Africa-Press – Nigeria. A Lagos-based socio-cultural organisation, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, has urged the Senate to reject the two ambassadorial nominees forwarded as Lagos State representatives, insisting that both individuals are non-indigenes.
The position of the group was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President and made available to journalists on Friday.
Signed by the Foundation’s President, Miftau Bolaji Are, and Steering Committee Member, Engr. (Dr) Lateef A. Onikoyi, the letter argued that the nominations undermine fairness, constitutional equity, and the federal character principle.
According to the organisation, Lagos remains “the only state where ambassadorial and other federal appointments meant for its indigenes are routinely given to non-Lagosians,” a trend it described as a longstanding injustice.
The Foundation alleged that one of the nominees, Lola Akande, cannot legitimately represent Lagos because she is known to have roots in Delta and Kwara States, despite being listed under Lagos.
The group further faulted the second nominee, accusing him of previously making disparaging comments that questioned the identity and legitimacy of indigenous Lagosians.
It stated: “The latest ambassadorial list deepens this troubling pattern: Mrs Lola Akande is not an indigene of Lagos State. She is widely known to hail from Delta and Kwara States and is the sister of the First Lady.
“The second nominee is also not from Lagos State. More troubling is his past comment, where he mocked the identity of indigenous Lagosians, asking on a public platform: ‘Awon wo ni omo Eko na, melo ni won papa?’ (Who are these Lagos indigenes, and how many are they?).
“Such a remark is not only dismissive but deeply offensive to the ancestral owners of Lagos.”
The Foundation warned that confirming nominees who neither belong to nor respect the communities they are assigned to represent would aggravate long-standing tensions.
It added: “This practice violates the federal character principle, disrupts constitutional balance, and marginalises the rightful place of indigenous Lagos communities within the federation. More dangerously, it sets a precedent that the rights of an indigenous group can be ignored without consequence.”
The group stressed that the matter goes beyond Lagos, calling it a national issue that touches on justice, fairness, and constitutional order.
It therefore appealed to the Senate to decline the confirmation of any ambassadorial nominee presented as a Lagos representative who is not a bona fide indigene of the state.
“We ask for no special consideration, only the same fairness accorded to every other state,” the letter noted.
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