Goodbye, Charly
A local council in Lagos renamed a popular bus stop, sparking backlash from legal experts who called it unconstitutional and exclusionary.
In Lagos, the Bariga Local Council Development Area has officially renamed the Charly Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop, after Nigerian rapper Olamide. Veteran entertainer Charly Boy (Charles Oputa) has strongly objected, emphasising that the local community coined the name to honour his decades-long advocacy and legacy. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN condemned the decision as “unconstitutional and authoritarian”, highlighting that the renaming occurred without the legally required public hearing. Legal expert Dr Monday Ubani also warned that the action reflects ethnic exclusion and undermines Lagos’s cosmopolitan heritage.
Audio: Should public landmarks be renamed without community input, and how can cities like Lagos balance cultural recognition with inclusivity?
The decision by Lagos authorities to rename the Charly Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop in honour of the rapper Olamide has sparked a heated debate, revealing deeper tensions about governance, public symbolism, and identity politics in the city. While the move might seem like a simple gesture to recognise a popular cultural icon, the backlash, led by activist Charles 'Charly Boy' Oputa and supported by prominent legal figures such as Femi Falana SAN and Dr. Monday Ubani, suggests the issues at play are far from trivial.
A key concern is the procedural irregularity of the renaming. By bypassing the required public hearings, the local council’s actions have been criticised for contravening established legal and democratic norms, lending weight to concerns about local government overreach and a decline in participatory governance. This incident also highlights an ongoing struggle over public symbols and collective memory within Nigeria's largest city. Charly Boy, despite not being a Lagos native, is a nationally recognised figure who is celebrated for his decades of activism and artistic contributions. His original commemoration was a reflection of the historically inclusive and progressive character of the Bariga community. Replacing this symbol without public consultation risks narrowing the city’s identity along ethnic or generational lines, as Dr. Ubani rightly warned.
This episode further reopens a Pandora's box of ethnically charged rhetoric, a dangerous path the Lagos political class has been flirting with in the lead-up to the 2023 elections. For a cosmopolitan city like Lagos, this is a recipe for regression. Nigeria has seen smaller examples of this, such as in Warri, where a similar leaning into ethnic politics to control oil benefits led to a city that has seen its middle class hollowed out and its young people forced to seek opportunities elsewhere or rely on political patronage. While it may take longer, Lagos risks following a similar trajectory. This divisive rhetoric threatens to undermine the fragile social contract that sustains the city's pluralistic character.
Ultimately, while the name of a bus stop may seem insignificant, public spaces and infrastructure in Lagos often serve as a canvas for identity and aspiration. Such changes are never neutral and, when handled poorly, risk undermining the very cosmopolitan identity the city prides itself on.