In a country that trades in impulse over inquiry, we must re-learn the virtue of restraint—especially when facts are still forming. The recent conversations around street renaming in parts of Lagos State have exposed not just our fault lines but our collective impatience.
Fact First, Then Judgment
Public commentary should carry a moral spine—not just volume. We saw this with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Many leaders rushed to “stand with her” before understanding the full breach of institutional codes. Today, those same voices are quiet. No apology, no reflection. We simply move on, as if being wrong publicly is part of the national pastime.
Now, the Lagos Bus Stop renaming saga. People immediately spun an ethnic narrative. They didn’t pause to ask whether Charly Boy Bus Stop was even legally conferred in the first place. There is no record showing it was. Worse still, there were claims of unpaid rent, and no formal justification for the decades-old naming usurpation.
The Irony of Ethnic Finger-Pointing
The same voices decrying “tribalism” often indulge in ethnic slurs themselves. The hypocrisy is loud. If equity is truly your demand, then come with clean hands. Don’t sanctify your bias and condemn others for theirs.
Local Councils Have the Right
Street naming is a local prerogative. Across Nigeria, councils routinely rename roads to reflect evolving community values or honor contributors. Lagos is not the first to do so—and certainly not the only one. Anambra State renamed Abakaliki Street to Club Street, citing the area’s transformation into a leisure district. That move drew no national condemnation. Yet, when Lagos councils rename streets—some of which were never formally conferred—the outrage is swift and ethnically charged.
Let’s also be clear: non-Igbo names were affected too. In Bariga LCDA, Ilaje Road was renamed King Sunny Ade Road, and Bariga Road became Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way. This wasn’t a targeted purge—it was a celebration of local icons across the board.
And as for the claim that Lagos is plotting a wholesale renaming of non-Yoruba streets, there is no official confirmation that any such bill is before the Lagos State House of Assembly. If proven false, such a narrative is not only misleading—it is dangerous and inflammatory.
This is a state that has historically honored figures from diverse ethnic backgrounds—Ozumba Mbadiwe, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Murtala Muhammed. So one must ask: have any of the wolf criers ever paused to commend the Lagos State Government for its cosmopolitan spirit, its accommodating posture, and its Pacific nature?
Those crying tribalism must also confront their own history. Many of them have long politicized ethnicity in Lagos, contesting the primacy of the Yoruba in a state that has generously accommodated all. The roots of this contestation predate independence, and the Yoruba have never reciprocated such provocative antagonism. Why must you stir a hornets’ nest believing the bees would just evaporate? Why not simply coexist—peacefully and harmoniously—without the needless drama of hollow bragging?
Respect Must Be Mutual
We must extinguish the fire of ethnic slurs before it consumes us all. Schools, the media, and government institutions must foster shared dignity. Elders must call for calm, not sheer tribal hysteria. And agencies like the National Sports Commission and the National Orientation Agency must use their reach to unite—not merely entertain or inform.
Commendation is a Civic Duty Too.
Why is our public voice only switched on when it's time to attack? Lagos State, like every government, has areas where it’s making real progress. Take the ₦500 billion “Produce for Lagos” agricultural initiative, for instance—a landmark program designed to stabilize food prices, empower farmers across Nigeria, and transform Lagos into a hub of food security. How many commentators have bothered to commend a partnership with states like Taraba, Niger, and Kogi to boost a food economy now valued at over N16 trillion?
Yet, some commentators are never interested in that. They are only interested when the news is negative.
To rename is not to erase—but to reflect. May truth temper our reactions, and may our public square rise above the siren of outrage to embrace the nobler work of nationhood.
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