On the ownership of Lagos and weeing-while-walking

Most people who call themselves students of history only speak about things they heard from others or read in books written by other people who also got stories from others including those copied and pasted on the internet. This is partly because much of the stories we call history these days happened at a time when writing was a lot not as easy. There is thus not much that can be trusted in the manner of histories available these days - especially those available on the internet. While this is not to discredit history so as not to lose touch with our past, it is important for all those who call themselves students of history to truly study history in person and not by proxy. This is because, normal students don't normally study by proxy i.e., through others, they go to school, attend classes and do the toil. Unfortunately, most students these days – including even those who found themselves in schools – prefer others to do the toil for them. I am a teacher; I know this for a fact.

Now with that out of the way, it is a known fact that all people on the planet today are immigrants. The days of original settlers had long gone. However, it is helpful to remember that some people have always lived in the places that some people now call their own or home. For example, some so called students of history will tell you that Christopher Columbus discovered or stumbled upon America – depending on who they heard the story from or who they choose to believe. But isn’t if funny that Christopher Columbus was an Italian who sailed a ship called The Santa Maria from a port in Span called Palos starting in 1492. Mind you, Christopher Columbus was not on this journey originally to discover America; he was in fact on the journey in search of gold, pearls, and spices. It is also important to note that what most historians now relate as stories of Christopher Columbus’ voyage are not according to Columbus himself. We know that Columbus’s original accounts of his journeys were lost and present available stories about his first journey are as written by Bartolome de las Casas in the 1530s. Anyways, Columbus had a disturbing journey and had to stop at the place now called America because he met some “naked people”, green trees, much water and variety of fruits. It does not take a prophet to understand that it is those “naked people” who kept the water clear, the trees green and the fruits flourishing. It is also not rocket science to deduce that those naked people lived in the area long before Columbus ever was burn.

We were also told that Mungo Park discovered the River Niger. Did he not meet people along the river? What did the people who he met along the river call it before he came around? Between him and Flora Shaw – Lady Lugard who was said to have named the country Nigeria – who really should have the credit for “discovering” Nigeria?

There are pockets of stories like the above about everywhere that people live. The current debate about ownership of Lagos is also an age long one. But never have the arguments been based on bigoted dreams, deluded political agitations and a muddling up of issues tantamount to throwing out the baby with the bath water. For example, some historians will tell you that the Aworis were the first people who settled in Lagos. Others say it was the Binis. Some even do not see the Aworis as a people. They would say the term Awori was only a descriptor of how Ifa guided some people from Ile Ife to where they should settle. Interestingly, and lending credence to the narrative that all are immigrants, some stories have it that the Yorubas people have come from the Arabian Peninsula. Whichever of these stories you believe, you will never find people from those now laying claims of ownership to Lagos in any of it. Again, whether you subscribe to the Awori, Bini or the Arabian version, you will always find the Yoruba fishermen and hunters as the earliest inhabitants of Lagos since around the 15th century.

But Lagosians understand why people lay claims to Lagos. Who wouldn’t love to tell stories that they own the largest economy in Nigeria and the 5^th largest in Africa? We get it that everyone wants to claim Lagos as their own. Unlike some other parts of Nigeria, Lagos and Lagosians pride themselves on the openness and the warmth with which they receive and accommodate all peoples from all places. So, we get why everyone wants to be associated with success and the success of Lagos is too attractive to be ignored. We understand why many national, states and cities governments in Africa are now copying the Lagos model on many policies of governance. We get why everyone would love to claim Lagos as their place of heritage – as you will hear people say Lagos is no-man’s land.

Although all people claim to be warm and accommodating, the influx of people from all parts of Nigeria and indeed all over the world into Lagos evidences the fact that some places are not as warm to their own people let alone strangers. Most of these people cannot go back home to wherever they have come from. Those who venture to go home would not dare spend a week before returning to Lagos. Again, we get; we understand why there are not many places like Lagos. Like London, New York, and Paris, Lagos is open to every comer. London, New York, and Paris did not become so developed and attractive except by truly welcoming to other people and their ideas and ofcourse their monies in the form of rents and taxes. Again, like London, New York, and Paris, Lagos is flourishing and prosperous because it allows everyone that comes into it to flourish and prosper by accommodating them and giving them piece, hope, love, a sense of home and a sense of belonging. So, we get it, everyone wants to claim Lagos, and this is not much of a big deal. However, what is both weird and funny at the same time is how absentmindedly some of the contemporary definitions of ownership and basis for the claims to origin are conjectured.

As noted earlier, laying claims to a place is neither surprising nor new. However, it is one thing to wish for something; it is another thing to wish for something true and achievable. Sadly, place of origin is not one of those things you wish for. Even citizenship by naturalisation hardly confers status of origin to its beneficiaries. It only confers citizenship or nationality on non-citizens on the promise that the beneficiary will respect the ideals of their new country of adoption, and even such conferment can be renounced.

If a certain segment of Nigeria finds opportunities in Lagos, this definitely does not confer on them the right to the ownership of Lagos. As Nigeria is a democracy, I subscribe to people choosing their political leaders and representatives through the ballot. As long as such representatives can commit to the ongoing better Lagos project, no worries at all. If the people of Lagos and those living in Lagos believe they need to change the narrative by changing the government, they are by all means free to do so. If that means they need to vote out a particular party and vote in another, by all means feel free. However, people who are currently dreaming of owning Lagos because they record a higher number of votes in an election need to dream a different dream. And let whoever is desirous of stepping into the shoes of governance of Lagos beware that neither the scalp of the elephant nor dàńdógó are worthy items in the hand of kids; a kid will struggle to grasp the scalp of the elephant and dàńdógó kọjá ẹ̀wù àbínúdá ― the dàńdógó is beyond what can be made on the impulse of anger.

Again, Lagos is not a political entity. Politics is only a system because the country is a democracy. Origin and politics are two separate entities. Although they meet at some points and are often complementary – especially in a democracy, one does not necessarily confer the same rights as the other. Just as being a Lagosian does not automatically give you the right to participate in the governance of Lagos, participation in governance in Lagos does not make you a Lagosian. Being a Lagosian is a right. Participation in governance is a privilege. Privileges can be lost, and a right may be suspended. However, when a man and a woman decide to wee-while-walking, the watershed experience can never be the same. Finally, such people ascribing their victory at the polls to their ownership of Lagos need to be aware and be careful because, if you do not exercise caution in seeking those who owe your father some money, you may encounter those who your father also owes some money, and they may not be nice debt collectors.