So What If Sanwo-Olu Called Lagos The Yoruba-United State?

By

Olabode Opeseitan

When Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described Lagos as the “Yoruba-United State” at the South-West Citizen-Government Engagement Summit, he wasn’t issuing a tribal ultimatum.

He was invoking a metaphor-one that celebrates Lagos as a beacon of Yoruba innovation, resilience, and leadership. A state that, like a united federation, draws strength from diversity while remaining rooted in its founding ethos.

Yet, the phrase sparked outrage. Critics feared exclusion. Some interpreted it as a veiled rejection of non-Yoruba residents. But let’s pause and ask: What exactly is the hue and cry about?

LAGOS: A Yoruba Homeland, A Nigerian Haven

Yes, Lagos is Yoruba land. Historically, spiritually, linguistically. But it is also Nigeria’s economic nerve center, a melting pot of tribes, tongues, and talents. From Balogun Market in Lagos Island to Badagry, from Epe to Eti-Osa, Lagos welcomes all-Hausa, Igbo, Ebira, Fulani, Ijaw, Tiv, and beyond. It is a city where dreams are born and destinies are shaped.

Still, as the Yoruba saying goes, “Oko ki i je ti baba, ti omo, k’o ma ni àlá”-even shared land has boundaries. Not barriers of exclusion, but lines of respect. Cultural acknowledgment.

Symbolic reverence. To call Lagos the Yoruba-United State is not to deny others-it is to affirm the heritage that built the city’s foundation.

UNITY IS NOT UNIFORMITY

Let Enugu be the Igbo United State. Let Kaduna be the North-West’s cultural capital. These declarations do not fracture Nigeria-they enrich it. They remind us that unity is not uniformity.

That every region has a soul, a story, a rhythm.

And that honoring those stories is not tribalism-it is truth.

Christ, the perfect exemplar of our faith, taught us to “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Respect the laws, honor the culture, uphold the peace. For me, as long as tradition does not clash with Biblical truth, it deserves our reverence. Lagos asks not for exclusion, but for understanding.

LET THE DRUMBEAT OF WISDOM PREVAIL

As the Yoruba warn, “Ti dundún bá tin dun ni àdùn jù, ó fé yà ní”—when the talking drum begins to sound with excessive loudness, it is on the verge of rupture. In other words, when rhetoric becomes inordinately flamboyant, too provocative, it risks collapse. Let this be a lesson to all who recklessly beat the drums of division and discord: temper your tone, lest the music of unity be drowned in the noise of consuming conflict.

As it has been wisely said, Nigeria is one house with many rooms. Each room has its rhythm, its language, its legacy. But the roof is shared. Let us not set fire to one room and expect the others to remain untouched. Let us choose harmony over hysteria, respect over recklessness, and truth over tribalism.

Lagos is for all who honor its norms, respect its heritage, and contribute to its peace. Let the drumbeat of wisdom prevail.

#LagosForAll #YorubaUnitedState

#CulturalRespect #OneNigeria

#UnityInDiversity #SanwoOluSpeech #PeacefulCoexistence #LagosHeritage #BiblicalWisdom #NigerialsOneHouse