By Muhammad Mamman
Controversial social commentator, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has sparked heated debate with a new video in which he lamented Nigeria’s over-reliance on Lagos, warning that such centralisation is fuelling resentment and calls for secession.
In the clip, which has been widely shared online, VDM argued that Lagos has become the focal point of almost every critical sector in the country, from finance to infrastructure, at the expense of other states.
“Either you take Lagos away, or Biafra should happen. Everything is in Lagos – the ports, the jobs, the investments – while other regions are left behind. This is not how a balanced federation should function,” he declared.
He stressed that the concentration of resources and opportunities in Lagos not only stifles development in other regions but also deepens inequality and frustrations that could destabilise the country if left unaddressed.
VDM urged the federal government to urgently decentralise key infrastructure and investment hubs, insisting that spreading such opportunities to other states would reduce migration pressure on Lagos and foster national cohesion.
“Nigeria is too big to have just one city carrying the weight of the entire economy. We need to distribute these things fairly, or else people will keep feeling excluded,” he said.
His remarks have since triggered strong reactions across social media, with some Nigerians agreeing that Lagos is overstretched and others warning that secessionist rhetoric risks inflaming existing ethnic and political tensions.
The video adds to ongoing conversations about restructuring, decentralisation, and equitable distribution of resources in Africa’s most populous nation.
