The Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Adelaja, on Sunday expressed appreciation to successive administrations in Lagos State for their support that had aided his successes so far in his 15-year reign in the community.
The traditional ruler said in Lagos that he was grateful to God and his community for the support and the privilege to rule.
“Let me first of all thank the almighty God for giving me the opportunity to stay on the throne for 15 years.
“It wasn’t easy ruling for these years, it was not without some ups and downs because a lot has happened, but God was in control.
“I thank successive governments of Lagos State, the Isolo community and the people of Awori in general for their support since l ascended the throne of my forefathers.
“As the Oba in my community, there are challenges, but l thank God the Almighty for the enablement to overcome the initial crisis. However, we all must know that you can not expect that everything will be smooth,’’ he said.
The monarch said that activities to celebrate the anniversary were ongoing.
He said that all the traditional rites had been performed, while a funfair would come up on Saturday, July 13.
Speaking on how he had handled conflict resolution in the community, the monarch said he had formed committees to help look into the disputes between families in the area.He said that the Bales (chiefs) in the community had been up and doing in ensuring that peace prevailed in their domain, and also had a system of resolving issues before they got to him.
Adelaja said that despite the fact that there were other tribes in the community, he had not recorded any major ethnic crisis in his domain.
“What I did was to form different types of committees — rehabilitation, communication and others.
“All these committees will look into reducing disputes and other related problems between families in the community.
“I have ended the dispute among the Igbo, Kanuri, Yoruba and others in the community, and it has not recurred since then.
“I have also ordered my Baales to create jobs in their areas to make life better for members of the community,’’ he said.
The traditional ruler called on the Aworis to take their place in the scheme of things, noting that they must be visible in the politics of the state.
According to him, most people have the misconception that the Aworis are irrelevant in the state because their lands were occupied by non-indigenes.
“We the Aworis are the indigenes of Lagos State; the founder, the creator of the state.
“Out of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state, we own 15. Since we are in the majority, we should be seen and heard.
“Those saying Aworis are not the owners of Lagos State say so because they want political power and relevance,” Oba Adelaja said.
The traditional ruler called on Aworis both at home and abroad to embrace their culture and be part of the progress of the state.
