| Being
continuation of an address delivered at the distinguished
annual public lecture of Awori Resource Group by Bashorun
J.K. Randle on March 27, 2003.
As
confirmation that photographs do not lie, “The Vanguard”
newspaper of 14th March 2003 carried a most depressing but
graphic photograph by Joe Akintola on its front page with
the caption”
“BERLIET
BUS-STOP: ROAD CLOSES, LIFE ENDS!”
Just
below the photograph was a strapline: “Curses, despair
as Strategic Lagos Expressway becomes impassable”
This was in turn followed by the following text:
“Again,
the failed section of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway at Berliet
Bus-Stop is the nightmare in daytime that commuters have
to contend with. This bad portion of the road continues
to create one of the worst traffic jams in the city daily,
forcing motorists to use alternative routes. These routes
in turn get congested due to the heavy traffic, choking
the city more. Daily, thousands of man-hours are lost in
avoidable traffic jams, with scarce petrol burnt to the
bargain (sic). At election season, it is crass irresponsibility
for governments to be trading brickbats over who should
do what. When will government, state or federal, fulfil
its part over who should do what. When will government,
state or federal, fulfil its part of the social contract
by fixing this and other bad roads in the country? Turn
to PAGE 9 for more pictures and the opinions of Nigerians
who live in a nation where government has abdicated its
responsibility.”
It
is sad enough to lament the plight of Lagos but even in
our misfortune, there have been moments of fortuitous good
fortune better described as-lucky escape (or close shave).
One of such occasions was the death of the dreaded general
Sani Abacha, the military ruler of Nigeria on8th June, 1998.
How many of us remember that exactly a week before that
date, Abacha was expected to make a rare visit to Lagos?
In
the days preceding the visit, the security guys were hopping
all over Lagos looking for any hint of a threat to Abacha’s
life. This was on account of the fierce resistance of the
South West to Abacha’s rule, particularly as he was
apparently scheming to be the sole candidate in a bogus
presidential election. Lagos had become the unofficial headquarters
of NADECO which was the arrowhead of the opposition to Abacha’s
government. NADECO had become the enduring symbol of “June
12”-the election which Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola won
but for which he was incarcerated.
At
any rate, official confirmation had been given (and repeated
on radio, television and the newspapers) that Abacha, who
was notorious for changing his mind at the last moment,
would definitely travel from Abuja to Lagos. Indeed, on
the morning of 1st June 1998 the usual dignitaries had assembled
at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja to receive General Abacha.
The major item on his agenda was to declare open the M.B.
Marwa Garden/Housing Estate named after the Military Governor
of Lagos.
As
confirmation that Abacha was on his way, the security boys
were already there in full strength together with a whole
battalion of soldiers and mobile policemen in riot gear.
As the expected hour of arrival approached, a plane (carrying
the advance team from Abuja) arrived to restrain applause.
Even the Military Governor of Lagos, Brigadier-General Mohammed
Buba Marwa went round to assure everyone that the Head of
State was on his way. About half an hour later, the presidential
jet was hovering overhead and a few minutes later it landed
on the tarmac. The whole place was agog with tense expectation.
However,
they were all in for a major surprise. The fellow who emerged
from the plane was clearly not Abacha. It turned out to
be the then Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Abubakar
Abdulsalami. He dutifully offered the apologies of the Head
of State but nothing could conceal the disappointment of
the crowd that had gathered to receive Abacha. Abdulsalami
was careful not to disclose that Abacha had collapsed and
had been confined to Aso Rock.
The
important lesson here is for us to reflect on what the consequences
would have been for our beloved Lagos if Abacha had indeed
made the trip and had for whatever reason had died in enemy
territory in Lagos. All evidence suggested that all hell
would have been let loose and reign of terror of unimaginable
proportions would have been unleashed on Lagos. Exactly
a week later, Abacha died in mysterious circumstances in
the hands of his own enemies within his own fortress at
Aso Rock, Abuja.
What
I find amazing is the allegation on a phone-in-radio programme
by someone who claimed to be a confidant of General Sani
Abacha that the military dictator was not only planning
to remain in power till 2010, he really meant to become
the life President of Niger a. However, that was not all.
