former Federal Commissioner for Works, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and father of a high court judge (to the extent that I know). He was conspicuously flanking the President to the left.
Others in the picture included (from left): former Deputy Governor of Lagos State and former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SSA-SDGs), now retained by Tinubu, Her Excellency Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; the Erelu Kuti of Lagos, Her Royal Highness Princess Abiola Dosunmu; Prince Tajudeen Olusi; the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; Mr. Mutiu Gbajumo (though he and Prof. Bode Leigh were unnamed in the photo); Bashorun JK Randle; among others.
On the backline behind the President were the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, also seen in the picture taken during the meeting.
The question is, how many Lagos State indigenes have heard of this group, Egbe Omo Eko, in the last three months, let alone six months, a year, or more? I ask this question because I do not want to be sentimental in my approach, avoiding accusations of bias.
Despite my background checks, I found no answers. However, I am aware of an Egbe Omo Eko Association, whose current status is unknown, but none of the trustees listed in that profile was at the meeting with President Tinubu.
We know of some Lagos indigenous groups, such as Omo Eko Pataki and De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, but Egbe Omo Eko has not been identified as an indigenous group representing Lagos people in Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, or Epe (IBILE).
From what I gathered, the said Sunday, December 29, 2024, was the day presidential security and protocol cleared Lagos State indigenes to meet with Tinubu. Can we say this strange Egbe Omo Eko went to that meeting to represent the true aspirations of the natives (the IBILE people), the “blood of the soil,” as they are known over the years?
Lagos State indigenes have been clamoring for their sons and daughters to occupy political positions in the state by 2027. They demand control of the political process, including having indigenes as Governor, Deputy Governor, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and Head of Service (HOS). Was this the basis of the presentation made by those who met with President Tinubu? If not, who did they go there to represent?
For context, we know Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), as a Lagos State indigene. Yet, he does not advocate for the indigenous rights of his people, let alone their demands. This same man led the Egbe Omo Eko to meet with President Tinubu.
Prince Olusi, a Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry under the Military Administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, unapologetically challenges those advocating for leadership by indigenes, often asking, “Who are the indigenes of Lagos State?”
Papa Olusi has been reminded repeatedly that Lagos indigenes have no other place to call home. In other states, political offices are cultural heritage and the right of indigenous people—not non-indigenes.
Non-indigenes in political power often cite population statistics to claim that Lagos indigenes are fewer. However, there is no empirical evidence supporting this claim. Prince Tajudeen Olusi’s stance against his indigenous people is that non-indigenes pay taxes in Lagos and can aspire to political positions, including Governor.
If this is the case, let me ask: Is there any other state in Nigeria where paying taxes automatically qualifies non-indigenous residents to occupy political positions, such as Governor?
Before I conclude, I advise genuine Lagos State indigenes to consider that if their progenitors and the champions of the state’s creation—such as Chief Oluwa of Lagos, Oba Musendiku Adeniji-Adele II, Prince Ibikunke Akintoye, H.O. Davies, T.O.S. Benson, Oba C.D. Akran of Badagry, Adebayo Doherty, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Dr. JK Randle, and many others—had been as divided as they are now, allowing non-indigenes to usurp their political rights, would Lagos State exist today?
On a final note, let me end with a quote by Suzy Kassem: “Humanity is lost because people have abandoned using their conscience as their compass.”
A stitch in time saves nine!
Olumoro, a Nigerian in the Diaspora, writes from the UK.
