The Benefits of Lagos Madness.
Lagos, popularly known as Eko, is the busiest state in Nigeria. It is known for its commercialization, bustle, traffic, and most importantly, madness.
Lagosians are mad, they say. Lagos is a center for crazy people. Everybody in Lagos is no longer normal. While all these are true, there are truths that lie beneath these clauses, truths that are in-depth, with cores that would have you reveling with interest. In this article, I’d be telling you reasons why you should chose Lagos as a place to live.
- Lagos is a center of diversity.
They never tell you this, but Lagos has become no man’s land, all man’s land. Nigeria is said to be made up of more than two hundred and fifty languages. Many of us Nigerians are unaware of languages beyond the major three; Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. In Lagos you get to find most of these hidden languages. You get to learn or know more about their cultures and you get to experience what it feels like to live among people you might consider exotic. In Lagos, nearly everyone can speak more than one language. This is because they pick languages up from here and there and they just automatically learn it. Knowledge they say, is power.
2. You get to learn how to be mad.
No one lied to you when they said Lagos is a place for mad people. However you must understand that madness has its perks. Being mad guarantees that no one tries nonsense with you. I mean, do you not wish to be treated respectfully? Of course you do.
Source: @yung.nollywood (Instagram)
3. Lagos would make you alert.
Alertness and streetwiseness are essential attributes that one must possess in life, especially in Nigeria. The pickpocketing men who don button up shirts, ties and shiny black shoes, brings the saying — ‘not all that glitters is gold’ — to life. The conductors who are quick to deny that one has already made payment would have you ready to defend yourself at anytime — because you cannot be paying N1000 twice from Ajah to Oshodi, in this Buhari Era. Unless of course, you intend to be wed to one of Dangote’s children.
4. Lagos has all kinds of food:
There’s no where in Lagos you won’t find meals from all three major tribes in Nigeria. Because the vendors understand that every tribe in Nigeria live in Lagos, they make sure to have a meal from each tribe prepared. A bukka, restaurant and canteen that sells Amala and Ewedu would surely sell Akpu and Egusi, behind an abacha hawker is an ewagoyin hawker — and just by the corner, along the path that these hawkers have walked, an Hausa man would fan Suya sticks when the sun sets.
Asides the local Nigerian dishes, nonnative dishes can also be found (Chinese, American, Lebanese, Ghanaian etc.) This way you get to taste the same meal as Denzel Washington without even flying across the Atlantic — great, isn’t?
5. Attractive Places to see:
There are exciting. attractions in Lagos. Takwabay, Lufasi Park, and Lekki Conservation Center — just to mention a few, are alluring places in Lagos that everyone must visit. A weekend away, visiting or even residing in any of these places would make you believe that you’ve landed in the Bahamas. A burst of color, an insight of nature and what’s more, a beautiful oceanic outlook would literally make your day.
Source: Rufusandbee_twintowers (Instagram)
6. Lagos makes you cautious.
In this life, most people have coconut head, no doubt. They forget that the crossing rule is look left and right. They tend to only look one way because the street is one way. Lagos reminds you of the rules, because a one-way street is not always so. In looking in one direction, you’d miss the crazy bike man that is hungry to beat traffic no matter the consequences. Lagos reminds you to follow rules , to be careful.
7. Living in Lagos is expensive:
This may sound as a con, but on the bright side, maybe it just makes you aspire higher. And also, save more. You’d be aware of the huge responsibility ahead and you’d forced to not spend lavishly, unless of course, your second name is ‘Spending.’
8. Lagos has an exciting night life:
Are you insomniac? Do you feel like having fun at night? Do you come alive, when the moon replaces the sun? Are you scared of the dark and you often wish that the night never comes? Well, Lagos is the city for you then. The city never sleeps. The Lights never go out, never. There are many shows to attend, parties to storm into, and clubs to show your dancing skill. However if those kind of night life do not suit your vibe, you could opt for a local bar, where you can drink beer, listen to music and just enjoy the night breeze kissing your face as though it were Cupid-sent.
9. Lagos is a comic relief:
Usually Nigerians complain about the stress of even being Nigerians. Notwithstanding that struggle, Lagos would make you laugh. The streets are never dry. Not with the humorous banter amongs conductors and passengers, quick come backs from roadside sellers who are disrespected, accent battle and most of all, random people picking of friendship over similar ugly encounters that had taken place prior to their destined friendship — mind you, these friend ships only last for as long as the ride can take.
10. From Lagos you can live anywhere in the world.
The experiences you gather from Lagos would take you far and beyond. Every single experience in Lagos is a lesson. The traffic would teach you patience, lack of job would turn you into an entrepreneur, the night life would tell you that no matter what, find time to enjoy, you’d learn different languages, and above all, you’d have a home away from home.
The daily bustling in Lagos reminds you of the resilience of Nigerians, their zeal and strong will to survive in-spite of the hardship. Seeing everything that happens in Lagos, first hand, I must say that Lagos is more than a mad house. It is the city that shows you a light at the end of the tunnel. It is after all, the city where the embassies of foreign countries reside.
