Lagos Lawmaker Gets Royal Honour

A member of Lagos State House of Assembly, Abdulbaq Ladi-Balogun, has been honoured by the Emir of Ilorin for lifting the standard of the Kwara State capital as a legislator.

The lawmaker, who had embarked on various poverty alleviation programmes within his Ajeromi-Ifelodun Constituency 2, was described by the Emir, who was represented by a delegation from Ilorin, as “the true face of Ilorin.”

The traditional ruler, who presented the award through the delegation, promised to continue to support the lawmaker morally in his pursuits.

An elated Ladi-Balogun, received the award during a Ramadan lecture he organised for the people of his constituency.

The lawmaker, while speaking at the event, said all the religions in the country should learn to adhere to the doctrine of peaceful co-existence as this would make Nigeria habitable.

According to him, the country had reached a stage where its citizens must drop their grievances and forge a front for its growth and development.

Ladi-Balogun said the Ramadan lecture was aimed at “bringing people together to listen to the words of God and to those things that would give them rewards and change their attitude towards other people and their creator.

“The gathering comprises both Muslims and Christians and the wisdom behind it is that we are trying to preach unity and oneness in our society and we are also trying to say that both Muslims and Christians are one because all of us are serving only one God, and we should live in peace and harmony without any religious or ethnic clash,” he said.

He noted that  the lecture was a way to draw the people closer to God and become conscious of their actions against their neighbours and the country.

He said: “My advice for the people in this holy month of Ramadan is that they should embrace what God compels them to do and abstain from what He forbids them to do.

“This month gives everybody an opportunity to change his/her bad attitude to good conduct.

“They should see themselves as instruments that Allah created to make things work effectively and to ensure peaceful co-existence with fellow human beings,” he said.

—Eromesele Ebhomele