Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour stated that he does not need perfect fluency in Yoruba to preserve and protect the indigenous culture of Lagos State.
He made the remark in a video shared on Monday. The comment came days after his response to a question on Yoruba culture and language at the Independence Day edition of The Platform generated public reactions.
At the October 1 event, an attendee asked Rhodes-Vivour what he would do to preserve Yoruba culture, tradition and language in Lagos. Some members of the audience demanded that he answer in Yoruba when he began speaking in English.
Afterwards, Rhodes-Vivour addressed the controversy. He said he had never denied the Yoruba identity of Lagos. He also maintained that indigenous groups, including the Aworis and Eguns, contributed to the development of the city.
“I have consistently said the opposite. Lagos is Yoruba land with indigenous people like the Aworis and the Eguns contributing to creating the welcoming cosmopolitan Lagos that we know and love,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour explained that his difficulty with Yoruba related to fluency. He noted that he often processes thoughts in English before translating them into other languages.
“I said this as it relates to fluency. A lot of us process our thoughts in English. I do. I think in English and then I translate to other languages. As you can see from what happened at the platform, my Yoruba set has a way to go and we are making efforts,” he stated.
Furthermore, the ADC candidate stressed that his main focus remained governance. He argued that cultural preservation could be achieved through government policies without requiring perfect 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 described a vision in which Lagos heritage would be preserved while residents from different backgrounds coexist and contribute to the state’s development.
