IN SHORT: According to several Facebook posts, the governor of Nigeria’s Abia state disparagingly compared the country’s economic hub of Lagos state to a village. But the claim is false.
The strong economy of Nigeria’s Lagos state has long attracted people from across the country, including a large Igbo population from the south-east.
Over time, tensions have occasionally flared between the state’s indigenous Yoruba community and Igbo residents.
In May 2025, the Lagos state government began demolishing unauthorised structures, prompting claims that the exercise unfairly targeted Igbo traders.
In this context, several Facebook posts alleged that Abia state governor Alex Otti made a disparaging remark about Lagos state.
One such quote reads: “I have no business with Lagos, I’m not competing with Lagos. My competition is China and Dubai. By the time I’m done with Abia, Lagos will look like a village.”
Otti is from the Igbo community.
The same claim appears here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But did Otti really say this? We checked.
Otti and Sanwo-Olu bond
The cordial relationship between Otti and Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a Yoruba, is well documented.
In February, Sanwo-Olu congratulated Otti on his 60th birthday, commending his role in Nigeria’s growth and economic development.
Africa Check searched for the alleged quote on Otti’s verified social media platforms but found no evidence of it.
On 6 October, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti’s aide, dismissed the claim on social media.
“It must be unequivocally stated that the poorly scripted statement and other innuendos contained therein, are not only false, baseless, and unfounded, but represent a divisive propaganda from a group of frustrated politicians who are getting more convinced on a daily basis that the performance and achievements of Governor Alex Otti in Abia have further rendered them politically irrelevant and nonexistent in the eyes of Abia people,” Ekeoma said.
The claim that Otti said that he would make Lagos look like a village is false.
The same false claim also appeared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Add new comment