‘Speaking Yoruba Is Not Enough’ — Lagos APC Challenges Rhodes-Vivour

Yoruba has become a fresh point of political debate in the 2027 Lagos governorship race, following African Democratic Congress candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s disclosure that he has hired a Yoruba teacher and can now campaign in the language.

Rhodes-Vivour made the disclosure during an Arise TV interview, where he described language and culture as important to connecting with Lagos residents. He also demonstrated his growing proficiency by responding, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” after a presenter greeted him in Yoruba.

But the development has drawn a response from the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, with its Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, arguing that learning Yoruba should be only the beginning of understanding the people and the state.

Oladejo welcomed Rhodes-Vivour’s effort to learn the language but said knowledge of Yoruba should be accompanied by an understanding of Lagos’ history, culture, traditions, institutions and governance challenges.

“Language is one of the gateways to understanding people. It carries history, humour, values, idioms, traditions and ways of seeing the world,” Oladejo said.

The APC spokesman’s position puts Yoruba at the centre of a wider political argument over what it means to understand Lagos. While Rhodes-Vivour has presented his language lessons as part of his engagement with the state’s culture, Oladejo argued that speaking Yoruba does not, on its own, demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of governing Lagos.

Rhodes-Vivour, however, has maintained that language and ethnicity should not overshadow the everyday problems confronting residents. During the Arise TV interview, he identified flooding, housing and traffic among the challenges affecting Lagosians, regardless of their ethnic or linguistic backgrounds.

The exchange also touches on a debate that followed Rhodes-Vivour during the 2023 governorship election, when his Yoruba proficiency became a subject of public discussion. His latest disclosure that he has taken further lessons represents a renewed focus on his relationship with the language and culture of Lagos.

Oladejo, however, said the discussion should move beyond language to the practical demands of governing the state. He challenged Rhodes-Vivour to explain how he would address issues such as traffic, including his proposed road infrastructure, funding arrangements, mass transit strategy, implementation framework, timelines and measurable targets.

He also responded to Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism of APC governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat, pointing to Hamzat’s previous roles as commissioner and deputy governor while acknowledging that the ADC candidate was entitled to argue that more could have been achieved.

For Oladejo, the 2027 contest should therefore involve a broader examination of what each candidate understands about Lagos and how that understanding would translate into public policy.

“Lagos is not an audition for television. It is a conversation about the future of Lagos,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour’s position remains that the challenges of flooding, housing, traffic and the quality of life affect Lagos residents across ethnic and linguistic lines. His decision to learn Yoruba has nevertheless placed the language at the centre of a fresh political conversation about identity, culture and what it means to understand Lagos ahead of 2027.