₦airaland Forum

Intrepid01:
Bros I do not know of historical records you have stated but I doubt if you are right on the simple reason that you are wrong about your story on 'Alausa' ....Go to Lagos radio the right pronouncuation is "the owner of awusa' ....Awusa is that local fruit you eat and your mouth taste bitter if you drink water afterward....it has nothing to do with the Northerners AT ALL....

acenazt:
Just as Washington D.C.

martyns303:
The phrase "joint administration". But no, u would rather sit and spew trash when u don't have a contrary answer.

ednut1:
no such thing as joint administration.Go and read ur secondary school government textbooks if u hv offered d subject . tomorw we will hear about ikoyi and badagry joint adminstration

jesuspikinjp:
stop giving that flattie attention, the little boy only trying to turn the Topic to tribal bash.

martyns303:
I guess like myself, most people never knew this.
Lalasticlala, seun mynd44 a little education for Nl please.

ednut1:
no such thing as joint administration.Go and read ur secondary school government textbooks if u hv offered d subject . tomorw we will hear about ikoyi and badagry joint adminstration

Belmot:
@op even your post is not complete..... It is Ikorodu,Ketu and Epe joint administration (IKEJA)

martyns303:
Belmot can you please explain ednut1?

Belmot:
Who has time explaining to 1diots? Just learn to ignore them.

LAGOS HORIZON NEWSPAPER                
                                                                                        Pages 8-9, August 15-22, 1989

                                                                                                    ALAUSA
                                                                                              The mix of ironies

The name naturally conjures the image of a spectacle akin to the “sabos” in all major towns in the country – pious of Mallams praying on goat skin under the shade of trees; an over made-up milk maiden serving “fura” to an embroiderer who, needle in hand, sits with a “babanriga” he is in a hurry to finish; or a “tuwo” seller splashing some stew on the white stuff with her wooden ladle.

One would expect to find “suya” kilns, kolanut warehouses, ram markets, lorries, trucks and trailers and probably, hear at least five times before the end of the day, sonorous voices filtering from the public address systems of nearby mosques, calling the faithful’s of Islam to worship.

Paradoxically, the town called Alausa which, translated, literally means “Hausa Settlement” presents a totally different picture from the pre-conceived image.

There is not a single Hausa man living in it as a bonafide resident – not even the ubiquitous provisions sellers often found roosting as “megadis’” at the frontage of the homes of the rich and private firms’ premises.

It took five days of diligent search, of trudging on its dirt roads and sometimes sleazy streets, snout-poking into the people’s homes and combing all the nooks and corners to confirm this curious fact.

Each second, each tread turned out to be nothing but an excursion into a world of ironies – a world in which startling discoveries were to be made everywhere the beam of flashlight was directed.

The town called Alausa is in the real sense, no town as such. It is one of the settlements which, until quite recently, existed as separate entities in the geographical areas that have come to be known as Lagos metropolis.

The exigencies of modernisation and imperatives of expansion, occasioned by population growth of the city had fused all into one whole.
Located at the north-eastern fringe of Ikeja Local Government, the community, according to one of its leaders, occupies an area of above seventy acres. It is bound in the east by Oregun and in the west, from the Agindingbi, by Ogba.

Its precincts also extend to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway toll-gate and all the areas now occupied by Eleganza Industries, 7Up Bottling Company and the Lagos State Secretariat Complex.

As a matter of fact, Alausa – the appellation alternatively used for Lagos State Secretariat derives from the name of the community founded over 200 years ago.

Oral traditions diverge on the origin of the name of the town.
Pa Dauda Odewale, an octogenarian and descendant of one of the three patriarchs who founded the town got its name from two war refugees, a Nupe man and an Hausa, who sought shelter from the early settlers – Jogunosinmi, Odewale and Bashorun.

The northerners were said to have fled the war-front (Ogunsope Ayinbokoru war) and ran to Akiola, a local chieftain at Oke-Isheri Olofin (present Isheri). Akiola refused to harbour them but prevailed on his friends and neighbours (the trios) who were trying to establish a settlement of their own to give them refuge.

Over the years, the population of the “foreigners” tripled that of the inhabitants as they were later joined by their friends and relations. It was not long before the settlement, formerly variously called “Abule Jogunosinmi”, “Abule Odewale” or “Abule Bashorun” after their founders came to be known as “Abule Tapa” (Nupe post) and much later “Alausa” or “that of Hausas”.

Pa Odewale recalled meeting some of Hausas’ festivals and cultural activities in his youth days. They used to beat their drums and blow animal horns. Some wore charms and stabbed themselves with knives without drawing any blood or causing any injury.
He remembered some of their leaders’ names to be “Me Turari and Suya Ogunda Meta”.

Another octogenarian called Pa Buraimoh said it was through one of the three progenitors and the first Baale of the community that the Hausa came.

Buraimoh was a horse trader who supplied Europeans and wealthy African coastal chiefs with horses for their wheel carts (a means of transportation in fashion then). To case his trade, Bashorun had stable hands, expectedly, Hausas, who were also responsible for bringing the horses from the North.

