“Speaking Yoruba Is Not Enough; You Must Understand the People and the City”
By Hon. Seye Oladejo, Lagos APC Spokesman
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to go beyond learning the Yoruba language and develop a deeper understanding of Lagos, its people, history, culture and governance challenges.
The party’s position followed Rhodes-Vivour’s recent appearance on Politics Today on Arise TV, where he disclosed that he had engaged a Yoruba language teacher to improve his knowledge of the language.
While describing the decision as commendable, Lagos APC spokesman, Hon. Seye Oladejo, said learning Yoruba should be viewed as only the beginning of understanding the people Rhodes-Vivour seeks to govern.
“There is nothing wrong with learning the language of the people one seeks to govern. Indeed, it is commendable,” Oladejo said.
“But it does raise one rather obvious question: if a man aspiring to govern Lagos is only now taking lessons in the language, how deeply has he engaged with the culture, worldview, history, traditions and everyday aspirations of the people he seeks to lead?”
Oladejo stressed that the issue was not an ethnic one, noting that Lagos remained a cosmopolitan state and home to Nigerians from different parts of the country.
He, however, argued that language remained an important gateway to understanding a people’s history, humour, values, traditions and worldview.
“Candidate Rhodes-Vivour, welcome to Yoruba 101. We hope the lessons are intensive. And when the Yoruba alphabet has been mastered, perhaps the next course should be ‘Understanding Lagos 101’,” he said.
HAMZAT’S EXPERIENCE CANNOT BE DISMISSED
The APC spokesman also took issue with what he described as Rhodes-Vivour’s attempt to dismiss the experience and record of Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat.
Oladejo acknowledged Rhodes-Vivour’s right to criticise Hamzat, but argued that political criticism could not erase the latter’s years of public service.
Hamzat has served Lagos in various capacities, including as Commissioner and Deputy Governor for two terms, alongside other public-sector and professional engagements.
“Rhodes-Vivour may argue that the administration has not done enough. He may identify areas where he believes Hamzat’s record should have been better. That is politics,” Oladejo said.
“But to suggest that experience has no value simply because Lagos still has challenges is a rather curious argument.”
“TRAFFIC IS NOT A ONE-LINE EXAMINATION”
Oladejo also criticised what he described as the simplistic treatment of Lagos’ traffic challenge during political debates.
He acknowledged that traffic remained a major challenge requiring continued investment and innovative solutions, but argued that the issue could not be reduced to political sound bites.
According to him, Lagos is one of Africa’s major urban and economic centres, with significant population pressure, commercial activity and growing transportation demands.
“The serious question is not whether traffic exists. The serious questions are: What is your alternative? Where are the roads? Where is the financing? Where is the mass-transit plan? What is the implementation framework? What is the timeline? What are the measurable targets? And how will you pay for it?” he asked.
He added that criticising government policies from a television studio was different from being responsible for implementing them.
“Governance begins when you have to drive the train,” Oladejo said.
“UNDERSTANDING LAGOS GOES BEYOND LEARNING YORUBA”
Oladejo said there was no shame in learning a new language, but argued that linguistic knowledge alone did not automatically translate into an understanding of the people or the city.
He said Lagos required governance built around institutions, budgets, urban planning, infrastructure, transportation, security coordination and economic policy.
“Lagos is not governed by Instagram posts, television appearances or campaign slogans,” he said.
“Lagos is governed through institutions, budgets, planning, infrastructure, security coordination, transportation systems, economic policy and thousands of daily administrative decisions.”
He therefore urged voters to examine political promises alongside the capacity and experience of those making them.
“LAGOS IS NOT AN AUDITION FOR TELEVISION”
The APC spokesman concluded by urging Rhodes-Vivour to complement his Yoruba lessons with a deeper study of Lagos and its governance requirements.
“Learn the words. Learn the idioms. Learn the proverbs. Learn the history. Learn the culture,” Oladejo said.
“And, hopefully, before the 2027 campaign reaches its climax, you will graduate from speaking Yoruba to thinking in Yoruba.”
He added that Lagosians would ultimately be looking for more than language proficiency.
“They will be looking for a comprehensive understanding of Lagos, a credible programme for governing Lagos, and demonstrable capacity to turn campaign promises into public policy,” he said.
“Because Lagos is not merely a place to govern. Lagos is a living organism with a history, a culture, an economy and a people whose expectations cannot be reduced to political sound bites.”
Oladejo consequently advised Rhodes-Vivour to spend less time defining his political opponents and more time allowing Lagosians to scrutinise his own record, ideas and proposed policies.
“After all, 2027 is not an audition for television. It is a conversation about the future of Lagos,” he said.
