Hayot:
The fall of Lagos into the hands of the invaders during the presidential elections rattled me for some days. The possibility that I can wake up one morning to discover that my Governor is one Chinedu frightens me to the marrow. I don’t even know whether to begin this piece with an apology to those who may prefer a discourse on nationality to ethnicity. However, in a situation where there is an existential threat to what defines my identity and humanity, subscription to sophomoric courtesies becomes a matter of tendentious indulgence. I want to start with a narrative on my origin since the crux of the matter is about heritage.

I am a comprehensive Lagosian. I am from Lagos Island. My great grandfather, Richard Odeliyi Thomas was one of the first merchants cum settlers to build mansions in Lagos Island circa 1854. It was in that mansion he had his first son , my grandfather, Josiah Akinwande Thomas on August 27, 1882. With some arrogant modesty typical of an average Lagosian, let me say, he was a very wealthy man. His mansion was not the only testament of his wealth, the Street was named after him. In the whole of Lagos Island at that time, 8 and 10 Richards Lane was seen as “Ile baba olowo” .That was my great grandfather’s house. He shared this corridor of affluence with some other great Lagos families like the Shitta-Beys, the Kumolu-Johnsons, the Derbys, the Browns, the Benjamins, the Akinsemoyins, the Wolfs, the Foresythes, the Bangboses. To crown it all, his second son, Chief C.A Thomas was married to the daughter of the famous Candido Da Rocha. So, between Breadfruit Street, Richards Lane, Shitta Street and Kakawa Street, we had the Lagos greats whose houses and cars were the insignia of their opulence and splendour.

After about 100 years into the existence of the mansion, precisely 1956, the LEDB came up with a re-development project for Lagos Island. This project, conceived but not executed , led to the resettlement of my family and several others in what was called New Lagos now Surulere. Today, the Akinsemoyins and the Da Rochas still retain their family houses in Lagos Island. But the Thomases, the Shitta Beys, the Derbys, the Foresythes, the Browns and the Benjamins had been dispatched to Surulere. I know that apart from their house in Surulere, the Shitta-Beys had been able to come up with a “sokolo” bungalow in the Shitta-Bey court on Martin Street.

As for me and my family, there is nothing to show that my great grandfather ever lived or owned a street in Lagos Island. The entire stretch of the street is now a flourishing market for costume hawkers. The house which should serve as a memorabilia for me and my children and grandchildren has become an agora for assorted merchandise. But thank GOD for my aunty, Mrs Yéwándé Oyediran, Da Rocha’s granddaughter who has been living in Da Rocha’s Kakawa’s house for many decades now, I probably won’t have anything to show for my “Lagos Islandness” . In three years time, my father’s house in Surulere (Barracks) will be 70 years. Same for my mother’s house in Barracks.

My mother has her own house courtesy of my great grandmother, Moriamo Ashabi Buraimoh. She too was resettled in Surulere when the LEDB demolished her house in Ita Akanni, Lagos Island. Some years back, some of my uncles toyed with the idea of selling the house because it belongs to my great- grandmother. I stopped them. You don’t need the details. As for my father’s house, I do not envisage any problem because GOD has blessed all of us with our own houses. As the first born, I have told my seven siblings (almost all of them live abroad) to use the place as a hospitality facility just for the purpose of maintenance. As at now, our mother still lives there and running her canteen business.

Enough of History. We may still come back to it though. I have gone into this long narrative of my Lagos island background to show how painful it could be for one to be detached from his roots. Though I still have my family houses in Surulere, there is nothing that can ever compensate for the separation of you and your source, or better still, you from your source. You can now imagine how petrified I will be to now harbour the fear that I could lose my land to strangers. I don’t even want to imagine such a scenario for a day let alone four years, eight years or even forever knowing what these invaders are capable of doing to the land if they succeed.
I have been asking myself how we got to this precipice. First was our accommodationist policy. Enslaved by the concept of “Omoluabi”, we opened our doors to all asundry, particularly to the invaders from the east, pampering them with lavish and amazing hospitality” thinking that our generousity towards them will be a kind of investment for future political cooperation and alliance.

Unfortunately, this has not worked for us. It is ending up like a dangerous investment. Our hospitality is coming back to hurt us and is threatening our existence as a people and our collective heritage. When a people you gave shelter to in your house start interrogating your ownership of the land, then you should know that an invasion is brewing. When a people that should show gratitude for being treated with dignity start questioning your authority, you should know that an invader is within your vicinity. When you start admitting strangers on your land without defined borders and territorial limitations, then you are courting encroachment. When you keep selling your family houses to the highest bidders from the East, then you should be ready to be harangued by strangers someday. Our kindness has become a powerful instrument of territorial appropriation in the hands of our visitors.

