Lagos State governorship hopeful of the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he has learnt Yoruba and is now able to campaign in the language as he seeks to govern the state.
Rhodes-Vivour made the disclosure during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, explaining that he had engaged a Yoruba teacher to improve his fluency.
He described culture and language as important but said his primary focus remained addressing the challenges affecting residents across Lagos.
“Culture and language is very, very important, and I’ve gotten a Yoruba teacher, and I’ve learned Yoruba, and I can campaign in Yoruba, and that is wonderful,” he said.
The politician also demonstrated his progress during the interview when one of the presenters greeted him in Yoruba.
After the presenter said the greeting would be translated for him, Rhodes-Vivour responded in Yoruba, saying, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” meaning “I greet all of you.”
He further said issues such as flooding, inadequate housing and traffic congestion affected Lagos residents regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.
“My passionate interest is to ensure that we have a Lagos that no longer stinks.
“All of us are going to, when you translate it, all of us are going to hear the smell, right? Everybody is going to experience the failure, is experiencing the failure of our flooding, of our housing crisis, of the traffic, of the loss of dignity of Lagosians. And that connects all of us,” he said.
His latest comments come amid renewed attention to the debate over his Yoruba proficiency during the 2023 Lagos governorship election.
During that campaign, Rhodes-Vivour’s mixed Yoruba and Igbo heritage, as well as his ability to speak Yoruba, became subjects of political discussion.
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The politician, whose father is Yoruba and mother is Igbo, acknowledged in a Channels Television interview in March 2023 that he understood and could speak Yoruba but was not fluent in the language.
He attributed this to aspects of his upbringing and education, including periods he spent outside Nigeria. His remark that he did not “think in Yoruba” subsequently attracted criticism during the campaign.
Rhodes-Vivour later disclosed that he had employed a Yoruba teacher to improve his command of the language, saying greater fluency would help him connect more effectively with the people.
His supporters, including Afenifere and Eko Forum, also defended his Lagos heritage during the controversy, rejecting arguments questioning his connection to the state based on his maternal ancestry and language proficiency.
Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party, finishing third behind the incumbent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress, and the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor.
He is now seeking the ADC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 Lagos State governorship election.