Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has strongly condemned recent actions by Lagos authorities to rename streets and public landmarks; including the iconic Charly Boy Bus Stop, calling the moves illegal, undemocratic, and authoritarian. Falana emphasized that such decisions violate constitutional provisions and sideline community engagement.
Falana pointed out that under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the exclusive authority to name or rename streets and assign house numbers lies solely with local government councils, not state governments or unelected local council development areas, as reaffirmed in both Federal law and High Court precedent.
He specifically referenced the renaming of the Charly Boy Bus Stop in Bariga to Baddo Bus Stop, in honour of rapper Olamide (‘Baddo’), which was executed without public consultation or statutory procedure. Falana criticized the move as a forceful erasure of the community’s collective memory and identity.
Falana also pointed to this as part of a broader trend involving naming streets after political figures; including President Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu, and wealthy individuals like Aliko Dangote, often carried out without proper legislative backing.
He warned that such unilateral naming exercises in a multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan megacity like Lagos undermine democratic values, neglect community voices, and risk marginalizing segments of the population. Falana called on legislative bodies at the local government level to institute public hearings and enforce constitutional procedures in any future renaming exercise.
