a co-chairman of the committee for Lagos @ 50, the Lagos indigenous group were so bitter and unsettled at the governor decision, that is an insult and slap on their faces, that since they had a long list of eminent Lagosian qualify for the role; perhaps what pained me most is the inclusion of the former solicitor general of Lagos state, Mr. Lawal Pedro(S.A.N) in the midst of this campaigner of calumnity; if the language I used on you is too insultive, please pardon me; but what I know that in this era of modern time, that every society have marched into the new era of advancement in the digital time now, it is very curious for Lagos indigenes to reject the noble laureate in the pretext that, he came from ijegba, let me ask you a question where are you, when he was fighting all his political battle in Lagos, and with his both trial between the all powerful; premier of the western region then, late Ladoke Akintola and his incarceration by the Gowon Administration in late 60 to early 70, for falsify alleged him spying for the then Biafra Head of State Col-odumegwu-ojukwu, I doubt it also when the dark goggle general Sanni Abacha was trailing him up and down of Lagos street, pertaining to his staunch support he had for M.K.O Abiola to revalidate his mandate confer on him by the Nigerian, nobody in Lagos blink an eyelid that Wole Soyinka is not an Lagos indigenes.
To me what matter most is the competence and the integrity of the person in charge is what matter most, that he wouldn’t be compromised in the huge task given to him, I know for sure as a co-chairman of wole and gbadamosi in the saddle of the committee of Lagos @ 50, there must be a big difference in comparison to Jonathan Nigeria centenary celebration in 2014, I would not like to giraffe in the task given to Wole Soyinka, but I know that there must be outstanding 50 Lagosians to be given medal of honour on the day of the celebration, with Wole and Rasheed on the saddle, they won’t be a way a person with a past shady deal and corrupt minded human being would sneak his name into the glorious list, that’s what made Jonathan centenary list useless, after said and done those eminent Nigeria qualified to be on the list were not been able to find their name, the whole Nigeria where very surprised at name of General Abacha finding his way through the list, upon all his stolen money and asset still stashed in Switzerland, and the government effort by spending a fortune in legal aspect to repatriate the bourgeois sum; nobody will want Lagos @ 50 celebration to goes in that way.
I had a lot of caption running on m head, before I settle for the above one, Fela Re-incarnate @ Lagos @ 50; why? Due to the closeness of Late Avatar, Iconclast Fela to the duo of the co-chairman, while one is cousin, and other is a mutual and bosom friend (Wole, Rasheed) respectively, not only that, the trio have the same mindset, to the project Nigeria, God usually work in spiritual way, I didn’t know is on Governor Ambode mindset, when he made the announcement of both of them to spearheaded the committee, what I know is that with the appointment of the duo, he had made a name for himself and his government that will surpassed them.
Fela detest corruption, aiding and abetting, 10 per center and all the bad social vices in the country likewise the two co-chairman that why during his life time he usually has a confrontation with the authority may be, the mode he is using to deliver the message is very radical, but what I know is that abami eda have come to live again @ 50
Professor Wole Soyinka let us know in is memoir:- you must set forth at dawn, that the first school sandal he wears in his early age of 14, is from Fela mother; the sandal belongs to Professor Olukoye Ransom Kuti, the gentle, amiable elder brother of Fela, and when Fela death was announced, he was at a location at Jamaica called bekuta when he learnt about the death of Abeokuta great son, this bekuta in Jamaica is a concentration of egba people since the memorial time.
He was very fond and speechless when he retorted that I wole was at Bekuta when I learnt that a great Abeokuta son have pass on.
Rasheed Gbdamosi met Fela in England in the middle of the 50’s when both of them were searching for an advanced knowledge; Rasheed; son of S.O Gbadamosi from Ikorodu an arch supporter of action group (A.G) as the treasure of the then Action Group; is a close confidant of Obafemi Awolowo, so close to Awo family, S.O,Gbadamosi, Awolowo and H.I.D were together to usher late Oluwole Awolowo to board a plane to England to further is education, since then Rasheed have not look back also; somebody that became a commissioner of economic planning and budget at the young age of 28, is an author, poet, playwright, and economist, he told he world why I love Fela? He says the first day I set my eyes on Fela;in the foreign abode; I settle in my mind once for all that this man will be my lifelong friend; truly it happened till the sudden death of Fela, still this Ikorodu chief is still with this legendary family.
Let me digress back to the early paragraph about the rejection of Wole Soyinka by the eko indigenes, this Lagos as my own perception is a city of civilization populated by the indigenes and no-indigenes including a different tribe of expatriate and his a city of commerce, I didn’t seen anywhere in the southwest that non-indigene can aspire to political post and grab it with ease, and that’s work for the progress of Lagos State, he had been so since the memorial time, what of Bode Thomas, Pa Solanke Onasanya, Babs Akerele, Gamaliel Onosode, Olusola Saraki, Ibru Dynasty, justice Adewale Thompson, Senator David Dafinone and the itsekiri born ologbotsere of warri, chief Alfred Rewane, Had been anyone of their siblings or chidren wanted to exercise their constitution right by voting and voted for in this Lagos, would we be able to debar them from their constitutional right, after all the above eminent contributed to the growth of Surulere and Nigeria beyond.
A lot of people have challenge me to know my view and stand about the campaigner of the realization of the re-integration of all the southwest state, I always made my stand known openly that I supported the moves because it is best way to accomadate each other clan, since the butchered pieces of the region by the military, I know Lagos will gain including Oyo ogun and the rest won’t lack anything, since we are speaking with one voice, I admire Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by giving the issue at teeth to bite by creating a new fully ministry in a state headed by a sound lawyer Bashiru Ajibola as the pioneer commissioner of integration.
Something has also been agitating my mind since, due to Lagos Position on Oodua group of company, non inclusion of Lagos is a great concern to me and like minded people as I; because all the majority assets of the group moveable and unmovable were base in Lagos; but this scenario of the matter is not caused by Lagos itself, but due to his former status as the former capital of the country, he was bar from joining his kith and kins in the southwest but we thank God at last the motive have been fulfilled by the silent achiever Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
The importance of eko @ 50 Golden Jubilee is a part of showing case to the word the culture and social-economic life of the Lagosian e.g. the slave trade port at Badagry, a point of no return at there also, eyo festival in Lagos, Magbo festival in Ikorodu, Ojuolobun shrine in Lagos Island, ajaye shrine
at ebute-meta and all the state organs of hospitability business i.e. Hotel, guest house must be more dress and neatly kept in good form, the okun and osa lagoon must be showcase to the outer word, the iga idunganran the seat of the monarch with all the names of all the great past monarch of Lagos must be listed on the scroll according to their seniority.
I would implore the commissioner of tourism by accommodating the scion of Fela dynasty Femi Kuti and his siblings Seun to be among, the artist that would made the celebration lively, I am sure and I have a total confidence on the present commissioner of tourism, art and culture Mr. Folarin Coker; the son of Baba eto of Lagos and his special adviser, Hon. Nosimot Akinsola with all member of their team, I prayed that both of you would excel in the daunting task ahead Thanks EKO O NI BAJE O
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