EKO NEWS

IBILE Summit Group Advocates Louder Voice For Indigenes Of Lagos state

Published

2 months ago

Feb 28, 2025.

The IBILE Summit Group, an association of indigenous Lagosians, has called for unity among its members to enhance their social, economic and political interests.
The president of IBILE Eko Summit Group, Olasupo Shasore, SAN, in his welcome address emphasized the essence of unity among the indigenes of Lagos. He noted that the word IBILE is an acronym that represents the five old divisions of Lagos State, which include Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe.
Shasore emphasized that unity is essential for the group to achieve its goals, citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Nigerian Constitution.

The IBILE Summit Group, an association of indigenous Lagosians, has called for unity among its members to enhance their social, economic and political interests.

This call was made at a general summit themed “Greater Unity; Louder Voice,” which brought together indigenes of Lagos State on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at the Muson Center, Onikan Lagos.

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The president of IBILE Eko Summit Group, Olasupo Shasore, SAN, in his welcome address emphasized the essence of unity among the indigenes of Lagos. He noted that the word IBILE is an acronym that represents the five old divisions of Lagos State, which include Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe.

Shasore explained the group’s objectives and also highlighted the essence of promoting the rights of indigenous Lagosians.

“Our objectives remain to address opportunities available to Lagosians and the disparity in our shared heritage as indigenes; to create a non-political platform to engage in continuous dialogue with the Lagos State Government about the state’s development, including infrastructure; to create a network of all current IBILE-EKO organisations in Nigeria and the diaspora, addressing any obstacles facing our beloved state; and to empower the capabilities of women and youth throughout the state, likewise naturally bringing together indigenous professionals and volunteers from all levels of society to implement recommendations. The intention is promoting greater inclusion in socioeconomic opportunities across Lagos.” He said.

Shasore emphasized that unity is essential for the group to achieve its goals, citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Nigerian Constitution.

“Article 9 of UNDRIP states that ‘Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right to belong to an indigenous community or nation.’
In Nigeria, Section 25(1)(a) of the Constitution, in defining citizenship, states the Nigerian citizen qualification as:every person born in Nigeria on or before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs to or belonged to any community indigenous to Nigeria’.

Therefore, the often-repeated assertion that the constitution does not provide any guide for who is an indigene is not correct. In Section 318(1) paragraph (vi) of the constitution, it is stated:
“Belong to or its grammatical expression, when used with reference to a person in a state, refers to a person either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents were members of a community indigenous to that state.” He cited.

Shasore also mentioned the significance of IBILE diaspora engagement; he referenced Ireland’s diaspora strategy, which has been successful in attracting the Irish abroad to contribute to the country. He emphasized that IBILE Eko has a dedicated focus on IBILE citizens in diaspora.

“IBILE EKO has a dedicated focus on IBILE citizens in diaspora. There are an unquantified number of IBILE’s with affinity to and belonging to Lagos. This is a great resource that can still be tapped to the great benefit of the state. When you consider the population of Ireland is about 6.9 million, it is estimated that 50 to 80 million people around the world have Irish forebears, making the Irish diaspora one of the largest of any nation. Together with other associations, we need to develop a deeper diaspora strategy for IBILE citizens and those with Lagos affinity.” He added.