In Nigeria, this phrase was first used in 1947 to describe Lagos by the First Speaker of the House of Representatives and later Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jaja Anucha Nwachukwu. He used this term not because he believed that nobody owns Lagos but because he believed since Lagos was then the Federal Capital Territory, it belongs to all Nigerians. The question is “Which Lagos was Nwachukwu talking about”? Which Lagos was the Federal Capital of Nigeria? Most youths of today are generally disinterested in the history of Nigeria, hence, the profound ignorance about the country and its constituents.

For avoidance of doubt, Lagos State was never the capital of Nigeria. The capital city of the country until the year 1976 when the Justice Akinola Aguda recommended the movement to Abuja was the space between Fadeyi and Victoria Island in Lagos. Any other space from Fadeyi to Asaba to Ondo State to Oyo to Ogbomosho were listed under the Western Region whose Premier was Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo. For example, Mushin is not Lagos, Palm-grove is not Lagos, Ikeja is not Lagos, Oshodi is not Lagos and so on. This was the situation until the Mid-Western Region was created from the Benin and Delta provinces in 1963. It is the Mid-West that has become Edo and Delta States today.

The Federal Capital Territory which Jaja Nwachukwu referred to as “No Man’s Land” has clear and unambiguous ownership. It is important to mention that Lagos Island belong to the Aromire family and this is undisputable and not Benin. Apapa belongs to the Oluwa family, Lagos Mainland belongs to the Oloto family, Tomaro to Onisiwo, Victoria Island belongs to the Oniru family, Ikate is the land of the Elegushi family, the whole of Ijora including Ajegunle belongs to the Ojora family and so on. These are lands that are well documented and anyone who cares to know the fact should search the archives in Nigeria and London in search of the truth.

The uninformed and flippant individuals who label Lagos as a “no man’s land” should know that the ownership of Lagos was settled on 11 July 1921 when the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London which is the final Court of Appeal of the British Empire ruled that Lagos lands belong to the Idejo chiefs who are the children of Olofin. Chief Amodu Tijani Oluwa, the Oluwa of Lagos who was the plaintiff in the case took the British Government to Court for stealing his land in the process he won a huge compensation of twenty-two thousand, five-hundred-pound sterling and thirty-nine pence.


Moreover, it is important to mention that it is only one of the five divisions of Lagos State that served as the capital of Nigeria. There is still Ikorodu (Oko Odu) (farm of blackberry) which is an area that includes the entire stretch of the riverine area of Ketu, Owode-Onirin, Itowolo, up to Imota; Badagry (Agbadayigi or simply Agbada) which if from Mile Two to Badagry Town; Ikeja which covers the whole of Bariga, Somolu, Kosofe, Isolo, Mushin, Oshodi, Egbe, Ikotun, Onigbongbo, Ojokoro Ipaja, Ayobo, Ojodu, Orile Agege, Idimu and their neighbourhood; Epe (the forest of black ants) which is from Ibeju to the whole of Epe and its suburbs (Epe shares boundary with Ijebu-Ode). These divisions called ibile were created by Edict number 3 of May 1968.

Lagos as a place has existed long before the country called Nigeria and it is one of the oldest cities in Nigeria. For clear explanation, the Portuguese explorer who gave the name Lagos (Lago de Curamo meaning the Lake of Kuramo) came to the land for the first time in 1472 where he met Olofin and his children (that was 551 years ago) which makes Lagos older than virtually all modern cities in Nigeria.

Let us take a look at the year of existence of some cities. Onitsha (Onicha -mmili ) meaning is a city founded by Benin adventures in the year 1550 (473 year old. Founded almost a century after Lagos had been in existence), Enugu (Enu-Ugwu or Hill Top) was established by the Enugwu-Ngwo and Nike people around 1690). Umuhaia (the Market Place) was established by the British in the early 20th century.

Awka (Place of the blacksmiths) is one of the oldest cities in Igboland and the center of Nri civilization. Sokoto (Seat of the caliphates) was established by Uthman Dan Fodio who used the title Sarkin Musulumi) in 1804. When he died in 1817 his son Mohammed Bello was the first Sultan of Sokoto who ruled the Eastern part of Sokoto while his brother Abdullahi ruled the Western part of it. Kano (Masculinity or Capability) was probably the oldest city in Nigeria as it was established around 999 by the Hausa Bakwai people.

