Eko Is Not For Sale

It is important to go far back on the history of Eko before those who suddenly discover “Lagos” mischievously call it A No Man’s Land! When we were growing up, our parents employed us to continue the liberal culture to the point that whenever a stranger enters Eko at dusk; we must make sure he is fed, clothed and given a place to sleep before dawn. Little did we realize that some of the strangers came with a mission to take over!

Many of them raised their children never to trust Yoruba. Some have a goal of dipping the Koran into the Atlantic Ocean and others want to lead the Yoruba Government on the native soil. There were a few towns with Federal presence before Eko. Calabar, Port Harcourt and now Abuja have Federal stations but not the cultural environment of accommodation, tolerance and liberal (now called Woke) that made Eko unique. Funny how proud conservatives love the “woke” Eko.

The first choice of their Emirs, chiefs, politicians, professors and billionaires for relocation after being chased, prosecuted or persecuted; is either Eko or Ibadan for the freedom of Live and Let Live culture. Those who came for schooling from primary to university level hardly return home because they are welcomed. Most followed their role models and mentors while some were trying to snatch glory from the shoulder of the giant!

Ikeja Industrial and Housing Estates created demands for workers all over Africa. Free Education attracted more Nigerians locally and teachers worldwide. There were American Peace Corps, Canadian CUSO International Canadian University Service Overseas and many Asian teachers that were employed. Though Peace Corps and CUSO were Non-Profit Volunteer organizations, some of them stayed after their initial deployment.

Eko or Lagos that many of the strangers focus on based on its generous culture, social and economic survival, are privileges of the surrounding Yoruba culture that nourished the environment. Others took their businesses to Lagos in particular and Western Nigeria in general because of the large patronage of informed or educated consumers.

Eko is not even the capital of Yorubaland. Ibadan is the capital of Yoruba political economy with all respect to Ile-Ife all the Yoruba originated from and respect. But for the bravery of Ibadan, the Western Region could have been run over by jihadist looking for the loot of wars. Distractors living in Western Region at the edge of Eko, also known as Lagos, think they live in the original Eko, later named Lagos by Portuguese.

The dream and stories that encourage most strangers to “Go West Young Man Go West” like they were digging the goldrush of California, have been conveniently forgotten by ascribing the origin of Lagos to many of these invaders from the Portuguese, British to Yoruba cousins like Bini. They were all repulsed or confined.

While it is true that invaders come and go, the main natural attractions in Eko before it was named Lagos have never changed, it has gotten better. Those who temporarily invaded Eko and named it Lagos during the Slave Trade have relinquished their claims on Eko by tulasi or force, court orders all the way to the Privy Council in London. Distractors deliberately ignored these just to lay a new claim on the land named Lagos for the naturality Yoruba had engineered.

The most recent is the takeover of Ikoyi by the Federal that had to revert back to the Onikoyi Family after they moved the capital to Abuja. The British had reserved Ikoyi for themselves and called it European Quarters. This was where they built their exclusive conveniences exclusively for Europeans. Even before Independence in 1960, Nigerian senior civil servants and ministers allocated many of the houses to themselves.

Whenever Adelabu Adegoke was in Ikoyi Government Reservation Area, he made sure he brought his drummers to wake him up in the mornings giving loud signals to Europeans that hated the “noise” of the drummers so early to make them aware that they did not belong. If they did not know what the drums were saying or like the drummers, they could go back to their own land. This land belongs to the people of Western Nigeria.

The Ojora family also won a long battle in court after many years to reclaim their land from Ijora to Ajegunle. Many illegal occupiers took it for granted that the land they illegally built on would eventually belong to them after bribing Government officials and paying scammers to change the ownership into their names. Many of the places beyond Carter Bridge were farms of Omo-Eko where parents took their children in those days for picnics.

The Oluwa Tijani of Isale-Eko, with the help of Herbert Macaulay fought the British in court until the case got to the Privy Council where the final order returned Eko land to Idejo Chiefs, the Omo Onile of Eko land. Only a portion was named Lagos by the Portuguese. This famous case laid the precedent throughout Africa on the land occupied by the Europeans confiscated or taken for their needs by their “overriding” interest.

As far back as the 14 to 15 Centuries and after the Abolition of Slave trade, those Yoruba taken away remembered where exactly they came from. Instead of going back to the innerland, most of them stayed with their kin in Eko and built a replica of the houses they loved when in Brazil, America and Europe. Today we have the Brazilian Quarters called Popo Aguda and some old British architecture. Badagry Slaves' Departure point is still preserved for historical purposes.

Though many of the returned ex-slave and freeborn bear foreign names, they never forgot their Yoruba names and roots. They gave themselves compound names by adding English to their Yoruba names, as they fancied. They all retain their Yoruba Oriki which include names, where they came from and the historical roles of their families. Those who think Omo-Eko with English or Brazilian names do not know where they came from, need to dig deeper in history.

But for Ija-Ore-Le, “Lagos Is Within Reach” Victor Banjo, a Yoruba commander, who fought for Biafra, realized that the Asaba they easily captured was not Ore: Asaba No Be Ore o! Banjo was instructed to proceed to Eko and wait for instructions on who would be Governor in Lagos. Little did they realize that the memory of how Fulani captured Ilorin was still fresh like an old wound that awakened the Yoruba survival instinct.

Never again! Palm-wine tappers and ragtag soldiers joined the Army to repel battalions of Biafran Army that were planning to invade Eko. No power in the world or locally has been able to hold on to Eko land in history. People only revised history to suit their inklings in order to be accepted as Omo-Eko. But the Eko families are not that many and they know one another by ancient Oriki or history.

Outsiders may lease a land for 99 years, but it reverts back to the owners thereafter. This is also true of the land in Western Nigeria. We do not sell, we may lease. So, before you think a part of Lagos belongs to you, check your agreement again or seek the counsel of a well-qualified legal professional. Right of occupancy is not absolute freehold ownership. It requires the Governor’s consent before you can transfer it to outsiders. Even then, with recent abuses, Good Luck!