VIDEO: Lagos produced Dangote, Rabiu, not Kano — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima declared Lagos State the economic "live wire" of Africa, emphasizing its crucial role in Nigeria's development and the continent's business landscape. Speaking at the Invest Lagos Summit 3.0, Shettima praised the city's economic history and leadership.

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Lagos is the live wire of our continent.

"Lagos is the live wire of our continent," Shettima stated, describing it as the "furnace in which our ideas are tested against the discipline of execution." He asserted that Lagos shapes Nigeria's economic future by translating national ambitions into practical outcomes. The Vice President noted that the state's capacity for tangible development is a testament to effective leadership and structure.

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Lagos is the furnace in which our ideas are tested against the discipline of execution.

Shettima specifically credited Lagos for nurturing Africa's wealthiest individuals, asserting, "it was Lagos that gave Africa its richest man, not Kano. Aliko Dangote is a Lagos man." He extended this to include Abdulsamad Rabiu, Africa's second-richest man, stating both emerged from the Lagos economic environment. "Lagos made almost everybody who is who in Nigeria," he added, personally identifying as "a Lagos boy."

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it was Lagos that gave Africa its richest man, not Kano. Aliko Dangote is a Lagos man.

The Vice President also acknowledged the political foundation of modern Lagos leadership, attributing its success to President Bola Tinubu. He said Tinubu "planted the tree whose shade has sheltered a succession of leaders committed to futurist ideas, institutional continuity, and disciplined governance." Shettima reflected on Lagos's transformation from a city with severe urban challenges to a continental economic powerhouse, now hosting five of Africa's nine unicorns, all based in Nigeria.

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Lagos made almost everybody who is who in Nigeria.