• Fashola emphasized the importance of safeguarding historical records, citing archival materials from the University of Glasgow.

• He urged Lagosians to understand the legacies behind such names and called for more support for the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB).

Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has criticized the growing trend of renaming streets in Lagos, warning against erasing the legacies of those commemorated.

Speaking at the unveiling of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)” on Tuesday, Fashola emphasized the importance of safeguarding historical records, citing archival materials from the University of Glasgow.

He highlighted Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, Nigeria’s first African medical officer of health, who pioneered school health services and founded the first school of hygiene in Yaba in 1920.

Referring to Ladipo Oluwole Street in Ikeja, named in the doctor’s honor, Fashola said:

“But it is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming, and I keep my gunpowder dry.”

He urged Lagosians to understand the legacies behind such names and called for more support for the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB).

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, praised the book and Fashola’s role in establishing LASRAB.

“It is important that we don’t only understand ourselves, but we must understand our history so we don’t lose ourselves,” Hamzat said.
“This book is a creative method of crafting historical consciousness that informs while it also entertains. That way, we don’t distort our history and we don’t misunderstand our being.”