I signed in to my MSN chat account and found below on the "Today" page

Don't Go There!
DANGEROUS PLACES: Perhaps one of my least-favorite places in the world is Lagos, Nigeria. It may be the country’s richest city, but it’s crowded, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous, and it’s not a place I’d recommend anyone visit unless you’re really into adventure travel. Lagos is a city of 15 million people (and growing) crammed into a space meant for half a million. It’s got inadequate infrastructure, unimaginable poverty and an often blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people.

http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=851621&imageindex=1

Hmmmmmmm quite true.

MOST TRAVELED PEOPLE

PETER GREENBERG (PG): Well, let’s talk about what constitutes an acceptable entry on your list. How do you come up with that number?

CHARLES VELEY (CV): I have a group, Most Traveled People. I run the Web site, www.mosttraveledpeople.com, and there are about 5,000 members. They all vote on what should be on the list … One of the reasons it grew to 673 is the members really wanted to count some of the larger countries state wise. That it’s not enough to go to New York and say you’ve been to the whole United States.

MOST DANGEROUS


CV: Once, I feared for my life where I got stranded on one of the remote islands in the world. We were on an expedition to Peter I Island which is down near Antarctica, but it’s about 400 miles away from Antarctica.

PG: How’d you get there?

CV: I was with a ham radio team. We went to Punta Arenas, the bottom of Chile, and flew to King George Island. We got on a Chilean Navy vessel and sailed about six days to the south. And then we got there and we had to wait for weather to clear. So, we took a helicopter from the ship to land on the island.

PG. And that’s just to be able to say you were there?

CV: We stayed for two weeks … and we set up a whole little mini-city for the ham radio guys to talk.

PG: Right. Just to go on the radio to say, “Guess where we are?”

CV: And, when you go to Antarctica, you have to bring out everything that you brought in. So, we had about 60 helicopter loads of just stuff … We had gotten through about 55 loads and the helicopter pilot was squirrelly. The weather came in, and he wouldn’t come and get us. So, the weather closed in and it’s supposed to be bad for four more days. And there was no more stuff around. We made a primitive sort of a shelter. Me and three Chilean sailors just kind of huddled up and didn’t know how long we were going be around. We had a little bit of survival gear. But it was cold and I had the wrong clothes. … We kind of made a little hut that we could barely squeeze into. And, by the way, mine was the only radio that worked. Thank God I speak Spanish. I was able to translate between the ship’s crew, these guys, and our guys on the ship.

PG: And they came back for you?

CV: Finally they came about 24 hours later. We were hysterically happy.

WORST PLACE

PG: Is there a place or places that you’d never go back?


CV: Lagos, Nigeria is definitely towards the bottom of the barrel.

PG: I would agree. Take a ride from the airport alone. It’s enough to make you want to go home.

CV: Oh it’s horrible. Well, I came in by land. And it’s all a permanent go-slow which is like rush hour … and it’s just people selling you stuff. Which is interesting on the road, but you’re choking on diesel fumes. And if you open the door, someone’s gonna try and rob you. It’s basically a city that was built for about half a million people and it’s got 15 million people living there. People camped out under freeways. … There was so much garbage piled up that people were digging like you shovel snow.

FAVORITE PLACE

PG: Is there a favorite place that you can’t wait to go back to?

CV: Well, the one that I always say and no one’s heard about it. Lord Howe Island. You know it?

PG: I know exactly where it is, sure.

CV: It is so beautiful. … It’s a semi-tropical island. They’ve got palm trees but they also have pine trees. Beautiful beaches, mountains. You can go scuba, you can go biking, hiking. It’s a small place. And you can stay at the Kapella Lodge which is the top spot on the island. Meals, wine, friendly Australian people, and the best natural views in the world.

PG: And how did you discover Lord Howe?


CV: It was on the list. A checklist is a great thing if your goal is not just to check the places off the list. A checklist gives you new ideas. If you say, “Well, I think I’ve been everywhere and don’t know where to go next.” Well, try the Most Traveled People list. It’s got 673 places. I’ve only been to 629. That’s 50 new places.

http://www.petergreenberg.com/2008/01/10/travel-tips-from-a-travel-hero-charles-veley-the-worlds-most-traveled-man/


This was written about 12 months ago.

WORST PLACE

PG: Is there a place or places that you’d never go back?


CV: Lagos, Nigeria is definitely towards the bottom of the barrel.

PG: I would agree. Take a ride from the airport alone. It’s enough to make you want to go home.

CV: Oh it’s horrible. Well, I came in by land. And it’s all a permanent go-slow which is like rush hour … and it’s just people selling you stuff. Which is interesting on the road, but you’re choking on diesel fumes. And if you open the door, someone’s gonna try and rob you. It’s basically a city that was built for about half a million people and it’s got 15 million people living there. People camped out under freeways. … There was so much garbage piled up that people were digging like you shovel snow

There was so much garbage piled up that people were digging like you shovel snow.

now this is just wrong

People will try to rub you if you open your door?