He planned to install his son as his successor and institutionalize
the Abacha dynasty. That is amazing and truly bizarre!!
However,
the truth of the matter is that Abacha was much smarter,
far more cunning and a great deal shrewder than he was ever
given credit for. What he had done was to cleverly converge
both military and northern interest in himself. Had he been
killed during his aborted visit to Lagos, the consequences
would have been devastating. Indeed, it could well have
triggered off a civil war that would have convoluted along
an axis of not only north versus south but also (possibly)
Islam versus Christianity. We must never forget that regardless
of the brutality of his regime, General Abacha took great
pains to project himself as a devout Moslem public. What
he did in private, particularly his obsession with star-gazers,
marabouts and fortune-tellers was a different matter. To
further complicate his already complex character and to
confuse those who perceived him as the demon incarnate,
Abacha warmly invited and heartily welcomed the frail Pope
John Paul II to the inner sanctum of the presidential villa,
Aso Rock to pray for him and his family!!
Perhaps
we should retrace our steps and focus on the legitimate
expectations of Lagos and how those expectations were first
compromised and eventually subverted. Ultimately, they were
aborted but through it all there was a consistent thread-NEGLECT.
However, more discerning minds have pointed out that, that
scale of neglect was possible only because Lagosians themselves
were neglect or consensual. The accusation that is regularly
leveled against Lagosians (including the Aworis of course)
is that we are too cavalier in our attitude and too easily
seduced or intimidated. This only a polite way of saying
we are cowardly and unserious!! That is how we came about
the derogatory tag: ‘Eko for Show” which roughly
translates as “Lagos is all glitz and glamour (but
no substance)” We have a moral obligation to fight
against such ethnic profiling and sobriquets. They are most
demeaning and outrightly insulting. We started derailing
a long time ago, well before the creation of Lagos State.
Again, when our state was created in 1967 we failed to reach
a consensus on the definition of our self-interests which
would be jealously guarded for future generations. All we
did was talk and once the state was created it was followed
by jubilation. After that each went his/her separate ways
once the political spoils-appointment as commissioners;
permanent secretaries; ambassadors; chairmen of parastatals
etc were shared. The sharing of land (a great deal of which
actually belonged to the Awori) was a different kettle of
fish; but we shall come to that later.
Actually,
we may just as well tackle the land issue now. Some of you
of course know that the Oluwa family of which our chairman
is an illustrious scion owned large tracts of land in Apapa
and Ijora stretching all the way to Kirikiri canal.
My
late father, Chief J. K. Randle was a friend of the late
Chief Ajasa Oluwa (who I believe was the uncle of our Chairman).
They were at King’s College together and they both
loved dog and horse racing. About fifty years ago, my father
and a handful of friends planned to build a huge horse-racing
track (with facilities for dog-racing) in Lagos. Chief Ajasa
Oluwa, who was also a sports enthusiast and familiar face
at the Lagos Races (Horse-racing) at the then Racecourse
(now known as Tafawa Balewa Square) implored them to buy
land, which he would make available, from the vast estates
of the Oluwa family. Somehow, it did not go through. Instead,
my father bought several hundred acres of land in the Isheri
and Agidingbi area from the Ashade family who are Aworis.
And
has been the common experience of all those who have attempted
to buy land from the Aworis, they have a reputation which
suggests in local language that: “The Aworis never
sell their land and you (the buyer) never finish paying!!’
In practice, what obtains is that you negotiate for the
land and pay whoever you believe is the rightful owner.
After a few years, a branch of the same family would turn
up to dispute the sale of the land and demand payment all
over again-and it just goes on and like that, presumably
until you are exhausted to the point you simply surrender
the land back to them!! I am sure that, that is no longer
the case especially having regard to the promulgation of
the Lad Use Decree in 1978 by General Olusegun Obasanjo
who was then the Military Head of State of Nigeria By that
Decree (which later became an Act), all land was vested
in the government. Thereafter, General Ibrahim Babangida
promulgated Decree 52 of 1993 and the Ports, Acts which
vested even the foreshore of Lagos in the government!! It
was calculated on the basis of 100 metres from the shoreline.
In effect, even the Palace of the Oba of Lagos would become
Federal Government land.
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