Yoruba group says street naming is their exclusive right, rejecting external interference after Ohanaeze’s reaction to renaming in Lagos.
A Yoruba socio-political organization, Think Yoruba First Group, has stated that no external group has the right to dictate decisions in Yorubaland, including the renaming of streets in Lagos.
In a statement, the group’s Public Relations Officer, Ogbeni Oluwole Lewis, made the remarks in response to Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s criticism of recent street renamings in Lagos.
“We won’t outsource, lease or rent out our sovereignty and birthright to any settler colony no matter how many statements or noise they make, this decision is non-negotiable!” he declared.
He added that Lagos belongs to the Yoruba historically and ancestrally, and that decisions on naming streets rest solely with the host communities.
“The convention worldwide is for settlers to respect the host communities and their right to make decisions,” Lewis said.
He warned that more changes are coming, stating, “We are not obliged to even engage or debate such changes with settlers… the moment we start allowing outsiders to dictate such, it stops being Yorubaland.”