Former governor of Lagos State and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has called for the preservation of Lagos history to avoid distortion and promote values, particularly as the discussion on street naming in Lagos continues to create controversy.

He stated this on Tuesday at the public presentation of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)” held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

At the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, also echoed the importance of documenting the state’s history, hailing the Lagos State Records and Archive Bureau for the timely presentation of the book.

Fashola referenced the works in the digital archives of the University of Glasgow, noting that the past works of the university’s staff and students played a role in influencing the historical development in other countries, even in the area of landmarks.

He said records also contain information about the first Nigerian students at the University of Glasgow at the time, including Dr Issac Ladipo Oluwole, who was enrolled in 1913 and graduated in 1918.

Referencing the archive, Fashola said, “Dr Ladipo Oluwole returned to Nigeria to become the first African medical officer of health in the Lagos colony.

“He pioneered school health services, with school inspection and vaccination of children in their schools, and started the first Nigerian school of hygiene at Yaba in Lagos in 1920. So that’s the Ladipo Oluwole. But the records were kept well in Glasgow, Scotland.

“So those of us who drive through streets such as Ladipo Oluwole Street in Ikeja will probably now understand and contextualise the contributions of such a man and why it was considered such a high honour to immortalise him by naming a street in his memory.

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

“Today I reiterate those words about street naming and Dr Oluwole and with a greater conviction to reinforce my message that the preservation of our history and the documentation of our progress should be taken seriously,” Fashola said.