Tinubu aides split over Lagos ownership claim

The Presidency has distanced itself from remarks credited to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, regarding the controversial claim that Lagos is a man’s land belonging solely to the Yoruba.

Speaking on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications to the President, Daniel Bwala, dismissed Onanuga’s assertion, stressing that Lagos is a no man’s land.

Debates about Lagos’ identity resurfaced during the 2023 general elections, particularly around the candidacy of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi.

His campaign, powered by the ‘Obidient’ movement, sought to disrupt Nigeria’s political order, which they labeled a corrupt structure. This triggered a fresh round of arguments over Lagos’ ownership and inclusivity.

After the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, secured victory in the presidential and governorship elections in Lagos, Onanuga attempted to reinforce the position that Lagos belonged to the Yoruba. He argued that the no man’s land notion was false and blamed the Obidient movement for spreading it.

His stance contrasted with the words of Lagos’ first civilian governor, Lateef Jakande, who, in his October 1, 1979 inaugural address, noted: “In 1886, Lagos was again set up as a separate colony in response to a petition by the people of Lagos who resented being governed from the Gold Coast. It was administered by a Governor of the Colony of Lagos under Letters Patent dated 13th January 1886.

“The administration continued under various constitutions until 1954 when Lagos was separated from the rest of the Colony and constituted a Federal Territory, that is to say, a No-Man’s Land.

“The creation of Lagos State, like all great events, is not the achievement of one single person.”

Onanuga, however, rejected this perspective. In a March 18, 2023 post on his X handle, he declared: “Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics. Let there be no repeat in 2027. Lagos is like Anambra, Imo, any Nigerian state. It is not No Man’s Land, not Federal Capital Territory. It is Yoruba land. Mind your business.”

In another tweet, he doubled down: “I hope the Obidients and their LP have now realized that Lagos is not ‘no man’s land’. The state has indigenous owners and today they emphatically made the statement loud and clear.”

But on Wednesday, Bwala countered this position, aligning instead with Jakande’s earlier views. He argued: “Let me tell you why Lagos State is different. Lagos State is a no-man’s land. In the last election, the president who comes from the southwest did not win Lagos.

“That tells you the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State. Secondly, the richest man in Africa is a northerner. His business is not in Kano, it’s in Lagos.

“Almost every rich man that you know in Nigeria has business undertakings in Lagos. And the Nigerian people are represented in Lagos. [If] you go to Lagos, if not because probably the majority of the people are Yoruba speaking, you will wonder whether Lagos indeed is from the southwest.

“Does this negate the fact that other regions also want to have their own hubs? Let me land. London has more investment than the entire states in England put together. New York has infrastructure, all investment, more than the rest of the states in the United States, including California.

“Paris has more investment than anywhere. So in every country, wherever you find the commercial nerve of that country, you are likely to see the need to put infrastructure in place in order to boost the economy of that country. Whatever Lagos benefits, benefits the country.

“So the idea that you put more in Lagos than in other states of the Federation should be put into proper context. Lagos is a no man’s land. Lagos is the hub of Nigeria.

“Lagos is the pride of the country. Lagos is the beacon of economic growth of the country.”

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