The monarch of Nigeria’s biggest commercial city, Lagos has been in the news recently for the wrong reasons. HENRY ODUAH takes an insight into his personality and issues surrounding the threat he issued to the Igbo in Lagos.
In modern day Nigeria, traditional rulers are largely ceremonial in terms of function and serve advisory roles. They are highly respected and regarded as fathers of the land. In fact, to drive home their importance, politicians seek their support to sway their subjects in order to get votes.
Before now, one could say that the Lagos Island traditional stool – the Oba of Lagos – ranked among the most wanted in the country, but the Oba of Lagos, HRH Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu I, last week dented not only his personal image but the image of the throne and the country. The international community would probably be wondering why such a person is on the throne in the first place.
Oba Akiolu was born in Isale-Eko in 1943. He joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Inspector and rose to the position of Assistant Inspector General of Police before he retired in 2002. He was crowned King of Lagos on May 23, 2003. He is the chairman of the Council of Obas in Lagos.
Recently, this monarch seems to be miring the revered throne in controversy.
On Easter Sunday, April 5, the monarch gave a “special” Easter gift to the Igbo resident in Lagos. While addressing some Igbo men who call themselves Eze Ndigbo in Diaspora in the state who visited his palace, the visibly angry king said: “On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me.”
The monarch, showing off his position as traditional ruler of Lagos, continued: “Jonathan is my son and I speak to him every day. By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the dead and those coming in the future.”
The monarch then dropped the bomb: “On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water.
“I’m not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi (Agbaje) is my blood relation and I told him that he cannot be governor in Lagos for now. The future belongs to God. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere, don’t do it here.”
As if that was not enough, the Oba wielded the carrot and the stick: “If you do what I want, Lagos will continue to be prosperous for you. If you go against my wish, you will perish in the water.
“I am for the progress, growth and development of Lagos. Ambode is highly cerebral, he’s a symbol and he is going to deliver the message which I, the Oba of Lagos, have said. And he will govern the state for another eight years.
“He is going on a mission, and God will give him the wisdom and knowledge to fulfil that mission. Almost a year ago, I declared that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos and it will not change.”
In an attempt to stamp his authority and perceived decree, Oba Akiolu added that “from time immemorial, the previous occupiers of this house would say what they wanted after consultations with other people. And this hasn’t changed and it will not change at this time.”
When his comment went viral through the social media, reactions literally smeared the throne, which might have caused the monarch to regret ever making the comment. However, while some Igbo leaders have dragged the Oba to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), others insist he must apologise to the Igbo. But some Lagosians claim that the Oba does not apologise.
Apparently to douse tension, the 72-year-old king swiftly clarified controversies raised by the threats in a statement signed by the Opeluwa of Lagos, Lateef Ajose, on behalf of the palace.
“My attention has been drawn to a publication in a national newspaper, where HRM Oba Rilwanu Akiolu was alleged to have threatened Igbo in Lagos to make them vote for Ambode.
“Last Sunday, all honorary Eze Ndigbo in Lagos paid a courtesy visit to HRM Oba Akiolu. At the meeting, the visitors praised the Oba for his fatherly support for and cooperation with the Igbo in Lagos. They assured him of their continued good neighbourliness with other tribes in Lagos and support everything that will further strengthen that harmony.
“Oba Akiolu, on his part, acknowledged the enviable performance of Governor Fashola and his contribution to the growth of investments in Lagos. He gave the assurance that he was not disturbed or angry with South East and South South votes for President Jonathan as perceived by the Eze Ndigbos. The Oba thereafter called on the Igbo chiefs to show appreciation to Lagos State by supporting his candidate, Mr. Ambode, for continuity of excellence, as they have earlier promised.
“He assured them of his continued support and assistance where needed and the meeting ended with the traditional breaking of kola nuts, alligator pepper and bitter kola, and pouring of libation on the ground. It was within this context that the tradition of Lagos with regard to the lagoon came up. It was noted that ‘whoever works against the throne and the interest and peaceful co-existence of Lagos would end up in the lagoon as per tradition’.
“Oba Akiolu stated further that the Igbo people have not betrayed the throne. Lagos has also not betrayed the Igbo people. Lagos has done so much to make the Igbo comfortable and to prosper. For this, we expect reciprocal respect and understanding. The Oba of Lagos prays that the lagoon and the throne will continue to bless and protect all those who reside and visit Lagos.
