Facets of Lagos

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The attraction and intrigue about Africa's most vibrant but chaotic city continues to elicit interest. Two pieces unfold the varying layers of Lagos, firstly James Meek in the Guardian writes:

The rate at which Nigeria's population has increased, and continues to increase, is staggering. In 1950, 10 years before it gained independence from Britain, 34 million people lived here. The UN believes there are now almost 150 million Nigerians; it has become the world's eighth most populous country, bigger than Russia or Japan. Between now and the middle of the century, only India will add more people to the world's population. If you want to see what it means to live in the middle of a population explosion - the kind of generational leap in size that happened in London in the 19th century and New York in the 20th - Lagos is the ideal place. Where, I wondered, do all the extra people go?...[continue reading]

Meanwhile in the Economist's 'The City of More' travelogue piece, the writer states:

...my first impression of the verdant city was of explosive energy tempered by impressive urban development...The government fails to provide essential services, from infrastructure to education, so the market fills the gap. Lagos is a highly-functioning libertarian dystopia where you can get anything if you have the naira, and the tens of thousands streaming from the country can eke out a living alongside prospecting multinational yuppies. The Wild West model will never yield sustainable social or economic development, but in Lagos it’s the only game in town.