Ilajes of Lagos State celebrate Unity and Culture, expressed commitment to greater participation in lagos affairs.

The Ilaje people of Lagos state, for the whole of last week, came out enmasse in celebration of their unity and culture with renewed commitment to fully participation in the affairs of the state. The events packaged by the Egbe Omo Ilaje were parts of the 2018 Ilaje Day celebrations by the Lagos State Chapter of the Ilaje socio-cultural organization.

The events which kicked off with a world press conference on 31st October also featured processions and rallies across over 100 communities with strong and dominant Ilaje presence, artistes and musical expositions, competitive cultural boat regatta throughout the week. The grand finale took place Saturday, 10th November at the Gymnasium Centre, National Stadium, Surulere with a lecture on “The History and Place of Ilaje in Lagos State” delivered by Chief Sola Ebiseni, a lawyer and former Commissioner for Environment, Ondo State.

The lecture witnessed a large turn out of Ilaje people all over Lagos state and beyond, including traditional rulers, civil society groups, youths and students leaders, representatives of the Lagos State government, several political parties and their candidates. Chief Odunmbaku, the state Vice-Chairman of the APC with a large entourage represented Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In his lecture, spanning a 23 page book, Chief Ebiseni embarked on an excursion of the history of the aboriginal tribes of Lagos state which he identified as the Yoruba riverine tribes of Ilaje, Awori, Ijebu and later the Egun who pushed into the territory particularly during the Yoruba/Dahomey war of the 18th and 19th century.

While he agreed with the fact that Oba Orhogbua of Bini came, through the Ilaje waterways, to Lagos in the 15th century, he debunked the notion of Bini being the founder of Lagos or its monarchy. Instead he claimed that the Bini account itself, through many of its historians including Ekpenede Idu in his book “Lagos Before 1603” and the most respected Oba Erediuawa, confirmed that Orhogbua had a war encounter with Oba Alagwe of Ilaje Mahin kingdom on his way to Lagos. Ebiseni argued that the over 300 kilometres waterway between Bini and Lagos, through the territory of the Ilaje sea master tribe, made any such military expeditions by the ill-prepared land based Bini army most improbable.

This, according to him, was corroborated by the fatal experience of Orghogbua’s son and successor, Oba Ehengbuda who was utterly defeated at the Ilaje town of Eluju-Ibila. Although Bini writers claimed that Ehengbuda died by drowning when his war boats capsized midway between Bini and Lagos, the truth was that his army was completely routed ending any further military expedition anywhere in Bini history.

On the rulership of Lagos, Ebiseni listed several important Lagos families which he claimed were of Ilaje ancestry, including Oba Akinsemoyin whose dynasty endures in Lagos till the present day.

He lamented the culture which made the Ilaje early settlers stick to the coastal area and the several islands which they occupied in the early times as being suitable for their fishing and coastal trading occupations. Such swampy lands and islands were soon reclaimed by the Ilaje people through massive sandfilling.

However, the Ilaje people are, after centuries, displaced and evacuated, particularly by government, under some phony urban renewal program, which wickedly cede such land either to other contenders or new allotees of estates created therein by government. He gave such examples as Agerige Odo, Onighanran, Oju-Ota communities where the Ilaje owners were evacuated and given a common name of Akoka to build the University of Lagos. Others are Aiyetoro-Ebute Metta for a housing estate; Ilaje area of Ijora Olopa for the National Arts Theatre, Dolphin estate land, Ilubirin, Maroko etc.

He enjoined the people to actively participate in the politics of the state noting that “as the nation’s democracy increasingly matures, its processes more competitive and credible, no political party can afford to toy with the population of a united and organised Ilaje Lagos indigenes. He gave the examples of the recent gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states where winners were decided by less than 20,000 and 500 votes respectively. He advised the people to be organized and not sell themselves cheap to any political party but insist on their rightful position in the affairs of the state.

Ebiseni charged the people, particularly the youth, to remain committed to good education for which they were known, adding that only an educated population could add value to its people and society at large.

He counselled the audience on the imperative of living in peace with other indigenous groups and residents but in strategic engagements as equal stakeholders in the affairs of the state.