Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer Femi Falana has condemned the recent renaming of streets and bus stops in Lagos State, calling the move illegal and a violation of constitutional provisions.

Falana said the actions of some local council officials and private individuals bypassed the legal authority of local government councils as outlined in the 1999 Constitution.

He pointed to the renaming of “Charley Boy Bus Stop” to “Baddo Bus Stop” by the former Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area, Kolade Alabi, as well as streets named after President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu without public consultation.

Falana also criticized reports that billionaire Aliko Dangote had named two streets after President Tinubu and the late Herbert Wigwe without statutory approval, saying such acts “usurp the exclusive functions of local governments on street naming” under the law.

He cited a High Court decision in Chief Obidi Ume v. Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, which held that only municipal councils had the authority to name or rename streets within their jurisdictions.

“The arbitrary renaming of Charley Boy Bus Stop, a historically significant location, without consulting the Bariga and Gbagada communities, smacks of authoritarianism and disrespects cultural memory,” Falana said.

He noted in a statement released Sunday the irony of retaining colonial-era street names linked to oppression while replacing names honoring Nigerians who made positive contributions.

Calling for an immediate halt to unilateral changes, Falana urged local government legislative arms to institutionalize public hearings and proper legal procedures before any renaming.

“Streets should not be renamed to please political leaders or promote ethnic chauvinism, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Lagos,” he said, warning that such actions erode community identity and breach constitutional principles.