(DDM) – Yoruba elder and political commentator Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi has condemned the anonymous group calling itself the Yoruba Elders Progressive Council (YEPC) over a recent statement he described as “cowardly, unsigned ethnic bile.”
DDM gathered that the controversial YEPC document, titled Our Land, Our Identity: Lagos State Government Must Act Before We’re Made Strangers at Home, accuses Igbos in Lagos of being “provocative” by buying property and allegedly attempting to dominate the state.
Akinyemi dismissed these claims as unconstitutional, divisive, and dangerous.
He said Lagos is a federated state in Nigeria, not a “tribal empire,” and stressed that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to live, own property, and vote anywhere in the country.
The Yoruba elder warned that such rhetoric mirrors the same thinking that once led to pogroms and the Nigerian Civil War.
He criticised YEPC’s claim that property ownership by Igbos is a political threat, calling it “politics of envy” and a deliberate attempt to criminalise commerce.
According to him, Lagos’ success has always depended on its inclusive spirit, which welcomed Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw, Efik, and foreigners alike.
Akinyemi also condemned YEPC’s proposal to reduce Certificates of Occupancy for non-Yorubas from 100 years to 25 years, labelling it “ethnic apartheid” and a direct violation of the Constitution.
He asked what would happen if other states enacted similar policies against Yorubas living outside Lagos.
The veteran politician said attempts to revoke Lagos Certificates of Origin unless “lineage” is proven are a “laughable descent into ethnic nativism” that violates democratic equality.
He rejected YEPC’s description of Igbos as “guests” in Lagos, insisting they are stakeholders who pay taxes, run businesses, and contribute to the state’s revenue.
Citing history, Akinyemi noted that Lagos has always been cosmopolitan, from the Benin kingdom’s influence to Awori and Ijebu settlers, Brazilian returnees, and colonial powers.
He reminded Lagosians that two Igbo military administrators, Commodore Ndubuisi Kanu and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, once governed the state without discrimination.
Akinyemi further highlighted the inclusive leadership of Lateef Jakande, Babatunde Fashola, and even Bola Tinubu, whom he said had Osun roots yet governed Lagos without ethnic exclusion.
He questioned whether Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s silence implied endorsement of YEPC’s xenophobic agenda.
He challenged the governor to publicly dissociate himself and his administration from what he called “a bunch of cowards” hiding behind anonymity.
The Yoruba elder urged civil society, the Lagos State House of Assembly, and all peace-loving Nigerians to reject “this tribal nonsense” before it escalates.
Quoting Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he concluded that while Nigeria may be “a mere geographical expression,” unity must be built on justice, not ethnic hate.
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