By Osagie Alonge
Bola Tinubu‘s first daughter, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo has been installed as the new ‘Iyaloja General of Nigeria’, the President General of the Market Men and Women of Nigeria.
The installation which coincided with the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu 1’s 70th birthday was done on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at palace of the Oba of Lagos.
Several blogs seemed to be confused with the development and have misreported the news: Folashade Tinubu-Ojo is NOT the new ‘Iyaloja of Lagos’. That title (which has been vacant for over 100 years), was yesterday also bestowed on Bintu Tinubu, mother of the Oando boss, Wale Tinubu.
Tinubu-Ojo succeeds her grandmother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, who held the title until her death on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at the age of 96.
In related news, commercial activity was put to a near halt yesterday because of the installations. Several markets at Iyana Ipaja, Egbeda, Ikeja, Oshodi, Agege which are usually populated had their stalls and shops closed. Apparently, they had been ordered by the ‘Association of Nigerian Market Women and Men’ leaders to close and attend the installations.
Mr Friday, a spare-parts dealer at Iyana Ipaja was particularly upset with the matter; ‘Why should I close my shop because they are putting someone as president somewhere, why must my business suffer?’.
Most traders who decided not to attend the event hung around the closed shops explaining to customers to come over the next day (Wednesday).
‘See, I have not sold anything this morning, I will not make money today, I have been asking customers to come back tomorrow’, a store owner at Computer Village, Otigba, Ikeja told NET.
A food seller whose bulk of customers are store traders was in tears as said she was not told about the installation. ‘Who will buy my food now, this people no sabi sey we get family?’.
We are told markets were meant to be shutdown throughout the South West. We could not immediately confirm this.
