NAN-H-32
Lagos
By Olanrewaju Akojede
Lagos, Dec. 15, 2016 (NAN) Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, former Vice-Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos State, has said that referring to Lagos as a `No man’s land’ could be inciting to the original owners of the land.
Olukoju made the assertion while delivering the 8th Convocation Lecture, titled “Restructuring and Rebirth: Salvaging Nigeria’s Lost Century’’, of the Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun.
The erudite historian said that branding Lagos as no man’s land would not be taken lightly by the first settlers of the land.
“To me, calling Lagos a no man’s land is inciting. As a historian, every land has its origin and first settlers are believed to be the original owners of the land.
“The original people of Lagos will not be happy that people are annexing their land and calling it a no man’s land. There is never a land without an origin.
“If people have been accommodating enough to give their lands out to foreigners, they should reciprocate the good gesture by being a good visitor and not trying to take their land.
“I live and work in Lagos but have my village in Ondo State. I will not like my land to be referred to as a no man’s land,’’ he said.
Olukoju said that Lagos had suffered neglect in the past, adding that to promote competitive federalism, Lagos must be accorded its true status.
“Lagos is the epitome of the marginalisation of indigenous people in Nigeria. What rankles indigenes of the state is that reference no man’s land.
“An indigene of Lagos, Dr Gbolahan Ali-Balogun, once lamented: `If you say Lagosians are accommodating, yes, I can live with that.
“I can’t live with the saying that `Lagos belongs to nobody. Of course, it is an illiterate thing to say my view.
“We are all citizens of the world, but some people are always indigenous to an area and you cannot take that away,’’ he said.
Olukoju said that peaceful co-existence should be harped on mutual understanding between the host and the visitors in all spheres of life and most importantly during elections.
“Limiting elective rights to indigenes is an affirmation of confidence and trust in their ability to manage the affairs of their homelands.
“This is in our respective native communities without an oppressive immigrant majority breathing down our necks.
“Those who wants to press their ethnic block votes to deny the indigenes their democratic right can exercise their freedom of choice without necessarily causing chaos.
“We should promote mutual respect and peaceful co-existence between indigenes and residents and also promote competitive federalism as receptive and recipient zones will benefit from such migration,’’ he said.
On residency and citizenship rights, Olukoju said that Nigerians should exercise their rights to vote without any encumbrance.
“On the citizenship and indigeneship right, I propose that every Nigerians should exercise the right to vote anywhere without hindrance.
“Any citizen should be eligible for appointment to public offices as a resident anywhere in Nigeria. Citizenship and residency rights will also entitle anyone to hold non-elective offices anywhere in Nigeria.
“Electoral representation gives voice to the people being represented and it is only a native of the place who has historical and emotional attachment to it and can reasonably speak for it.
“If we neglect our history, we will be just like the Native Americans and Aborigines that are exiled to native reserves which we are witnessing now,’’ he said.
Olukoju said that restructuring Nigeria should be looked into holistically and with sincerity of purpose, adding that it would make the country stronger.
“For Nigeria to get result in restructuring, we must consider our divergent views and adopt a national consensus on competitive regionalism, devolution of power and resource control.
“We must also provide an economy geared towards production, de-homogenisation of educational, local government and administrative systems; the use of national demographic and cadastral data and integrity and transparency in government.
“Nigeria must also cut short its impunity in governance in political offices, reversal of the ratio of budgetary allocation in favour of capital security votes and reduction of parliamentary committees.
“Above all, whatever structures we design will require optimal success, a combination of responsible, legacy-oriented leadership within the ambit of strong democratic institutions,’’ he said. (NAN)
KOJE/PDE
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(Editing by Peter Ejiofor)