We Must Rename Streets, Buildings Named After Colonial Masters - Lagos Assembly

The call for the change of names of streets, monuments, and buildings named after colonial masters in Lagos State is being pushed in the State Assembly.

The move by the members of the Assembly comes as the world is grappling with the impact of systemic racism, as protesters in America took to the streets to make their indignation felt.

There is a call for a cultural restructuring, as the nation is riddled with many foreign attributes manifested in the actions of the citizenry. 

The motion was presented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Noheem Adams.

He said, “The brutal and callous murder of Floyd triggered worldwide condemnations, demonstrations, and protests against the continue police violence and racism of blacks in US and Europe without provocation.

“The house is aware that these protests further drew attention to the reality of systematic racism, oppression and domination of blacks by whites in spite of abolition of vexatious slave trade and related activities since the 18th century.

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“This house is further aware that the demonstration brought about the pulling down of status of Edward Colston, a notable slave trader into a river in Bristol, London, while the British authorities removed from her museum status of another prominent slave master and promised a review of history pertaining to slave trade monument and sites.”

Cultural History

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, said that the motion to revisit the history of the country is to "protect the interest of our people all over the world."

Obasa said, “South Africa got her independence much later than the rest African countries and they are not talking about ‘Black Lives Matters’ campaign.

“We must protect the interest of our people all over the world. So many statues in London and other places are being brought down. We should change the names of some of these buildings. We cannot bring down the buildings because they were once used by colonial masters.

“We can change the names of some of these buildings and streets. Some of the names remind us of these people that enslaved our people.

“We need to change the names, but it does not affect our history. We should look at history.

“Does that mean people were not living there before the arrivals of the foreigners?”

“It is what you believe that says who and what you are. It is about what you believe and what you can do on your own.

“You need to exhibit your own beliefs and culture. Most times, we speak like foreigners and some of our children cannot speak our mother tongues.

“We are saying that our own language is inferior to their own language. We should let our children know that we are superior.

“The motion is about us, about Africans. We have to tell the world about our own civilization. The resolve is not broad enough. It is not about Lagos State alone. We have to tell the African Union about reparation which was started by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.

“The President can issue an Executive Order that all over Nigeria we should change the names of streets named after beneficiaries of slave trade.

“Those who dehumanized Africans should not be celebrated. Our people who collaborated with the colonial masters should be made to apologise to us.”

There was a consensus on the motion, as the members unanimously assented to it.