Seun Kuti, the Grammy-nominated afrobeat artiste, has firmly stated that “Lagos belongs to the white man.”
He contends that despite various Nigerian ethnic groups claiming ownership, the city’s actual proprietors are foreigners who possess the majority of its real estate and wealth.
The son of the late Afrobeat pioneer Kuti expressed dismay at how the economy of Lagos, and Nigeria at large, is under the control of these “foreigners.”
In a recent Instagram live session with fans, Kuti addressed the issue, stating,
“Why are you guys shouting, ‘Lagos is Igbo land, Lagos is Yoruba land?’ Lagos is a white man’s land. Go to the Ministry of Land in Lagos and see how many percent of land in Lagos Yoruba people own.”
He further highlighted the dominance of foreigners in Nigeria’s oil industry, posing the question, “The whole of Nigeria, look at your oil industry, who is controlling it? It’s the whites. They hide it in plain sight. Eko Hotel, is the most expensive real estate in the whole of Lagos, who owns it? Is it you? Now, Eko Atlantic is an extension of Eko Hotel, owned by the same foreigners.”
