Head of Idejo chiefs in Lagos, Chief Fatai Olumegbon, speaks on the role of traditional rulers in the state and other topical issues in this interview with DAMOLA OGUNDIMU
Q: What is the place of traditional rulers in the affairs of Lagos State and what is government doing to elevate their status?
A: If the traditional rulers had not supported Governor Fashola during the election, how would we have known that he will be doing the good job he is doing now? Had we supported another candidate, it would have been a disaster because Governor Fashola has proved to be the best governor in the history of the state. The role of royal fathers could not be undermined because, for anyone to govern a state, he has to first and foremost pay homage to traditional rulers to help convince their subjects on why they should vote for him. There is no way you can divorce politics from tradition. The state, however, has to do more to improve the standard of living of royal fathers in terms of salary and other benefits. Governor Fashola has done well because, when he came, he bought cars for all the traditional rulers and provided fund to rehabilitate our palaces, but we are asking for more in terms of remuneration which is considered too small.
Q: How cordial is your relationship with some families in Ajah?
A: The only thing I thank God for is that we are no longer fighting, because if anyone feels cheated, he can head to the law courts for redress.
Q: What is the situation now in Ajah?
A: Very beautiful and peaceful. Things have definitely changed from what it was in the past eight years when the town looked like a village. Today, we have been able to achieve a lot through our collaboration with the Lagos State government, the Ado-Langbasa road, where commuters used to experience heavy traffic bottle neck has now become a thing of the past, because government has repaired it and a lot of rehabilitation work is going on in the area. In terms of education, I personally pleaded with the former Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kunle Lawal, to build a secondary school for us in Ajah and we thank God the plan is manifesting. Through my efforts too, the primary school we have has been refurbished. We have a standard market and motor park and, more important, the two warring families no longer fight themselves unlike in the past, which shows that very soon, everything will be settled and my plans for Ajah can manifest.
Q: Can you comment on the recently concluded Action Congress primary election and the local government election holding this Saturday?
A: As I said before, traditional rulers are not meant to be partisan politicians, but in our domain, we all know what is happening. Before I became a traditional ruler, I was a strong politician and the truth is that, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has proved to be a great leader and true democrat. He performed brilliantly in the primary election of the AC, despite some claims that some candidates were selected which is expected, because in politics, you can’t satisfy everybody. There are some people that have been serving the party loyally for years and someone can’t just come and say because he has money, he can upturn the decision made by party leaders. Such person has to wait for his turn. There are still going to be many elections, so I am appealing to the people to be patient. On the coming local government election, I know it will be peaceful because Governor Fashola met a peaceful situation when he became governor. The ground is still very peaceful, unlike during Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration, when the PDP-led government withheld funds meant for the state’s local councils. Asiwaju had problems from his deputy too, so when Fashola came, of course, we know by now why he was chosen.
Q: When should Lagosians expect the next Eyo Festival to take place?
A: Very soon, especially because our governor is a Lagosian in the typical sense of it and we expect him to organise one for us. We will even honour him with Eyo Fashola from the house of Ologun Agan-Iga Adimu, because he merits it and I am seizing this opportunity to tell him to organise Eyo Festival for us.
Q: What would you say about the performance of the Governor, Babatunde Fashola in the past 500 days?
A: He has performed very well and if I am to score him, I will give him 90 per cent, especially because of the way he has transformed the state within one year of his administration. In terms of education, roads, quality health care system, infrastructure and even judicial process, he has set a precedent. Most important is the fact that he has proved to be a grassroots man because he does not wait to be briefed on what is going on at the local government level before he knows what is going on there. He has been going round on a tour of the council areas to personally assess the problems of the people and what can be done to alleviate them. Recently also, the governor supervised the demolition of the Bank of Industry (BoI) building in Lagos and the people were so excited about this attitude and very grateful to him. I want to appeal to Lagosians to support Fashola because he has proved to be a worthy and hardworking governor.
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