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| Welcome to Guardian Lagos Week – live | Welcome to Guardian Lagos Week – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.31am GMT | |
| 11:31 | |
| Back in Badia | |
| Emmanuel Akinwotu | |
| Hi, I’ve just returned for a visit to Badia East, a settlement that was recently demolished in order to make way for some slick (and possibly illegal) new high-rises. | |
| The forced eviction of more than 30,000 people here over the years – yes! – has been one of the largest in Lagos history. Many of the residents were moved to the area by the federal government decades ago, and have lived here since ... but the homes were demolished by the Oba of Ijora, a local king whose family claim to have owned the land in colonial times. Here’s what I wrote last year: | |
| Related: The forced evictions of Badia East, Lagos: 'This is not right' | |
| Returning to Badia East five months after the last evictions, a lot has changed. | |
| Badia East, where over 10,000 were forcibly evicted in the last few yrs & their homes demolished #guardianlagos pic.twitter.com/5rEUKvjb7y | |
| The site remains demolished. Residents still live in makeshift shelters. But some of those shelters are better built now, and there are new businesses: salons, barbershops and a community hall. There is a greater sense of permanence than when I last visited. | |
| Chief Ilawole, who I spoke to last year, showed me his home and told me about their ongoing case. | |
| After many obstacles, the federal government confirmed to us a few weeks ago that the land doesn’t belong to Ojora or the Lagos state government but to them – and that we have legal right to be there. We’ll know very soon what will happen and whether we can move back, but now we are very hopeful.” | |
| The acute housing shortage in Lagos means evictions are a depressing regularity – but in part thanks to the efforts of campaigners like the JEI human rights organisation, today at least some of the former residents of Badia East have a real prospect of reclaiming their homes. | |
| 11.00am GMT | 11.00am GMT |
| 11:00 | 11:00 |
| Francesca Perry | Francesca Perry |
| Tell us: how is Lagos changing? | Tell us: how is Lagos changing? |
| As Guardian Lagos Week continues, we want to hear from those of you who live or work in Lagos. What’s improving and what’s getting worse? Is population growth a real danger, as Booker nominee Chigozie Obioma suggests? And what does the future hold? Share your photos, stories and thoughts via our GuardianWitness assignment or on Twitter and Instagram using #GuardianLagos. | As Guardian Lagos Week continues, we want to hear from those of you who live or work in Lagos. What’s improving and what’s getting worse? Is population growth a real danger, as Booker nominee Chigozie Obioma suggests? And what does the future hold? Share your photos, stories and thoughts via our GuardianWitness assignment or on Twitter and Instagram using #GuardianLagos. |
| A couple of your contributions so far: | A couple of your contributions so far: |
| Where else in the world do you see a total stranger smile at you from his car in the snail-paced traffic snarl on 3rd Mainland Bridge and bellow, seeing the creases of worry as you sit in your own car running late to work, “Ol’ boy, no worry, e go better”? The sheer shared humanity of Lagos is incomparable. Beyond the chaos, there is a real human bond. Beyond the facade of class, every body eats’ boli’ and ground nuts in Lagos. It is a beautiful city. E go better. (Babatunde Esan) | Where else in the world do you see a total stranger smile at you from his car in the snail-paced traffic snarl on 3rd Mainland Bridge and bellow, seeing the creases of worry as you sit in your own car running late to work, “Ol’ boy, no worry, e go better”? The sheer shared humanity of Lagos is incomparable. Beyond the chaos, there is a real human bond. Beyond the facade of class, every body eats’ boli’ and ground nuts in Lagos. It is a beautiful city. E go better. (Babatunde Esan) |
| The expansion of Lagos is much more than just a question of the Atlantic City project. Whilst the government engages in silly artificial projects such as that, individuals are developing new areas of Lagos rapidly ... The infrastructure to cope with this is certainly not there, but it’s intriguing how Lagos continues to organically develop. Lagos was originally small in size (even if big in population), it’s now getting much bigger. If only the government(s) would focus on job creation plans instead of silly gimmicks... (ShangoDan) | The expansion of Lagos is much more than just a question of the Atlantic City project. Whilst the government engages in silly artificial projects such as that, individuals are developing new areas of Lagos rapidly ... The infrastructure to cope with this is certainly not there, but it’s intriguing how Lagos continues to organically develop. Lagos was originally small in size (even if big in population), it’s now getting much bigger. If only the government(s) would focus on job creation plans instead of silly gimmicks... (ShangoDan) |
