18/07/2025
Clarifying the Phrase “Lagos is a No Man’s Land”
The phrase “Lagos is a no man's land” was merely a slogan used by some Igbo people in the early 1990s. It served as a motivational expression, encouraging fellow Igbo brothers who came to Lagos to hustle and survive. The idea behind the phrase was to inspire self-reliance—reminding newcomers not to depend on anyone, but to work hard and create their own path in the city.
For example, it was common to hear phrases like:
“Nwanne, make you go hustle o! This Lagos wey we dey na no man's land. Did you see any signpost on your way to Lagos that says ‘Welcome to Lagos’? No! The only signpost you will see as you’re entering Lagos says, ‘THIS IS LAGOS.’”
This slogan was never about ownership or territorial claims.
No Yoruba person or group can truthfully claim that any Igbo individual has ever challenged their ownership of Lagos or declared that Lagos belongs to no one. Such confrontational claims simply do not exist in any credible record of Igbo-Yoruba interactions.
It is corrupt and self-serving politicians who have twisted and weaponized this harmless slogan against the Igbo people. They have done so to stir ethnic tension and tighten their political grip on Lagos.
In truth, “Lagos is a no man’s land” was—and still is—nothing more than a slogan intended to motivate Igbo hustlers to strive for success in an unfamiliar city.
Let us not allow political propaganda to rewrite the narrative. By Chief M , Oparaugo
