The Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) and Oba Omogbolahan Lawal, the Oniru of Iruland recently hosted some pupils of primary schools at the Oniru Palace to commemorate this year’s children’s day celebration.
The event, tagged “Monumental Lagos 2024” designed to celebrate the rich history and culture of Lagos, was held at the Palace of Oniru of Iruland, Lagos and was attended by young and old cultural enthusiasts.
Addressing the children in his palace, Oba Lawal, who was in the company of his wife, Olori Mariam Lawal and the Council of Chiefs of Iruland, urged the children to seize the opportunity of their visit to the Palace to learn more about royalty and the culture of Lagos State.
The Paramount Ruler of Iruland, who noted that most of the children were visiting his palace for the first time, expressed the belief that the exposure would make a great impact on their lives and also enhance their knowledge about Lagos State.
He commended the initiative of LASRAB for organising the event as part of efforts to preserve the rich cultural and historical records of the State and also archive them for posterity.
On her part, the Director-General of LASRAB, Ms. Toyin Ogunlana averred that the visit to the place of Oniru afforded the pupils the privilege of delving deeper into Lagos royalty and culture through guided tours and immersive experiences of witnessing the splendour and traditions that have shaped the city of Lagos for generations.
“This is its part of our mandate at LASRAB to keep our culture, tradition and heritage patrimony, being a crucial aspect of Records and Archives management for future generations. Beyond this visit to the palace of His Royal Majesty, we are instilling a sense of pride in our heritage by encouraging our children to delve into the annals of history, and we are also indirectly empowering them to become stewards of our cultural legacy for generations yet unborn”, she stated.
As part of the ‘Monumental Lagos’ event, the children had the privilege of listening to the Olori of Iruland, Her Royal Highness, Olori Mariam Lawal who read a few pages of “The Story of Aina on Iddo Island” to the pupils as a way of deepening their knowledge about the history of Lagos while also encouraging the culture of reading books.
The high point of the event was the Virtual Reality tour on the history of Lagos State set up by the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau, LASRAB.
The schools represented at the event were Awoyaya Primary School, Victoria Island; Federal Housing Estate Primary School, Victoria Island; AUD Primary School, Victoria Island; Victoria Island Nursery and Primary School, and Right Choice Divine Private School, Agege.
The event was attended by the Permanent Secretary, the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Dr. Biodun Onayele; the Permanent Secretary, Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO), Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya FCA; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olumide Sogunle, represented by Bukola Bakare; Heads of Agencies and top government officials.