Their population soon grew enormously and a space had to be provided for them at the outskirts of the town precisely, the spot where the Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation (LSBC complex) now stands. The place was known then as “Oke Dadi”.
The Baale and his court appointed a “Seriki” (Leader) to adjudicate civil cases among them while serious cases had to be brought to the Bale's attention.

In the simplest of senses, the Hausas’ continued living in the community was at the pleasure of the Baale, who began, perhaps not too – wrongly, to be called “Olu Alausa” (owner of the head of the Hausas).

Alausa was popularised by traders’ of the period who used to drop by to hire the Hausas as porters to help to carry their goods to and fro the coast to Lagos.

But what came of the Hausas who give the town its name?
The last surviving generation, said an 80 year-old indigene and traditional pharmacist Alhaja Asaratu Bashorun (a.k.a Majekobaje), became extinct some 50 years ago. Others simply emigrated to other parts of the country.

Today there is nothing in the town to indicate that its landscape used to swarm with Hausas, save for one or two ancient and ramshackle bungalows said to have been built by two Hausa men.

The houses stand grotesquely on Odewale Street, as relics of their owners past.

The departure of the Hausas from their midst caused the natives of Alausa no grief. But one thing that caused them great sorrow and wracked their entire psyche was the loss of the sacred python, the symbol of the life and soul of the community.

“Olu Odo” or “Olodo” as it was called was said to be the source and controller of the Eleregun Stream on which the community depended for water. It was revered because it was said to be the snake that assisted the founding fathers to settle where they did.

The patriarchs who, married into the royal families of Onilegbale, Suenu and Aromire were ordered by the Ifa Oracle to sojourn and settle near a stream in order to have children.

During their journey, they came upon the snake and the stream in which it lived. It became the emergent clan’s god-head, regularly worshiped and offered sacrifices.

The stream course, Lagos Horizon discovered on the fact-finding mission, extended as far as Onigbongbo area of Maryland. People were forbidden to kill or ear its fish.

Violation of that taboo of then had disastrous consequences such as drought or mosquito invasion of the community. This normally called for propitiatory sacrifices to an angered Olodo.

Ironically, the snake which tried to protect the lives in and out of its water seemed unable to save itself from the tragic fate that befell it! Some 24 years ago, it was killed by fatal chemical wastes discharged from various industries in the area.


I hope with the above expose, the management of Radio Lagos, Eko FM, LTV will see it wise to change their stance on the distortion of history.

Sanchez01:
LOL... So you actually believed that? What is the relationship of Epe with core parts of Lagos? Epe that is on the outskirt and almost in Ogun state.

I haven't really thought about it before though but I know Alausa used to be 'Abúlé Jogunosinmi', which later changed to 'Abúlé Tapa' and much later to 'Alausa', due to the influx of the Hausas. Unfortunately, our poor record keeping culture would be a primary reason why the name Ikeja may not really move us since its origin is unknown to almost all Lagosians.

IKEJA is said to be named after an Awori hunter known as Akeja Onigorun. He was a successful hunter who was celebrated within the Awori clan of the Yoruba people, hence the present name Ikeja the state government seat of Lagos. This is just one of the many stories backing the origin however, no octogenarian or historian till tomorrow has been able to come on TV to explain the name. Again, it goes ahead to show how bad we are at keeping records as a people.

Intrepid01:
Bros I do not know of historical records you have stated but I doubt if you are right on the simple reason that you are wrong about your story on 'Alausa' ....Go to Lagos radio the right pronouncuation is "the owner of awusa' ....Awusa is that local fruit you eat and your mouth taste bitter if you drink water afterward....it has nothing to do with the Northerners AT ALL....

Sanchez01:
Perhaps this could clear the air, somehow.


https://www.nairaland.com/814672/alausa-mix-ironies

acenazt:
Just as Washington D.C.

yomexp:
This story is fasle because i lived most of my life in Oregun and if you know Oregun very well you will know it just a stone trow from alausa. In alausa there isn't one single Hausa settlement or village, No landmark to suggest that the hausa ever settled there and the whole of the place doesn't even have Hausa or even Islamic influence at all. So where is this huasa narrative coming from? by the way alausa, oregun all the way to ojota is populated by The AWORI people

dreamwords:
Awori is not yoruba

MzLarem:
Says who?

Awori is so Yoruba and i know cos thats where i'm frm.

dreamwords:
Awori is not yoruba

agrovick:
Emmmm

agrovick:
Emmmm

Gernal8:
but I think Awori dialect is somewhat similar in some instance to Yoruba, perhaps they only migrated

MzLarem:
Are you clearing your throat or coughing?

agrovick:
Clearing my throat actually, I was gonna ask you about this thing with Awori ladies but then I thought it might be inappropriate on the worldwideweb

MzLarem:
Lol,go ahead and ask. We are all entitled to our opinion.

But note before you ask,there is

Majidun Awori

Badagry Awori

Ikeja Awori

Ketu Awori

agrovick:
All these sub categories? Kilode

I learnt Awori ladies are usually blessed in the behind region, I've only come across one that I know and truly she garrit.

I wanna know if you garrit as well and if it's something prevalent among the ladies