Orsi, A Short History of the Obaship of Lagos, with Essays and Evidence
.Deepen your knowledge of traditional systems and communities
Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Orsi is a veteran politician. But behind his politics is his understanding of Lagos history. He has written numerous essays and books that provide insight into documenting and understanding why things are the way they are.
Over the years, many people have written the history of Lagos in their own compositions. But Prince Olusi doesn’t just know Lagos, he elaborated on the emergence of Obaship in the town.
This book, Essays and Evidence on Observances and Chieftaincy in Lagos, provides a concise summary of the history, social events, issues and traditions of Lagos. It delves further into the provision of gray areas in the appointment of obas and chiefs.
The date of the appearance of the so-discussed orbus is not conclusive. He focuses on the intrigues, dynastic conflicts, succession disputes, and controversies that followed the appearance of several orbus, some of which are revealed in the essay “Evidence”.
The first part of the book is dedicated to essays and the second part to evidence that particularly affects the Lagos Obaship and Chieftaincy. His 258 page book was first published in 2019 and reprinted in 2023.
Part 1 consists of book reviews, essays on EKO, landmarks of Lagos, Nigeria, etc.
The second essay traces the history of the Adamu Orisa play “Eyo” in Lagos. In his 10 pages he captures everything about the emergence of the theatrical tradition, its performances, rituals and activities.
From page 17, he pays homage to the late second Daikan Oba. But beyond his tribute, he also looks at the emergence of various chieftainship titles and their place in the scheme of things.
third book
He also works on issues such as conflict resolution. This book is more than just a summary about Lagos. It gives the confident air of a writer who holds the history of his community, town, village in his hands. And this is the one that dominates the entire space of the book, among the evidence that the author provides to prove wrong acts in some promises.
Written in clear language, this book is an excellent resource for scholars and researchers.
Professor Siyan Oyeweso provides a clear and concise rereading of this man’s life in his book, The Colonial Operations of the Obaship Establishment and the Orsi Dynasty in Lagos, 1865-1945. His work is not far off from what was done in Don’t Be a Sneaky Sneaky Man, The Story of a Prince of Peace, a 393-page book that traces the story of his life and humble beginnings. The foreword, written by the late Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, makes an “attempt to shed light on the character of this man who is considered to be the Prince of Peace.” Jakande said: “Orusi has lived a life of honor and service, which he credits to his father. He is a remarkable product of his parents’ deep love and relentless discipline.”
The book provides an overview of this man in 19 chapters. His birth, education, his family status, his Muslim status, and his political status are all interrogated in a way that makes this book worth reading.
Prince Tajudeen was born on October 13, 1936, but showed signs of greatness from an early age. He excelled at the Baptist Primary School, Araromi, Lagos from 1945 until 1947 and from 1952 he excelled at the United Secondary School, Tamale, Ghana from 1954. He received his secondary education from 1955 to 1958 at Ansar Uddin College in Isolo and Lagos He Center. For higher research. He also studied at Yaba University of Technology, Lagos.
Prince Tajudeen started his career as a secretary in the old Lagos City Council from 1959 to 1962. Also, from 1964 until 1968 he worked as an assistant employee relations officer at ESSO (now part of Oando Oil). Apart from his experience in business, he was also involved in Lagos politics.
In 1962, he ran for a seat in the Lagos City Council. He won that election at the age of 26 on the platform of the Action Group (AG) party led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. His impressive performance during his tenure saw him return from his constituency for the second time and remained in office until the 1966 coup that overthrew the Nigerian government.
Prince Tajudeen returned to work after the military takeover, but was later recalled to serve his people. He was appointed by the military government in 1972 and served as a member of the Lagos City Council until 1975.
He was reappointed to the same council later this year. Meanwhile, in 1976, he again won the city council election, but narrowly missed out on becoming the chairman of Lagos Island. The presidential election, which he won by a landslide margin of 17 to 13, was annulled by the military government over suspicions that he was an ally of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Prince Tajudeen’s experience in military regimes did not hinder his ambitions and ties to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s group. After the ban on political activity was lifted in 1979, Prince Tajudeen collaborated with allies in the United Party of Nigeria (UPN). Within the party, Prince Tajudeen emerged as the first secretary of the UPN Lagos Bureau. He won the party ticket and support in the Federal House of Representatives elections representing Lagos South.
