Lagos: a city of no man’s land?
The commercial centre of the country has come up as a serious topic once again after Lagos fell into the hands of the Labour Party during the last month’s general elections.
There have been debates, but not as serious as the current one, which has been over the ownership of the commercial hub. Who really or truly owns Lagos? Is it a no man’s land as a section of the residents claim?
The current hullabaloo over the city is between the Igbo extraction and Yoruba people. The latter claim that the ancestors of the city were Yoruba, hence the land belongs to the race and nothing else. They also claim that Lagos is located in the southwest geopolitical zone, which is dominated by Yoruba people.
Of course, they are right to a very large extent. Yoruba has been producing and installing traditional rulers of the city. In fact, all the past governors (excluding military) are Yoruba. There has never been any governor outside the race.
But the Igbo extraction argued that the development of Lagos State doesn’t belong to anyone. The Igbo traders have taken over the economy of the city. They are owners of large shops and ventures in the city.
Definitely, thousands of them have lived all their life in Lagos state and this can make them to claim the state as their origin and ownership. Ours is a country where trivial matters dot our discussion.
In the present Lagos state, different people from different tribes are there. Those whose origins are traced to Ekiti State are claiming the city and state. In fact, it is a state anyone can lay claim. Little wonder Bola Tinubu, whose origin is in Iragbiji (Osun State) became governor of the state.
Desmond Elliot isn’t a Yoruba politician. But he has risen stealthily in the internal politics of the state. He is a member of the state’s House of Assembly. That means anyone can achieve anything in that state.
Yet does it mean it doesn’t originally belong to anyone? If there were original owners, it means it’s not a no man’s land as being widely spread. Who then owns Lagos?
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