Lagos Deputy Governor Hamzat Advocates for Yoruba Culture

On October 9, 2026, Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, appeared on the 364th episode of Masoyinbo, a Yoruba-language cultural game show hosted by Lekan Fabilola. During the show, Hamzat recounted an encounter at the City University of New York, where he met a white woman teaching Yoruba.

This instructor had studied under the late Alaafin of Oyo and now teaches the language in New York with impressive fluency. Hamzat used this anecdote to highlight the global significance of the Yoruba language, arguing that Nigerians should pay more attention to it.

He advocated for stronger connections between Yoruba educators and the government, as well as the establishment of seminars aimed at improving language teaching and preservation. Although he answered all 10 questions on the show, his code-switching resulted in a reduced prize from ₦1 million to ₦20,000.

Hamzat, who is the 2027 governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), praised Masoyinbo for its cultural advocacy.