Nigeria, the land of plenty

moving in on wheels Isolo is an area of Lagos situated on the mainland near the airport. It has a huge market on Tuesdays and hosts also a lot of craftsmen. Next to an unappealing waterway, some sort of natural canal turned sewer, there is a memorial for victims of a bomb blast that took place a few years back and which caused a few tenth of fleeing residents attempting to cross the water to drown in it. deadly waters Adjoining the water is a hill covered by shacks. One corner is occupied by meat producers. They breed zebus and goats and produce meat. From a distance one could see the easily recognizable shape of the long-horned zebus against the sky as well as minarets of a nearby mosque. a hill with horns and minarets The hill is muddy, no pavement, just earth mixed with garbage. In places, the ground drops abruptly and reveals layers of trash accumulated over the years. One wonders if a modern breed of plastic archeologists would not be fascinated by the...

waiting for passengers Back to the mainland to have a feel of Surulere and Ebute Metta's streets. The place is pretty much a market where everything can be found or close to it. As a result, traffic is bad even on a Saturday afternoon and pedestrians have to fight their way through tiny street sides. Yellow is the color of local transportation from mid-sized buses to three wheels called kekemarua after the name of a governor who brought them to Lagos. driving lessons with old Kaefer On the mainland driving lessons are given in old Volkswagen Käfer. They are ancient and sure enough once you can drive them and park with them you are an accomplished car driver! one stop shopping: food, music, clothes and money a quiet side street where "nothing pass God" ladies' corner: beauty parlour and wine food market in evening light All markets can be spotted at the colorful sun umbrellas which protect as much from the sun as from the rai...

Yaba, the new place to be Yaba is the cool place to be, a lot of companies, start-ups - like Konga a local e-commerce marketplace - and institutions are shifting there in search of a cheaper rent, more space and perhaps to avoid the daily commute to the islands which can be quite cumbersome at times. Yaba is an old area of Lagos, full of what used to be colonial houses. These somehow weathered through the years and the hot and humid climate. It is between the railway station and the lagoon along its huge wood processing slum. Alliance Française is now there. Circulation is a bit tough with lots of one-way streets, not to sure if motorcycles are allowed, despite signage they seem to be tolerated! motorcycle or no motorcycle, that is the question

satellite view, Ikeja Stay where you are In Lagos people tend to stick around where they live. Traffic may be one reason, the expanse of the city another and the fact that there is no key attraction able to draw crowds in the evening or on week-ends from one end of the city to the other. Very few parks, no square where people would feel happy to spend some time hanging around. The only big migration is work or religion related. Security also plays a role. Today streets are safe on the islands and increasingly in mainland's neighbourhoods during the day. At night, it is a matter of bad luck but stories of attacks are still in the news in some areas; the area boys are still alive and potentially dangerous. As a result, streets are not considered as an area one should expect to spend too much time on, except of course, for those running a business there: plenty of activity takes place on the streets, from water carriers, gas and airtime sellers, hairdresser...