Presidential aide, Mr Daniel Bwala, has recanted his claims that Lagos State is a no man's land.
Bwala, who is the Special Adviser for Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu had during his appearance on Arise TV described Lagos as ‘a no man’s land.’
He was justifying the reported N2.9 trillion worth of infrastructure spent on the state by the Tinubu-led administration.
He equally recalled that Tinubu lost Lagos during the last election, an indication that the state belonged to nobody.
According to Bwala: "Let me tell you why Lagos State is different, Lagos is a no-man's land. In the last election, the president who comes from the Southwest did not win Lagos, that tells you the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State.
"Secondly, the richest man in Africa is a Northerner and his business is not in Kano but in Lagos.
"Almost every rich man you know in Nigeria has businesses undertaking in Lagos and the Nigerian people are represented in Lagos.
"You go to Lagos, if not because the majority of the people are Yoruba speaking, you will wonder whether Lagos indeed is from the Southwest."
However, a few hours later, Bwala, apparently under the heat of his comment, withdrew the claim.
In a post he quickly made on his X handle, Bwala said Lagos State belongs to the Yorubas historically and culturally.
"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.
"What I emphasized 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 center of our economy. Lagos provides every Nigerian, regardless of origin, a level playing field to thrive, and in this sense, it mirrors the diversity of our nation while remaining firmly rooted in Yoruba heritage.
"My argument was, therefore, and justifiably so, for massive investments in infrastructure to sustain the economic and social responsibilities Lagos has shouldered on behalf of Nigeria.
"Any President who truly seeks to succeed must critically support Lagos, not because it is 'no man’s land,' but because it is the heartbeat of the nation’s development. Res Judicata."
