Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has defended the administration’s reported allocation of N3.9 trillion worth of infrastructure projects to Lagos State within two years, amid concerns that other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are being left behind.
Speaking on Arise News TV on Wednesday, Bwala described Lagos as both the commercial nerve centre and the “pride of Nigeria’s economy.”
“Lagos State is a no-man’s land. In the last election, the President, who comes from the South-West, did not win Lagos. That tells you the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State,” he said.
Highlighting the state’s economic magnetism, he added:
“The richest man in Africa is a northerner. His business is not in Kano, it’s in Lagos. Almost every rich man in Nigeria has investments in Lagos. If not because the majority of the people are Yoruba speaking, you would wonder if Lagos is indeed from the South-West.”
Bwala compared Lagos with other global commercial hubs, noting that London, New York, and Paris also attract outsized national investment.
“In every country, wherever you find the commercial nerve, you are likely to see the need to put infrastructure in place to boost the economy. Whatever Lagos benefits, the country benefits,” he explained.
He maintained that the federal government’s heavy spending in Lagos was justified, insisting:
“The idea that you put more in Lagos than in other states should be put in proper context. Lagos is the hub of Nigeria. Lagos is the pride of the country.”
