The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, a socio-cultural body of Lagos indigenes, has condemned the Lagos State Government’s decision to hand over the issuance of digital indigeneship certificates to a private firm, Qista Technologies, describing the move as an assault on the identity and heritage of native Lagosians.
In a strongly worded statement titled “The Capture of Lagos Identity by an Inactive Sole Proprietorship Concern” and signed by its Media Officer, Lasisi Robert, the group warned that the development amounts to “centralising, commodifying and diluting” the indigeneship structure that has existed for centuries.
The group said the quiet outsourcing of the identity-verification process was suspicious and must be subjected to public scrutiny before it inflicts long-term damage on the cultural fabric of Lagos.
According to the body, indigeneship certificates in Lagos have historically been issued by two legitimate authorities — local government councils and traditional institutions, especially the Oba of Lagos — both of which possess deep-rooted knowledge of families, communities and ancestral lineages.
“It is these institutions that constitutionally and culturally validate identity,” the group said. “To replace them with a private vendor — one that operates as an inactive sole proprietorship — is to elevate convenience over culture, software over sovereignty, and opacity over legitimacy.”
The Patriots also expressed concern over reports that the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has recently begun rejecting certificates issued by local governments, insisting instead on the newly introduced state-backed documents produced through the private contractor.
They described this development as “deeply troubling,” saying it has caused anxiety among families, students and community leaders across the state.
“For the first time in our history, local governments are no longer the primary custodians of identity, and traditional rulers have been bypassed,” the statement read.
“In their place, an unregistered contractor has emerged as the gatekeeper of lineage. This is not progress.”
The group warned that the current arrangement makes Lagos vulnerable to infiltration by non-indigenes who could exploit a weak and opaque digital system to claim ancestral rights.
“Lagos risks becoming a captive state where its identity can be easily claimed, diluted or monetised,” it added.
The Foundation called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately reverse the decision and restore the constitutional roles of local governments and traditional authorities in identity verification.
The state government had not reacted to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
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