By Sunday Ani
A group committed to progressive governance in Lagos State, De Renaissance Group, has described as a distraction the uproar over the recent statement credited to the Oba of Bini about the foundation of Lagos, saying it was not necessary, and insisting what its top priority is to ensure that, henceforth, an indigene of Lagos State sits as the governor.
The group lamented that for many years, particularly since the return of democracy in 1999, the state has been governed by outsiders, insisting now is the time for the indigenous people of Lagos to regain their place of pride.
A statement, jointly signed by the group’s Chairman, Tajudeen Olanrewaju; Secretary, Yomi Tokosi, the Coordinator, Adelani Adeniji-Adele, and some patrons, said the group was determined to stop the continued slide of Lagos indigenes into insignificance and obscurity on their soil.
“We chose as our main objective to ensure an indigene with the love of the people, our values and our passion for greater heights must emerge as the next governor of Lagos. An indigene in this regard is one from any of our five divisions of the state.
“We believe when an indigene is in place, all these sad and irrelevant stories about who owns or does not own Lagos will be laid to rest to better things to improve the lives of ourselves. We know our histories and our paths, to know that together we stand, disunited we fall. We do not need outsiders from Bini or Ife or any other places to knock our heads against one another,” the group said.
The group said since God has made Lagos to be prosperous and the founding fathers have laid a foundation for the development and peace of the state, it was determined to redefine Lagos State to what it used to be and what a progressive society should be like.
“Ours is to stop the profligacy in government approach to public spending. Accountability in every sphere of the way, will be entrenched because the pedigree of who we will give our support will be known and appreciated.
“The marginalisation confronting us in Lagos State has no political boundaries. It extends from political to our traditional and cultural identities,” the group said.
The group also lamented that with the exception of the former governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration, Lagos State indigenes have been deliberately schemed out of participatory governance in the state.
“The source of legitimacy of our claim is that there is no state in Nigeria that has a non-indigene as its executive and legislative authorities, except in Lagos State
“The Lagos State’s political, economic, social, and administrative systems have become mired in betrayal by some of our elites and by those also in denial of the indigenous constitutional and economic rights.
“An appeal was necessary to many of our traditional leaders, market leaders, educational elite, authors, great politicians, and very important personalities of Lagos origin to stop the bleeding for the sake of prosperity. Historical revisionists and hustlers from within, including usurpers will be viewed in bad light and unfavourably.
“The 1999 Constitution recognises the right of the indigenes and rightfully introduced it into the constitution. The constitution does not, however, allow a person to be an indigene of two states. The current governor cannot be an exception. He cannot be an exception and we regard whatever claim he is making as an indigene of the state to be in bad taste and very open to conflict of interest.
“Our strategy is simple and it can be discerned through the name we chose for this group. Two words, renaissance and patriots, have been combined to give muscles to our movement and our thinking. An obvious meaning of Renaissance is rebirth; a rebirth of glories and values. A deep inclination to a Lagos society of those days that worked for both the indigenes and the residents
“We, therefore, seek support, understanding, and need from indigenes, as well as residents to effect a better Lagos. The rebirth starts now.”