18/07/2025
Title: Changing the Igbo Names of Streets in Ajegunle is Primitive and Retrogressive
By Kehinde Fatiregun
In the heart of Lagos State, Ajegunle stands as a powerful symbol of Nigeria’s cultural mosaic a vibrant working-class community built on coexistence, resilience, and rich ethnic diversity. Historically, the naming of streets in this area has reflected the cosmopolitan reality of its inhabitants. Yet, recent moves to change Igbo names on streets in Ajegunle represent not only a dangerous flirtation with ethno-political bigotry, but also a step backwards in our collective national development.
This act, if not halted and reversed, is primitive, unjustifiable, and profoundly retrogressive. Here is why.
1. An Assault on History and Identity
Street names are more than just labels they are historical artefacts. They immortalize the people, cultures, and milestones that shaped a community. The Igbo people have long contributed to the development of Ajegunle, Lagos, and Nigeria at large. Removing street names that bear Igbo identities is an attempt to erase a significant part of the area’s history and the collective memory of its people.
What we are witnessing is cultural vandalism masquerading as urban renewal or political correctness. It is akin to rewriting history books to suit tribal agendas. That is not progress it is regression.
2. A Threat to National Unity
Nigeria’s unity has always been fragile, often strained by ethnic and religious fault lines. The deliberate removal of Igbo names from streets in a city that markets itself as the "Centre of Excellence" sends the wrong signal. It tells Nigerians that tribalism, not merit or contribution, will be the yardstick for recognition.
What message are we sending to Igbo children who were born and raised in Ajegunle? That their roots are unworthy of public recognition? That their names are temporary fixtures? Such actions deepen mistrust, fuel resentment, and widen the already existing ethnic divides.
3. An Economic and Social Miscalculation
Igbo people are not just residents of Lagos they are investors, business owners, tax payers, and economic contributors. The prosperity of Lagos is inextricably tied to its multi-ethnic character. Policies or actions that alienate any group especially one as economically significant as the Igbo risk damaging investor confidence and social cohesion.
Street renaming, when not organically motivated by the people or driven by genuine city planning reforms, becomes a misuse of political power. It stokes tensions where peace once existed, and promotes exclusion where inclusion should be the watchword.
4. It Diminishes the Lagos Spirit
Lagos has thrived not by being an ethnic enclave, but by being a melting pot where anyone from anywhere can find a home and a future. The city’s greatness has always been in its openness. To suddenly make ethnicity a criterion for street naming is to diminish that legacy.
Instead of scrubbing off Igbo names, we should be celebrating the mosaic of identities that make Ajegunle unique. Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw, Urhobo Ajegunle is Nigeria in miniature. If we reduce the city to a tribal domain, we kill the Lagos dream.
5. A Call for Civic Action
This is a wake-up call for all well-meaning Nigerians, especially Lagosians, to stand up against this cultural cleansing. Civil society must resist this creeping ethno-political bias with every lawful means available. Traditional leaders, lawmakers, and community influencers must call out this policy for what it is: divisive, unnecessary, and out of step with 21st-century governance.
Lagos cannot afford to join the league of cities where tribalism drives public policy. If anything, the government should be erecting monuments to honor the diversity that has powered Lagos to national and global relevance.
Conclusion
Changing Igbo names of streets in Ajegunle is not only primitive it is a betrayal of Nigeria’s plural identity and Lagos' inclusive spirit. In a time when we should be building bridges across ethnic lines, we must reject policies that burn them. Unity in diversity must not be a mere slogan it must reflect in our streets, our schools, our policies, and our hearts.
Let the names remain. Let history speak. Let Lagos rise above tribal politics.
