I really loved all three episodes. I do think the BBC gave a fair account on the last one also. Its obvious that Lagos is going through a process of change, just hope the poor will be accounted for also rather than simply left behind.

I have to say I LOVED the concept of sanitation day!!!!!

Apparently, they do it in Abuja also.

i would like to see housing plans for the homeless and displaced people.

-

londoner:

I really loved all three episodes. I do think the BBC gave a fair account on the last one also. Its obvious that Lagos is going through a process of change, just hope the poor will be accounted for also rather than simply left behind.

I have to say I LOVED the concept of sanitation day!!!!!

Apparently, they do it in Abuja also.

Arrghh!!! Environmental Sanitation day has been around since the 80's oooh! Thanks to the Buhari-Idiaghon regime.

uzooma4837:

i would like to see housing plans for the homeless and displaced people.

Low income housing makes sense. . . . we had them back some decades ago, and they worked fine. Only the plans were abandoned and it all went down the drain. But a lot of people benefitted from it and it was not free housing but low income housing.

lol. . . . Wonder how many houses the government is going to build
with its meager resources compared to the demand.

And I thought we all agreed the Government should quit
involving itself in such schemes prone to massive corruption.

I never agreed to such! I believe Government has a part to play in solving the problem. I have seen such a project work in the very same Lagos. We had huge low income housing areas where I lived, and quite a lot of people I used to know lived, at one time in these areas. I am talking of decent living, not 1001 type clusters. It wasn't until the years or serious neglect that the projects went to hell in a hand basket, and many other projects in the works were abandoned.

olap001:

Abeg make somebody call the lover. The number is 08089995782 make them find out how that puss get that many ingredients.

A silly mistake by the production company; not blurring out the poor girl's number. I bet she would have received loads of calls concerning her puss. lol

You really have nothing better to do with your life?

Kobojunkie:

I never agreed to such! I believe Government has a part to play in solving the problem. I have seen such a project work in the very same Lagos. We had huge low income housing areas where I lived, and quite a lot of people I used to know lived, at one time in these areas. I am talking of decent living, not 1001 type clusters. It wasn't until the years or serious neglect that the projects went to hell in a hand basket, and many other projects in the works were abandoned.

The Jakande era is gone. . . .Too many people and such gargantuan projects will only serve
to exacerbate other problems in the metropolis.

The Agenda for Lagos right now has to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT.

doyin13:

The Jakande era is gone. . . .Too many people and such gargantuan projects will only serve
to exacerbate other problems in the metropolis.

The Agenda for Lagos right now has to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT.

And is there a particular reason why you believe it ought to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT? Cause I do not see any reason why a government, any government cannot deal with housing and transportation simultaneously. Transport is important but housing issue needs to be addressed now, and now when we get transport right.

Kobojunkie:

And is there a particular reason why you believe it ought to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT? Cause I do not see any reason why a government, any government cannot deal with housing and transportation simultaneously. Transport  is important but housing issue needs to be addressed now, and now when we get transport right.

I know you think Lagos is flush with all kinds of cash, but even using its whole budget
any housing measure will only be palliative.

The gridlock is killing the city. . . .Doing the roads and getting a comprehensive mass
transit system in place would do more to help the city.

Towns outside lagos with cheaper value will also become accessible for poor folks.

doyin13:

I know you think Lagos is flush with all kinds of cash, but even using its whole budget
any housing measure will only be palliative.

uummm . . .  You do not know what I think. NO STATE on this planet is flushed with all kinds of cash, none! All States have to do with what is available. Lagos does not have to concentrate 100% of it's income on transportation when it can have some portion of that go to dealing with the housing issue which is just as important, in my opinion as the transportation issue. I would go as far as to say dealing with the housing issue will help ensure the success of the transport project.

doyin13:
The gridlock is killing the city. . . .Doing the roads and getting a comprehensive mass
transit system in place would do more to help the city.

Again, it is POSSIBLE for the state to handle housing, and transportation simultaneously!

doyin13:
Towns outside lagos with cheaper value will also become accessible for poor folks.

What towns outside Lagos do you speak of? You mean towns in neighbouring states?

Kobojunkie:


uummm . . .  You do not know what I think. NO STATE on this planet is flushed with all kinds of cash, none! All States have to do with what is available.



Again, it is POSSIBLE for the state to handle housing, and transportation simultaneously!


What towns outside Lagos do you speak of? You mean towns in neighbouring states?

yep. . .outside lagos. which is why part of the original plans for one of the rail lines
extended into Ogun state. Cheap train transportation could open up far away, but
cheaper and family friendly towns like even ibadan.

