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Breaking News:Fashola Warns Against Erasing Lagos History Amid Street Naming Controversy
Says Tinubu Has No Constitutional Role in Ondo, Rivers Political Crisis
Former Lagos State Governor and immediate past Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has cautioned against the distortion of Lagos history through the ongoing controversial renaming of streets and landmarks across the state.
Fashola, speaking on Tuesday at the public presentation of "Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)" at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, emphasized the need to preserve the state's historical heritage and identity. The book was produced by the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) as part of efforts to deepen public understanding of Lagos’s rich past.
Drawing from international examples, Fashola referenced the digital archives of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, noting how proper historical documentation helped preserve the contributions of early Nigerian pioneers. He cited the case of Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, who enrolled at the University of Glasgow in 1913 and later returned to Nigeria to become the first African Medical Officer of Health in the Lagos colony.
"Dr. Ladipo Oluwole pioneered school health services and opened Nigeria's first school of hygiene in Yaba in 1920," Fashola said. "Those of us who drive through streets like Ladipo Oluwole Street in Ikeja should understand why that honour was given and what it represents.”
The former minister lamented that recent moves to rename such streets risk erasing the memory of heroes who laid the foundation for the state’s progress. “It is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming. I keep my gunpowder dry,” he added cryptically.
He stressed the need to document Lagos's development journey, urging leaders and institutions to place high value on archiving and educating the public, especially the younger generation, on historical figures who shaped the state.
Also speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat praised the initiative, describing the puzzle book as timely and essential in bridging the generational knowledge gap.
Meanwhile, reacting to ongoing political crises in Ondo and Rivers states, Fashola noted that President Bola Tinubu has no constitutional role to intervene directly in such matters, stressing the importance of respecting the autonomy of state institutions within Nigeria’s federal system.
The twin remarks one cultural, the other constitutional reaffirmed Fashola's long-standing position on the importance of good governance rooted in both history and the rule of law.