President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday called the Oba of Lagos, Dr Rilwanu Babatunde, to convey his best wishes to the traditional ruler on the occasion of his 77th birthday.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
The presidential aide quoted the president to have, again, commiserated with the traditional ruler on the recent violence that led to the loss of lives and property in Lagos.
”The President recalled his long association and friendship with the Oba and appreciated the personal role that the latter has played in nurturing the peace and development of Lagos state and nation as a whole,” Shehu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recent unrest in Lagos occasioned by the ENDSARS protests had seen hoodlums invading the palace of the Oba of Lagos.
Traditional instruments of office, artefacts and valuables, including the Oba’s shoes, were carted away by the invaders.
NAN, however, gathered that some of the stolen items, including the Oba’s traditional instruments of office, have been recovered from the hoodlums.
NAN also reports that all necessary rituals for the return of the traditional ruler to his palace, located at Iga Idugaran, Lagos Island, have been completed.
It is believed that the ancient palace, the official residence of the Oba of Lagos, was originally built in 1670 and has remained a historical monument and a cultural rallying point for Lagosians.
