There is nothing I won’t see in this Lagos. Since I came to live here two months ago, I have seen all kinds of activities and all kinds of people. I have had so many experiences that I’ve simply had to put down. My lecturer once said that “The world is my lecturer and I am a lifelong student in it”. It was Shakespeare who in his play, As You Like It, wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”. I never understood the gravity of these two statements until I came to live in Lagos.

In this case, I would say that my teacher was the roads of Lagos, while my classroom was every one of the commercial buses which I boarded in my day to day transportation. To start with, the average Lagos life is defined by much hustle and bustle. This contributes to an ever increasing stress among the commuters. The frustrations of Lagos traffic, heat and rigorous work all contribute to a general annoyance and theses steadily build up into anger and transferred aggression everyday. Beft coming here, I heard I was going to experience a lot of stress. I once heard that Lagos or “Lasgidi” as many call it is a city of hustlers and that only the tough survive it. I once overheard someone say that “It is in Lagos that your eyes will be open”. Truly, my eyes were open to many things when I got here. Many of them I had seen before but of a less intense nature. Some, I had never seen before and were very peculiar, some even humorous.

I had heard that Lagos was a city of hustling and while going about my daily business, I saw people using all means possible to survive. Some were legitimate and lawful, others were for me quite dangerous. One of the stories I heard before coming was that you could buy all the ingredients to cook for your household in Lagos traffic. You could also get tools, cooking utensils, appliances and some types of furniture for the house. I had laughed it off and said it was impossible. Now, I would say that it was very much possible except the bit about the furniture which was exaggerated.That part sounded so strange and I simply could not imagine people carrying furniture on their heads such as arm chairs and dining tables to sell on the road. By the sides of many roads, you could see food ingredients ranging from food seasoning to vegetables, yams, grains, etc. All you needed to do was to indicate from the vehicle and they would all rush at you with each person trying to convince you that his or her foodstuff was the better one to buy. The roads also seem to be a kind of make-shift eatery as well. Many people (especially the lower middle class and below) would not see the need to go to a restaurant when snacks, drinks and food are sold on the road as well. The snacks are both the traditional ones such as Coco (cocoyam chips) and the adopted foreign ones such as pastries. The same goes with markets that sell phones, clothes, shoes and even films.

What I have noticed about many people in this area is that they seem to think nothing of dangers on the road as long as they can make money. From time to time, I see someone with a bag of garri, rice or a cooler of food on his or her head, running across the expressway to meet customers on the other side; this includes people with wheelbarrows and trolleys full of goods (some being as heavy as cement). In places where pedestrian bridges are provided, they usually do not use them. I believe they think that this seems to waste their time in making as much income as they can (time is also a very important factor here and a few minutes are usually precious to people who have businesses to attend to). In a traffic jam one day, a man came up to the bus. He looked like someone coming to beg and looked set to be ignored by many. Surprisingly, he greeted an Alhaja on the row before me saying “Salamaa’le kun, Ina wuni”. Then he came to me saying in Igbo language, ‘Ijeoma, gankeomaooo’ (wishing me a safe journey).To the person behind me, he greeted in Yoruba and to the people on the last seat of the bus, he spoke in English still saying the same thing. Amused by all this, the passengers gave him money not because of his begging but for the brief entertainment through his unique method of begging.

It continues here http://storried.com/jjc-corper-reflects-on-hustle-of-lagos-life/

I have lived virtually all of my life in Lagos but I found it hard to readjust after spending a year away because of NYSC. So, I can imagine how this guy feels about the city.

Tell me more

LasGidi state of mind......

Story for the gods..how much will the OP pay me if I read all these write up??






HMmmmmm I can bet u that 90% of people that open this page dnt read ur writeup complete.....

(Learn to post in summary)

Eya


Life is beautiful


Land Rover Discovery SE7 Trail Edition for N1.7m (DASH)
https://www.nairaland.com/1973996/land-rover-discovery-se7-tokunbo

Na wa oh, this tin long die oh...

Lagos, city of The idle Who pretends to be busy! I detest living in those shackled areas. Life is too precious to be abused! Team PH city

How that one take add money to my pocket

Lagos is one crazy place.

Dnt mind him or her jare dey have not see anytin that white fowl

Hmmmmmmm, lagos na real rugged life. I love lagos with passion. Lagos life is fun. Sometime also lagos life can give you tears of joy.

Lagos na hard place o! Too fast paced for me!

I love my warri! High energy but much slower.





But queen Rozzay will do her best to make Nairaland a SOFT/EASY place!

Vote rozzay for miss Nairaland!

[img]https://www.nairaland.com/avatars/mexk3232og3f7h6clxo4nvx4cjqjfwr01109878[/img]

Lagos is a place where people who dont take their bath and smells like soakaway patrol the streat. A place where touts are lord and king even police do give them chance. A place where the poor people spent more on partying. A place where laziness is hiGhly rewarding.

Lagosstateofmind#

nah only him dey there? What about the two guys.
you just can't berra one time. You have to step step up.

And this later make fp

Abeg, no hard feelings, but this stuff is too long. We dey office o make una dey post wetin we fit read sharp sharp before our ogas see wetin we dey do.

If you can survive in lagos you would survive any where in the world.

#fact





Even if u find yourself in hell, its gonna be a life goes on senerio

If you weren't born and bred in Lagos, it's difficult to adjust especially when you've lived a buttered life somewhere outside lag but you have to be in lag for a job and better opportunities


N.B- Call for hygienically prepared fruit salad as an appetizer and dessert for all occassions.

Can sm1 pls summarize what dis OP wrote 4me abeg

Lagos, my birthplace...

But when i came down to ilorin for studies, i'm scared i may not adjust to the hustle and bustle like before...

I remember when i was in secondary school, pursuing molue, trying to hook up from PWD to agege, i cant forget those days....

Now the cool ilorin life don spoil me, wetin i fit do now

.

Lagusta:
Lagos, my birthplace...

But when i came down to ilorin for studies, i'm scared i may not adjust to the hustle and bustle like before...

I remember when i was in secondary school, pursuing molue, trying to hook up from PWD to agege, i cant forget those days....

Now the cool ilorin life don spoil me, wetin i fit do now

LOL. You have 2 choices:

1. Stay away from Lagos

2. Come back to Lagos.

The choice is yours.

.LAGOS IS OVERRATED


#TEAM PH

Lagos; a city of inevitability