Again, with aggressive invaders all over you, you are displaying open hatred for your community head thus exposing the cracked wall in your house to the lurking lizard. Tinubu, your own son, who governed the land for 8 years became your enemy. You ganged up against him and started persecuting and abusing him for doing good for the land. What was his crime? You accused him of imposing strangers as leaders. The first person you called a stranger was Akinwande Ambode. Was he really a stranger? He said he is from Epe, you said he is from Ilaje in Ondo State. I was personally involved in the whole selection drama of Ambode but I will leave that for another day. Now, when Oga stopped him from going for second term because of pressure from within, you were all happy. About four years after, see what happened. The same Ondo people you stopped their son from doing second term returned an amazing number of votes that gave Tinubu the eventual victory. Let’s move to Jide Sanwo-Olu. You protested again when he gave you Sanwo-Olu. You claimed he is from Ijebu when most of you know his matrilineal ancestry in Lagos Island. Again, it is this same Ijebu man whose state (Ogun) gave Tinubu a large chunk of the majority votes. Now, those of us who call ourselves indigenes, what did we give him in return? We connived with strangers to disgrace our own illustrious son because of envy and jealousy. But when GOD decided to disgrace us, HE made him the President of the whole nation as a compensation for our “iku ile” conspiracy in Lagos State. Sensing the grave danger ahead of us should Lagos fall into the hands of the enemy, we are now running kitikiti and katakata trying to undo our own “afowofa”.

Let us examine the “indigene” that the Labour Party has given to you as your governor. His name is Chinedu Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. Tinubu, a Yoruba leader, gave you Ambode from Ondo, you called him a stranger. He gave you Sanwo-Olu from Ijebu, you called him a stranger. Now, Obi of Anambra has given you Chinedu of Lagos, what are you going to call him? Can we now see where family squabbles and envy have led us? An Obi from Anambra who never did anything for the State is now the one calling the shots in my state. O ma ṣe o. It has really gone so bad that an Ibo man from Anambra is choosing a governor for us.

An Obi from Anambra who cannot boast of employing one Lagosian into the State Civil Service during his eight- year rule in Anambra now has the effontery to mobilize his own people and our own gullible, ignorant and naive children to install an Igbosian as governor of our State. Why should the preachment and practicalization of charity politics and no man’s land begin from Lagos ? Why not Anambra or Enugu? We, I mean Lagosians in particular and Yoruba in general, are undertaking a very dangerous and costly experiment capable of consuming our collective patrimony and heritage if not nipped in the bud NOW. It is very sad that we have found ourselves in a situation that “an indigene” is now wearing the regalia of Ndigbo to campaign for governorship in Lagos. So sad that we now find ourselves in a situation that “an indigene” of the State will be campaigning in Lagos with a retinue of Igbo women and men and chiefs with no Lagos women and Chiefs in attendance . It is unfortunate that we now have our own children who do not understand the politics of dynastic hegemony collaborating with strangers using a palatinate change slogan to de-establish themselves from their natural territory and joking with their traditional privileges and rights. I pray that one day we will not find the son of a royalty enmeshed in the unforced error of self-induced servitude. This is an electoral warfare that can only be fought with numbers NOT GUNS. What we need is effective and
massive mobilization and deployment of our human artillery to overcome this tyranny of ingratitude. There must be no physical combat. Let’s turn everything to a festival of votes by returning our own son, Jide Sanwo-Olu back to office and also use our victory at the polls as a conciliation between us and the President -elect who we betrayed. Yes, that was betrayal. How can we win all the Senatorial seats and almost all the House of Reps seats but failed to deliver in the Presidential election.? Ah, Yoruba, e ma buru o. Thank GOD, he is not our mate again. He is now the President of Nigeria. There is no doubt that GOD is always on the side of the righteous. We have been nice to them but they have been very very unkind to us. The way to show gratitude for our hospitality is not by snatching our precious heritage while preserving yours with aggressive intolerance. When we play politics, we should draw red lines. The desperation of a man in search of power should not constitute an existential threat to the heritage of a peaceful collectivity. Politics can accommodate profanity but heritage is all about sanctity. Obi wants power but Lagosians want the preservation of their territory. The slogan: Lagos is no man’s land is nothing but the creed of territorial banditry.

