Aworis own Lagos, other are mere citizens– Oba Agbabiaka
By Damilola Kushimo
In response to the controversy about the legitimate owners of Lagos, the Osolo of Isolo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka has claimed that the Aworis are the real owners of Lagos and that other settlers are mere citizens.
The monarch disclosed the Aworis are historically the first settlers, claiming that selfish interests and thirst for power as the basis for the recent challenge of ownership the Aworis are facing.
“Aworis are the first inhabitants of the state, Lagos is ours. Aworis are the indigenes of Lagos State other tribes are mere citizens and being a citizen doesn’t make you an indigene. There are two different concepts. History can’t be changed. The white men who came to Lagos then, failed to realise that there were thousands of Aworis in the bush before they made settlement and that’s due to their itching desire to make immediate exploitation of resources. The Benins met the Aworis in Lagos, historical fact is there to back this up. Other tribes who are laying claim to indidegeneship of Lagos are doing so because of their selfish interests and desires for political clout.
“Aworis are more concerned about the progress of this state and that’s why we are in support of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whatever he says and does, we believe in him. He has been tested and he is trusted,” he explained.
Oba Agbabiaka also declared that there is no place for ethnocentric attitude or tribalism in his domain, saying he has ensured peaceful coexistence among different tribes living in Isolo.
The Monarch said he has established mutual understanding among the tribes and made them understand the positions of individuals within the community.
“Clear understanding of positions and being in unity with all tribes are the philosophy that can bring about peaceful coexistence among all and sundry in Lagos State. Here in Isolo, we don’t discriminate. I have heads of all tribes and we hold meetings often to know how to foster our relationships and make the community progress. Ethnicity doesn’t play here and that’s why we’ve been able to enjoy great level of peace and harmony.”
Speaking about what the Igbos did during the first phase of the last elections in Isolo, Oba Agbabiaka stated that is was as a result of misunderstanding and knowledge gap that existed among their leaders, stressing that the possibility of such happening has been eliminated.
According to him, “Last time, what happened was somehow disappointing from the Igbos. But having done a lot of meeting with them, they’ve realised their mistakes and they’ve assured that such would never happen again and this reflected in their support for our candidates in the supplementary elections.
“The Igbos, just like other tribes here in Isolo, are mature and have understandings. Unlike others, if you do not consult the Igbos for help, they won’t get involved, we’ve realised this and we’ve learnt from the incident. Immediately, we consulted them, enlightened them, they cooperated and everything was back to normal. Such will never happen in Isolo again.”
