{
  "id": 12183008,
  "title": "I don’t need perfect Yoruba to protect Lagos culture — Rhodes-Vivour",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/i-dont-need-perfect-yoruba-to-protect-lagos-culture-rhodes-vivour-12183008",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T16:12:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/i-dont-need-perfect-yoruba-to-protect-lagos-culture-rhodes-vivour/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has stated that he does not require perfect Yoruba fluency to safeguard and uphold the indigenous culture of Lagos State if he is elected as governor. This statement came after a video shared by Rhodes-Vivour on Monday, where he responded to a question about Yoruba culture and language during the Independence Day edition of The Platform. The candidate addressed the controversy by affirming that he has never denied the Yoruba identity of Lagos and emphasized that indigenous groups like the Aworis and Eguns also contributed to the development of the city. Rhodes-Vivour explained that his difficulty with the Yoruba language is due to fluency, adding that he thinks in English and then translates his thoughts into other languages. He clarified that his focus as a gubernatorial candidate is on governance, and he believes that cultural preservation can be pursued through government policies without needing him to speak perfect Yoruba.",
  "summary": "Lagos ADC guber candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says he doesn’t need to be fluent in Yoruba to preserve and protect the state’s indigenous culture. Read More: https://punchng.com/i-dont-need-perfect-yoruba-to-protect-lagos-culture-rhodes-vivour/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "I don’t need perfect Yoruba to protect Lagos culture — Rhodes-Vivour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/i-dont-need-perfect-yoruba-to-protect-lagos-culture-rhodes-vivour",
        "published": "2026-10-05T16:06:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}