By Obinna Uballa
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has walked back his controversial claim that Lagos is a “no-man’s land,” clarifying that the state belongs historically and constitutionally to the Yoruba people.
Bwala’s initial comment on Arise Television’s Daybreak programme on Wednesday sparked widespread outrage, prompting him to issue a clarification via his official X handle.
“Don’t misinterpret what I said in my interview this morning. Culturally, historically, and constitutionally, Lagos belongs to the Yoruba people, and that has never been in contention. The unique identity of Lagos as a Yoruba homeland is settled and beyond dispute,” Bwala stated.
He explained that his intention was to highlight Lagos’s cosmopolitan nature and its role as Nigeria’s economic powerhouse, comparing the city to global hubs like New York, Paris, and London.
“What I emphasised was the special place Lagos occupies in Nigeria and indeed West Africa, a city that, much like New York, Paris, or London, serves as the commercial nerve centre of our economy,” he said.
Bwala stressed that Lagos provides equal opportunities for all Nigerians while remaining rooted in Yoruba heritage. He added that his central argument was for increased federal investment to sustain the state’s economic and social responsibilities.
“Such support is not because Lagos is ‘no-man’s land,’ but because it is the heartbeat of the nation’s development,” he clarified.
Earlier, during the Arise TV interview, Bwala had argued that federal projects in Lagos were justified, describing the state as the “hub of Nigeria” and “the pride of the country.”
He had cited Lagos’s cosmopolitan character, massive business presence, and N3.9 trillion worth of federal projects allocated to the state in two years as evidence of its strategic importance.
“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 a business undertaking in Lagos,” Bwala had said.
He insisted that any president seeking success must invest heavily in Lagos because of its critical role in driving Nigeria’s economic growth.