“Oba Akiolu is the father of all, irrespective of tribe, religion or political persuasion. In Lagos, we have an old traditional proverb that relates to the lagoon. The lagoon is unique to Lagos. The proverb stresses the need for unity and understanding when you do business in an environment and in this case when you live and do business in Lagos.
“Oba Akiolu prays for peace for the land of Lagos and prosperity for all its inhabitants,” the statement read.
Notwithstanding, strong and deserved condemnations from both the Igbo in Lagos and in other parts of the country and even non-Igbo have rained heavily on the traditional ruler, majority of whom have taken to Twitter to drop their disapproval of the monarch’s lavish threats.
On Wednesday, April 8, an Igbo lady tweeted: “The Igbo have helped build Lagos into a megacity. The Jews who control the economy of America and Europe do not control political power, but dictate who goes there. In Malaysia and the rest of East and South East Asia, the Chinese also do not control political power, but no political leader tries to mess with them. Mahatir tried it during his tenure as prime minister and failed. The Oba should not mess with the Igbo.”
Among celebrities, Producer and Chief Executive Officer of Mavin Records, Don Jazzy, took another turn in the issue saying that the Oba could be indirectly campaigning for Jimi Agbaje, PDP Lagos governorship candidate. “#What If Oba actually codedly wants PDP to win? And is counting on us reacting to his statement. #Justasking o. Cos he said he is related to JK. Hmmm blood is thicker than party o,” he tweeted.
Erudite scholar and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, surprisingly tweeted in the early hours of Tuesday that Oba Akiolu was joking when he made the threat. “The arena of politics is a slippery slope. The remarks by the Oba of Lagos are inappropriate, but all who know him know he talks so in jest. I have known Oba Akiolu for 20 years. He says worse to me every time we see, but I have no doubt he is fond of me. How do you tell outsiders so? Typical of Oba as he sees me: Pat, go return our land where you built that Lagos Business School. I respond: hold Asiwaju who signed C of O.”
This is, however, not the first time the monarch will be involved in a controversial statement. In an interview published in The Sun on February 1, 2015, the Eleko of Eko claimed that every man who said he had only one wife actually had mistresses.
“Any man who says he has one wife is deceiving himself. All those who say they have one wife have mistresses outside. I am going to be 72 now and I cherish beautiful women and nobody can stop me. I like women and I can’t do without women. They are two different things… I have many women friends now. I can marry more wives now. There’s nothing they can do. If I ask them and they go with me, good. If not, good luck,” he said.
What is more depressing is that while the Oba of Lagos delivered apparently anti-Igbo remarks that Sunday, Igbo leaders, who made up his audience, cheered him on, to raise suspicions that some jute bags changed hands to convince the Igbo to vote for the APC.
And in a pitiful show of shame, the Eze Ndigbo of Amuwo-Oriade, Dr. Gordian Dimojiaku, who was one of the delegates, promised that the Igbo in the state would support Akinwunmi Ambode, the APC Lagos governorship candidate.
“The mistake of last Saturday, March 28 was caused by everybody, not only the Igbo. It is not only the Igbo that were responsible for the votes. But we have learnt our lesson. Saturday’s April 11, election is going to be a different thing and Ambode is going to win.
“Everybody knows that when you fail the first time, you cannot afford to fail again. We are going to tell our people that Ezes from the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas are here and that we have sworn with the Oba that we are going to make sure that Ambode wins next Saturday’s election,” he said.
However, while the APC has apologised to the Igbo that the monarch was not a valid member of the party and consequently could not speak for the party, the Lagos PDP has called for his suspension until after the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The Eleko of Eko in November last year expressed his intention of never wanting to see PDP control Lagos government at the launching of the autobiography of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Mustapha Akanbi, in Abuja.
Unfortunately, he is unaware that his jibe at the Igbo portrays Ambode in bad light and might have ruined Ambode’s chances of securing the state’s top job.
The Oba, who should be worried about the on-going suit in a Lagos High Court challenging the legality of his ascension to the throne, keeps getting involved with party politics.
While other Yoruba monarch tried hard to stay away from partisan politics, the Lagos Oba struts about the political terrain without thinking of the caution pedals.