‘I have no grudge against Igbos,’ monarch says

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu has said that visitors to a land must respect the traditions of their host.

Oba Akiolu also stated that he has no grudge against Igbos adding that some of his closest friends are members of the tribe.

The monarch made the statements during an interview with Punch which was published on Monday, May 11, 2015.

“Eze Odimegwu, who is a former CEO of Nigerian Breweries, is still my best friend as well as many others. The Obi of Onitsha came to visit me here a few days ago. When you go to a place, you have to respect the host leaders, particularly the traditional leaders there because you are coming to benefit from their success,” Oba Akiolu said.

“The people of Lagos are the friendliest and most accommodating people in Nigeria,” he added.

The Oba also said that a video in which he was heard warning Igbos to either vote for All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode or die was a misrepresentation of what actually happened.

“Those who orchestrated the entire incident know themselves and I tell you, those (Igbo leaders) who came here on that day understand me a lot and have even been coming since then. The man that promised to hand them deputy governorship slot and four commissioner positions and would elevate the status of Eze Ndigbo to that of Oba of Lagos has since denied it,” the Oba said.

“It was all a political gimmick because I am sure they know that he was only deceiving them. As a matter of fact, prominent traditional rulers in the South-East have been writing us to say that they are not happy about the large number of Ezes in Lagos,” he added.

The monarch said further that Ambode would spend eight years in office and would perform well.

He added that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Jimi Agbaje could contest again in 2019 if he so desired.

The Oba had earlier said that Agbaje, who he claims is his relative, would never be the governor of Lagos State.