Broadcast journalist and news presenter, Rufai Oseni has weighed in on the ongoing tribal arguments amongst Lagosians over the ‘ownership’ of Lagos State.
The journalist shared in the conversation days after some politicians in Lagos State alleged that there’s an agenda by the Igbo ethnic group to take Lagos from Yorubas. They further pushed the narrative that Igbos through the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour wants to take over Lagos.
However, in a tweet on Wednesday, March 15, Oseni said Lagos was a British colony until it was ceded to a Lagos Monarch.
He went on to state that some of the developments in the state were made by the British. He also shared a photo showing the treaty cessation document between the then British government and Oba Dosunmu.
Oseni refused to acknowledge the position that “Lagos is no man’s land,” or that “it is a Yoruba land”.
He wrote; “This Land called Lagos was owned by the British for 99years, from 1861-1960….Most of the initial development was done by the British.”
A Colony 1. a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country. Lagos was a British Colony!”
“Up till 1960, Most Lagosians were British Subjects. On Independence most of them opted to Join the Nigeria Federation, they could have got British passports if they wanted.”
“The Treaty of Cession, 6 August 1861 or the Lagos Treaty of Cession was a treaty between the British Empire and Oba Dosunmu of Lagos (spelt ‘Docemo’ in English documents)”.