Kaduna (the crocodile city) was founded by Lord Fredrick Lugard in 1900 which is almost 428 years after Lagos has been existing. Abeokuta (city beneath the rock) was founded in 1830 by Sodeke who was the leader of the Egba refugees who escaped from Oyo during the period. Ibadan (near the field) was a war camp created by a group of Oyo warriors in 1829.

We have taken samples of these cities to show that Lagos is older than most cities in Nigeria and therefore it would be childish, naïve and outrightly innocent for anyone to suddenly brand a city that has existed for centuries and adorned with a rich history, an enviable culture and norms with robust traditional administration and a center of Yoruba civilization as a “no man’s land” when the entire civilization of those who are making claim for Lagos was not at all in existence when Lagos was established.

Prof Ojikutu is of the Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Lagos.

https://guardian.ng/opinion/which-lagos-is-a-no-mans-land/

Does it mean that Lateef Jakande learnt everything he knows from an Igbo man?

So na only d Igbo own u mention, tribalism done used ur brain finish,but u forget to mention,best governor state still date

How did you omit Lagos founded as a Benin war camp from your historical trash?

The person that called Lagos " No Man's Land" was Rui De Sequeira... Portuguese Explorer...

And then named it Lagos De Curamo in 1472 (Lakes of Curamo) based on say no body get the place

The person that called Lagos " No Man's Land" was Rui De Sequeira...Moorish Portuguese Explorer...

And then named it Lagos De Curamo in 1472 (Lakes of Curamo) based on say no body get the place.

Op, we are students of history, so edit the trash you wrote up there

Lagos is no man's land..
The narrative Tinubu,Sanwo Olu and their urchins sold to garner bigotry sympathy.
Ev.i..L souls.

Faber:
The person that called Lagos " No Man's Land" was Rui De Sequeira...Moorish Portuguese Explorer...

And then named it Lagos De Curamo in 1472 (Lakes of Curamo) based on say no body get the place.

Op, we are students of history, so edit the trash you wrote up there

U na never learn.... wetyn u na grandfather try, na hin you self Dey follow..... you go learn no worry

Seun this should be on the front page

ladiguy:


U na never learn.... wetyn u na grandfather try, na hin you self Dey follow..... you go learn no worry

Go and sit down, I be erudite scholar of history, did you that this year is 126th anniversary of the Invasion of Benin Kingdom, by the British soldiers.

You think say na by making noise

JujuYouth:
Lagos is no man's land..
The narrative Tinubu,Sanwo Olu and their urchins sold to garner bigotry sympathy.
Ev.i..L souls.

If Tinubu from Osun state can be the emperor of Lagos,then truly Lagos is no man's land

Y

Faber:
The person that called Lagos " No Man's Land" was Rui De Sequeira... Portuguese Explorer...

And then named it Lagos De Curamo in 1472 (Lakes of Curamo) based on say no body get the place

Lagos is surrounded by yoruba lands, do we have to name every land? Because i don't understand you.

Many states were formed after then, does that mean it was a no man's land before? Dey reason well abeg.

Until the day someone from Ogun state will govern Ekiti state then I will agree Lagos is a yoruba land..if Lagos is a yoruba land then why is the indigenous (yoruba)people not allowed to govern there state cause I am 💯 percent sure someone from osun state can't govern Oyo state

Niwdog:
Until the day someone from Ogun state will govern Ekiti state then I will agree Lagos is a yoruba land..if Lagos is a yoruba land then why is the indigenous (yoruba)people not allowed to govern there state cause I am 💯 percent sure someone from osun state can't govern Oyo state

Don’t confuse your head with questions bigger than you. Awolowo from Ogun state oversaw the whole region. Worry more about why your region is the poverty and nuisance capital of Nigeria.

2mch:

Don’t confuse your head with questions bigger than you. Awolowo from Ogun state oversaw the whole region. Worry more about why your region is the poverty and nuisance capital of Nigeria.

diversion that's your best bet
Cause you that is from Ogun state will never allow a man from Oyo to govern you

2mch:

Don’t confuse your head with questions bigger than you. Awolowo from Ogun state oversaw the whole region. Worry more about why your region is the poverty and nuisance capital of Nigeria.

