Former Lagos State Governor and immediate past Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has strongly advocated for the preservation of Lagos’s rich history, cautioning against practices that could distort its past and undermine its values. His remarks come amidst ongoing public controversy surrounding street renaming initiatives within the state.
Fashola made these assertions on Tuesday during the public presentation of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1),” held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Echoing Fashola’s sentiments, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, also underscored the importance of documenting the state’s historical narrative. Governor Sanwo-Oolu commended the Lagos State Records and Archive Bureau for the timely release of the new book.
During his address, Fashola drew parallels with the comprehensive digital archives of the University of Glasgow, noting how the historical contributions of the university’s staff and students influenced the development of landmarks in other nations. He highlighted that these records even contain details of the first Nigerian students at the institution, including Dr. Issac Ladipo Oluwole, who enrolled in 1913 and graduated in 1918.
Referencing these archives, Fashola elaborated on Dr. Oluwole’s significant impact: “Dr. Ladipo Oluwole returned to Nigeria to become the first African medical officer of health in the Lagos colony. He pioneered school health services, with school inspection and vaccination of children in their schools, and started the first Nigerian school of hygiene at Yaba in Lagos in 1920.”
Fashola then connected this historical context to the ongoing street naming debate. “So those of us who drive through streets such as Ladipo Oluwole Street in Ikeja will probably now understand and contextualise the contributions of such a man and why it was considered such a high honour to immortalise him by naming a street in his memory,” he stated, adding pointedly, “But it is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming and I keep my gunpowder dry.”
He reiterated his firm stance, emphasizing, “Today I reiterate those words about street naming and Dr. Oluwole and with a greater conviction to reinforce my message that the preservation of our history and the documentation of our progress should be taken seriously.”
