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Before He Became The 1st King Of AJAH
One of the most remarkable days in the history of Ajah community and its environs was last week Monday 27th, January 2025 when the Lagos State Government installed Oba Kolawole Olumegbon Lawal as the first king of Ajah and Ajah Okun communities. This was done after a long battle between the 2 traditional rulers/ some groups of people in the Ajah community and Mr Kolawole Olumegbon.
Ajah community has always been ruled by Baale ‘sand the 2 prominent Ruling houses have been at loggerheads with the newly installed Oba Olumegbon over right to the throne.
The Ajah Ruling Houses (Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses) protested and wrote to the Lagos State government that any ruler that must emerge should come within the 2 Ruling Houses in Ajah and no other person outside of the two Ruling Houses would be allowed to rule Ajah.
The Lagos State Government waded. in The government has finally chosen Oba Kolawole Olumegbon Lawal as King.
At the installation ceremony at the Olumegbon Palace in Ajah, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bolaji Robert who represented Governor Sanwo-Olu, called on the new monarch to prioritise Peace and Development in the kingdom.
Notable traditional rulers, including the Elegushi of Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom, Oba Saheed Ademola, the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal and Chairman of Eti -Osa East LCDA, John Campos Ogundare joined other dignitaries to witness the ceremony.
In his acceptance speech, Oba Olumegbon pledged to ensure order and development in the Ajah kingdom.
Recall, (a few weeks back) the local families of Ajah during a protest led by General Secretary of Ajah Community, Kazeem Odunlami carried placards with inscriptions such as: “Allow the court to decide who becomes the Oba of Ajah,” and “Ajah Community seeks peace.”
During the protest, Odunlami appealed to lawmakers to prevent the state government from approving rulership decisions that could spark unrest. He advocated for Chief Adewale Adeleke, the Baale of Ajah Kingdom, to be recognised as the new ruler, stating that the Baale title has been the recognised leadership position in Ajah for over 300 years.
He also cited an existing court order instructing the government to maintain the status quo until legal disputes are resolved. Odunlami argued that the Olumegbon family has no historical or judicial claim to the throne, and their appointment would conflict with Ajah’s customs and traditions.
The reaction of the Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses and some Ajah residents was also contained in a Press statement signed by a principal member and Joint Secretary to the two Ruling Houses, Mr. Kabiru Yekinni, who berated Prince Olumegbon, now Oba Kolawole Olumegbon for conceiving such a heinous ambition of becoming king in Ajah against the established rulership custom and tradition in Ajah land.
Mr. Yekinni stated that since the founding of Ajah and from time immemorial, no Chief Olumegbon of Lagos or any member of the Olumegbon chieftaincy family has ever ruled Ajah land as its traditional ruler because the rulership of the town has always rested on the Baale of Ajah otherwise known as the Olomodi Apekun joye of Ajah, which stool is strictly limited and exclusively rotated between the Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses of Ajah from about 1734 till date.
Oba Olumegbon a few years ago spoke openly about his plans for the people of Ajah and what drives his vision and why he was interested in the throne.
He claimed: “The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, told me sometime ago that with the property Olumegbon has, we can’t taste poverty but before we can get these properties into our custody, we need to have the kingship title.
“At this age, a lot of people in our family really need empowerment and if our family can get a source, why can’t we empower our children, aged people, youths because we all know the situation of our country?
If Olumegbon can have the properties that can fetch us something tangible, we will achieve a lot.
One of the main reasons behind my ambition is education. Many years ago, it may not be very important but in this dispensation, it is very key. We must encourage education. If Olumegbon has properties to assist, we can even loan people so they can have quality education.The younger generation are those who will take over from us.
“Let us look at the aged people who cannot do anything again. Health is a very important thing, if one is sick and does not have money for treatment, he or she will die. Health is also one of the core things I will be looking into.
“When we take a look at Lagos Island, there are so many construction works that need to be done. This is where our forefathers lived, it is important we take good care of it.
“We must also not forget our tradition, we celebrate the Eyo festival and people from overseas come to experience it.
“It is always celebrated once in a while and when we do it, the revenue that comes in is always much. The last time we did it was 10 years ago, we must not forget our tradition because of civilization.
“Most of us who are indigenes of Isale-Eko do not live there, we need something that will be taking us back home regularly no matter where we are. We want something that will bring the Olumegbon family together as one and the kingship title is one of the things that can make that happen.
“I want to build hospitals, technical schools which are very important. Going to school without being skilled is not advisable especially in this present dispensation we have found ourselves in the country. There are parents who cannot afford to educate their children, these are the things we will be doing if I become the first king of Ajah.
“We have never had a king in Ajah. Elugushi and Oniru left from Isale-Eko to rule over their lands. Our own land is in Ajah and we want to rule over it. We used to have Baales but since the Baale died, we told the government we don’t want Baale anymore but kingship.”
–Isaac Abimbade
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