He won the election and became the district’s representative. He was appointed to the House Rules and Business Committee and the Human Services and Veterans Affairs Committee. He participated very actively in these committees. For example, it is recorded that Prince Tajudeen led the House of Commons delegation to the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. Therefore, his activities in the party and the House of Representatives helped him win re-election in the 1983 Lok Sabha elections. However, his second term in the House was ended by the military occupation that year.
Oyeweso captures his story poignantly. “When political activity was reopened in 1990, Prince Tajudeen Orusi collaborated with his allies in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was elected vice-chairman of the party in Lagos State. He held that position until he assumed the leadership of the party in 2017. With the SDP’s hopes dashed by the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, Prince Tajudeen found other avenues to serve the Lagos community. and his contribution to the community, he was appointed as a commissioner in the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration in Lagos State and was recognized by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Fidelis Adeyem, as the unofficial leader of the cabinet in that administration. There were also notable figures such as Doctors of Engineering, Fanshawe Williams, Professor Ekundayo Simpson, Abel Yusuf and Prince Ogunleye.
“Apart from this period, Prince Tajudeen Orusi has continued to function in the socio-political landscape of Lagos and Nigeria. In 1998, when the military announced its decision to finally transfer to a civilian government, Prince Tajudeen also joined the He was not excluded from the party’s ally, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), and was one of the party’s founding fathers. However, some members of the AD are on record as having won virtually all electoral posts in the Action Congress (AC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. ), but Prince Tajudeen Orsi remained within the party.
Oyeweso said: “Prince Tajudeen Orusi has undoubtedly carved a niche for himself in the socio-political system of Lagos. He is a party bigwig. He is a strategist and is always careful in his involvement with political parties. , this explains part of his political ideology. A look at his political profile shows that from the Awolowo era to the Awaju Bola Tinubu era in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), he has always been on the winning side. Many refer to this group as the Party of Progressives because of its history of promoting social growth and development.”
He further said, “In addition to political activities, Prince Tajudeen Orsi has also proved his mettle in business. He is a director of Eko Hotels Ltd and chairman of Asake (Nig) Ltd. Prince Tajudeen Orsi has He shone brightly in the field of social service. He has a good relationship with the community, which also explains that he always received support from the community as a politician from a young age. Currently, he Prince Tajudeen Orusi is a lifelong member of the Boy Scouts of Nigeria movement and the first National Vice-President of the Zumratul-ul-Islam Society. He was once the Chairman of the Lagos State Pilgrims Committee.
“Also, by virtue of his long stay and activities in Lagos, Prince Olusi is now known as a regional historian with extensive experience and knowledge in virtually every aspect of Nigeria’s social, economic and political system. As a prince, he has always been passionate about the socio-economic development of Lagos. His humility, candor and ability to build strong relationships have won over many. He is also a former chairman of the Island Club. , Mr. Anibaba Seriki said Prince Tajudeen Orusi has contributed immensely to the Akinsemoyin and Ado royal families and their continued interest in Lagos.”
“Over the years, the history of the Lagos Observatory has been marked by dynastic rivalry. Indeed, the vibrant traditional diplomatic relations the city is known for have seen frequent succession disputes. Indeed, the large number of dynasties claiming the throne at different times and the complexity of the selection process may be responsible for this situation. But more importantly, Europeans from the mid-19th century onwards, Especially the fact that the arrival of the British on the shores of Lagos has given some twist to the politics of the observance system,” says Oyeweso.
His A Short History of the Obaship in Lagos also examines the traditional institutions and intrigues that characterized the emergence of the Obaship. This is the story of the early settlers of Lagos, their relationship with Bini, and who the Awori are. The highly controversial book also incorporates some of the opinions expressed from his newspaper interviews on the history of Lagos.
Source: guardian.ng