Headlinenews.news – Editorial Report
A fierce battle over fairness, identity, and constitutional balance is raging around Lagos’ new ambassadorial nominations.
Lagos socio-cultural group De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has petitioned the Senate to halt the confirmation of two nominees listed as representing Lagos State, insisting that neither is an indigene of Lagos.
Backed by a detailed national analysis from civic advocacy network National Patriots, the petition is now a test case:
Will Nigeria respect its own Constitution, or normalize sidelining an indigenous population in its own homeland?
The Flashpoint: Two Nominees, Zero Lagos Indigenes
In an open letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation argued that Lagos is “the only state where ambassadorial and other federal appointments meant for its people are consistently assigned to non-indigenes,” calling it a “persistent injustice”.
The Foundation named:
● Mrs. Lola Akande – alleged by the group to hail from Delta and Kwara States, yet listed as a Lagos representative and identified as sister to the First Lady.
● Mr. Femi Pedro – also alleged to be a non-indigene of Lagos, and accused of previously ridiculing the very idea of “indigenous Lagosians” by reportedly asking on a platform:
> “Awon wo ni omo Eko na, melo ni won papa?”
(“Who are these so-called Lagos indigenes and how many are they anyway?”)
For a man with that record to be put forward as Lagos representative abroad is viewed by indigenes as an outright provocation.
National Patriots: “This Is Bigger Than Lagos – It’s a Constitutional Stress Test”
National Patriots, a national civic group, has formally aligned with De Renaissance Foundation and produced the deeper analysis underpinning the petition.
Their central argument is simple and hard to dodge:
Ambassadorial slots are federal assets allocated by state.
When a state’s slot is consistently filled by non-indigenes, that state is effectively denied representation.
If that can happen to Lagos – Nigeria’s economic engine – it can happen to any state next.
This is why National Patriots is considering the Lagos case as a national constitutional stress test, not a parochial Lagos matter.
The Law Is Not Ambiguous
The 1999 Constitution is clear on both federal character and appointments of ambassadors:
Section 171 (4)–(5) (Ambassadors & Senate confirmation):
> “An appointment to the office of Ambassador… shall not have effect unless the appointment is confirmed by the Senate. In exercising his powers of appointment… the President shall have regard to the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity.”
Section 14 (1)–(2) (Democracy, justice, and the people):
The Constitution declares that Nigeria shall be a state based on democracy and social justice, and that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” with people’s participation in their government guaranteed.
The Constitution further defines federal character as the desire to promote national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen a sense of belonging.
“You cannot claim to respect federal character or unity while repeatedly giving Lagos’ slots to people who are not from its indigenous communities and, in at least one case, have openly disparaged their identity.” National Patriots.
Lagos: The Engine That Rarely Gets the Steering Wheel
Lagos is not just another state. It is:
Nigeria’s top state economy, contributing roughly 18–22% of national GDP in recent years.
Africa’s one of the largest city economies, with GDP estimated around $259 billion.
The undisputed IGR champion, generating over ₦1.2 trillion in 2024, far ahead of any other state.
Yet, indigenous Lagosians (Awori, Eko, Ogu, Ijebu, Ilaje and other native communities) argue they have been consistently shortchanged:
Within South-West politics, where Lagos’ numbers are leveraged but its indigenous voices often sidelined.
Within federal appointments, where key slots, including ambassadorial positions, are frequently ceded to political allies who are not indigenes.
National Patriots warn that this combination – heavy economic contribution, weak indigenous representation – is politically explosive and morally unsustainable.
Global Standards: States Should Speak With Their Own Voice
Around the world, subnational representation is usually anchored in local identity:
In federal systems like Canada, India, or Germany, appointments that symbolically represent a region are sensitive to local origin and legitimacy.
In Nigeria itself, it is almost unthinkable for Kano, Enugu, Rivers, or Borno to accept non-indigenes repeatedly occupying their ambassadorial slots.
What is happening to Lagos would be rejected out of hand elsewhere.
That is exactly why National Patriots calls it a dangerous precedent.
They also note similar grievances now being raised by FCT indigenes over exclusion from ambassadorial lists – a signal that indigene rights and representation are fast becoming a national flashpoint, not a local quibble.
The Stakes for Tinubu: Unity, Legitimacy, and Political Capital
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has publicly staked his presidency on unity, fairness, and national healing. On inauguration day, he urged Nigerians to “bury political differences” and join him in a new journey of nation-building and economic prosperity.
His own government and spokespersons have repeatedly stressed his “unwavering commitment to fairness, equity and national unity.”
This ambassadorial controversy is now a direct test of those promises.
The Group’s blunt position is this:
If a President from Lagos cannot guarantee basic ambassadorial representation to indigenous Lagosians,
then the message to other indigenous groups across Nigeria is grim: economic contribution and historical ownership count for less than political closeness.
They argue that correcting this now would boost Tinubu’s political capital, especially among ethnic-nationality groups who are increasingly wary of being used for numbers but ignored in appointments.
What the World Is Saying – And Why It Matters
Internationally, the language is the same: unity, inclusion, trust.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said:
> “Our unity is our strength; it is what will drive us forward as a nation.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed that:
> “Improving governance, and improving confidence between governments and people, is essential.”
If Nigeria wants to be taken seriously on issues of democracy, equity, and inclusion, it cannot be seen to humiliate indigenous groups in its own commercial capital over something as symbolically important as ambassadorial representation.
Right now, the global community, the diplomatic corps, and Nigerians in the diaspora are watching to see whether Lagos indigenes will be treated with the same respect every other state’s indigenes take for granted.
De Renaissance Demands – Clear and Non-Negotiable
De Renaissance Patriots Foundation’s petition, supported by the National Patriots is calling for:
● Immediate suspension of confirmation of any ambassadorial nominee presented as a Lagos representative who is not a bona fide indigene of Lagos State.
● Replacement of the two current nominees (Mrs. Lola Akande and Mr. Femi Pedro) with two qualified indigenous Lagosians.
● A firm Senate precedent that, going forward, ambassadorial slots allocated to states must go to indigenes of those states, barring exceptional, transparent justifications.
● A public reaffirmation by the Presidency and Senate of the federal character principle as applied not just to zones, but to the states and their ancestral communities.
Final Word: A Simple Issue, A Major Signal
This is not a complicated problem:
There are highly qualified, globally exposed, indigenous Lagosians in diplomacy, law, business, academia, security, and development work.
Two of them can be nominated today.
The Senate can insist on it.
The President can send a corrected list and walk his own talk on fairness and unity.
If that happens, it sends a clear signal:
That no indigenous group is disposable.
That federal character means something concrete, not just a line in the Constitution.
That this administration is serious about justice, balance, and long-term peace.
If it doesn’t happen, then the message is equally clear—and deeply damaging.
For now, Lagos indigenes have chosen a lawful, democratic route: a petition to the National Assembly, backed by national civic actors like National Patriots.
What happens next will tell every community in Nigeria whether the system still listens when the people speak.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report.
