Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appropriated Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos State, officially to his Yoruba ethnic group, declaring it the “Yoruba United States”.
He made the declaration on Wednesday in Akure at the South-West Citizen–Government Engagement Summit, attended by governors, traditional rulers, and business leaders from across the region.
Speaking, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was not only Nigeria’s economic and commercial nerve centre but also a living reflection of Yoruba strength and unity.
“I stand here not only as a humble leader among South-West governors, but also as the governor of the largest population in our country… a Yoruba United States that continues to reimagine and set a pace for our country,” he said.
The governor urged the South-West to once again lead Nigeria’s renewal through unity, shared vision, and cooperation among its states and communities.
He added a cryptic message too, saying, “Our resolution from this summit must be that we, from the Southwest, continue to support this government at the center to ensure that our lost time is taken back twice as fast, twice as better.”
The governor said the newly approved South-West Development Commission, championed by President Bola Tinubu and supported by the National Assembly, is a platform for coordinated regional progress reminiscent of the old Western Region under Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He said Tinubu’s leadership was restoring confidence in Nigeria, adding that reforms were working, the economy was stabilising, and foreign investment was returning.
“For us in Lagos, this progress opens new doors for projects like the 4th Mainland Bridge, the Green Line, and the Lekki International Airport. With stronger investor confidence, these initiatives will transform lives and strengthen our economy,” he said.
A Yoruba Call to Action
Sanwo-Olu urged South-West leaders to channel the spirit of innovation that once defined Yoruba greatness.
“The South-West can, and must, lead Nigeria’s rebirth. The spirit of courage and innovation that shaped our past still lives in us today. Together, we will rise to this moment,” he said.
His message quickly gained traction online, with many Yoruba nationalists applauding his choice of words.
"Our resolution from this summit must be that we, from the Southwest, continue to support this government at the center to ensure that our lost time is taken back twice as fast, twice as better.”
— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) October 29, 2025
– Governor @jidesanwoolu at the ongoing Southwest Stakeholders Dialogue in Akure. pic.twitter.com/2TfnXai3X4
An X user, @AKakanfo, wrote: “Lagos State is the United States of the Yoruba race… Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, I have criticised you before, but I’m impressed today. This kind of speech makes Yoruba Nationalists defend their leaders without collecting a dime. Lagos is the modern empire of the Yoruba race that must be jealously protected. God bless Yorubaland. God bless Nigeria.”
Another user, @Balogun_Iyanda, said: “Sanwo-Olu won’t get my flowers until he follows his words with actions by making policies that empower Yoruba people in Lagos. Lagos is Yorubaland and must favour Yoruba people first.”
@Temmyman_ added: “We’re not asking for much. Our politicians should just think Yoruba first. We’re not barbarians; we only ask that they defend our ethnic identity and use native intelligence in governance.”
During the 2023 elections, the current president—then the ruling party’s candidate—declared that this political dispensation was “the turn of the Yorubas.”
Lagos, once Nigeria’s capital for 77 years, has long stood as a home for all who believe in the ideal of a single, indivisible nation. Yet, while the country endures under one constitutional order, the lines of ethnicity, rather than fading over time, seem to grow ever brighter and sharper.
As Sanwo-Olu’s words echo across the South-West, many now wonder — is this renewed regionalism a foundation for national unity, or a gradual but smart retreat from it?
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