Nigerian musician Seun Kuti has joined the debate questioning who owns Lagos State. There have been arguments online about which tribe owns the western Nigerian state after the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lost the state in the presidential election to the Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Some people have described Lagos State as “No man’s land,” while others have insisted that it belongs to the Yoruba ethnic group.
Seun Kuti, who is the son of the late legendary Nigerian singer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is known for his controversial views regarding national issues.
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This time, he opined that Lagos was neither a “No man’s land” nor owned by the Yorubas, but owned by the Portuguese.
Kuti in an Instagram post said:
“Lagos is no man’s land – wrong. Lagos is yoruba land – wrong again. Lagos is a European satellite slave port – correct!! you don’t know Lagos!! Hey, ode look here, Lagos is a Portuguese word. It is called the slave coast. Learn your history, you no go gree. Everyone moved to Lagos to slave!! All prominent Lagos elites are slavers. Defend your masters all you want!! Why Ibadan no get Portuguese name? Wetin be the french name of Oshogbo? He who names it owns it.’’
Despite the fact that the singer may be incorrect about Lagos’ ownership and has received harsh criticism, he has educated the public on how the state got its name.
It will be recalled that Lagos was once Nigeria’s capital city. Today, Lagos is one of the biggest economies in Africa and the hub for industrialization in Nigeria. Just like every other part of Nigeria, the state is inhabited by people from over 300 ethnic groups in Nigeria. It is a Yoruba state.