By Abiola Olawale
A frontline human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Femi Falana has criticised the recent renaming of the Charley Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop in honor of rapper Olamide Adedeji.
This is as Falana labelled the move as illegal. This comes after the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) announced its decision to rename the bus stop after Olamide.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Falana condemned the renaming of streets in Lagos, including the Charley Boy Bus Stop, as a breach of constitutional protocol.
According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the naming and renaming of roads, streets, and house numbering in Nigeria fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of local governments, as outlined in the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Falana argued that the Bariga LCDA’s decision represented a “usurpation of powers”. He said: “However, we have confirmed that the Charley Boy Bus Stop was not named by the authorities of the Bariga Local Council Development Area by the people of Bariga and Gbagada communities. Not withstanding that fact, it should be adequately appreciated that the Charley Boy Bus stop acquired its name and identity sociologically for its apparent functionality and due to the positive impact which Charley Boy has historically made in the area. Renaming the Charley Boy Bus Stop without consulting the Bariga and Gbadaga people smacks of authoritarianism,” he said.
“It is sad to note that a state that has continued to retain the streets named after murderers and economic saboteurs from the former colonial empire is busy renaming streets and bus stops named after Nigerians who have made their contributions to the development of the society.
“Given the serious objections to the diversionary renaming of streets in Lagos State, the legislative arms of the local governments should henceforth conduct public hearings.
“Streets should not be renamed arbitrarily without following the due process of the law with a view to pleasing the whims and caprices of political leaders or to suggest the retrogressive idea of ethnic chauvinism, particularly in a capital city like Lagos.”