Kobojunkie:

uummm . . .  You do not know what I think. NO STATE on this planet is flushed with all kinds of cash, none! All States have to do with what is available. Lagos does not have to concentrate 100% of it's income on transportation when it can have some portion of that go to dealing with the housing issue which is just as important, in my opinion as the transportation issue. I would go as far as to say dealing with the housing issue will help ensure the success of the transport project.

Again, it is POSSIBLE for the state to handle housing, and transportation simultaneously!

But some states have bigger pressing needs than others. I wouldn't be averse to
zero percentage of the budget going to housing. It should be left to the free market.

Beyond a mortgage scheme of some sort with extensive private fund participation
the government will be extending itself.

doyin13:

yep. . .outside lagos. which is why part of the original plans for one of the rail lines
extended into Ogun state. Cheap train transportation could open up far away, but
cheaper and family friendly towns like even ibadan.

Hold on!!! Let me get this straight. You believe the only way to solve the housing issue is to move low income people, many of whom have lived in Lagos for generations, OUT OF LAGOS, to neighboring states? YIKES!!!

doyin13:
But some states have bigger pressing needs than others. I wouldn't be averse to
zero percentage of the budget going to housing. It should be left to the free market.

It is currently in the hands of the free market, how has that worked out so far for the poor, and everyone in between?

doyin13:
Beyond a mortgage scheme of some sort with extensive private fund participation the government will be extending itself.

WOW!!

Kobojunkie:

Hold on!!! Let me get this straight. You believe the only way to solve the housing issue is to move low income people, many of whom have lived in

Its a tough world. . .No situation is permanent.

Land pass land and man pass man 

Kobojunkie:

It is currently in the hands of the free market, how has that worked out so far for the poor, and everyone in between?
WOW!!

An unmitigated free market that leaves them exposed. It will take Lagos a budget ten times its current one to
even come close to making a dent in the current crisis.

Like I said before, easing access to outlying towns where houses will be cheaper you get more bang for your
buck goes a lot further than building 3000 units of accomodation when the demand is in the millions.

I prefer a solution that takes the people into consideration rather than essentially leaving them out. The population of the state as it stands increases by an average of 600k a month( or was it week or year). The population is projected to increase to about 25 million by 2015. Transportation is important but we all know from examples around the globe that housing is of importance. From NY to Chicago, Dubai to London, Tokyo to Shanghai, I seems all too clear that trying to move the poor out of town does not work well. Not sure I would want to move to the outskirts, no matter how good transportation is.

Not everybody can live in the centre of town.
And who says its only the poor that might take
advantage of good transport links.

In the UK over here, I know of hedge fund managers
making millions who make hourly commutes by train
every morning to the city.

Its a win win for all.

doyin13:

Not everybody can live in the centre of town.
And who says its only the poor that might take
advantage of good transport links.

In the UK over here, I know of hedge fund managers
making millions who make hourly commutes by train
every morning to the city.

Its a win win for all.

This was never about who gets to take advantage of the 'good' transportation links, but about low housing and your assumption that if the poor(low income people) were moved outside of the state, they would be able to take advantage of the 'good' transport links to get back in the state. Mind you, you did not say this was just to move them outside the center of the town but to move them outside the state itself. So, please, let us stick to the issue we were discussing earlier.

Ofcourse some of those who can afford to live in the city would probably move to the outskirts but that is another issue.

Kobojunkie:

This was never about who gets to take advantage of the 'good' transportation links, but about low housing and your assumption that if the poor(low income people) were moved outside of the state, they would be able to take advantage of the 'good' transport links to get back in the state. Mind you, you did not say this was just to move them outside the center of the town but to move them outside the state itself. So, please, let us stick to the issue we were discussing earlier.

Ofcourse some of those who can afford to live in the city would probably move to the outskirts but that is another issue.

lol. . .this isn't about picking points.

The issue at hand is easing the housing worries of poor folks.

If there is land in lagos state somewhere that is affordable and
accessible, you surely can't infer my argument said they should
be kicked out regardless.

Building low cost housing on prime estate is pretty bad economics
cause the houses will simply find their way to people who want it most
and the poor folks will move out anyway.

Many of the low cost housing estates worth their salt have all been transferred
to middle income folks who are prepared to pay more for the houses. So the
idea is selfdefeating.

doyin13:

lol. . .this isn't about picking points.

The issue at hand is easing the housing worries of poor folks.

If there is land in lagos state somewhere that is affordable and
accessible, you surely can't infer my argument said they should
be kicked out regardless.

So, you are saying that Lagos state is able to afford giving over N760 million to acquiring land for Lekki FTZ but not able to afford even a fraction of that to build low income housing units for the poor in Lagos State as a whole?

doyin13:

Building low cost housing on prime estate is pretty bad economics
cause the houses will simply find their way to people who want it most
and the poor folks will move out anyway.