Paranoid hyperbolic white dude

bawomolo:

now this is just wrong

LOL, chill, they're not talking about Osun. . . .as of yet

@post
I kinda agreed. The Lagos air stinks

@ post

nonesense

next u hear ghana man na angel, see how they want thief our oil

  Oil Bunkering: Arrested Five Ghanaians Now In EFCC Custody tribune

Saturday, January 24, 2009
The five Ghanaians and a Nigerian arrested last month by Operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named Operation Restore Hope for alleged oil bunkering have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigations and prosecution.

Security sources told Saturday Tribune on Thursday that the suspects were moved to the Port Harcourt office of EFCC last Tuesday amidst tight security after preliminary investigations by the special security outfit in Niger Delta.

“The Five Ghanaians and their Nigerian collaborator, earlier arrested by JTF for engaging in illegal oil bunkering in Niger Delta, have been handed over to EFCC in compliance with the due process and rule of law policies of the Federal Government”, he added.

Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre of JTF, Colonel Rabe Abubakar confirmed the transfer of the suspects and also confirmed the arrest of another five oil thieves, including a 55-year-old woman during an early morning raid on Awol Waterside, near Main Market, warri, Delta state on Thursday.

in uk just on the news now another 15yrs got stabbed to death today at church hall hmm

you read nonsense like this and you just go into silence mode for a few hours. Responding immediately is near impossible.

UNLEASHED:

I signed in to my MSN chat account and found below on the "Today" page

Don't Go There!
DANGEROUS PLACES: Perhaps one of my least-favorite places in the world is Lagos, Nigeria. It may be the country’s richest city, but it’s crowded, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous, and it’s not a place I’d recommend anyone visit unless you’re really into adventure travel. Lagos is a city of 15 million people (and growing) crammed into a space meant for half a million. It’s got inadequate infrastructure, unimaginable poverty and an often blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people.

http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=851621&imageindex=1

These are lies the whiteman uses to surpress the black man.
Fashola has transformed lagos into another Dubai recently.

nuzo:

These are lies the whiteman uses to surpress the black man.
Fashola has transformed lagos into another Dubai recently.

Then Peter Greenberg must be a stupid man then!!

I dont know the guy and don't even want to know him. Lagos maybe rough but it aint how he has painted it. Folks please tell me, are things that bad in lagos? EKo?

These are lies the whiteman uses to surpress the black man.
Fashola has transformed lagos into another Dubai recently[code][/code][quote][/quote]

tongue in{ seek} , eh.?

UNLEASHED:

I signed in to my MSN chat account and found below on the "Today" page

Don't Go There!
DANGEROUS PLACES: Perhaps one of my least-favorite places in the world is Lagos, Nigeria. It may be the country’s richest city, but it’s crowded, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous, and it’s not a place I’d recommend anyone visit unless you’re really into adventure travel. Lagos is a city of 15 million people (and growing) crammed into a space meant for half a million. It’s got inadequate infrastructure, unimaginable poverty and an often blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people.

http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=851621&imageindex=1

If the idiot who made this comment did so some years ago or even 22months ago, 'maybe' there may have been an iota of truth in it. But rite now as I write, for anyone to make such an "outrageous" statement as this idiot has just vomited is purely a display of concocted lies. I doubt if he has ever visited Africa not to talk of Lagos, Nigeria. whoever told him that Lagos was meant for only 500 thousand people?? besides, I ain't saying there's no poverty in Lagos here, but WTF does he mean by 'unimaginable' poverty? Worst than Somalia and Eritrea I guess! Something we haven't seen before! Not even on T.V!
And hear him, "blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people" Who also told the gay that Lagos was an oil producing state?

This guy is just a skunk!

If the idiot who made this comment did so some years ago or even 22months ago, 'maybe' there may have been an iota of truth in it. But rite now as I write, for anyone to make such an "outrageous" statement as this idiot has just vomited is purely a display of concocted lies. I doubt if he has ever visited Africa not to talk of Lagos, Nigeria. whoever told him that Lagos was meant for only 500 thousand people?? besides, I ain't saying there's no poverty in Lagos here, but WTF does he mean by 'unimaginable' poverty? Worst than Somalia and Eritrea I guess! Something we haven't seen before! Not even on T.V!
And hear him, "blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people" Who also told the gay that Lagos was an oil producing state?

This guy is just a skunk!

