By Ademola Adekusibe
September 19, 2025
The Yoruba Times will not sit by and allow hired tongues to spit venom against our people without a reply. Scott’s recent rant that Yoruba are “the most tribalistic people in Nigeria” is not only laughable but also pathetic. His entire argument smells of envy, bitterness, and frustration. A man from a corner of the country where outsiders are pushed away has no authority to lecture Yoruba, the only people in Nigeria who have turned strangers into brothers, tenants into landlords, and markets into global hubs. Lagos, built by Yoruba hands and Yoruba vision, has carried this nation for decades, while Scott’s region can barely carry itself. And yet, he mounts a stool to insult Yoruba. We are here to tell him point by point that his foolishness will not stand.
- On Yoruba Obas, Baales, and Families Selling Land
Scott shouts that Yoruba kings and families sold land to outsiders, as if that is a crime. It is only the land of a people who are confident in their heritage that can be shared with strangers. Yoruba generosity allowed others to taste prosperity. But Scott deliberately forgets that in his own backyard, even people from neighboring communities are rejected. Was it not in Enugu where sons of Ebonyi were told they could not hold any office? Was it not in his part of the world that others were pushed out in the name of indigene-ship?
So let us ask, does selling land mean Yoruba hate outsiders, or does it mean Yoruba are too accommodating? If Yoruba were tribalistic, nobody would be allowed to buy even one plot in Lagos, let alone build empires. Scott mocks Yoruba openness because he comes from a culture that knows only exclusion. Our Obas, our Baales, our families sold land because we have confidence that Yoruba identity cannot be erased by strangers. His people hide their land from others because they know their heritage is too fragile to survive competition. Lagos is prosperous because Yoruba shared. His villages remain small because they locked their gates.
- On Oil Companies Paying Tax in Lagos Instead of Delta
Scott complains that oil companies drill in Delta but pay tax in Lagos. Let us be clear. Companies are not forced to Lagos. They come because Lagos works. Lagos has structure, infrastructure, and stability. It is not Lagos fault that Delta and Bayelsa cannot guarantee companies safety. It is not Lagos fault that kidnappers, oil bunkers, and militants roam free in those areas. Lagos is not stealing. Lagos is earning.
This is the bitter truth Scott cannot swallow. Lagos thrives without oil, while his oil-rich land remains trapped in poverty. Lagos is proof that vision builds wealth. His region is proof that mismanagement destroys it. The oil may be in his soil, but the sense to use it is not in his people. Yoruba turned a lagoon city into the largest economy in West Africa. His leaders turned oil into pipelines of corruption. That is why Lagos prospers while his state crawls.
- On Demands for Ports and Airports in Other States
Scott says government should build ports and airports in Delta and Edo so that Onitsha traders will not have to use Lagos. Let us laugh. Infrastructure is not a gift handed out like Christmas rice. Ports and airports follow productivity, not pity. Lagos earned them because Yoruba created commerce that justified them. Who will fly into an airport where insecurity chases investors away? Who will dock at a port where there are no functional roads to move goods?
The truth is simple. You cannot copy Lagos by shouting. You must earn it. If Delta, Edo, or Onitsha want ports, let them build the commerce, stability, and trust that make ports necessary. Lagos was not given to Yoruba by government generosity. Yoruba built Lagos into what it is today. That is why Lagos deserves what it has. Scott’s people want what they have not earned. That is the difference between Yoruba and his region.
- On Igbos in Lagos Building Homes in Their Villages
Scott says Igbos only come to Lagos for business but prefer to build houses in their villages. And so what? That is their choice. Yoruba did not beg anyone to come. Lagos is open for trade, not forced adoption. If you like, make money here and run to your village to build empty mansions. The same Yoruba landlords you mock will still collect rent from you. The same Yoruba markets you depend on will still enrich you. The same Lagos you despise will still carry your dreams.
The truth is, if Yoruba were tribalistic, Igbos would not even be allowed to rent shops in Lagos, let alone dominate markets. It is Yoruba tolerance that allows them to thrive. And yet, the same tolerance is twisted into insult. Yoruba are mocked for being too open, while Scott’s region is praised for rejecting outsiders. But Lagos does not lose sleep. The landlords of Lagos remain Yoruba. Those who run home to their villages at night remain tenants of Yoruba land by day.
- FAAC and the Southwest Contribution
Scott forgets the most important part of the story. The Southwest contributes massively to Nigeria’s Federation Account Allocation Committee, yet receives the least in return. Lagos alone feeds this country with revenue that sustains states who cannot stand on their own feet. And yet, Yoruba are called tribalistic? If Yoruba behaved like others, we would have shut the doors of Lagos long ago. But Yoruba continue to carry this nation on our back while men like Scott spit on our face.
The irony is deep. Those who eat from Yoruba sweat now rise to insult Yoruba. They forget that without Lagos, Nigeria will collapse. They forget that without Yoruba tax, civil servants in many states will go unpaid. They forget that Yoruba generosity is the backbone of their survival. But we will remind them. Yoruba may be patient, but Yoruba memory is long.
Conclusion: We Know Your Pattern
Scott, we know your pattern. You have been paid, you have been bought since the day you were arrested. Your mouth now serves those who fear Yoruba strength. But we are here for you. We will match your madness with madness. Do not think Yoruba will fold our arms as we did under Buhari when every insult was swallowed in silence. Those days are gone.
You mocked Yoruba kings and Yoruba families for selling land, forgetting that selling is proof of confidence and openness. You complained about oil companies choosing Lagos, forgetting that they chose Lagos because your land is unsafe. You demanded airports, forgetting that airports follow productivity. You claimed Igbos build only in their villages, forgetting that Yoruba never begged them to come. And you ignored the truth that Southwest carries Nigeria’s economy on its back while getting little in return.
Scott, you wanted to gaslight Yoruba with fake praise about Tinubu building Lagos, but we need no praise from you. Tinubu is City Boy because Lagos is City. Lagos is City because Yoruba built it. And Yoruba will never bow to the envy of small men from small corners.
