Special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala has renounced his earlier comment describing Lagos State as a no-man’s land.
During an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Mr Bwala argued that Lagos was a cosmopolitan state and Nigeria’s commercial hub, citing the concentration of federal projects and the presence of major businesses in the state.
He said at the time, “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.”
He also noted that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote and other wealthy Nigerians have their businesses in Lagos.
Bwala compared Lagos with global economic centres such as London, New York and Paris, insisting that heavy federal investment in the state was justifiable.
Following criticism, the presidential aide clarified that Lagos belongs to the Yoruba people, stressing that his earlier statement was misconstrued.
“Lagos is Yoruba land and will remain so. What I explained was its cosmopolitan nature as Nigeria’s commercial hub. The interpretation that I meant Lagos is not Yoruba land is false,” he said.
Daniel Bwala was a spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential election before joining President Bola Tinubu’s administration as a special adviser on policy communication in 2024.