Are we supposed to be comparing ourselves to those countries?

while lagos canot classify as a particularly safe place, a brief perusal of the article shows some glaring inconsistencies -

UNLEASHED:

I signed in to my MSN chat account and found below on the "Today" page

Don't Go There!
DANGEROUS PLACES: Perhaps one of my least-favorite places in the world is Lagos, Nigeria. I[b]t may be the country’s richest city,[/b] but it’s crowded, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous, and it’s not a place I’d recommend anyone visit unless you’re really into adventure travel. Lagos is a city of 15 million people (and growing) crammed into a space meant for half a million. It’s got inadequate infrastructure, unimaginable poverty and an[b] often blatantly corrupt government[/b] that’s not interested in[b] putting any of the city’s oil wealth[/b] toward its people.

http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=851621&imageindex=1

typical poorly researched insightful artile by an oyibo - what 'oil wealth' does Lagos have? is lagos nigeria's 'richest' city', unimaginable poverty?

the wonders of the internet - any fool can publish anything, no matter how inanae and stupid.

DANGEROUS PLACES: Perhaps one of my least-favorite places in the world is Lagos, Nigeria

@poster: it is true that if you don't know it, you can not miss it. you need to travel more whenever you visit lagos again.
every city and every country has the ugly side, therefore it makes no sense to only focus on the ugly side of lagos. there are other beautiful sides, you just need to get out of the box and discover these areas. darling, you might not know exactly what you're missing.
lagos and abuja (nigeria) for life!

as much as some of what the guy must have said are exagerated, i would agree with some of what he pointed out. but that doesnt mean its the worst place to visit.

.

oyb:

while lagos canot classify as a particularly safe place, a brief perusal of the article shows some glaring inconsistencies -

typical poorly researched insightful artile by an oyibo - what 'oil wealth' does Lagos have? is lagos nigeria's 'richest' city', unimaginable poverty?

the wonders of the internet - any fool can publish anything, no matter how inanae and stupid.

FYI – Lagos is built with Oil Money. NNPC and some other oil firms have their main offices in Lagos.

Lagos is referred to as Nigeria’s richest city. This is evident in the fact that majority of the riches in the country end up in Lagos, this has driven cost of merchandise and real estate to where it is today. Even after more than 20 years of relocating the capital from Lagos to Abuja, Abuja still does not command as much international fame like Lagos as a result. It is possible to have unimaginable poverty in the richest city. We see that in Lagos every single day. The number of poor seriously outnumber the rich in that city. As par population, not exactly sure how many , I hear 18 million from the last article I read quoting the governor and that there makes this a hub compared to Abuja or any other city in africa. I see no contradiction in what was posted and no reason why anyone would see that as a contradiction.

.

Lucabrasi, where are you? Self appointed/annointed mouthpiece for Fashola and Yar'A-ill.

Kobojunkie:

FYI – Lagos is built with Oil Money. NNPC and some other oil firms have their main offices in Lagos.

Lagos is referred to as Nigeria’s richest city. This is evident in the fact that majority of the riches in the country end up in Lagos, this has driven cost of merchandise and real estate to where it is today. Even after more than 20 years of relocating the capital from Lagos to Abuja, Abuja still does not command as much international fame like Lagos as a result. It is possible to have unimaginable poverty in the richest city. We see that in Lagos every single day. The number of poor seriously outnumber the rich in that city. As par population, not exactly sure how many , I hear 18 million from the last article I read quoting the governor and that there makes this a hub compared to Abuja or any other city in africa. I see no contradiction in what was posted and no reason why anyone would see that as a contradiction.

Kobojunkie:

It may be the country’s richest city, but it’s crowded, it’s ugly, it’s dangerous, and it’s not a place I’d recommend anyone visit unless you’re really into adventure travel. Lagos is a city of 15 million people (and growing) crammed into a space meant for half a million. It’s got inadequate infrastructure, unimaginable poverty and an often blatantly corrupt government that’s not interested in putting any of the city’s oil wealth toward its people.

kobojunkie - lagos is oil rich? is lagos ph?  

only private companies still have head offices in lagos. all governnt parastatls now have head offices in abuja

lagos was 'built with oil money' over 20 years ago.

finally, if you've been to abuja recently, you will know no one can honestly call lagos nigera richest city. the development going on there is something else.

unimaginable poverty? i beg to differ.

Lucabrasi, where are you? Self appointed/annointed mouthpiece for Fashola and Yar'A-ill.

oyb:


kobojunkie - lagos is oil rich? is lagos ph?

Lagos is Not Oil rich in the literal sense but it was built and still gets a huge portion of oil money coming in to it as a result of the many private companies that are headquatered or have huge offices in Lagos. Even Banks which run on oil money bring a lot of it into Lagos.

oyb:

only private companies still have head offices in lagos. all governnt parastatls now have head offices in abuja

Like I said, Nigerian capital was moved to Abuja, that did not take away from Lagos. Lagos remains the centre of commerce in Nigeria.

oyb:

lagos was 'built with oil money' over 20 years ago.