| Lagos Street Vendors | Lagos Street Vendors |
| Street vending constitutes a significant proportion of the informal economy of the State of Lagos. Vendors of all ages line the busy streets of Lagos selling litearlly everything to drivers: fruit, vegetables, nuts, soft drinks, chewing gum, brushes, CD's, soccer jerseys, windscreen wipers, shoes, etc, many of them carrying the merchandise on their heads. | Street vending constitutes a significant proportion of the informal economy of the State of Lagos. Vendors of all ages line the busy streets of Lagos selling litearlly everything to drivers: fruit, vegetables, nuts, soft drinks, chewing gum, brushes, CD's, soccer jerseys, windscreen wipers, shoes, etc, many of them carrying the merchandise on their heads. |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By Komarac13 | By Komarac13 |
| 12 February 2016, 18:43 | 12 February 2016, 18:43 |
| 10.30am GMT | 10.30am GMT |
| 10:30 | 10:30 |
| Twitter feuds and party snubs: the weekend’s Lagos gossip | Twitter feuds and party snubs: the weekend’s Lagos gossip |
| West Africa’s entertainment powerhouse would not be complete without celeb goss, political birthdays and social media feuds. Oreoluwa Peters, from Y Naija, the online newspaper for young Nigerians and one of the Guardian Africa Network partners, rounds up a lively weekend: | |
| Wizkid v Linda Ikeji | Wizkid v Linda Ikeji |
| We know these two aren’t cool with each other, especially after popular blogger Linda Ikeji shared a photo of Wizkid’s alleged second child. | We know these two aren’t cool with each other, especially after popular blogger Linda Ikeji shared a photo of Wizkid’s alleged second child. |
| So when Wizkid saw an opinion piece by Lagos lawyer Olajide Akinola deriding Ikeji, the young rapper jumped at the chance to share it on Twitter and Snapchat. | So when Wizkid saw an opinion piece by Lagos lawyer Olajide Akinola deriding Ikeji, the young rapper jumped at the chance to share it on Twitter and Snapchat. |
| "Nice read" 🌪https://t.co/JMWYULZyqd | "Nice read" 🌪https://t.co/JMWYULZyqd |
| Akinola had called Ikeji out for arguing with fans who’d said that two luxury bags she posted on Instagram were fake. The sentence Wizkid particularly enjoyed was: “A major symptom of poverty mentality is money and material fixation.” | Akinola had called Ikeji out for arguing with fans who’d said that two luxury bags she posted on Instagram were fake. The sentence Wizkid particularly enjoyed was: “A major symptom of poverty mentality is money and material fixation.” |
| Don Jazzy ‘didn’t snub’ D’banj | Don Jazzy ‘didn’t snub’ D’banj |
| Senator Ben Murray Bruce celebrated his 60th birthday in style in Lagos on Friday – but the talking point of the party was when Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy left his former Mo’Hits label mate, D’banj, hanging on stage. | Senator Ben Murray Bruce celebrated his 60th birthday in style in Lagos on Friday – but the talking point of the party was when Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy left his former Mo’Hits label mate, D’banj, hanging on stage. |
| I already announced that i am taking a break from being an artist. Hence why i didn’t perform Surulere with Dr sid and concur with Timaya | I already announced that i am taking a break from being an artist. Hence why i didn’t perform Surulere with Dr sid and concur with Timaya |
| Bruce had requested a duet ... Don Jazzy was nowhere to be seen. Don Jazzy later took to Twitter to explain why he was a no-show. | Bruce had requested a duet ... Don Jazzy was nowhere to be seen. Don Jazzy later took to Twitter to explain why he was a no-show. |
| Nollywood wedding | Nollywood wedding |
| On Saturday, Nollywood actor Monalisa Chinda got married to Victor Tonye in the Niger Delta city of Port Harcourt. | On Saturday, Nollywood actor Monalisa Chinda got married to Victor Tonye in the Niger Delta city of Port Harcourt. |
| @Monalisacode Chinda holds traditional wedding(Photos) - https://t.co/9MfSJcK7E9 pic.twitter.com/irpmGD66hg | @Monalisacode Chinda holds traditional wedding(Photos) - https://t.co/9MfSJcK7E9 pic.twitter.com/irpmGD66hg |
| The traditional ceremony was attended by a cast of Nollywood colleagues from Lagos, including the president of the actors guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Ebube Nwagbo and Oge Okoye. Sources hint that the couple are planning a more exclusive wedding ceremony in Greece later this year. | The traditional ceremony was attended by a cast of Nollywood colleagues from Lagos, including the president of the actors guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Ebube Nwagbo and Oge Okoye. Sources hint that the couple are planning a more exclusive wedding ceremony in Greece later this year. |
