Francesca Odimgbe
Hopes of a bright future are high, with two giants giving birth to a new era of collaboration and innovation. Lagos State and the State of California, United States have signed a sister state agreement, which will see the two sub-nationals collaborate in various fields.
At a colourful ceremony in Sacramento, United States of America last Thursday, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Assemblyman Matt Haney signed the document that symbolises the beginning of a strong partnership between the two cities. Lagos State House of Assembly members Hon. Lukmon Saheed Olumoh, who is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Hon. Kehinde Joseph, the Public Account (State) Committee Chairman, watched as Sanwo-Olu and Haney signed the papers. Also watching were Assembly member Isaac Bryan, who with Haney “authored” the Resolution that made it all possible, Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin, a Nigerian, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty, businessmen and a host of Nigerians.
The historic ceremony was held in the historic Leland Stanford Mansion, a 19,000- square-foot Victorian Era building, where leaders visiting from around the world are hosted in Sacramento. Built in 1856, it was the office of three governors in the 1860s, including Leland Stanford, the eighth governor of California (1862 – 1863). The hall was filled to the brim and the applause was loud as Sanwo-Olu and Haney performed the historic duty that will bring the two sub-nationals closer.
Just before the signing, the audience was thrilled to a few minutes of the Eyo masquerade dance. The hall was throbbing with sounds of gangan (talking drum) and songs from an energetic woman called Nkan Eleduwa, who danced like a teenager and sang in Yoruba, praising the beauty and economic stand of Lagos.
Mr Sanwo-Olu spoke about what the partnership represents, drawing parallels between Lagos and California. He mentioned the tech sector, Nollywood and Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Yaba.
Said the Governor: “Lagos is a city-state of more than 20 million people, on a coast where the Atlantic meets the lagoon. If she were a country, she would be among the largest economies in Africa. She is where Nigeria banks, trades, films, sings and codes. Nollywood is her studio. Afrobeats is her voice, and I gather it has been heard in Los Angeles once or twice. Her young people, who are most of her, are the most restless and inventive people I know. From a few streets in Yaba they built the companies that now move money across a continent. She has new rail lines under her feet and, at Lekki, the deepest port in Nigeria. And she is not finished.”
The audience clapped as Mr Sanwo-Olu spoke. He went on: “So, when Assembly member Haney and Assembly member Bryan chose Lagos, and when this Legislature passed ACR 129 with votes from both sides of the aisle, they were not doing charity. They were recognizing a mirror. California has Hollywood; Lagos has Nollywood. California has Silicon Valley; Lagos has Yaba. California has the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; Lagos has Lekki. And both of us live in front of an ocean that is changing — you with your fires and your droughts, we with our floods and our rising tides. We have things to teach each other, and things to learn.”
Haney recalled visiting Yaba and spoke about his love for Afrobeats, mentioning Nigerian stars whose music thrilled him. He said he would always encourage people to visit Lagos. “The possibilities and opportunities are limitless,” said the Assemblyman, citing fashion, food and culture, among others.
He commented on Nigeria’s young population and noted that Lagos and California have a lot to learn from each other.
Afretrade CEO Lekan Salaam spoke of how he, as a young man, travelled to California and was able to find the American dream. He runs a company that encourages businesses to invest in Nigeria.
With a GDP of about $259.75b, Lagos is Africa’s second largest city economy, after Cairo, Egypt. California is the largest state economy in the United States, accounting for about 14% of the total US economy. It has a GDP of $4.25 to $4,3 trillion.