EKO NEWS

Otunba TJ Abass Advocates Legal Framework Safeguarding Lagosians’ Interests At Olugbile’s Book Launch

Published

1 year ago

Nov 18, 2023.

By Babawale Solomon

Eko Hot Blog reports that Otunba TJ Abass, a media entrepreneur, has celebrated author Dr Femi Olugbile on his latest book launch and called for a legal framework for the protection of Lagos State indigenes.

He made the call during the week at the public presentation of Olugbile’s latest literary masterpiece ‘Pelewura’ at NIIA, Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Otunba Abass, who’s also the publisher of Eko Hot Blog, freely celebrated Dr. Femi Olugbile and commended him for authentically portraying the heroic efforts of Alimat Pelewura, an unsung hero in Lagos State.

“I’m here to celebrate such an important milestone in the life of a great author, in the life of a columnist, an individual whose love for Lagos state cannot be questioned. So today is a book launch of Alimat Pelewura,” the Aremo of Epe kingdom said.

“And I want to congratulate Dr Femi Olugbile the author for such a brilliant work of fiction that has authentically represent heroic efforts of one of our unsung heroes in Lagos state and that’s Alimat Pelewura.”

Pelewura author, Dr. Femi Olugbile

Acknowledging the strong character of Pelewura, Otunba Abass highlighted her impact in Lagos state.

“She’s an individual that despite her educational limitation fought for the rights of market women, and of course put Lagos state on a global pedestal,” he said.

“What we’re doing here today is not just to talk about those people who have walked the soil before us but to challenge everyone of us to make our community a better place and for the sake of posterity.”

He expressed concern about the current state of Lagos and believed the protagonist of the book would not be happy with the treatment of indigenes.

“She wouldn’t be proud seeing the level of disrespect that we see in Lagos state today. Seeing the way indigenes of Lagos state are being treated with disdain, she will not be impressed about it,” the Epe chief said.

“Looking at what happened in the last election in the state, we almost lost Lagos state. Words like Lagos is a no man’s land, it’s very demeaning for all of us who are indigenes of Lagos state and it’s a collective responsibility of everyone of us Lagosians to make sure we speak with a unified force, so as to be able to protect our heritage.

“Not only that; there has to be a robust legal framework that should be put in place to protect the interests of the indigenes.”

Pelewura

Otunba Abass warned that necessary steps should be taken, if not, the Lagos Pelewura fought for may no longer be in existence in the near future. He implored people from other areas of the country to respect the rights of their host and the laws of the land.

He charged young ladies of today to take a clue from the life of Pelewura, who despite her deficiency made remarkable contribution to the development of Lagos state.

“One good lesson is that you don’t have to go after Gucci shoes, bags, designer shoes before you can make an impact in the society. It’s not about your look, it’s about what you have upstairs, it’s about your fearlessness,” the media entrepreneur said.

“What most great women of today do is not something new; it’s embracing what great people have done in the past. So, the key is to do what we can to make an impact in the society.

“All the women out there, take cue from Alimat Pelewura. Fight for your own community, particularly lagosians, fight for Lagos state. Fight for its survival, fight for the soul of Lagos state, walk Lagos, talk Lagos, dream Lagos. That’s the key to the future of our state.”