A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and legal analyst, Dr Monday Ubani, has described the renaming of popular streets and bus stops in Lagos as “tribal politics and hatred”.
Reacting, Ubani in a statement on Saturday, said “the systematic and silent erasure of certain historical street names in Lagos” is a disturbing trend that requires urgent national reflection and condemnation.
“The systematic and silent erasure of certain historical street names in Lagos, especially those reflecting the cultural identity and heritage of non-Yoruba residents, is a disturbing trend that requires urgent national reflection and condemnation,” he said.
Ubani questioned the justification behind the renaming of streets in Lagos, asking, “Were the original names imposed illegally? Were they not approved by the same arms of government now reversing them with reckless abandon?”
He also noted that the absence of clear policy guidelines or public engagement suggests a sinister attempt to rewrite the cultural history of Lagos in a way that marginalizes certain ethnic groups, particularly the Igbo community, whose contributions to the growth of Lagos are not just historical but ongoing and appreciable.
“Nigeria is already hanging on a delicate thread of national unity, strained by insecurity, governance issues, and ethnic profiling. At such a time, any action by public officials, even at the local government level that promotes ethnic division or marginalisation, must be rejected in the strongest terms,” Ubani emphasised.
He called on the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to explain what informed these recent renaming actions and to halt this “tide of retrogressive ethnocentrism.”
He urged the state government to promote inclusivity and national unity.
“The greatness of Nigeria, and indeed Lagos, lies not in the dominance of one tribe over others, but in the peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and appreciation of our rich diversity. Let aggravated and systemic hatred through public policy be stopped! It is a solemn plea!”
The recent decision to rename the popular Charly Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop in honour of Nigerian artiste Olamide has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the erasure of historical street names in Lagos, particularly those reflecting the cultural identity and heritage of non-Yoruba residents.
