Former Lagos State Governor and immediate past Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has firmly dismissed claims that he holds dual citizenship, declaring that he is Nigerian by choice, conviction, and pride.
Fashola made the assertion on Tuesday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the Nigeria Reputation Summit 2026, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). His speech focused on national identity, patriotism, migration, and how Nigeria is perceived globally.
According to the former governor, Nigerians must begin to take collective ownership of the country and its challenges, rather than distancing themselves from its problems.
“I don’t think we own Nigeria enough,” Fashola said. “Some of our compatriots, by virtue of the 1999 Constitution, have dual citizenship. But I have only one.”
He explained that he often challenges Nigerians who refer to Nigeria as “your country” when speaking to him.
“I tell them, stop. It’s our country. Your problem is our problem. There must be common ownership. If we have that, we will solve our challenges,” he stated.
Reflecting on his upbringing and education, Fashola said his pride in Nigeria runs deep.
“From my childhood experience, I tell people I’m not just a proud Nigerian, I’m an arrogant Nigerian. I’m arrogant about my country.
I have not received one day of education outside Nigeria. All my education was here. Proudly made in Nigeria and arrogantly too. Everything we think we have lost, we can regain if we decide to.”
Speaking on the long-standing trend of emigration, popularly known today as “Japa”, Fashola noted that the phenomenon is not new and dates back several decades.
“When we graduated from the University of Benin in the 1980s, many of our colleagues left the country. Back then, it was called ‘checking out’.
Now it’s called Japa, 35 years later. The more things change, the more they remain the same. But almost all of those people eventually came back,” he said.
Despite Nigeria’s challenges, Fashola insisted the country remains a land of immense opportunity and social mobility, pointing out that leadership positions are often attained by people from humble backgrounds.
“Nigeria is a land of unending possibilities. This is where some of the biggest rags-to-riches stories have happened.
Which son of a king or billionaire has ever become Nigeria’s president? Think about it. Yet we spend so much time glorifying other people’s dreams.”
He warned against allowing the negative actions of a few individuals to define Nigeria’s image on the global stage.
“Yes, there are a few among us who choose paths that cause concern. But they do not define us. They do not represent what right-thinking Nigerians believe.”
Fashola also recalled a personal experience in London, where a shop owner became visibly excited upon discovering they were Nigerians.
“He left the shop, went upstairs, brought his wife and children down, and asked if we would take photographs with them,” he recalled.
According to him, this warm reception occurred at a time when Nigeria was grappling with serious internal security challenges.
Drawing lessons from global history, Fashola concluded that no nation is without challenges, and a country’s reputation is shaped by how it confronts them.
“There is no country without problems. What defines us is not the challenges themselves, but how we respond to them,” he said.
Advertisement
