*** De Renaissance Patriots Cry Out
Lagos, Jan 16 (AEP News) Indigenes of Lagos State are gradually wising up and ostensibly opening their eyes. They are beginning to realise that, since the return of democracy in 1999, non-indigenes have been depriving them of opportunities to govern their state as guaranteed by the Constitution.
They are now crying out against the ongoing plot to completely take over their state through systemic and unexplainable policies.
By such policies, non-indigenes from neighbouring states in the South West continue to wield powers in Lagos State despite the constitutional implications.
Non-indigenes are now busy increasing their land acreage through land reclamation, aiming to change the social order.
“They have taken over our space, controlling our lands using state powers. Now they have installed compliant kings, thus confusing our thought processes,” some state indigenes under the aegis of De Renaissance Patriots (DRP) have cried out.
“These foreigners have formed a clique and they usually curtail information that will benefit the state’s social development. They usurped our opportunities and are now busy reclaiming more land to increase their acreages through land reclamation.
“Their ultimate aim is to change the social order and the dynamics of the population in the state,” they said in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos.
DRP is a socio-cultural organisation, established to galvanise better governance for indigenous Lagosians. The organisation lamented the situation where the state is underdeveloped.
The disaster is enormous, such that many real indigenes could not comprehend the situation, happening in their state tagged as the “Centre of Excellence”.
Looking back to the glorious old days of their Lagos, the patriots said they were ready to bring about a paradigm shift from the old narratives.
“We need a new order where indigenes’ rights are no longer negotiable. The time for all indigenous people of the state to rise and take back their state is now. Failure can only lead to the extinction and displacement of the real indigenes in no distant time,” DRP stated.
“In our earlier submissions, we have never hidden our glorious past as Omo Ibile Eko (the aborigin of Lagos State). The glorious past was the epitome of a good upbringing, good pedigree and quality education among others,” the group said.
On the need to reshape the state, the DRP said it is fully prepared to drive the course of emancipation.
“The primary objective is to ensure that an indigene takes the next governor’s seat in Lagos State. We want to restore all benefits of statehood since the creation of the state in 1967 until 1999.”
The driving force behind the DRP is former Minister of Communications and General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Armoured Division Nigeria Army, retired Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd), as its Protem Chairman.
It also has former Mr Yomi Tokosi, former Chairman of the Isale-Eko Descendants Union as its Protem Secretary and Prince Adelani Adeniji-Adele. Adeniji-Adele is the son of a late prominent Oba of Lagos. He is also a repository of knowledge in history and culture. He is a coordinator of DRP.
With this calibre of personalities, DRP says this time, “it is serious business. We will mobilise all relevant stakeholders to join the train for a change”.
In a recent statement titled “The Lagos Indigenes And The Case of Social Misdevelopment”, DRP says “if you are an indigene or you truly love Lagos State, you should feel disheartened about the current state of things”.
“We resolved some months ago to hold our peace with the thoughts that our people have not been taught enough lessons to wisen up to their current situation. However, as a group of concerned Omo Ibile Eko, we cannot continue to remain silent.
“The spirits of our ancestors will not let us remain in silence. It is a calling that, like a good Ifa priest, one must speak out; say it as we see it, at least for the sake of posterity.
“The Renaissance Patriots intends to use the trending issue of ‘fake’ indigenes (fraudulently taking advantage of our quota to get recruited into the Nigerian Army) to make our observations known. Does the issue of fake indigenes surprise you?
“Not us in DRP. We have always known and constantly stated that in this Lagos state, the indigenes have been conquered, subdued and turned into something our forefathers never thought would ever happen to us.
“To us and for the indigenous Lagosians, ours is a neat case of Social Misdevelopment. Some of us are yet to grasp the enormity of the disaster at hand,” it stated.
Checking the public service set up in all three tiers of government, one would see the foolishness and nonchalant attitude of the indigenes, which has resulted in this Social Misdevelopment.
“We are the joke of the whole country. The first three leadership positions are occupied by non-indigenes. It is a sorry state. We need a reappraisal of the systemic blot in that arrangement. The arrangement, to say the least, deprives us of our rights as indigenes of the state.
“Our request on the reappraisal of whatever is in place is borne out of the revulsion we had while watching a viral video online that revealed many non-indigenes, armed with ‘Letter of Indigeneship’ to claim the slots of Lagos indigenes in the ongoing recruitment in the Nigeria Army.
“Nobody would see and listen to the video and not feel concerned about violating the constitutional rights of indigenes of Lagos State. We noted from the video that there is an ongoing indigenes recruitment in Lagos State into the Nigerian Army.
“But the scandal arising, therefore, is a procedural error committed against our people. This, in our view, is constitutionally and democratically unacceptable. It is a big slap on the national goal of achieving peace and unity in the country.
“We have also taken note of the official comments of the Nigeria Army on the matter. We are requesting the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieut.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to use his good office to look into this matter. There must also be consequences for this criminal act.
DRP also implore the Lagos State Government to step into the case and stop those who dish out fake indigene identities to non-indigenous residents in Lagos State in general.
“In due course, we will come up with a position on what must be done to curb these abuses, the feeble and stupid excuses given by those affected local governments notwithstanding.”
The group listed some issues that should be investigated. These include selling indigeneship forms; selling land arbitrarily; selling chieftaincy titles and every other thing about Lagos.
“We will not blame our Obas only here. Their connivance with our oppressors made them ‘toothless bulldogs’. We reserve all due respect to those whose hearts bleed.
“Your Lord is aware of what is in your heart, and how you behave towards His creation. He is All-Forgiving to those who repent”. – (Qur’an 17:23-25) (AEP News)
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