The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said that Lagos State is no man’s land.
He recently described the state as the pride of Nigeria’s economy, and Nigerians have been reacting.
Speaking on the Daybreak programme on Arise Television, Bwala revealed that the focus of Federal Government projects in Lagos should not be seen as favouritism but as investment in Nigeria’s commercial hub.
According to him, the fact that Tinubu failed to win in Lagos during the 2023 presidential elections is proof that the state belongs to everyone and every tribe.
He stated that Aliko Dangote, a Northerner, having his businesses in Lagos and not Kano, further emphasises how important the state is in Nigeria.
“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 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 said.
Comparing Lagos with other global economic centres, Bwala noted that Lasgidi is to Nigeria what London is to England.
He concluded by saying that the N3.9 trillion worth of federal projects allocated to Lagos in 2 years is very much justifiable because Lagos remains the country’s hope for economic growth.
“London has more investment than the entire states in England put together. New York has more infrastructure and investment than the rest of the United States, including California. Paris has more investment.
So in every country, wherever you find the commercial nerve of that country, you are likely to see the need to put infrastructure in place in order to boost the economy. Whatever Lagos benefits, the country benefits.
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 added.
