Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Tafa Sego, has stirred a political and ethnic conversation following his bold remarks declaring that Lagos belongs to the Yorubas and is not a no man’s land.
In a now-viral video posted on Instagram, Sego, a well-known APC loyalist, voiced strong support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while praising recent actions taken by traditional authorities in Lagos against political disloyalty.
During the video, Sego stated:
“Lagos belongs to the Yorubas and not a no man’s land. I love that some Baales were removed by an Oba for attending a rally organised by another political party. I belong to APC and I’m loyal to President Bola Tinubu.”
The statement arrives on the heels of reports that the Ojora of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom, Oba AbdulFatai Aromire Oyegbemi, dethroned six Baales for attending a Labour Party rally recently.
Although Sego did not directly reference the chiefs by name, his comments clearly supported the move as a show of allegiance to party lines and cultural integrity.
Sego’s remarks have since drawn a range of reactions online and offline, particularly among Lagos residents from various ethnic backgrounds.
While some have applauded the NURTW leader for defending indigenous Yoruba claims to Lagos, others have cautioned against statements that may heighten ethnic sensitivity in the multicultural state.
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Lagos, originally settled by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba ethnic group, has grown into a complex urban hub with millions of residents from across Nigeria and beyond.
The term “no man’s land” has long been used informally to describe its diverse population, though it remains a source of contention during political discourse.
With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, statements like Sego’s could influence future debates around political loyalty, cultural identity, and ethnic representation in Lagos governance.