On the day of the governorship election, take the aged with PVC along, assist the physically -challenged who have PVC to the polls, go with your husband, don’t leave your wife behind, stroll to the polls with the youth in your house and neighborhood after you must have lectured them on the significance of heritage. Let them know that ethnicity is about national politics while local politics is about heritage and indigeneship. Ask them why they want to put a Chinedu in Alausa when their mobilizers cannot tolerate an Arẹmu in Anambra seat of power. If they now agree with you, please take them along. Please take them to the polls on conviction not by conscription so that they won’t get there and vote against us. You can also inform them-with the youth, you never can tell what will make them to change their minds-that Chinedu, LP’s gubernatorial candidate once twitted this scary message on Twitter “…..Biafra Day is a day to be acknowledged and respected.” The implication of this is that if he should win (GOD forbid), Lagos will automatically become IPOB’s strategic cantonment. Lagos will become the epicenter of Biafra war against the rest of the country. Tell your children that when IPOB turns Lagos to their FRONT LINE, they will not be able to identify them with the votes they cast for Chinedu but by the language they speak. Once you are identified as a Yoruba person, you are an adversary. There is no column for solidarity allies in any Frontline. Adversaries are adversaries. The fall of Lagos will trigger the domino theory because all the South West states are no longer safe. This is why every Yoruba son and daughter who has a voting status in Lagos state should arise on that day to go and vote for Jide Sanwo-Olu of APC in order to save Lagos, and by extension, Yorubaland from the impending Armageddon that the victory of Chinedu will bring to the land.

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God bless the OP, God bless Dapo Thomas.

I would like to correct that Mr Brown's house on Kakawa Street is still there. They never relocated, but the Akerele's and the Willoughby's did relocate.

Once more, God bless you. You captured the emotions of generality of Lagosians and Yorubas.

Charleys:
Don't you think the reason Lagos is facing these issues is because Lagos has never been governed by a Lagosian since democracy?

This is why you need to vote GRV as governor.
A real Lagosian. More indigenous than Sanwo Olu and Tinubu combined.

He is the new Architect of Lagos. No more voting for non-indigenes anymore.

His deputy is also a princess in Lagos... A princess not from any other state. But from Lagos.

.

What is the oriki of Rhodes-Vivour? Let's hear it.

jahsharon:
I think he has mental problems. He is contesting in Lagos, but he went to meet the king of Osun who brought together all Yoruba Obas to support Tinubu. I think this stupid boy is on drugs

You no see as Ooni dey look am?

Has he gone to visit Eleko?

Opintiwa:


Shatap your mouth

Dirty boxers

Obi ti lule pii lekan si.

PrinceOfLagos:

Christian or Muslim doesn't change the fact that they northerners

It matters a lot. Infact, it is the focal point of outcomes in North.

You dont know these things because you are dense and a disciple of a dullard.

We knew the calculations ahed. While your Obi was touring Churches, Tinubu was doing bala blabla blu and telling his photographers to upload pictures to internet that depicted him as weak, so you all can be entertained at his cost. That entertainment you all delighted in has paid off.

Have you heard any more gaffes from BAT since winning? Have you seen any more pictures of baba being helped to stand up from chair?

Those Northerners go soon put his picture on wall and gather at stadium to welcome thir President.

Tell Obi to enjoy his days in Church. The Christian body has moved on.

LibertyRep:
People like Joke Da Silva, Seyi Law, Eniola Badmus and other celebrities who didn't succumb to the bullying and intimidation deserve commendation.

Those who could abuse, bully, curse anyone online for their political choice are capable of doing same thing physically if given the chance.

The incidence at Lekki is unfortunate, but why close your eyes to the obvious one at Akwuzu River where bodies were clearly seen?

Lagos government even set up a panel of enquiry into the incidence and all parties represented. Guess what happened somewhere else, someone who should be questioned went to court to prevent being grilled by the panel.


I expect that the same energy deployed in dragging Lagos Govt should be directed to whoever was the Gov at Anambra when the bodies were found at Akwuzu River.

It all reek of double standard, hypocrisy and perhaps a path towards a predetermined agenda.

Awkuzu is the police station Endsars operated. Like saying Panti station, or Alagbon. Ezu River is where Obi told them to dump bodies of victims.

blamingthedevil:
Peter Obi didn't go to church today.

Election Period is over.




https://twitter.com/GoziconC/status/1632416772878893064

Lmao.

