Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has walked back his earlier claim that Lagos is a “no-man’s land,” a remark that drew heavy criticism after his appearance on Arise Television’s Daybreak programme on Wednesday.
In a statement posted on his official X handle, Bwala clarified that Lagos State is historically and constitutionally the homeland of the Yoruba people, stressing that its identity has “never been in contention.”
He said, “Don’t misinterpret what I said in my interview this morning. 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.”
Bwala explained that his position was misunderstood, noting that Lagos’s status as Nigeria’s commercial heartbeat does not undermine its Yoruba heritage. He compared the state to global economic hubs such as New York, Paris, and London, describing it as both cosmopolitan and deeply rooted in its indigenous culture.
“What I emphasised 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 centre 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,” he stated.
According to him, his central argument was that any president hoping to succeed must invest significantly in Lagos because of the state’s enormous social and economic responsibilities.
“Such support is not because Lagos is ‘no man’s land,’ but because it is the heartbeat of the nation’s development,” he added.
Bwala’s clarification followed the backlash that greeted his Wednesday comments where he had described Lagos as “a no-man’s land” and “the pride of Nigeria’s economy.”
During the Arise TV programme, he had argued that Lagos’s cosmopolitan nature justified the heavy concentration of federal projects in the state.
“Let me tell you why Lagos State is different. Lagos State is a no-man’s land. In the last election, the President who comes from the South-West did not win Lagos. That tells you the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State.
The richest man in Africa is a northerner. His business is not in Kano, it’s in Lagos. Almost every rich man that you know in Nigeria has a business undertaking in Lagos, and the Nigerian people are represented in Lagos.
If not, because probably the majority of the people are Yoruba speaking, you will wonder whether Lagos indeed is from the South-West.”
He further defended the N3.9 trillion worth of federal projects allocated to Lagos in two years, insisting that the investment was not an act of favoritism but recognition of the state’s central role in Nigeria’s economic growth.
“So the idea that you put more in Lagos than in other states or the federation should be put into a proper context. Lagos is a no-man’s land. Lagos is the hub of Nigeria. Lagos is the pride of the country,” he had said.
Bwala later reinforced that view by drawing parallels with global capitals.
“London has more investment than the entire states in England put together… So whatever Lagos benefits, the country benefits.”
