Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has accused former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo, of being the reason behind Lagos not being granted a special status till this moment.
The National Assembly last week refused a bill sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu seeking the House to grant Lagos special status among other states of the federation.
Akiolu, who spoke during the 3rd Town Hall Meeting of Governor Akinwnumi Ambode at Lagos Central Senatorial District, said Obasanjo had the opportunity to have granted Lagos a special status during his eight-year tenure, but that the former president never did it in spite of the pressure mounted on him.
According to Akiolu, “Obasanjo is the cause of Lagos not getting a special status. I personally led eminent Lagosians to meet him during his tenure to ask for a special status for Lagos.
“Obasanjo told me and the others that he had already drafted the special status plan for Lagos, but the former president never fulfilled that promise. If he had done it since then, the issue of the National Assembly turning down Senator Tinubu’s bill would not have arisen,” he said.
Akiolu stated that if the late President Umaru Yar’Ardua had been alive, he would have granted Lagos a special status.
“Yar’Ardua had promised the grant Lagos a special status. If Yar’Ardua had not died, it would have happened by now,” he said.
The monarch, however, said it was only a matter of time as Lagos would certainly be accorded a special status, while berating the National Assembly for turning down the bill.
Oba Akiolu also expressed worry over the spate of kidnappings in Lagos despite the efforts of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to provide security, calling for the establishment of Local Government Security Committee to work with the police to nip the act in the bud.