In essence, all of Lagos is prime estate and it is bad economics to build low income housing in the state? Is this just a Lagos thing? Cause Last I checked most every city in the world has some form of low income housing for low income people not too far from the cities and towns.

doyin13:
Many of the low cost housing estates worth their salt have all been transferred
to middle income folks who are prepared to pay more for the houses. So the
idea is selfdefeating.

Hhhmmm . . . so nevermind that low income housing program worked back when it was first implemented and maintained, because some of these units ending up being transfered to some middle class folks who could afford to pay for the houses,it is safe to conclude that the poor do not need low income housing because they cannot afford it?

lol. . .because cities all around the world have it doesn't mean it works. The scourge of
the ''projects'' with poor roads, poor facilities etc.

And say the 780 million was given to building houses for the poor, any guesses
as to how many ''poor people'' would be helped in the vast pool of low income
folks.

doyin13:

lol. . .because cities all around the world have it doesn't mean it works. The scourge of
the ''projects'' with poor roads, poor facilities etc.

Scourge of the "Projects"? WOW!!!

Are we to expect the poor, living in the projects to be responsible for fixing the roads and facilities now?

So what about the many other low income housing projects that actually look decent and are well taken care of? Should we just pretend those do not exist because we have already picked on the images of unmaintained projects instead?

doyin13:
And say the 780 million was given to building houses for the poor, any guesses
as to how many ''poor people'' would be helped in the vast pool of low income
folks.

I am glad you at least admit that the Jakande housing projects worked for the poor back in the days. Are we then to ignore that success today simply because we feel the numbers will overwhelm us this time around?

You do realize that the poor in Lagos are not scum and lazy imbeciles; they are hardworking men and women, most of them doing their best to earn a living, only that many are unable to afford the new exhorbitant costs they are now burdened with as a result of decades of government ineptitude.

I live in one of the major cities in the world, I can afford to live right in the middle of downtown but I can't afford the outrageous cost of living in downtown Lagos, is it my fault?. . . are the poor in Lagos to blame for the situation? If the government is wiling to pay almost a billion for industrial development, why can't the same government invest even a fraction of that amount to aiding it's own citizens in securing a decent living right there in Lagos? isn't protecting and providing for the welfare of it's people part of the work of government?

doyin13:

The Jakande era is gone. . . .Too many people and such gargantuan projects will only serve
to exacerbate other problems in the metropolis.

The Agenda for Lagos right now has to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT.

You mean FOOD, FOOD and FOOD only, according to some people.

doyin13:

The Jakande era is gone. . . .Too many people and such gargantuan projects will only serve
to exacerbate other problems in the metropolis.

The Agenda for Lagos right now has to be TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT.

I absolutely agree with this. Lots of people are already moving out of lagos into the surrounding towns. And the development there is rapidly growing.

The only problem they might face is transportation in and out of Lagos. And once the transport issues have been fixed. Many more people will move out of Lagos en masse. For most people, the main attraction in Lag is the business opportunities. And if they can have their business running but live in a less populated quieter neighborhood, they will grab the opportunity.

doyin13:

lol. . .this isn't about picking points.

The issue at hand is easing the housing worries of poor folks.

If there is land in lagos state somewhere that is affordable and
accessible, you surely can't infer my argument said they should
be kicked out regardless.

Building low cost housing on prime estate is pretty bad economics
cause the houses will simply find their way to people who want it most
and the poor folks will move out anyway.

Many of the low cost housing estates worth their salt have all been transferred
to middle income folks who are prepared to pay more for the houses. So the
idea is selfdefeating.

I agree with the substance of your arguments. In fact the government should leave housing development to the private sector.
Furthermore it is not compulsory for everyone who wants to,  to be able to live and work  in Lagos. 
Clearly that should mean the LASG getting its act together and enforcing the existing laws against street trading, vagrancy, and destitution as is done in other advanced cities.

Show the affluent in Lagos (most of whom got their money through dubious means) and they're inspired to steal more and get more recognition.

Show the slums in Lagos and perhaps, just perhaps, you can get the government thinking.

This documentary is a fact and an eye-opener and that does it for me.

I'd rather we put our house in order than moan about someone showing our dirty linen in public.

We need to keep our linen clean, we need to get the skeleton out of our cupboard so that there's no longer anything to hide.

Oyinbo people have never loved us and probably never will. So, let's give them little or nothing to talk about by getting our acts together.

No be quarrel!

If e pain us well well, then let's retaliate!

Best BBC documentary on Lagos!!!

blackmann:
I really don't see anything wrong with this documentary. I wondered how bad it was when i heard so many Nigerians were unhappy with it until i watched it. it was such a touching documentary, showing how the less-privileged survive from day-to-day. i was most touched by Esther's story. Good job BBC and i wish all those featured in it the best.

You dey mind Nigerians! I wonder where those people are today. I wonder if any of them joined Nairaland since that documentary aired.