Popular Lagos monarch, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla 111, the Elegushi of Ikateland, in this interview speaks on his role as royal and father and how traditional rulers in Nigeria has helped in the development of their country.
You have been the Elegushi for some years now, how have you been able to fit into your role as royal and father to the people of Ikate Kingdom.
Royal duties have always been a part of my life, don’t forget that the immediate past Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom was my father.
We were all groomed consciously and unconsciously on roles and responsibilities of the monarchy. When I say unconsciously, I refer to being in the palace and around the late Kabiyesi, you are bound to pick up something either from observation or participation.
Also working closely with two former Governors of Lagos State has contributed to my understanding, managing and handling of issues and challenges, especially with diverse stakeholder groups.
But no matter how prepared you think you are, the most important aspect of this role is to constantly ask the Almighty to grant you the required wisdom, grace, knowledge and understanding to be a just and fair leader with integrity of heart.
Nigeria is witnessing a new era where young, smart and intelligent people are becoming kings, how will this new dispensation help develop the many kingdoms in Nigeria especially Yoruba land.
Before I answer your question, I would like to commend the older Kings for their contributions, upholding our traditional values and remaining true to our cultural standards thus far.
It is indeed a herculean task in this modern age to stay steadfast in ensuring that the values that matter are not thrown in the wind.
If you take a look at what is happening today, you will agree that there is a lot of moral decadence across all facets and this is not peculiar to Nigeria.
The emergence of ‘this new wave of young, smart and intelligent Oba’s’, using your words, is an opportunity for new role models to be able to impact positive and real values, through a fusion of the old and new.
Yes education is very important to help growth and development but we should also not forget our roots. You need to know where you are coming from to understand where you are going and why you are going there.
The Government and religious leaders are doing a lot but we all need to do our bit. As Kings the onus is on us to build strong Kingdoms founded on truth, values and integrity. It is easier for us because we are closer to the people, we see them every day.
What will you say has been your distinctive style of rulership I can’t say if anything I am doing is peculiar to me, I can only tell you what I know about my kingdom.
I keep an open door policy so my people have access to me. I am abreast of what is happening through my interactions with the people and my Baales are very competent within their domains.
I am very passionate about the wellbeing of my people and I strive to ensure that I do the right thing by them.
I feel a deep sense of responsibility towards them and this is why the Almighty precedes all that I do.
Being an Oba is a call to serve, not a call to be served or a call to lord over the people.
Ikate Kingdom is being enlarged, what informed this decision.
If you compare population figures from 10 years ago to date, you will observe that there is a huge increase in the numbers.
Migration is growing at an alarming rate and as such we need to be able to provide the required infrastructure and services that would match the growth figures.
We are also at the very center of all major industrial developments in Lagos state and therefore cannot ignore the need to expand.
This is one of the reasons that informed my vision to develop a smart business eco-friendly city, where people can live, work and play.
A tourism booster where tourists have the opportunity to experience the rich hospitality of our lands and have access to the best medical facility in Africa. This city also fits into the larger plan of Lagos state on infrastructural development.
As I said earlier on we cannot leave everything to the Government, the Private sector can and should play a major role to support building a Lagos of the future.
200 hectares to be dredged off the Lagos Lagoon is a massive, considering worldwide campaign on climate change, what processes have you put in place mitigate flooding and ocean erosion .
A lot of research and thought was put into development of the project. We committed from the onset that this City would be benchmarked against global standards.
The inspiration for Imperial City came from many cities that I came across around the world – USA to Asia and the Middle-East.
Nigeria has the potential to be on the infrastructure world map and that is what we intend to do with this project in Ikate Kingdom.
Imperial city is going to be an eco-friendly City that would pay attention to ensuring that we preserve the environment.
In staying true to this, we have selected the best team across the globe to work together on the project.
Our contractors and consultants are companies of repute with impeccable track records and this is evident in the projects they have executed.
We are dredging 1.5m above high tides, Royal haskoningDHV will be designing the shoreline protection while BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH will be constructing.
I would also like to mention that this project is within the Lagoon side of Ikate Elegushi not the ocean side of the kingdom which I believe addresses one of your environmental concerns.
The new Imperial City sounds like a project for the super-rich, how affordable is the IIBC going to be.
It won’t be cheap to build if that is what you mean but a city does not comprise of only rich people. Presently we are conducting off-plan sales, so that people can invest either for development or for profit.
However, I believe in giving people opportunities regardless of your socio-economic status, be you rich or poor, old or young, educated or illiterate, artisans, drivers, male or female.
I am currently working with the project team to look at how we can give back to some members of society who ordinarily cannot afford to be a part of this project.
We are considering a plan where we can give out some plots of land within the residential zone for N1, 000.
We are yet to conclude on the number of plots to be given away, but we are definitely giving some plots away for N1, 000.
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