Shut up.

Odumegwu Ojukwu from Anambra over saw Eastern region.

Does that give Anambra person right to contest for Governorship Election in Imo state. Ode

Niwdog:
diversion that's your best bet
Cause you that is from Ogun state will never allow a man from Oyo to govern you

Don't mind the little boy.

He's always deviating

2mch:

Don’t confuse your head with questions bigger than you. Awolowo from Ogun state oversaw the whole region. Worry more about why your region is the poverty and nuisance capital of Nigeria.

what do you know about history? nothing. was there anything like Ogun state when Awolowo ruled over the western region

toneroforever:


If Tinubu from Osun state can be the emperor of Lagos,then truly Lagos is no man's land

I agree completely..

.

Niwdog:
Until the day someone from Ogun state will govern Ekiti state then I will agree Lagos is a yoruba land..if Lagos is a yoruba land then why is the indigenous (yoruba)people not allowed to govern there state cause I am 💯 percent sure someone from osun state can't govern Oyo state

I think you should be more concerned about how a native of aba cannot be in service of imo state workforce or how people from ebonyi are considered osu outcasts.

waynetee:
Y

Lagos is surrounded by yoruba lands, do we have to name every land? Because i don't understand you.

Many states were formed after then, does that mean it was a no man's land before? Dey reason well abeg.

I am trying to tell Op that nothing concern Jaja Nwachukwu with the tag "no man's land" , na Rui De Sequeira tagged Lagos "No Man's Land"

Now you are trying to misquote me, why?

akanke79:
In Nigeria, this phrase was first used in 1947 to describe Lagos by the First Speaker of the House of Representatives and later Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jaja Anucha Nwachukwu. He used this term not because he believed that nobody owns Lagos but because he believed since Lagos was then the Federal Capital Territory, it belongs to all Nigerians. The question is “Which Lagos was Nwachukwu talking about”? Which Lagos was the Federal Capital of Nigeria? Most youths of today are generally disinterested in the history of Nigeria, hence, the profound ignorance about the country and its constituents.

For avoidance of doubt, Lagos State was never the capital of Nigeria. The capital city of the country until the year 1976 when the Justice Akinola Aguda recommended the movement to Abuja was the space between Fadeyi and Victoria Island in Lagos. Any other space from Fadeyi to Asaba to Ondo State to Oyo to Ogbomosho were listed under the Western Region whose Premier was Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo. For example, Mushin is not Lagos, Palm-grove is not Lagos, Ikeja is not Lagos, Oshodi is not Lagos and so on. This was the situation until the Mid-Western Region was created from the Benin and Delta provinces in 1963. It is the Mid-West that has become Edo and Delta States today.

The Federal Capital Territory which Jaja Nwachukwu referred to as “No Man’s Land” has clear and unambiguous ownership. It is important to mention that Lagos Island belong to the Aromire family and this is undisputable and not Benin. Apapa belongs to the Oluwa family, Lagos Mainland belongs to the Oloto family, Tomaro to Onisiwo, Victoria Island belongs to the Oniru family, Ikate is the land of the Elegushi family, the whole of Ijora including Ajegunle belongs to the Ojora family and so on. These are lands that are well documented and anyone who cares to know the fact should search the archives in Nigeria and London in search of the truth.

The uninformed and flippant individuals who label Lagos as a “no man’s land” should know that the ownership of Lagos was settled on 11 July 1921 when the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London which is the final Court of Appeal of the British Empire ruled that Lagos lands belong to the Idejo chiefs who are the children of Olofin. Chief Amodu Tijani Oluwa, the Oluwa of Lagos who was the plaintiff in the case took the British Government to Court for stealing his land in the process he won a huge compensation of twenty-two thousand, five-hundred-pound sterling and thirty-nine pence.


Moreover, it is important to mention that it is only one of the five divisions of Lagos State that served as the capital of Nigeria. There is still Ikorodu (Oko Odu) (farm of blackberry) which is an area that includes the entire stretch of the riverine area of Ketu, Owode-Onirin, Itowolo, up to Imota; Badagry (Agbadayigi or simply Agbada) which if from Mile Two to Badagry Town; Ikeja which covers the whole of Bariga, Somolu, Kosofe, Isolo, Mushin, Oshodi, Egbe, Ikotun, Onigbongbo, Ojokoro Ipaja, Ayobo, Ojodu, Orile Agege, Idimu and their neighbourhood; Epe (the forest of black ants) which is from Ibeju to the whole of Epe and its suburbs (Epe shares boundary with Ijebu-Ode). These divisions called ibile were created by Edict number 3 of May 1968.

