Lagos Indigenes Petition Sanwo Olu to Stop Renaming of Historic Mainland Streets

Indigenous Lagosians are calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and stop the Lagos Mainland Local Government from changing the names of historic streets in the state.

In a petition titled ‘Save Our Historic Street Names, a Petition for the Preservation of Lagos Heritage,’ the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Lagos State said the decision by Mainland Council Chairman, Emilagba Kolawole Jubril, risks triggering crisis and erasing important parts of Lagos identity. The petition was signed by the group’s spokesperson, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri.

The group said it received the council’s approval to rename several streets with deep concern. While it stated support for honouring people who have served their communities, it strongly opposed doing so by removing names that are tied to Lagos history.

“Street names are more than directions. They are the living memory of a city. They tell how Lagos grew and remind every generation of the people and events that shaped us,” the group wrote.

The coalition expressed worry over plans to rename Freeman Street, Glover Street, and Jones Street. It noted that Henry Stanhope Freeman was the first Governor of the Lagos Colony after the 1861 Treaty of Cession. John Hawley Glover, also a former Governor of Lagos, formed “Glover’s Hausas,” which is widely regarded as the foundation of the Nigerian Army today. Dr Curtis Adeniyi-Jones was described as a medical pioneer, nationalist, co-founder of Nigeria’s first political party, and an outstanding public servant.

“Whether we agree with all parts of colonial history or not is not the issue. History cannot be rewritten because present politics finds it uncomfortable,” the group stated. “Every era, good or bad, is part of the Lagos story.”

The group drew examples from other cities, saying London, Paris, Rome, and especially Singapore have kept historic names for centuries while still developing. Singapore, it noted, turned its heritage into tourism and pride instead of demolishing it.

“Lagos should follow that path,” the coalition said. It added that areas like Yaba, Ebute Metta and Oyingbo are central to Nigeria’s railway history, which for decades moved goods, passengers and petroleum across the country. “Instead of protecting and celebrating that legacy, we seem set to erase it.”

The group also suggested better ways to honour modern leaders. It proposed that new roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, libraries, innovation hubs and sports centres should bear their names, instead of removing existing historic names.

It warned against a continuous cycle of renaming. “If every government renames streets to honour its favourites, what stops the next government from changing them again? Where does it stop? Lagos cannot keep erasing its past street by street.”

The coalition asked the Mainland Chairman to suspend the renaming immediately and to engage historians, traditional rulers, residents’ associations, professional bodies and indigenous groups before taking further action.

It further appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to halt all proposals to rename historically significant streets until a Heritage Preservation Policy is developed. It also urged him to champion a law with clear guidelines for naming and renaming public places, and to support legislation in the Lagos House of Assembly that will protect heritage assets from arbitrary changes.

The group also revived calls for Heritage Blue Plaques on homes and buildings linked to prominent Lagosians, similar to what exists in other historic cities. “Plaques celebrate achievement without destroying one legacy to create another,” it said.

“Lagos is Nigeria’s former capital and one of Africa’s oldest cities. Its identity was built over centuries. That identity belongs to those living now and to those yet unborn. A society that loses its history loses itself,” the coalition concluded.

“A man who is in a hurry to erase his past will not have much of a future, for he too will one day be erased by those who come after him. Let us preserve the history of Lagos. Let us protect its identity.”