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Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has kicked against the growing trend of renaming streets in Lagos, warning against doing so without proper regard for the legacy of those being commemorated.
Fashola made this statement during the public unveiling of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)” held at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island on Tuesday.
He stressed that safeguarding Lagos’s historical records is essential to protect societal values and prevent the distortion of the state’s heritage.
Referencing archival materials from the University of Glasgow, Fashola highlighted the importance of documentation in shaping public memory and national identity.
He specifically mentioned Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, who studied at the university between 1913 and 1918 and later became Nigeria’s first African medical officer of health in the Lagos colony.
Fashola recounted how Dr. Oluwole pioneered school health services and founded Nigeria’s first school of hygiene in Yaba in 1920.
He noted that a street in Ikeja — Ladipo Oluwole Street — was named in his honour to immortalise his contribution.
“But it is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming, and I keep my gunpowder dry,” Fashola said, hinting at the current controversy around renaming streets.
He emphasized the importance of recognizing the reasons behind such namings, urging Lagosians to understand the legacies that such names represent.
Fashola also called for increased funding and support for the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), the agency that developed the puzzle book.
He praised LASRAB for going beyond educational resources to serve as a vital repository for the state’s historical records.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat applauded the book as an innovative educational tool designed to nurture historical consciousness among young people.
Hamzat also commended Fashola’s legacy in setting up LASRAB, recalling how his administration instituted measures to ensure critical state documents were archived across ministries, including LASRAB.
“This foundational act was not merely administrative. It was an intentional effort to institutionalise, preserve, document, and disseminate Lagos’s narrative for posterity,” he said.
“It is important that we don’t only understand ourselves, but we must understand our history so we don’t lose ourselves.
“This book is a creative method of crafting historical consciousness that informs while it also entertains. That way, we don’t distort our history and we don’t misunderstand our being.”
Source: Gistreel | Read More
