Customers sort through the Mitsubishi sector of the Ladipo Market, filing past engines and other parts. Did you know that the majority of used parts in the Ladipo Market are said to originate in Europe? It is thought to be the largest auto parts market in West Africa.
Without mentioning the exploits of the fabled Chief Balogun Landuji Oshodi Tapa, Lagos history would be incomplete. For those who don’t know, Oshodi Tapa was a young child of Nupe descent from the North who was going to be transported as a sold slave onto a Portuguese ship. After his parents were killed, he fled and took sanctuary in the Oba of Lagos palace. Under Fagbemi, Kosoko’s father, Oba Eshinlokun, adopted him and reared him like one of his own princes. He was able to purchase his own slaves and enjoyed some degree of success in trading. A few years later, monarch Eshilokun’s friend, a Portuguese trader, asked the monarch to let two of his children to travel with him to Portugal, promising to bring the children back. The King was quite cautious about this offer and decided to give two of his most devoted subjects instead of jeopardizing the lives of any of his own offspring. He so decided to accompany the Portuguese merchant with Oshodi and Dada Antonio. The King denied his own children an opportunity that would have benefitted them more in the long run, even though he believed he was safeguarding their interests. After traveling to America with the Portuguese merchant for many years, Oshodi and Dada Antonio were eventually given back to the King. Oshodi worked as a commission agent and toll collector for Messrs. G. L. Gaiser after arriving from America. When the Portuguese merchants’ ships arrived, commerce took off, Oshodi’s sales commissions rose, and he eventually amassed wealth. Oshodi remained faithful to the King and was elevated to the rank of chief, with the exclusive duty of taking care of the King’s women, demonstrating that he never forgot the hands that, in a sense, nourished him. In the unlikely event that repairs were necessary, he was the sole person with access to the Queen’s apartment. Chief Oshodi never wavered in his devotion to his kids following the passing of King Eshinlokun. In particular, he sided with his father’s successor, Idewu Ojulari. It was Chief Eletu Odibo’s responsibility to install and crown any new monarch, and Kosoko, a son of Oshinlokun, was considered the legitimate heir to the throne after Chief Idewu Ojulari’s rule. The would-be wife of Eletu Odibo was…
A young photo of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the former president of Nigeria. In this old photo from 1981, the president is seen attending Ebekun Secondary Commercial Grammar School in Iresi, Osun State, as a member of the youth corp. The president was a farmer’s son who also happened to be a boat manufacturer. Yes, he goes by Goodluck. This proves that everything is possible for us to accomplish if we set our minds to it.
Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu escaped an attempted assassination on Sunday that resulted in the deaths of four other persons, according to a story from the Guardian newspaper. Recounting his experience, Tinubu—who escaped unharmed—said that on his way home from a tour of the city’s waste collection operations and security measures, assailants opened fire on his convoy. According to AFP, Police Commissioner Mike Okiro attributed the attack to the Yoruba Oodua People’s Congress, which has been implicated in other ethnic violent breakouts over the previous two months that have claimed the lives of about 100 people. According to The Guardian, two well-known persons have been detained by police in relation to the governor’s attack. The attack, according to Tinubu, supported his claim that the state needs at least 20,000 more police officers to protect the lives and property of the eight million people living in Lagos, according to The Guardian