I DON'T NEED PERFECT YORUBA TO PROTECT LAGOS CULTURE - RHODES-VIVOUR

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he does not need to be fluent in Yoruba to preserve and protect Lagos’ indigenous culture if elected governor.

He made the clarification in a video shared on Monday following reactions to his response to a question about Yoruba culture and language at The Platform’s October 1 event.

Rhodes-Vivour said he had never denied Lagos’ Yoruba identity, noting that indigenous groups such as the Aworis and Eguns contributed to the development of the city.

Explaining his difficulty with Yoruba, he said his challenge was mainly fluency, adding that he often thinks in English before translating his thoughts into other languages. He said he was working to improve his Yoruba.

“My business is governance. I don’t have to speak perfect Yoruba to preserve and protect the indigenous culture of Lagos,” he said.

He also addressed criticism of his “Afonja” meme involving President Bola Tinubu, saying it was not an insult to the Yoruba race or an attempt to suggest that Tinubu represented the entire ethnic group.

Rhodes-Vivour further criticised the Lagos State Government over housing, traffic, flooding, waste management, roads and alleged corruption.

He promised that his administration would provide 100,000 affordable housing units, expand the rail system, tackle flooding and reform waste management by giving local governments a greater role.

He also pledged to address alleged corr¥ption in waste management and create alternative opportunities for young people involved in street activities.