Nigeria, the land of plenty

time for draft, fish can rest The sky brightens progressively turning from grey to pale blue. The line of horizon is filled with large dark-grey clouds. Above my head some elongated clouds have turned to white in high altitude while those a little lower catch their first shade of pink. The illumination of Lekki bridge has just been switched off, it must be around 6.30am. Traffic is light, nonetheless some pick-up trucks carry their loads of construction workers and fill the air with dark exhaust smoke. Probably thirty people squeeze, on the open platform at the back of the truck, around a cement mixer and a few piled up tools. Some of them sit on the platform lid. Truck with passengers look like a truncated pyramid on wheels choking its way up the Lekki Bridge. Coming down will generate less smoke because there will be not need to press the accelerator. Gravity is strong enough for the vehicle to gather speed downwards towards the toll gate. At this hour, there are mor...

Not walking? I landed in Lagos airport with the fear that I would probably not be allowed to walk on the streets for the rest of my stay in Nigeria. The fear of a traveller coming to a place, for the first time and who has been hearing a lot of safety warnings. Good news is, during the day it is possible to walk on the streets on the islands (Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki, etc…) but it is not advisable at night. At night things are different. The "area boys" are the likely threat. These guys roam in their neighborhood and are apparently somewhat unpredictable. Walking  Therefore my first day in Lagos was the occasion of a walk through Victoria Island starting with a short stroll on Bar Beach which was decorated with electrically blossoming cherry trees and a large stage for the New Year's Eve concert : the 2015 Lagos countdown! electrically blossoming cherry trees The rest of the walk led us through a mix of large paved streets, bordered...