By Yemi Alli and Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla
This is our reaction to the comments made by the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige at a committee meeting in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 22 July, 2020 where he made snide remarks at Mushin.
While we left the leadership of the House of Representatives to take the necessary action on the conduct of the Minister at the event, we will not however sit down, fold our arms and allow him to get away with his remarks about the community of a people who have given us their mandate to represent them at the Green Chamber.
If Dr. Ngige must know and we are impressing it on him, Mushin is a land of honour, inhabited by honourable and dignified people. Mushin is located right in the heart of Lagos State. It has inhabitants from all parts of the country. Mushin has been one of the modern cities of Lagos since inception of Western region in Nigeria. It is absurd for anyone to have a derogative reasoning about civilization in Mushin Federal Constituencies. In a broad view, Palm-grove estate and Ilupeju estate among others located in Mushin are some of the foremost residential areas in Nigeria till date. Without being immodest, industrialization has been in Mushin since the modern state of Lagos. One of such is Ilupeju Industrial Estate, which plays host to companies such as: PZ, Nestle, MacMillan Press, Empee, a textile industry, Academic Press etc.
Another is Matori Industrial Estate hosting a lot of companies in Nigeria, such as: Xerox company, Onwards Paper Mill, May and Baker, the Guardian, and the Nation newspapers among others. Mushin has to its credit, produced many prominent Nigerians who had occupied prestigious public offices in the country. Some of them are: the first Executive Governor of Lagos State and former Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande; late foremost lawyer and first Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Rotimi Williams (SAN); first Military Governor of the state, General Mobolaji Johnson (GMJ); former Minority Whip of the Senate, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon; former National Legal Adviser of APC, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN); current Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat; and Mr. Kayode Enitan (SAN), among others. Moreover, Mushin has produced and still producing many distinguished lawmakers with impeccable character at the State and National Assemblies. Mushin also has produced many notable industrialists, among whom are: Chief Kola Ayanwale, CEO, Centerspread Advertising Company; Abel Abu, one of the first indegeneous industrialists in Nigeria; while the pioneer Managing Director of GT Bank, Mr Fola Adeola was born and bred in Mushin. Mushin as one of the commercial hubs in Lagos and by extension Nigeria, has many international markets, which include: Electronic Market, Idi – Oro, Mushin, Ojuwoye Provisions Market, Awolowo Ultra-modern Market, Ilupeju Model Market, Oshodi Modern Bus terminal, Ladipo International Auto spare parts market dominated by our brothers from the East. Mushin Federal Constituencies is another modern city within the mega city of Lagos with so many amenities: Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, (FIIRO), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, and Control.(NAFDAC), Nigeria Armed Forces Resettlement Center, (NAFRC), National Medical Store. All these federal institutions are located in Mushin. Premised on the above, one can inferred that our Mushin can be equated with any modern city in Nigeria and indeed the continent of Africa.
Perhaps, Dr Ngige is unaware of this and we need to educate him.
Yes, we are proud to be Mushin boys.
With these aforementioned facts who won’t be proud to be a Mushiner! Hon Taofeek Adeyemi Alli and Hon Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, are members of House of Representatives representing Mushin Federal Constituency 1and 2 respectively
