By ‘Dayo Showemimo
The statement credited to the Oba of Lagos, His Royal Highness Rilwan Akiolu against Lagos residents of the South East extraction of Nigeria has continued to elicit reactions from Nigerians. In this Facebook post, Chief Tony Okoroji, chairman of the COSON Board writes about it.
Titled ‘The Lessons of Oba Akiolu’s Misadventure’, read his piece below…
His Royal Highness Oba Rilwan Akiolu goofed big time. I have thought of it deeply and have come to the conclusion that maybe it is a good thing that he goofed. Now, the wind has blown and we have seen the bottom of the cock. Now we know who our Oba is and we know how deserving he is of the respect that we had hitherto given him. One thousand new statements from the palace signed by anyone else cannot change what the Oba did. The royal father must know that he owes the Igbos an unreserved PERSONAL apology.
I have no doubt that this sad event and the firestorm it has created has taught all of us important lessons. After this, anyone in any kind of power who had plans to insult the Igbos will remember Oba Akiolu. Indeed, anyone in any position of power who after this, singles out any ethnic group for abuse must have his head examined.
This development is not just about the Igbos but about all of us. It is a big warning to all those who stoke ethnic and religious hatred and use them as their main currency in whatever political gamble they are engaged in. This lesson needed to be learnt as we embark on the journey towards a better nation.
I have many Yoruba, Hausa and Ibibio friends. I have Edo, Efik, Ibira, Kanuri, Idoma, Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri friends. I have friends from all over Nigeria whose character and personalities I admire. I love them. For me, the appeal to tribe and religion is despicable and an attempt to set our country on fire. All Nigerians must say no to it no matter where they come from.
In the fullness of time, we the people of Lagos must decide the quality of the person who will henceforth wear a crown on our behalf or indeed if we still need anyone to wear any crown. When I talk about the people of Lagos, I mean all of us who love Lagos and have made it our home and contribute to its greatness. While my parents come from Igbo land which heritage I am exceedingly proud of, I also consider myself a Lagosian because I have spent much of my life in Lagos and contributed exceedingly to its development.
I wish to respectfully appeal to my kith and kin of Igbo extraction to bury the hatchet. We have made our point. Rilwan Akiolu is not a candidate in Saturday’s election. We will be giving too much respect to the Oba if in anger he becomes the reason why we vote for or against one of the candidates. We must vote our conscience and our interest and vote wisely because we have a big stake in Lagos. The Igbo man must refuse to be a pawn in this game.
Neither Jimmy Agbaje nor Akinwunmi Ambode, both fine gentlemen and key candidates in the governorship election has insulted us. I have followed their campaign closely and each of them has given my brothers and sisters appropriate respect. It will therefore be unfair for us to visit our anger on them.
Let’s chill.
