Idado is a town in the Eti-Osa area of Lagos. The town is directly opposite Igbo Efon town before you get to Ajah area. Not many people know much about this community but it is a town that has witnessed drastic development in the last 7 years. And presently, real estate development is ongoing there. A plot of land in this community starts from 70 million naira. No wonder there are a lot of real estate activities going on there when City People visited the town last week.
City People ISAAC ABIMBADE visited Idado community and also paid a courtesy visit to the Baale of the town, High Chiefs, Biliameen Ladega, who explained to us that “he was happy that within 7 years Idado town had witnessed a drastic development. And so much more. Below are excerpts of the interview.
Tell us how Idado was founded?
My name is Chief Biliameen Ladega, Baale of Idado town. This town is one of the oldest towns in Eti-Osa. Our forefathers were hunters. And our forefathers had a good relationship with Ojomu Ajiran, they are the owner of this area. We have 27 towns under Ojomu. One of them is Igbo Efon, Agungi, Ikota, and so on. But the creation of Idado didn’t start from here but it started when a father had 4 children, the first born was Ladega, he had challenges when it was time for him to have children. So when he didn’t have child on time, he was advised to go where Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean making sounds. He should live between the two glasses of water. Because his babes were always died. That was why he came to Igbo Efon.
Ajiran used to be the law maker of the town then. Our father had Ladega, Mustapha and the third is Towobola. One day, Ladega though he has been with his father for long so he took permission from Ojomu Ajiran that he wanted to stay alone (that is how Idaduro now turned to Idado).
Can you also tell us about your traditional festival called Egungun Festival?
God if iron was the first festival we have in this community because our forefathers were hunters. They didn’t appease god of iron with the usual material known as dog but they used bush meats. And till today, we don’t use dog for Ogun festival, we use bush meats. After this we have “Esu Orita”, this is at the entry of the gate.
The third one is Masquerades. Our forefathers brought Masquerades to this place and we do it like they did it then. We celebrate this festival every two, two years so that it can be well prepared for. We did one in 2015 and this year we ought to have done it, our father, Ojomu wants it to fall into his birthday year, which is next year, 2018 because every Obas in Lagos are expected to be there. This town is popular known for Egungun.
You have various categories of Egungun (Masquerades), can you explain more on this?
Yes. We have different types of Masquerade here. We have Kagunko. This Kagungo has a lot it does to the town. When someone is looking for the fruit of the womb, it is this Masquerade that we appease.
This town is big because of this Masquerade. We also use it to fight someone. The second one is Babalago, we celebrate it own separate. Its own is special to other Masquerades. And all other festivals is slated for next year when our father, Ojomu will celebrate his birthday.
What is the price of land in 2005 when you were made Baale and now?
The best land in Idado here then was 3.5 million in 2005 and now is 70 million. The smallest land here is 70 million here now.
Talking about the land grabbers. How do you cope with all this?
Thank you for that question. We are contended with what God has given us. Those who have been our fathers and leaders in the past I can’t say I want to change what they have done. I can not say I will oppose what they have done.
What I do is, anybody who come to ask for his or her land here, once I have my masterlist with me. And then we were not too young then when they were selling this land. Anybody who resell the land we sold to them must perfect their land title before coming to us. We also demand for the agreement between this two people.
What can you say to those who don’t believe in traditional worship?
Civilisation has spoilt everything. Did you hear anything like kidnapping in those days? Civilisation has made kidnappers to be everywhere. This town is a traditional town because of it has developed, and because it has now grown, we should not worship it again. In my own time, traditional worship would not be ignored.
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