| ‘Home wrecker’ | ‘Home wrecker’ |
| Annie Idibia, Nollywood actor and wife of 2face, went all out on Instagram yesterday, shaming an unnamed woman for harassing her family. Idibia posted a picture of her rival with a stern warning: “she needs to stop bugging my family [and] stay away”. The post was deleted soon after. | Annie Idibia, Nollywood actor and wife of 2face, went all out on Instagram yesterday, shaming an unnamed woman for harassing her family. Idibia posted a picture of her rival with a stern warning: “she needs to stop bugging my family [and] stay away”. The post was deleted soon after. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.00am GMT | |
| 10.18am GMT | 10.18am GMT |
| 10:18 | 10:18 |
| 'We iron at the office': the ingenious ways Lagos copes with blackouts – video | 'We iron at the office': the ingenious ways Lagos copes with blackouts – video |
| Chris Michael | Chris Michael |
| For individuals it can mean cooking by torchlight, or sleeping in your car with the air-conditioning on. For companies it can mean an astounding 70% (yes) of operating expenditure wasted on diesel. And some communities in Lagos have no power at all. How did Africa’s largest oil-producing nation let its electricity nightmare get so bad? | For individuals it can mean cooking by torchlight, or sleeping in your car with the air-conditioning on. For companies it can mean an astounding 70% (yes) of operating expenditure wasted on diesel. And some communities in Lagos have no power at all. How did Africa’s largest oil-producing nation let its electricity nightmare get so bad? |
| We hit the streets with the hilarious video team at BattaBox to ask Lagosians their techniques for coping with the blackout blues. | We hit the streets with the hilarious video team at BattaBox to ask Lagosians their techniques for coping with the blackout blues. |
| 10.01am GMT | 10.01am GMT |
| 10:01 | 10:01 |
| Emmanuel Akinwotu | Emmanuel Akinwotu |
| Morning! Emmanuel Akinwotu here in Lagos. How now? How body? Erytin dey function well this morning shey? | Morning! Emmanuel Akinwotu here in Lagos. How now? How body? Erytin dey function well this morning shey? |
| I’m out and about on the streets of the city today, visiting some of my favourite places, reporting, tweeting and answering your questions. | I’m out and about on the streets of the city today, visiting some of my favourite places, reporting, tweeting and answering your questions. |
| First, a quick word about every Lagosian’s favourite subject: the traffic, which ranges from challenging to insane. The unfortunate thing is how much it’s a constraint drain on time and social activity. That said, transport and all its live-wire craziness is a fact of life here in Lagos. That, plus the amazing food, places and entrepreneurial culture, make Lagos a uniquely dynamic and special place. | First, a quick word about every Lagosian’s favourite subject: the traffic, which ranges from challenging to insane. The unfortunate thing is how much it’s a constraint drain on time and social activity. That said, transport and all its live-wire craziness is a fact of life here in Lagos. That, plus the amazing food, places and entrepreneurial culture, make Lagos a uniquely dynamic and special place. |
| My local 📰 stand, no one buys and everyone debates #guardianlagos pic.twitter.com/vfvlEy0Krt | My local 📰 stand, no one buys and everyone debates #guardianlagos pic.twitter.com/vfvlEy0Krt |
| I’ll be visiting Badia East, the site of some of the worst evictions in Lagos history, as residents are being kicked out summarily to make way for slick high-rises. I’ll also ride along with the WeCyclers, the women turning trash into gold, and later I’ll grab a bite with Picnickers Anonymous, the er, guerrila picnic group. In a city with as little public space as Lagos, they’re practically radicals. | I’ll be visiting Badia East, the site of some of the worst evictions in Lagos history, as residents are being kicked out summarily to make way for slick high-rises. I’ll also ride along with the WeCyclers, the women turning trash into gold, and later I’ll grab a bite with Picnickers Anonymous, the er, guerrila picnic group. In a city with as little public space as Lagos, they’re practically radicals. |
| Hit me up at #GuardianLagos with any questions, tips or dares! And I’ll do my best to respond. | Hit me up at #GuardianLagos with any questions, tips or dares! And I’ll do my best to respond. |
| 9.24am GMT | 9.24am GMT |
| 09:24 | 09:24 |
| No one knows how many people live in Lagos | No one knows how many people live in Lagos |
| Nick Mead | Nick Mead |