Lagos as a place has existed long before the country called Nigeria and it is one of the oldest cities in Nigeria. For clear explanation, the Portuguese explorer who gave the name Lagos (Lago de Curamo meaning the Lake of Kuramo) came to the land for the first time in 1472 where he met Olofin and his children (that was 551 years ago) which makes Lagos older than virtually all modern cities in Nigeria.

Let us take a look at the year of existence of some cities. Onitsha (Onicha -mmili ) meaning is a city founded by Benin adventures in the year 1550 (473 year old. Founded almost a century after Lagos had been in existence), Enugu (Enu-Ugwu or Hill Top) was established by the Enugwu-Ngwo and Nike people around 1690). Umuhaia (the Market Place) was established by the British in the early 20th century.

Awka (Place of the blacksmiths) is one of the oldest cities in Igboland and the center of Nri civilization. Sokoto (Seat of the caliphates) was established by Uthman Dan Fodio who used the title Sarkin Musulumi) in 1804. When he died in 1817 his son Mohammed Bello was the first Sultan of Sokoto who ruled the Eastern part of Sokoto while his brother Abdullahi ruled the Western part of it. Kano (Masculinity or Capability) was probably the oldest city in Nigeria as it was established around 999 by the Hausa Bakwai people.

Kaduna (the crocodile city) was founded by Lord Fredrick Lugard in 1900 which is almost 428 years after Lagos has been existing. Abeokuta (city beneath the rock) was founded in 1830 by Sodeke who was the leader of the Egba refugees who escaped from Oyo during the period. Ibadan (near the field) was a war camp created by a group of Oyo warriors in 1829.

We have taken samples of these cities to show that Lagos is older than most cities in Nigeria and therefore it would be childish, naïve and outrightly innocent for anyone to suddenly brand a city that has existed for centuries and adorned with a rich history, an enviable culture and norms with robust traditional administration and a center of Yoruba civilization as a “no man’s land” when the entire civilization of those who are making claim for Lagos was not at all in existence when Lagos was established.

Prof Ojikutu is of the Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Lagos.

https://guardian.ng/opinion/which-lagos-is-a-no-mans-land/

Ok, we done hear, Lagos was owned by the yorubas, but igbo people have bought all the lands finish. Full stop and case closed

0su will never repent .

Banish them all to their leper colony in Alaigbo

So it is no longer during the last elections in Lagos?

This Tinubu agberos will never cease to amaze me!!

kcnwaigbo:

So it is no longer during the last elections in Lagos?

This Tinubu agberos will never cease to amaze me!!

0su pig, go home now

0koroGoHome:


0su pig, go home now

Ekiti man go back to your poor state

2mch:

Don’t confuse your head with questions bigger than you. Awolowo from Ogun state oversaw the whole region. Worry more about why your region is the poverty and nuisance capital of Nigeria.

The guy you responded to is more intelligent than you are. Answer his question: If Lagos is not no man's land, why will somebody from osun state govern Lagos when somebody from osun state can't govern ekitti state.

Akpangbo:



The guy you responded to is more intelligent than you are. Answer his question: If Lagos is not no man's land, why will somebody from osun state govern Lagos when somebody from osun state can't govern ekitti state.

Lagos is Yoruba land and open to all Yorubas

That does not mean you cretins fro the yeast can partake in Lagos ownership and rule

Cretins

kcnwaigbo:

Ekiti man go back to your poor state

Leave that poor ilu aje nuisance...his abandoned Ogun state backward village is dilapidating but lagos state is his problem.

0koroGoHome:


0su pig, go home now

Go where? Lagos is a no mans Land

0koroGoHome:


Lagos is Yoruba land and open to all Yorubas

That does not mean you cretins fro the yeast can partake in Lagos ownership and rule

Cretins

Point of correction ..... Lagos is a no mans Land, it belong to everybody