Life in Lagos: The Lagos Experience

Let’s back up a little with a little history class.

Lagos is one of the largest cities in West Africa with a population of over 20million people. Although the smallest state in Nigeria, Lagos is the fifth most populated city in the world. It was originally inhabited by the Aworis, Ilajes but over the years has grown into a cosmopolitan city.

The city has two sides, the Mainland and the Island. The city is one of 35 states in Nigeria and the unofficial economic capital of Nigeria. Everything that represents Nigeria is present here in Lagos. You can call Lagos the ‘Engine of the Nigerian Vehicle,’ or the ‘Heart of the Nigerian Body.’

Lagos is generally famous for its frantic and fast-paced life. There are always complaints about the chaos that is Lagos – that social exuberance that irritates some people with a different sense of sanity – one which, ironically, represents the soul of the city – the entrepreneurial spirit of the city.

A Day in the Life of a Middle-Class Lagosian

You wake up as early as 5am to leave for work or school. Anything later than that will land you in a god-level type of traffic that involves an enormous amount of maneuvering abilities of a driver to scale through.  You walk briskly to the bus stop, in your mind, you will think you are early enough. Wait till you get to the bus station to find people have filled the bus station, and then you say to yourself we don’t sleep in this Lagos sha…
You smile to the crowd and mutter a few word of greetings to those around. You engage in small talk with them, sometimes they delve into your personal life and you retaliate too. You’re about to ask where they work when a “Keke” stops in front of the crowd. The next thing that happens is more chaotic than the gates of a German concentration camp being left open and undefended. At this point, your new friend from the crowd becomes your enemy, a foe from the depths of hell, sent by the devil to ruin your day. Everyone struggles and it boils down to classic survival of the fittest.
After passing through this stage most likely failing once or twice, you get to a bigger bus stop where the struggle is worser (if there’s any word like that). You’ll eventually scale through and find yourself in a bus with the most mixed type of people; from peddlers, potential scammers, corporate beggars to office pukes, salesmen and managers.

The conductor, a man of about 30 years with spotless white singlet, gravel-texture kind of hair, sweet smelling schnapps breath screams the destination over and over again to pedestrians and commuters. The driver at the front is engaging his insult skills with a fellow driver while he drives as carelessly as possible(Don’t worry, no one ever dies)
The homecoming is a little better. You do not need to struggle as fiercely as you did in the morning but you still have to unless you want to reach home by 12am. After a few hours in metal boxes called buses, all the while engaging unknown people in intimate and funny discussions, arguments; you eventually reach home, tired, weary and worn. You go to sleep and then SLAM!!!! The nearest church or mosque wakes you up the next morning by 5.05 am. At this time, you know your lateness today will be legendary… It’s a Tuesday

Hold Up!!

If Lagos is like this why do people keep trooping in? Why would i never have wished to have grown up anywhere else?

Real Lagos Life

In spite of the chaos that seems to mark the city, there’s still a genuine love for the city. Lagos is the paradise of hustlers. Lagos is choosing between a profitable and lucrative chaos and a simple, quiet and tasteless life in other cities in the country. There are business ideas that wouldn’t sell anywhere else but Lagos. There are so many opportunities in the value chain that people are making money from things that are unheard of in some other cities. Things like simply standing at a bus stop and collecting ‘owo ile’ (a land use fee) from commercial buses and bikes without any formal authority.

The food…oh, the food! There’s so much to the cuisine in Lagos. Food like Fufu, Egusi, Pounded Yam, ‘Amala,’ Pepper Soup, Jollof Rice, and ‘Dodo’ (fried plantain) can be eaten at any ‘bukka’ or ‘food joints’ – the street version of fast foods. ‘Lagosians’ are particularly addicted to rice – white rice and stew; that’s the default morning food in most families.

There are swanky clubs, posh bars, beaches, the Saturday ‘owambes’ and other forms of affordable entertainment that await fun seekers who have survived the long traffic hours during the week.

Lagos, to me, is like the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes. Lagos to me is home. Lagos to me is in the difference between been smart and ‘street smart’. Whenever you plan to visit Lagos don’t be a ‘JJC’ (Johnny Just Come) – slang for a newbie, Lagos might be a bit chaotic but if you want to experience Nigeria, you havent really done so until you visit Lagos.

If you have ever been to Lagos, whats your most memorable Lagos experience? Comment down below