Protesters storm Sanwo-Olu’s office over planned monarch imposition

A Community in Lagos State has sought the intervention of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the alleged plan to install Olumegbon family as the traditional ruling house in the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the residents had on Nov. 28, embarked on a peaceful protest to the State House of Assembly for mediation.

Mr. Kazeem Odunlami, the General Secretary of Ajah community, who led scores of protesters to Alausa, the seat of government on Monday, said the Ajah residents required urgent intervention from the governor.

Odunlami said the community was asking governor Sanwo-Olu to stop the reported imposition of the Olumegbon family as the paramount ruler of the area.

While acknowledging the untiring efforts of the governor as conflict resolution commander, the protesters said: “He is never tired. He is not a governor that always rest. He works round the clock

“We are here to protest in order to let the governor know the planned imposition of Olumegbon family as traditional ruler in Ajah community.

“We don’t want the governor to listen to misleading misinformation towards the ownership of Ajah.

The protesters also acknowledged the state government as staunch supporter of the rule of law, the governor support and believe in the rule of law.

“This is because in a situation where there is no rule of law, there will be a state of anarchy. When the state of anarchy emerges, there will be no peace.

“We are begging the state government to save our soul from this imposition to avoid communal clashes in Ajah community.

Alleging that the Olumegbon had never ruled the enclave, the protesters claimed the authority of Baale of Ajah as the only ruling family in the community for the past 300 years.

The general secretary appealed to the governor to act promptly to save the community from chaos, explaining that under the state’s customs and traditions, the chieftaincy title of Olumegbon of Lagos was not associated with the rulership of the Ajah community.

Odulami said that the only recognised chieftaincy in Ajah since the colonial days was the Baale, otherwise known as Olomodi of Ajah, alleging that Olumegbon had neither historical nor judicial relationship with the Oba of Ajah.

Odunlami said that the community would never accept the rulership of Ajah by the Olumegbon family since the family had never ruled inception.

Addressing the protesters, Mr Ayodeji Haruna, the Director Office of Political, Legislative and Civic Engagement, pleaded for calm while their request would be forwarded to the state governor.

He assured that the governor would to the matter with urgency, saying “we are happy that you staged a peaceful protest to the State House to seek government intervention and very soon the matter will be attended to,” he said.