The Ilaje community in the Bariga area of Lagos State has vowed to resist the renaming of Ilaje Street after the music legend, King Sunny Ade, accusing the local council authority of attempting to erase its historical identity.

Last Friday, the immediate past Chairman of the Bariga Local Council Development Area, David Kolade Alabi, announced the renaming of several streets, including Ilaje Street, as part of efforts to honour notable figures.

However, the move has sparked intense backlash both on the streets and online, where critics allege it reflects ethnic bias and a disregard for local history.

Protesters from the Ilaje community took to the streets on Wednesday, demanding a reversal of the name change, arguing that the council?s decision undermined the cultural and historical heritage of their people.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, the President General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Raphael Irowainu, condemned the renaming as a ?calculated attempt to decimate? the Ilaje people in Lagos State.

?It was a calculated attempt by the political elites and some Yoruba ethnic groups to erase the historical and cultural involvement of the Ilaje people in the creation of Lagos State.

?The Bariga community was founded in 1948 by our great-grandfathers. The entire place was like a forest.?

They were the ones who made the road before the state government took over later,? Irowainu said.

He further alleged a pattern of targeted and deliberate marginalisation of his people in the state.

He said, ?On March 7, the Lagos State Government, in connivance with some persons, went to another Ilaje community and demolished the area.

?A monarch in Oworo sent people to demolish parts of Ilaje in Oworonshoki. Go to Majidun, and you will hear a similar story. These are calculated events to erase and decimate the Ilaje people.?

Highlighting the group?s historical significance, Irowainu added, ?The Ilaje are among the three early settlers of Lagos State ?alongside the Awori and Ijebu.

?We are not strangers. We are Yorubas just like any other Yoruba. Ilaje is a recognised sub-ethnic group in Yorubaland.?

He also questioned the rationale behind honouring King Sunny Ade in an Ilaje territory when other areas could be named after the revered music icon.

He said, ?They now want to rename Ilaje Street to King Sunny Ade Street, when we have Ondo Street in Ebute Meta. Why not rename that one if they truly want to honour him? This is a war against the Ilaje people.?

Disclosing that the community had already filed a petition against the decision, Irowainu threatened legal action, arguing that the LCDA lacks constitutional authority to rename streets.

?If it requires going through legal means, we will do it. Even the so-called LCDA is illegal.

?The constitution only recognises 20 local governments?not LCDAs. It?s only the local governments that have the power to rename streets, and even at that, there must be consultation with the affected communities,? he maintained.

The former council chairman, who initiated the renaming, had defended the decision, saying it was meant to celebrate individuals who had brought global recognition to Bariga.

?As an administration, we took our time to reflect on a number of our people who have put the name of our local council out on the global map through their respective God-given talents and crafts,? David had stated.

Efforts to reach the new LCDA Chairperson, Bukola Adedeji, for comments on whether the council would review the street renaming were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to calls or text messages sent by PUNCH Metro on Thursday. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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