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| Aremo Olusegun Abiodun |
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| CSP 'Prince' Hakeem Ajasa |
The countdown has quietly begun, as Lagos is waiting eagerly and others are watching with bated breath to see who would emerge as the next king, his royal majesty, the Oniru of Iruland in Lagos. And the big question that is being asked rather quietly is, would it be the amiable, very well connected & very liquid, Aremo Segun Abiodun, who many refers to as Aremo Segun Oniru, who is the eldest son (hence why the tag Aremo) of the immediate past late king, Oba Idowu Abiodun Oniru and he is also the grandson of the father of the one that just recently passed on, in the person of Oba Yesufu.
Aremo/Prince Segun Abiodun is more synonymous with the Oniru tag, as that has been added to their name and accepted by all too over the years now.
Or would it be the highly resourceful, super highly connected also, in fact the well supported and rather more quiet Prince Hakeem Ajasa? Who is a top Police officer and said to be a gentleman to the core???
The Oniru name and title from the little research we have carried out actually belongs to the 3 ruling houses that can aspire to the throne of their forebears. They are the Akiogun house, the Ogunyemi house and the Abisogun house or line.
Just so you all would understand why this stool is very very important. Iruland where whoever emerges as the Oniru would reign over, used to cover a vast mass of prime land that included Victoria Island and environs. In fact according to history, Iruland was said to have even included parts of CMS in Marina too and other parts that the Government of the day then bought and paid the Oniru chieftaincy family then a sizable £400,000 (£250,000 first & later £150,000) many years back as compensation, for acquiring their lands. So the Onirus have always been major landowners on the island.
All of these exciting large land mass, that is now valued at several, tens of billions of Naira included the 'Bar Beach', where the 'Eko Atlantic City' now sits. It also included the part that was the then slum called 'Maroko', which later became 'Victoria Island extension', which only became that after the forceful eviction then in 1988 of over 300,000 people by the regime of then 'acsion Governor' Colonel Raji Alagbe Rasaki, who acted with such power then, as the no nonsense military Governor of Lagos from 1988 till 1991.
It was 1st tagged VI extension before the former slum later transformed dramatically to become what has now become the 'Oniru Estate of the rich', after it was named after the chieftaincy family. It is even in this estate, that the Palace of Oniru was relocated to after it was moved from in front of the Bar Beach on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Their domain didn't just end there though, as their vast control still went as far as Lekki towards where the Elegushi palace presently is in fact now.
So the chieftaincy family which began as far back as 1589 but which later became a royal family from 1994 after their status was elevated, used to sit atop a virtual goldmine of landmass. But that's not all there's it to it.
Whoever becomes the Oniru of Iruland is also said to be the very head of the Idejo, that's like being the Olori ebi, head of the royal family. The idejo are the highly ranked in fact highest ranked, highly influential white cap chiefs of Lagos. Idejo for those who don't know, comprises the highest ruling clan that determines what obtains as per the royal stools in Lagos.
'Ejo' or better still Mejo, in Yoruba language actually refers to 8. These 8 began with the 8 brothers of a father, who were the founders of Eko. According to legend or better put history, they were said to have actually come from the Oyo Empire. But before they came, as was required of them they had done some divination to chart their course appropriately, so as to know where their destiny would lead them, their ultimate destination. That is talking about where they would finally settle down to as their home.
Far more juicier details below. Click on read more
