Is Dr Hamzar Truly Lagos by Blood or Just by Contribution? The Full Story

In Lagos, indigeneship is often determined by ancestral connection. That is, if your father was born and buried in Lagos, you are a bona fide "son of the soil."

Dr. Hamzat was born on Lagos Island on September 19, 1964. His late father, Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, was a prominent Lagos politician who was originally from Ogun State, while his mother is an indigene of Lagos from the Epe division.

His critics argue this still disqualifies him from contesting for the highest office in Lagos, and their position is straightforward: Lagos indigeneship passes through blood and soil, and his father's soil is not Lagos.

His supporters argue the opposite. Since entering Lagos politics in 2005, Dr. Hamzat has served as Commissioner for Science and Technology under two administrations and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure—overseeing the completion of the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge and the Lekki-Epe Expressway—and is currently serving as Deputy Governor for his eighth consecutive year. Their argument is also simple: he has sacrificed many years for Lagos, and that makes him an indigene.

In addition to this complexity, Dr. Hamzat is also a U.S. citizen, which means he possesses dual citizenship: Nigeria and the USA. In 2023, he was in court over claims that to obtain his U.S. citizenship, he had renounced his Nigerian citizenship. The court ruled in his favor after evidence proved he holds his U.S. citizenship without having renounced his Nigerian nationality.

The question his candidacy forces Lagos State to answer is: "Can contribution make one an indigene? Or is blood the only currency that counts?"