| Estimates of the population of Nigeria’s commercial capital range from 12 million to more than 21 million. The later estimate – from the Lagos Bureau of Statistics – would place Lagos above Cairo as Africa’s largest city, and among the top five in the world. | Estimates of the population of Nigeria’s commercial capital range from 12 million to more than 21 million. The later estimate – from the Lagos Bureau of Statistics – would place Lagos above Cairo as Africa’s largest city, and among the top five in the world. |
| There is no dispute that the city’s population growth has been staggering. In 1970, the United Nations estimated the city’s population at 1.4 million. By 1990 that had more than tripled to 4.8 million. The latest UN World Urbanisation Prospects report reckons the population of Lagos will double over the next 15 years – from 12.6 million in 2014, to 24.2 million in 2030. | There is no dispute that the city’s population growth has been staggering. In 1970, the United Nations estimated the city’s population at 1.4 million. By 1990 that had more than tripled to 4.8 million. The latest UN World Urbanisation Prospects report reckons the population of Lagos will double over the next 15 years – from 12.6 million in 2014, to 24.2 million in 2030. |
| One problem with Lagos’s population statistics is that 70% of Nigerian new-borns are not officially registered at birth. “The value of birth registration as a fundamental human right is often overlooked due to the continuing lack of awareness that registration is a critical measure to secure the recognition of any person before the law, to safeguard his or her rights and to ensure that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed,” Unicef says. Many deaths go unregistered too. | One problem with Lagos’s population statistics is that 70% of Nigerian new-borns are not officially registered at birth. “The value of birth registration as a fundamental human right is often overlooked due to the continuing lack of awareness that registration is a critical measure to secure the recognition of any person before the law, to safeguard his or her rights and to ensure that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed,” Unicef says. Many deaths go unregistered too. |
| The UN says Lagos is the fastest growing megacity in the world in absolute terms – adding 730,000 people a year. That’s 2,000 new people a day. Many are migrants from other parts of the country looking for better prospects in the big city, and most end up living in slums. | The UN says Lagos is the fastest growing megacity in the world in absolute terms – adding 730,000 people a year. That’s 2,000 new people a day. Many are migrants from other parts of the country looking for better prospects in the big city, and most end up living in slums. |
| One of the best known of these is Makoko, a floating slum in the Lagos lagoon which may be home to anywhere between 40,000 and 300,000 people, according to the Heinrich Böll Foundation, an NGO active in the area. Look out for Tolu Ogunlesi’s in-depth report from Makoko tomorrow. | One of the best known of these is Makoko, a floating slum in the Lagos lagoon which may be home to anywhere between 40,000 and 300,000 people, according to the Heinrich Böll Foundation, an NGO active in the area. Look out for Tolu Ogunlesi’s in-depth report from Makoko tomorrow. |
| 8.59am GMT | 8.59am GMT |
| 08:59 | 08:59 |
| So Lagos Week is ... what exactly? | So Lagos Week is ... what exactly? |
| Chris Michael | Chris Michael |
| As the world urbanises with unprecedented speed, Africa’s cities are at the forefront – and led, as in so many other ways, by the great megapolis of west Africa, Lagos. With the UN predicting that the Nigerian megacity could double in size in just 15 years, the Guardian is spending a week exploring the realities of life in this legendarily bustling, ambitious and chaotic place. | As the world urbanises with unprecedented speed, Africa’s cities are at the forefront – and led, as in so many other ways, by the great megapolis of west Africa, Lagos. With the UN predicting that the Nigerian megacity could double in size in just 15 years, the Guardian is spending a week exploring the realities of life in this legendarily bustling, ambitious and chaotic place. |
| For five days, we’ll be looking at how Lagos is coping with its transportation and electricity nightmares, facing up to climate change and thriving as a cultural and economic powerhouse. From “dialectical rap” in Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin, to the young women leaping across the city’s generation gap, we’ll be celebrating life here by hearing from locals who know it best. | For five days, we’ll be looking at how Lagos is coping with its transportation and electricity nightmares, facing up to climate change and thriving as a cultural and economic powerhouse. From “dialectical rap” in Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin, to the young women leaping across the city’s generation gap, we’ll be celebrating life here by hearing from locals who know it best. |
