General

My dream was to become Lagos governor – Oba Elegushi

Published

May 3, 2019

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The Oba of Ikate-Elegushi, in Lekki area of Lagos, Oba Saheed Elegushi, has said his emergence as monarch laid his political ambition to rest.

The 43-year-old monarch, who recently celebrated his ninth coronation anniversary, said he was hoping to become the governor of Lagos someday before he was picked as his father’s successor.

In an interview with The Punch, Elegushi who was an aide to former Lagos Governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola before his emergence as a king said he was scared for his life when he was told he would be the 21st monarch of the Ikate-Elegushi kingdom because he didn’t want to die at a young age.

Elegushi said,

“I was hoping to become the governor of Lagos someday. I didn’t know that Allah had a bigger plan for me. But working with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu prepared me for this challenge.

“I learnt a lot working as the special assistant to two former governors of Lagos – Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.”

He added,

“For me, I believe in destiny. If God has destined you for a position, there is nothing you can do about it. When I was younger and the wise men told my father that I was a future king, it was like a joke to me.

“As a civil servant, I was aspiring to go to the House of Representatives, and I had even set up my campaign office. I thank God for where I am today because it is only death that can take me away from this position.”

Speaking on some of his achievements as the ruler of Elegushi, the Economics graduate from Lagos State University and the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, said, the kingdom is building a new city like Eko Atlantic, known as Imperial City.

He said,

“I am not a noisemaker. We are in an era where people like to publicise the good they do. If you help someone, anyone doesn’t need to know about it. I have never done anything for someone and made it obvious it came from me. But I am always happy and satisfied whenever I wake up and remember the people I have helped. I don’t need to announce to the world any good deed I do because everything in this world will remain here when the world ends.

“However, we give scholarships to children, especially the ones from humble backgrounds. We are also building a new city like Eko Atlantic, known as Imperial City. Many times, we travel to developed countries and we don’t bring things we learnt there to our communities. At times, I wonder if it is a curse that we are from the black race, and if that is why we struggle to do good things for our continent.”