Lagos State governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says he has learnt Yoruba and can now campaign in the language as he seeks to govern the state in 2027.
Rhodes-Vivour disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he engaged a Yoruba teacher to improve his proficiency.
“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 former Labour Party governorship candidate also demonstrated his ability to speak Yoruba during the interview after one of the presenters greeted him in the language.
Responding, Rhodes-Vivour said, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” meaning, “I greet all of you.”
He, however, said his primary concern was addressing the challenges affecting Lagos residents, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds.
According to him, issues such as flooding, the housing crisis and traffic congestion affect all Lagosians.
“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.
Rhodes-Vivour’s comments come against the backdrop of the debate over his Yoruba fluency during the 2023 Lagos governorship election.
During that campaign, his Yoruba and Igbo heritage and his ability to speak Yoruba became subjects of political debate.
Rhodes-Vivour, whose father is Yoruba and mother is Igbo, acknowledged in a March 2023 Channels Television interview that although he understood and could speak Yoruba, he was not fluent.
He attributed this to his upbringing and education, including periods spent outside Nigeria. His remark that he did not “think in Yoruba” subsequently drew criticism during the campaign.
He later said he had hired a Yoruba teacher and was learning the language to improve his connection with the people.
Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 governorship election on the Labour Party platform, finishing third behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party candidate Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor.
He is now seeking the ADC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 Lagos election.