The hero has been defeated.

Pastors of doom were afraid to prophesize also. I wonder why. I guess God spoke to them and told them to shut up!

Lol.

Was this not the same lawyer Ipobians boasted about when he represented Adeleke in Osun 2019 and lost all way to Supremr Court?

He represented Atiku and lost.

You all know Yoruba lawyers remain the best in Nigeria. Tinubu has lorry loads of lawyers specialized on different subjects of the law.

Ikpeazu will be flogged at tribunal.

Massiveglory:
Tinubu will not be President of Nigeria.
The walls around him are fallen.

Bola tinubu is wasting his time. Anyone who loves him should advice him now there is time to give up.
The shame waiting for him will be too excruciating to bare.

Buhari set up a transition team few weeks ago. As we chat here, the incoming and exiting teams are meeting to concile notes for hand over.

Do you notice the letter head Tinubu used here, you recognize what it is?

President Tinubu will be sworn in.

If your father does not have an Oriki, Lagos is not your home.

Ask those claiming Lagos if their father has oriki.

Vinnie2000:


It's no Longer Funny!

IGBO this, Igbo that.

Just because PETER OBI came out to contest Presidency, Igbos have received lots of Curses and Hate

Just because the Rhode Vivour (Whose Father is a Founding Father of Lagos) came to contest Governorship and his Mother is Igbo,
Hell and Brimstone is threatened to be Unleashed.

The Yorubas Harbouring and Dishing out IgboPhobic Sentiments and claiming Igbo will Take over the state Should Relax.

IGBOS are in Warri, Yenagoa, Benin City, Markurdi, Kano, Sokoto,etc...
And They have NOT tried to do Anything like Take over!

IgboMan just wants to Make Money and impress (or Oppress) his Kinsmen @Home.

So These Yorubas, Chill, OK?.

How is his grandfather a founding father of Lagos?

Please enumerate what he contributed in development of Lagos?

temitope27:
The JAGABAN himself

Igbo Jews can go to hell

We Christian are happy for ASIWAJU victory

Wallahi!

OpzyGist:
The milestone of LP in the just-concluded Federal elections for the red and green chambers is no doubt credited to the fame and acceptance of the party’s flag bearer by an overwhelming youth majority known as ‘Obidients’.


Compared to its phenomenal stride in the 2023 elections, the LP did not get a single seat in the 2019 National Assembly elections.


Obi, the trader and former Anambra State governor changing the game and leading the new third force in Nigeria’s political sphere, was able to galvanise the support of millions of youths, especially in southern Nigeria, in less than a year since he moved to the LP from the PDP.


In the result declared by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu in last Saturday’s elections, in terms of party representation for the 10th Assembly, the INEC chief said APC won 57 Senate seats; the PDP, 29; LP, 6; SDP, 2; NNPP, 2; YPP, 1; and APGA, 1. For the lower chamber, the electoral chair said the APC has 162 seats; PDP, 102; LP, 34; NNPP, 18; APGA, ...

See the full details here:

https://opzygist.com.ng/local/labour-party-makes-inroads-into-nass-clinches-6-senate-34-reps-seats/

Even if LP and PDP form alliance APC will retain majority still. Tinubu will not have any problem getting his policies through the upper and lower chambers, or getting his cabinet appointments to pass.

Enemyofpeace:
Sourced from Apapo Oodua Koya, AOKOYA Intelligence Unit

In the past few months, we have tried to dig up information on the Labour Candidate Gubernatorial Aspirant in Lagos.

Not that we believe in the Nigerian elections but AOKOYA took the decision to dig up information about him for Yoruba Strategic Interest

1) He Gbadebo has good education having attended elite primary school beginning from Christland in Lagos, Nottingham and Paris plus University of Lagos.

2) He was born out of wedlock. His mother never married his father.

3) His mother is bitter after the experience she had with his father. He took Gbadebo away.

4) Gbadebo was fully adopted by his mother who hails from Anambra State.

5) Gbadebo other names are Chinedu, Ekweremadu and Okafor.

6) His wife, Nkechi is from Abia State

7) Gbadebo is driven by hate against his father who did not accept him and by implication against the Yoruba, the tribe of his father. He is blood bound with his mother and Igbo, his real identity.

Five Labour Candidates candidates were presented to Mr Peter Obi to lead Lagos. Obi insisted on Gbadebo Chinedu and rejected the other four, being fully Yoruba all from Lagos Island. The reason is because Chinedu who speaks Igbo fluently is from Anambra, the birthplace of Peter Obi.