| Two opposing visions of the urban future stand out – Makoko, the world’s biggest floating slum, and Eko Atlantic, billed as Nigeria’s Manhattan and set to be protected against rising waters by a towering seawall. As celebrated Lagosian architect Kunlé Adeyeni tells our writer Tolu Ogunlesi for our interactive feature on Makoko: “Eko Atlantic is about fighting the water; [here in Makoko] we’re saying – live in the water!” | Two opposing visions of the urban future stand out – Makoko, the world’s biggest floating slum, and Eko Atlantic, billed as Nigeria’s Manhattan and set to be protected against rising waters by a towering seawall. As celebrated Lagosian architect Kunlé Adeyeni tells our writer Tolu Ogunlesi for our interactive feature on Makoko: “Eko Atlantic is about fighting the water; [here in Makoko] we’re saying – live in the water!” |
| Related: Lagos is expected to double in size in 15 years. How can it possibly cope? | Related: Lagos is expected to double in size in 15 years. How can it possibly cope? |
| Corruption remains a big issue in Lagos, so we’re shedding some light on the “area boys” who extort drivers, and running an open Q+A with the activists who exposed former Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola for embezzling public money. Social media has come into its own over the past year as a force for political change, including the mass #NoToSocialMediaBill movement that helped overturn an oppressive media law. Every wedding couple now has a hashtag – and we’ll go inside those weddings, as well as asking Lagosians to pick the city’s 21 most influential entertainers, campaigners and opinion-makers. We’ve also got exclusive photographs by Andrew Esiebo from inside the city’s must-be-seen-to-be-believed pentecostal megachurches, and will be saluting Lagos’s best Instagrammers. | Corruption remains a big issue in Lagos, so we’re shedding some light on the “area boys” who extort drivers, and running an open Q+A with the activists who exposed former Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola for embezzling public money. Social media has come into its own over the past year as a force for political change, including the mass #NoToSocialMediaBill movement that helped overturn an oppressive media law. Every wedding couple now has a hashtag – and we’ll go inside those weddings, as well as asking Lagosians to pick the city’s 21 most influential entertainers, campaigners and opinion-makers. We’ve also got exclusive photographs by Andrew Esiebo from inside the city’s must-be-seen-to-be-believed pentecostal megachurches, and will be saluting Lagos’s best Instagrammers. |
| Lagos Week is a collaboration between Guardian Cities and the Guardian’s Africa Network, with whose local partners – including Sahara Reporters, a citizen journalism network focusing on corruption, and Y Naija, the home for all things young and Nigeria – we’ve worked closely. We’ve also timed our focus to coincide with Social Media Week, also kicking off in Lagos today, a gathering which reminds us that cities are more connected than ever – yet also exposes the lack of in-depth coverage by international media of this crucial west African megacity. | Lagos Week is a collaboration between Guardian Cities and the Guardian’s Africa Network, with whose local partners – including Sahara Reporters, a citizen journalism network focusing on corruption, and Y Naija, the home for all things young and Nigeria – we’ve worked closely. We’ve also timed our focus to coincide with Social Media Week, also kicking off in Lagos today, a gathering which reminds us that cities are more connected than ever – yet also exposes the lack of in-depth coverage by international media of this crucial west African megacity. |
| Related: The Lagos power list: 21 people in 21 million | Related: The Lagos power list: 21 people in 21 million |
| Above all, we want to hear from you – if you live or work in Lagos, tell us what you love and what needs to change. Booker prize nominee Chigozie Obioma has gotten the conversation started: do you think he’s right that Lagos is about to “spoil”? | Above all, we want to hear from you – if you live or work in Lagos, tell us what you love and what needs to change. Booker prize nominee Chigozie Obioma has gotten the conversation started: do you think he’s right that Lagos is about to “spoil”? |
| Let us know – join the discussion at #GuardianLagos on Twitter and Facebook, or contribute to our special GuardianWitness callout. | Let us know – join the discussion at #GuardianLagos on Twitter and Facebook, or contribute to our special GuardianWitness callout. |
| ... and be vocal! In Lagos, it’s the best way to be heard. | ... and be vocal! In Lagos, it’s the best way to be heard. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.02am GMT | at 9.02am GMT |