8th March, 2016
Paul Iyoghojie
Following last week’s deadly ethnic clash at Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos, western Nigeria, which claimed lives with properties worth millions of Naira destroyed, the Seriki of Ikoyi/Obalende, Alhaji Adamu Umar, has appealed to all Yoruba, Hausa and other tribes living in Ikoyi/Obalende to continue to live like brothers and sisters and not allow the incident that happened at Mile 12 recently to spread to Ikoyi/Obalende.
Umar advised that since all the residents in Ikoyi/Obalende have been living together peacefully for the past 100 years without any problem, no external forces should be allowed to bring disunity in the area for selfish and parochial reasons.
The monarch stated this at his palace recently when the Obalende Landlords Association Chairman, Prince Soji Ladejobi led an Obalende indigene, Captain Nurudeen Olokowo and others to the Seriki’s Palace on a peace seeking mission and to congratulate the Monarch on his emergence as the new Seriki Hausawa of Ikoyi/Obalende LGA, Lagos.
Other dignitaries on the entourage of Prince Ladejobi include Mr Bankole Adeniran, P.A. to Jide Akinloye, member Federal House of Representatives, Mr Joseph Iregbulem, former Secretary of Ikoyi/Obalende LGA, Alhaja Sekinatu Barry, a Woman leader in Obalende and a host of others.
Speaking at the palace, Prince Soji Ladejobi told Seriki: “I led Nurudeen Olokowo and others to your palace on a peace mission to solicit for your assistance to ensure that the cordial relationship that has existed among the Hausa, Yoruba and other tribes in Ikoyi/Obalende, Lagos for the past 100 years is sustained following the avoidable ethnic clash that occurred at Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos recently, and as well as to congratulate you on your emergence as the new Seriki Hausawa of Ikoyi/Obalende after so many years of vacuum.
“I also led Olokowo to inform you that he has been one of the best leaders in Obalende who has been fostering peace among all the tribes in Obalende, and who despite the fact that he had never held any government portfolio, single handedly provided three boreholes worth about N15m in 2015 for the residents to enable them have water to drink, and that is why I came with him to your palace because Olokowo has been an asset in peace making in Obalende.”
In his response, Alhaji Adamu Umar thanked Ladejobi and Olokowo for the visit and said: “as the new Seriki Hausawa in Ikoyi/Obalende LGA, I promis to carry everybody along to ensure that Hausa, Yoruba and other tribes in Obalende continue to live in peace.
“I also promise to always hold regular stakeholders’ meeting with all the Hausa people and other tribes in Ikoyi Obalende to sustain the age long peace in the area.”
From left, Prince Soji Ladejobi, Seriki Obalende, Alhaji Adamu Umar, Captain Nurudeen Olokowo in a group photograph at the palace
From right, Seriki Alhaji Adamu Umar, Prince Soji Ladejobi, Captain Nurudeen Olokowo in red attire sitting on the floor at the palace and others.