LAGOS, Nigeria – Labour Party governorship candidate for the 2023 Lagos State election, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, has voiced his concerns over comments made by Rt. Hon Mudasiru Obasa, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, concerning proposed laws aimed at protecting the property rights of indigenous Lagosians.
In a statement posted on his official Twitter handle on Thursday, June 8, 2023, Rhodes Vivour warned against laws that may divide Lagos residents along ethnic lines, cautioning that any legislation that favours the property rights of indigenous people over other residents would be divisive and not economically beneficial for the state.
The speaker of the house announced his intention to make laws to protect indigenes. " They will reverse the reversible " I believe that the time for this ethnic dog whistling must come to an end. With an election that ripped our social fabric, it is time for healing. #ourlagos pic.twitter.com/mdEmECIveE
— Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (@GRVlagos) June 8, 2023
Rt. Hon Mudasiru Obasa had previously stated in his re-election acceptance speech that lawmakers would “go to any length” to protect indigenous people, even if it meant reversing existing law.
Rhodes Vivour described such a move as undermining the fundamental rights of residents as stated in Nigeria’s constitution.
He urged all well-meaning Lagosians to resist this “divisive bill” and argued that such a law could discourage both local and international investors from participating in the Lagos economy.
“By considering this regressive bill, the Speaker disregards the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution and perpetuates a discriminatory system that divides our society along ethnic lines. The proposed bill undermines the principle of private ownership and could severely affect investment, economic growth, and overall prosperity in Lagos State,” he said.
Instead of such a law, Rhodes Vivour called for legislation that would “protect heritage, historical sites, and traditional institutions from political vandalism.”
He also insisted that the state government should maintain its responsibility to cater to the welfare of all its citizens, regardless of their state of origin.
