The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has sparked controversy on social media after his recent statement that Lagos State was founded by the Benin people.

The Oba of Benin made the statement during his visit to the Lagos State Governor, Babahide Sanwo Olu, at the Lagos State House in Mariner on Sunday, in which he disclosed that the nucleus of present-day Lagos was founded by the Benin people.

The Oba of Benin also stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's victory at the polls in the 2023 presidential elections shows that he was ordained by God to lead the nation, calling on all Nigerians to support his administration.

His words:

"I don't want to mention something that will drag me into the controversy between Benin and Lagos.

"It is in history books that Benin founded Lagos.

"But when some people would hear it, they would go haywire and say, What is the Oba saying?

"But this is the truth; it is in the history books that the nucleus of Lagos was founded by our ancestors.

"The source of Lagos is Benin."

So far, his statement at the Lagos State House has garnered lots of controversy online as to who are the original owners of the former capital of Nigeria, Lagos, and if the election of Bola Tinubu was a divine orchestration by God.