African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says he has learnt Yoruba well enough to campaign in the language ahead of the 2027 election.

Rhodes-Vivour disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he hired a Yoruba teacher to improve his command of the language.

He said while language and culture remained important aspects of identity, his primary focus was on tackling the problems confronting Lagos residents.

“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 growing proficiency during the interview when a presenter greeted him in Yoruba.

After the presenter introduced the greeting and offered to translate it, Rhodes-Vivour responded in Yoruba, saying, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” which means “I greet all of you.”

He said issues such as flooding, inadequate housing and traffic congestion affected Lagos residents regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.

According to him, his ambition is to build a Lagos where residents are no longer forced to contend with environmental and infrastructure challenges that undermine their quality of life.

“My passionate interest is to ensure that we have a Lagos that no longer stinks,” he said.

He argued that the effects of poor infrastructure and governance were experienced by residents across ethnic and cultural lines.

The renewed focus on his Yoruba proficiency comes years after his language ability became a major issue during the 2023 Lagos governorship election.

Rhodes-Vivour, whose father is Yoruba and mother is Igbo, had said in a March 2023 interview with Channels Television that he understood and spoke Yoruba but was not fluent.

He attributed his limited fluency partly to his upbringing and education, including periods spent outside Nigeria.

His remark that he did not “think in Yoruba” generated criticism during the 2023 campaign, with his language ability becoming part of the wider debate over his heritage and connection to Lagos.

He subsequently disclosed that he had engaged a Yoruba teacher and was working to improve his fluency, saying better command of the language would enable him to connect more effectively with the people.

Groups including Afenifere and Eko Forum defended his Lagos roots during the controversy, arguing against attempts to question his identity or belonging based on his maternal ancestry and proficiency in Yoruba.

Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 governorship election on the Labour Party platform and finished second behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat Rhodes-Vivour, who scored 312,329, and Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came third with 62,449 votes.

African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says he has learnt Yoruba well enough to campaign in the language ahead of the 2027 election.

Rhodes-Vivour disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he hired a Yoruba teacher to improve his command of the language.

He said while language and culture remained important aspects of identity, his primary focus was on tackling the problems confronting Lagos residents.

“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 growing proficiency during the interview when a presenter greeted him in Yoruba.

After the presenter introduced the greeting and offered to translate it, Rhodes-Vivour responded in Yoruba, saying, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” which means “I greet all of you.”

He said issues such as flooding, inadequate housing and traffic congestion affected Lagos residents regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.

According to him, his ambition is to build a Lagos where residents are no longer forced to contend with environmental and infrastructure challenges that undermine their quality of life.

“My passionate interest is to ensure that we have a Lagos that no longer stinks,” he said.

He argued that the effects of poor infrastructure and governance were experienced by residents across ethnic and cultural lines.

The renewed focus on his Yoruba proficiency comes years after his language ability became a major issue during the 2023 Lagos governorship election.

Rhodes-Vivour, whose father is Yoruba and mother is Igbo, had said in a March 2023 interview with Channels Television that he understood and spoke Yoruba but was not fluent.

He attributed his limited fluency partly to his upbringing and education, including periods spent outside Nigeria.

His remark that he did not “think in Yoruba” generated criticism during the 2023 campaign, with his language ability becoming part of the wider debate over his heritage and connection to Lagos.

He subsequently disclosed that he had engaged a Yoruba teacher and was working to improve his fluency, saying better command of the language would enable him to connect more effectively with the people.

Groups including Afenifere and Eko Forum defended his Lagos roots during the controversy, arguing against attempts to question his identity or belonging based on his maternal ancestry and proficiency in Yoruba.

Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 governorship election on the Labour Party platform and finished second behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat Rhodes-Vivour, who scored 312,329, and Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came third with 62,449 votes.