9) Chinedu joined IPOB in 2016 in Onitsha and was the Deputy Commander for Anambra State between 2016 and 2017.

10) Chinedu held series of meetings with Nnamdi Kanu in London.

11) IPOB once said there won't be elections in the SE. One of the reasons IPOB stopped the attacks in the East to allow the election to hold was the negotiation IPOB had with Obi that IPOB should produce the LP candidate in Lagos State. IPOB in turn gave massive votes to Obi in the South East.

12) Many IPOB members and Igbos transferred their PVCs to Lagos State to support Gbadebo. Some came from West Africa sub region to register in Lagos as voters. The Igbo hold constant secret meetings mobilising for Gbadebo.

13) At present, IPOB provides his covert security when he goes out to campaign apart from police escort.

The above intelligence gathering is for Yoruba people and not for the sake of the grossly irresponsible and self serving Yoruba political elite whose economic Programmes continue to draw Yoruba back into the filthy dungeon of underdevelopment.

*Signed Col Abimbola Sowunmi*

For AOKOYA

Lagos State govt is very irresponsible. After the way Nnamdi Kanu directed Ibos to damage properties and burn Lagos during Endsars, you would think Governor and his cabinet has learnt to be vigilant. Now ipob is shipping terrorists to Lagos and they are incapable of intervening. Lagos can be easily destroyed and these freaks will not be able to protect it.

Thanks to Col. Sowunmi and AOKOYA.

So who knows his father? How are we even sure he was born to Rhodes-Vivour?

And where did his name Gbadebo come from? Ade is a totem for royal pedigree in Yorubaland.

Not engaging Nigerians but allowing them to be in disarray, thinking that the election would be free and fair. Believing that angels would guard the polls. This is so funny and I laughed

Na this part funny gaan.

I follow you laugh abeg.

It is true, Obi brought his Ibo clan in and they took over LP. They hijacked it like he said, and kept everyone that was not Ibo out.

The week before election, a chairman of LP in Bauchi or Gombe lamented they had not been given money and would abandon LP if that issue was not corrected in a 24hr ultimatum.
Then Aisha Yesufu has meeting and begged all state chairmen that she will disburse their money before the week was over.

Church prophets told Peter, God was directing his affairs, and God has taken over the election himself and would not give victory to muslims. So at that point Obi did not think he needed agents at polling stations.

Obi is a dullard.

Dshocker:


Sorry to burst your bubble, the igbos living down north are more successful in numbers than those living in Lagos.

Speaking of making it in Lagos, did they pick the money from the street of Lagos or did the state government helped and supported them financially.

If Lagos dey give money, why haven't the Yorubas all made it in the same Lagos.

The reason why igbos are doing well in Lagos, is because Lagos has the business population for any business to thrive.

My North is UP. I already know you are lying when your own North is DOWN.

Three out of top five Nigerian billionaires are Yoruba. There is no Ibo in the top 10. What else do you need for proof of our wealth?

The two wealthiest women in Nigeria are Yoruba.

We are blessed. You came to Lagos on our grace.

When riot breaks out in North your brothers up there dont go to SE. They come to Yorubaland to hide. They said if they return home armed robbers and kidnappers will target them. Many of them have become muslims in North and fear persecution if they return home. So they hide in Yorubaland. On top of that, those that were osu before they left home also fear discrimination in SE, so they avoid returning home. Iboland is HELL.

Yorubaland is your paradise. Be careful, or we drive you out and into HELL.

raskymonojendor:

Remember this video of Pat Utomi dancing behind Tinubu. Obi might have been played and deliberately used to split PDP's votes. Even Soludo tweeted to that effect about how effective Obi was going to split PDP's vote

Yes nau, that is Utomi helping clear road for Tinubu.

Utomi is Obi's boss in LP.

raskymonojendor:

Remember this video of Pat Utomi dancing behind Tinubu. Obi might have been played and deliberately used to split PDP's votes. Even Soludo tweeted to that effect about how effective Obi was going to split PDP's vote

What do you mean "might"?

I say Obi was a "puppet" in Tinubu's grand strategy to beat PDP at all cost.

Add Obi votes to Atiku, that's about 3million more votes than Tinubu got, and Atiku would have won.

There is nothing like "might". The dullard was used, but has been allowed to brag that he beat Tinubu.

Atiku should blame dull Obi for PDP loss, not INEC.