OSHODI THE NUPE FOUNDER OF LAGOS Lagos was originally founded as a sea-port outreach by the Nupeko or Nupekoro people in ancient times. In those days, according to Sultan Bello and Sir H.R. Palmer, the Nupekoro people ruled over virtually the whole of todays Nigeria and particularly over the Nigerian Middle Belt and the whole of the southern half of Nigeria. It was those Nupekoro people who referred to Lagos as ‘Ikoro-Edu’ or ‘Ikorodu’ which is usually shortened into ‘Iko’ or ‘Eko’ which the local name of Lagos to this very day. In Middle Nupe ‘Ikoro’ or ‘Koro’ referred to a River and ‘Edu’ refer to a large body of water, the names the Middle Nupes used for the River Niger. It was these names ‘Ikoro-Edu’ that the Nupe people who founded and established Lagos used to christened the Lagos lagoon. Ever since those days Lagos had witnessed a steady flow of aristocratic dynasts coming from the heart of KinNupe to rule over Lagos as colonial governors on behalf of the Central Nupe Government headquartered in the heart of KinNupe. One of these Nupe Governors was Oshodi whose title, Oshodi, is actually a Yoruba corruption of the original Nupe royal title, Tsoede, Tsudi, Shudi, Oshudi or Oshodi. ‘Oshodi’ is merely the Yoruba corruption of the Nupe royal title ‘Etsudi’ or ‘Tsudi’. The works of Sheikh Abdullahi Ilorin, Sheikh Isah Muhammed Awal, and others show that variants of the name Tsudi, Tsoede or Tsodi were very common in earlier Lagos. The first ‘Chief Imam’ of Lagos was, for instance, known as ‘Sheikh Jumadah Shadi; the title ‘Shadi’ being a variant of the Nupe generic title ‘Tsudi’. The Oshodi extended groups of families in Lagos are descendants of the great Nupe man originally called Landzugi who came from KinNupe to build and establish Lagos into a modern city in historical times. Yoruba revisionist story-tellers are trumpeting the lie that Oshodi was a slave of Kosoko in Lagos. This lie is also abetted by Professor S.F. Nadels erroneous adoption of the Yoruba version since he heard nothing about Oshodi in KinNupe in the 1930s when he journeyed throughout KinNupe. But the truth of the matter is that the reverse was the case - the Yoruba king Kosoko was the slave to Oshodi the Nupe man. Kososko was originally not a Lagosian and sought refuge in Lagos when he was harassed by the devilish White colonialists. Kososko actually fled to Lagos to seek for an asylum under Oshodi the pristine king of Lagos. Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Ilorin wrote that by the time Kososko arrived Lagos he met Lagos as a well-established town founded by the Nupe king of Lagos called Ladzungi but otherwise known as Oshodi. It was Oshodi, the original Nupe king of Lagos, who then granted Kosoko asylum. The origin and history of Lagos trace back to deep and full Nupe roots. Lady Flora Shaw (Mrs Frederick Lugard), R.F. Ruxton, and other authorities related that Lagos was originally a Nupe settlement founded by a detachment of Nupe colonialists from the interior.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 05:26:57 +0000
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