LAGOS: FOR THE ‘JJCs.’

Lagos is not like a typical city anywhere else in the world. ‘Lasgidi’ has a way of her own, and a very tough one at that. Coming into the city for the very first time via road transport from the hinterlands will have you silently wondering, “what sort of a place is this?”  Because at the outskirts of the other states and cities you must have passed, they welcomed you clearly with their signs at the borders, but Lagos didn’t.

As you came to and passed Ibadan, you saw “welcome” insignia everywhere, even at those small towns along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, they had the same. You thought you will see a very grand one when you get to the border of the most populous city of the most populous black nation in the world. 

But what did you see? 

You saw a very simple but tough statement; more or less like a warning, could be interpreted as a threat but an instruction too. It says, “This is Lagos.”

You begin to wonder; “Really? Is this for real? Are you serious right now? Is this how they welcome people who had traveled such a long distance to visit them here?” But soon you begin to see the manifestation of that simple statement on the faces of the people you see scurrying on the roads of this great city. You notice it in their attitudes too. They still don’t know that you are a stranger coming into Lagos for the very first time, so you need to keep it that way; mute, observe and not give yourself easily away. Then all what your big brother, who invited you to visit and who had been living in this place for more than two decades had talked about Lagos; the good and the real bad and the ugly begin to manifest right before your eyes…

“So indeed, Broda Nasir wasn’t lying about Lagos at all. Wow!”

Lagos is a city that favors the bold, the smart, the strong and sometimes barely remembers the weak. It is a community of various heads from all over the world, I dare say. It is a typical melting pot of Nigeria. Walking on the streets of Ojuelegba, Surulere towards Yaba for more than 20 minutes, and you will find yourself overhearing more than four local Nigerian dialects for free. This is the land of opportunity for whosoever can work hard, smart and remain really consistent!

You must have seen the notorious “agberos”, also called ‘area boys’, jostling to collect their ‘daily bread’ from the conductors of those popular yellow buses. Have you seen the government owned Blue Buses too? These are the signs of the great city. Today is your first day here. I am sure the air feels different. (Don’t worry. You will soon get used to our Lasgidi air.)

Anytime you are going out, whether in a private car, you’re taking Uber, Taxify, Yellow Taxis or those other commercial ones, remember that first statement  you saw.

“This is Lagos.”