THIS ALBATROSS WILL NOT GO AWAY

Lagos APC Spokesman, Seye Oladejo, responds to Abimbola Adelakun on Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s Yoruba question

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

There are some political problems that can be explained away, some that can be repackaged and some that can be temporarily buried under mountains of public relations. But there are also some that refuse to disappear simply because we wish them away.

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s Yoruba problem belongs in the latter category.

Abimbola Adelakun’s intervention may have provided an interesting intellectual defence of the ADC 2027 Lagos governorship candidate, but it does not answer the fundamental questions raised by Rhodes-Vivour’s own public admission that he had engaged a Yoruba teacher and was learning the language.

And let us be clear: there is nothing wrong with learning Yoruba. Indeed, it is commendable.

The question is why a man who aspires to govern Lagos only came to the realisation, during his political journey, that developing a deeper connection with the language and culture of a substantial section of the people he seeks to govern was important.

This is not about demanding Yoruba proficiency as a constitutional qualification for the governorship of Lagos.

It is not.

Lagos is a cosmopolitan state and its diversity is one of its greatest assets. Nobody should be denied public office merely because he does not speak Yoruba fluently.

But there is a world of difference between using Yoruba proficiency as an ethnic barrier and asking whether an aspiring governor has sufficient cultural understanding of the society he wants to lead.

That is the real issue.

Language is not merely a collection of words. It is a vessel of history, culture, humour, values, idioms, traditions and worldview. It provides access to nuances that cannot always be captured through translation.

And for anyone seeking to govern Lagos, understanding the indigenous history and cultural foundations of the state is surely an asset- not a liability.

THE PR WHITEWASH CANNOT ERASE REALITY

What is particularly amusing about the current attempt to reframe the debate is the apparent belief that sufficient sympathetic commentary can make an inconvenient political issue disappear.

It cannot.

No amount of sympathetic public relations whitewash will make the albatross disappear overnight.

You cannot PR your way out of a question that was generated, at least in part, by the candidate’s own public admission.

You cannot transform every uncomfortable question into ethnic persecution.

And you certainly cannot tell Lagosians that they are not entitled to ask questions about the cultural, historical and social understanding of someone seeking to govern them.

If Rhodes-Vivour has decided to learn Yoruba, we should encourage him.

If he wants to improve his understanding of Lagos, we should encourage that too.

If he wants to immerse himself more deeply in the history, culture and aspirations of the people, even better.

But learning a language is a journey. Hiring a tutor does not confer overnight cultural immersion.

And this is where the attempt to close the conversation prematurely becomes problematic.

FROM YORUBA 101 TO LAGOS 101

Perhaps the next stage should go beyond Yoruba lessons.

Because knowing how to speak a language and understanding the society that speaks it are two different things.

Lagos is not merely a geographical expression or an electoral constituency. It is a complex historical, commercial and cultural ecosystem with indigenous communities, generations of migrants, traditional institutions, markets, industries, religious communities, professionals, artisans and an extraordinarily diverse population.

Anyone seeking to govern this complicated metropolis must necessarily understand its history and peculiarities.

That understanding cannot be acquired from campaign consultants alone.

It cannot be downloaded from social media.

And it certainly cannot be manufactured by sympathetic newspaper columns.

It comes from immersion, listening, engagement, experience and genuine connection with the people.

THE QUESTION IS NOT “IS HE YORUBA ENOUGH?”

Let nobody deliberately misunderstand the argument.

The question is not whether Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is “Yoruba enough.”

That would be an absurd and unacceptable standard.

The question is much broader:

How deeply does an aspiring governor understand the people, history, culture and peculiarities of the state he seeks to govern?

That is a legitimate question for every candidate, regardless of ethnic background.

Indeed, if another candidate who had never lived in Lagos demonstrated an equally limited understanding of the state’s history and culture, we would be entitled to ask exactly the same questions.

The standard should be consistent.

ANSWER THE QUESTION, DON’T ATTACK THE QUESTIONER

There is also an important lesson here for political communication.

When a candidate faces an uncomfortable question, the best response is usually to answer it-not to attack the people asking it.

Rhodes-Vivour has, in fact, taken one constructive step by learning Yoruba.

That should be acknowledged.

But the political class and its commentators should also allow Lagosians to examine what that development means without immediately attempting to shut down the conversation.

After all, political campaigns are not book launches.

Candidates are asking citizens to entrust them with enormous responsibility.

They should therefore expect scrutiny.

They should expect questions about their experience.

They should expect questions about their policies.

They should expect questions about their understanding of Lagos.

And yes, they should expect questions about their ability to communicate with and understand the people they aspire to lead.

That is democracy.

THE ALBATROSS REMAINS

Abimbola Adelakun may have attempted to provide a sympathetic intellectual framework around the issue, but the fundamental question remains.

The answer cannot be found in clever semantics.

It cannot be buried beneath accusations of political victimisation.

And it certainly cannot be erased through public relations whitewashing.

The sensible approach is much simpler: acknowledge the concern, engage with it honestly, learn where necessary and demonstrate through sustained interaction that one understands the people and the environment one seeks to govern.

If Rhodes-Vivour is genuinely committed to learning Yoruba and deepening his understanding of Lagos, good for him.

But let nobody pretend that a few lessons automatically erase years of questions.

The albatross will not disappear overnight simply because some people have decided to give it a more sympathetic name.

And as for the assumption that Rhodes-Vivour represents some existential threat to the ruling party, we shall leave that argument for another day.

The gubernatorial election will provide the evidence. 

After the votes are cast and counted, we shall return to this conversation and provide the answers.

The issue will remain part of the broader conversation about leadership, identity, cultural understanding and preparedness.

And ultimately, that conversation should not frighten anybody.

Candidates should welcome scrutiny. Voters deserve nothing less.