You sure?

oyb:

finally, if you've been to abuja recently, you will know no one can honestly call lagos nigera richest city. the development going on there is something else.

You can not measure richness by simply observing of amount of development going on in each. There is more to the difference between lagos and Abuja than what you see.

oyb:

unimaginable poverty? i beg to differ.

LoL. . . . well, to each his own.

Nigeria is the only place where one stupid citizen of another country wakes up and write junk and nonsence about Nigeria and the only thing Nigerians will do, instead of telling him to go back and write shit about his country - the only thing they do is to idolise this man who only came to Nigeria or Lagos for a few days and then makes his stupid conclusion - so now - Lagos is more dangerous a place to live in than any other parts of the world or what is new in what he as said? Lagos is more dangerous than Johanessbourg, or what is he talking about - he goes to J'burg- he sees his white headed brothers, he goes online and cries J'burg is the best place to live in the world - but  he writes shit about Nigeria, and Nigerians hail him and spend their time debating all the nonsense he writes - and this man is just a nobody in his country - just like themselves.

Who cares is they come to Lagos or not, stay there, stay in your little corner of the world, where there is no crime, where there is no over population, where crime is at its lowest, stay there, who gives a damn anyway? And all what these arm chair critics do is to give accolades and push downs to a place they themselves ran away from, a place they havent been in 20 or more years, and they seek we to listed and share their opinions, how can we listen to such shit? Not all of us are fools, some of us are still reasonable to know when someone is making sense or not - like in this case- the writer made no sense and obviously - he wrote or said nothing new.

.

Silly, even the picture that assman put up on his front page is an outdated Oshodi picture. why are these people after Nigeria? Are they afraid we are going to take over the world in the nearest future? (I ain't Brain, neither am i Pinky lol )

Lagos is shit, Lagos is that, Leave Lagos alone, we that live there are humans and i was born there, still alive and even healthier than most of those born in their own Heaven.
If you don't have anything to write about
Then write about how to save the world from those who kill in the name of God and in the name of Saving the world from Terrorism.

The statement 'Lagos is an oil-rich city' is factually incorrect.

While every part of Nigeria has benefitted from oil in some shape or form, no one would call Abeokuta an 'oil-rich city' simply because it receives a proportion of oil revenue.

Lagos being a 'centre of commerce' means exactly that - it's wealth is derived PRIMARILY from commerce, not from oil and gas as such. They do play a part, but it would hardly be said to be the dominant force in the Lagos Economy. The state generates more than TWICE it's federally received revenue and more than half the entire VAT takings in the country - virtually non-oil related income.

The author's assumptions lie in a poor understanding of the system of governance in Nigeria. The 'city' has no oil wealth of it's own, and is, for the most part, not responsible for it's depravity. The blame lies more in the central government who refuse to give the city it's due recognition and funding. In that respect, the article is not only factually misleading, it is based on wrong premises.

I'm sure no one in the world is in doubt that Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria and is commercially viable - but by alluding to an incorrect source of the problems, the author brings no insight to the issues of Lagos, but creates more inconsistencies and half truths at best.

Maybe there's a special pipeline underground from Delta and Portharcout leading into Lagos state government's house

Nigeria is the only place where one stupid citizen of another country wakes up and write junk and nonsence about Nigeria and the only thing Nigerians will do, instead of telling him to go back and write shit about his country - the only thing they do is to idolise this man who only came to Nigeria or Lagos for a few days and then makes his stupid conclusion - so now - Lagos is more dangerous a place to live in than any other parts of the world or what is new in what he as said? Lagos is more dangerous than Johanessbourg, or what is he talking about - he goes to J'burg- he sees his white headed brothers, he goes online and cries J'burg is the best place to live in the world - but  he writes shit about Nigeria, and Nigerians hail him and spend their time debating all the nonsense he writes - and this man is just a nobody in his country - just like themselves.

Who cares is they come to Lagos or not, stay there, stay in your little corner of the world, where there is no crime, where there is no over population, where crime is at its lowest, stay there, who gives a damn anyway? And all what these arm chair critics do is to give accolades and push downs to a place they themselves ran away from, a place they havent been in 20 or more years, and they seek we to listed and share their opinions, how can we listen to such shit? Not all of us are fools, some of us are still reasonable to know when someone is making sense or not - like in this case- the writer made no sense and obviously - he wrote or said nothing new.

He may be a stupid citizen from another country but that doesn't negate the fact that he is 100% correct.   As a matter fact, for the most part, Lagos is dangerous, Lagos is crowded and most parts of lagos is ugly.  Learn to accept the truth.  6 out of the 12 "Dont go there" locales he mentioned were American towns or cities.  So you cant really say he is biased.