Topup asked a very valid question, I can't see why people are all up in arms about it!

Lagos does have its dark sides, that's very true. Topup is a 20-year-old female, looking to move to a large city that'll be totally alien to her. There are Nigerians in Benin City that have lived in Benin all their lives, who would be apprehensive about moving to Lagos, or any other large city, with no friends or family nearby. I spent a year in Lagos, and whilst it was ok for me, I can't say others will share the same view. It's different for everyone. Some may find lagos great, because of the night life and clubs, others not into the clubbing scene will think otherwise.

Thor posted things as he sees them - I have no idea how much is true, but i do know some facts that are true! Lagos is a dangerous place, depending on where you go, who you mix with, how you come across to others. There's nothing wrong with letting Topup know the worst, then she can make up her own mind about where she decides to stay. Painting Lagos as a very safe environment is a bit irresponsible. It doesn't mean you're less patriotic if you tell things as they are, it merely means you're facing up to the good and the bad.

One thing's for sure - things in Nigeria will NEVER improve, unless we acknowledge their presense in the first place, and quit living in denial.

@Siena, I must correct your opinion there. Lagos is not a dangerous place. At least not in the class of Karachi, Kabul, Baghdad, Johannesburg, or even Gaza on the West Bank. While it may not be Toronto, Canada (rated as the safest city in the world), it certainly is nowhere near Kabul. And the bad press from Nigerians doesn't even help

While I can't claim to speak for everyone, I'm sure I am not living in denial. I can give you a quick example. A friend recently had a wedding in Benin. Some expatriates in my office flew down from Lagos, spent the weekend, caught some nightlife, moved around the town, and came back to Lagos in one piece. That is despite the various kidnapping reports you hear about Benin.

Everywhere has its dark spots. I remember a couple of years ago, I was on the High Street in Romford, Essex, and I saw a group of teens beating up a middle-aged man. Everybody was moving on hastily, and someone not too far away from me was calling the police.

I was also in Cape Town, in an area known as Sea Point, some years back, and I saw a lot of unsavoury and scary stuff, nothing like I had ever seen in Lagos. In a bar, an Afrikaaner pointed a gun at me, and basically told me to leave or get shot, I was mugged as I was getting into a taxi right in front of my hotel (The Protea, on the waterfront) , by a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve, and my room was also burgled. I've stayed in hotels all over Nigeria, and my room has never been burgled.

Let's stop creating unfounded impressions of Lagos. Foreigners in my line of business fly into the country, book hotels, move around the country, and fly out, without being molested, with no armed escort, all the time. Which is pretty normal of most places, wouldn't you say?

AjanleKoko, point of correction.

We can't be comparing Lagos with Turkey, Baghdad, Gaza etc. We're talking about just lagos here, which is where the poster Topup enquired about. Why should we measure crime in Nigeria, using other crime-ridden countries as a benchmark?

I'm sure you noticed I said what may work well for one may not work well for another, I even used myself as a prime example - I spent a year in Lagos, it was fine for me. Doesn't mean it will be ok for others. Not everyone

As for Benin, I spent 13 years there, and in that time, we were robbed twice, so it wasn't that bad. Some folk could well say they were there for 6 months, and were robbed 6 times in that short space of time. So, it's different for everyone.

I don't honestly think the bad press from Nigerians has made things the way they are today - sometimes, we need to look further from home.

Lastly, on the safety of foreigners in Lagos - Nigerian citizens are most at risk, as foreigners are respected over Nigerians. It's not uncommon to see even Nigerians brown nosing foreigners, just because they're white, AA etc.  Foreigners can also afford to stay in very secure places, compared to the average Lagosian. The emphasis on your friends being Expatriates / foreigners wasn't lost on me either. These expatriates also work in Lagos, very different from a young girl who will be on her own for quite a while, before making friends, and getting a "feel" of the place.

@Siena,
Okay. I wouldn't like this thread to go the way of the usual. You know, Nigeria-is-good vs. Nigeria-is-bad, that kind of thing.
My point is, Lagos is probably no more dangerous than cities like New York pre-Giuliani. In fact, in Lagos, crime has reduced somewhat. Note that some locations of course are no-go areas, just like any other modern city. And again, while Lagos does not probably rank up there with the best of them, you have to at least be fair to Lagos, given its immense infrastructure and population challenges.

I cite places like Kabul (Afghanistan), Kinshaha in DRC, or Karachi in Pakistan, because, believe you me, you need to visit those cities to know the real meaning of the word danger. Not that I'm trying to launder Nigeria's image. I live in Lagos, have done so for most of my natural life, and I should be able to provide a fair assessment of the situation. I've also been around the world to some extent, and I am basing my assessment on what I've seen. You might not have had the pleasure of experiencing some of the world's worst cities (my opinion!), so I can understand.

In any case, for the poster, I would expect that, since she's not coming on holiday, the organization she is liaising with would be able to advise her more appropriately regarding arrangements, rather than half-assed Nairaland comments. For example, I am definitely sure that she can get a short let in a pretty good location at a reasonable price. A lot of people probably would not know that, since, unlike most developed countries, Nigeria is not an open book that you can read via the Internet.

Cheers.

Ajanlekoko, I have travelled a fair bit, but I'm basing my opinions more on different tastes and temperments.

You have lived most of your life in Lagos, so your experiences will obviously be very different, to a 20-year-old who's never actually visited Lagos, never mind having lived there.

Very good points made here.

Everything is relative, so maybe to some Lagos is not as dangerous as other places, but to others it may be much more dangerous than where they are coming from, and especially which perspective they are looking at it, at.

Thanks for all the replies, REALLY helpful,