Chief Adewale Adamson, the Baale of Ajah Community has reiterated the need for the Lagos State Government to build general hospital and intensify more security operations in the Ajah community.
Adamson disclosed this on Friday while celebrating the annual ‘Jimo Oloyin festival’ which comes every Friday after Eid- el-Kabir.
“Well, today is Friday, we are celebrating Eid and we are doing it every Friday following the Eid.
“And then all the community are coming out to celebrate it, the family, home and abroad are here to celebrate the festival.
“All the religions in the community are in one accord and then we are celebrating together. Whatever the religion you are, as long as you are a Muslim, Christian or whatever religion you are, we are coming together to celebrate whatever the celebration is
“We have been doing the carnivals back in the past years. But when I became the Baale of Ajah, the community changed the way they are doing it and we started elaborating it.,” he said.
The community leader also pleaded and reiterated the urgent need for the government to build a General Hospital in the Ajah community.
According to him, the residents are just pleading to the government to look into our matter. And then we plead to the government to help us build a general hospital. And then we need more security, especially as Aja underbridge.
“There is a lot of crime being committed. And then as the family of Aja, the community, I myself am doing the best I can do to make sure that we put the situation under control,” the community leader added.
Alhaji Abdukabir Ogunsemo, the General Secretary Ogunsemo Royal Family in Ajah community said that the carnival has been a long tradition celebrated on Friday after Eid.
“It has been a tradition all along that every Eid festival, the Friday that is after Ileya, we do what is called ‘Jimo Oloyin’ all indigenous, sojourners, and visitors, come together to celebrate the festival.
“We are religious tolerant, we don’t have any problem within our community, we have the traditional religion, Christianity, and the Muslims, and we all live like family.
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“And we have all these religions present in every family like in my own family now, I’m a Muslim, we have our fathers who are traditionalists and Christians.
“Even our wives who are Christians, and even our own sons that are married Christians, we all live together.
“So it has been an age-long tradition that we all celebrate together. As we are celebrating today, the tradition, Egungun worshippers, oro worshippers, everybody felicitates with us. And that has been our tradition, we thank God for that,” he said.
According to him, Ajah is an ancient town established in 1704 and since 1734, we have been having the Baaleship up to today. (1:58) And we have been organising this since ancient times.
Ogunsemo also appealed to the Lagos State government to upgrade the office of Baale Ajah to Obaship to foster more development in the community.
“We have Ilaje, we have the Hausas, the Igbos and the Igalas every clan is ethnic groups in Nigeria ars here present in Ajah community as you can even call Ajah the Federal Republic of Ethnic Groups,” he added.
The community leader also said that Ajah area needed a substantive traditional ruler who would foster more development into the community.
“And one of the major things that is paramount to every Aja community now is for the government to elevate our baale to Oba,” he added.
Chief Ibrahim Olokonla, one of the High Chief in Ajah community also thanked the Baale for organising the carnival in a big form saying the festival would bring more bonds and unity to Ajah community.
“We have been doing it for a long time more than 40 years ago and this one is very unique.
“We urge the people of Ajah to be more peaceful and support the community leaders to ensure more development and infrastructure,” he said.