Dasuks:


Your views on Lagos and its intrinsic value is faulty. Early 20th century Lagos was not up to Ibadan and not up to 2x of historically important cities like Iwo. Southern Nigeria revenues under the British was generated across Lagos, Burutu, Sapele, PH, Calabar and Opobo etc to name a few and it was most certainly less than 10 million pounds up until the 40s. Lagos' real growth happened over the late 60s and specifically the early 70s. And that was a function of the oil boom. Billions of dollars poured into Nigeria and were allocated from Lagos at the center of military, political, economic and social functions (No city has ever assumed such a role, not even Abuja today).

Lagos benefits as a center of Nigeria, not because it is a valuable entity on its own. Its most glorious days, today, sees state revenues of almost 4 to 5 billion USD and heavy contributions to Customs and port revenues. The so called customs and port revenues are less than 8 billion USD annually (Lagos is probably 60% of this). Remember that there's a huge chunk from offshore oil regulatory and coordination activity. Oil generates 40 to 90 billion USD (depending on prices) annually. lagos revenues cannot run Nigeria or the SW. Its the oil sales that is given to the SW states . Btw those cities u called, do u know what their revenues are like ? Taipei uses 12 billion USD a year. Singapore is 102 billion USD (larger than even Nigeria's). So that point will not hold.

The oil revenues from one year of Buhari's govt (52 bln USD average) is equivalent to at least 6 years of ports and customs revenues holistically. Nigeria has made almost a trillion from the oil and places like Lagos have benefitted being the center of the investment activity. 60% of all investment is toward energy and power, and all these transactions are processed in Lagos regardless of where they are to be situated.
And the remainder toward manufacturing are also located there, because it is a convergence point for Nigerians. If u take that away, then it is no important than Ibadan.

Lagos is a product of Nigerian investment. Most of what is attributed to it is a function of its centrality in Nigerian affairs. Take away the people and the status as financial and economic center and move it elsewhere, and see what happens. Those same ppl move. The only intrinsically valuable places in Nigeria are those little villages where the oil is extracted from and their offshore zones. If u dash these areas to Cameroon, the tens of billions of revenue will revert to Yaounde n Douala.. If they become their own country, then PH and co get the benefits. Lagos is what it is because of its place in the Nigerian equation.

There is nothing important or inherent in the land or its environs. Same goes for PH, Abuja etc. They are not intrinsically valuable pieces of land without the artificial constructs wrought by the Nigerian state.

So u cannot really castigate the Nigerian FG without first admitting to ur part in the consumption of the very same spoils these past 60 years.

Your view is very myopic, uncivilized and nomadic. You said early 20th Century Lagos was not up to Ibadan and not up to 2X important historical city like IWO. This statement has shown your view is very primitive and you lack knowledge of economic analysis and development. Mentioning Ibadan and a rural town like IWO that was transforming from village to rural town as at the time you mentioned is making a mockery of intellect. You should have compared the economy of Lagos to other more historical towns like Ife, Oyo and Ogbomoso or Ejigbo as well. You don't just dabble into an intelligent discussion without having the prerequisite intelligent background. Using size or population as economic metrics or developmental parameters of Cities is very parochial and shows death of intelligence knowledge.

I will not answer you the way I should because you may not understand. Lagos was poor and now is even poorer now because it is part of Nigeria. Being part of Nigeria makes Lagos poor as her potentials and resources is being stolen by Nigeria. This is a discussion the Ghanaians analyzed few years back in Accra. The British that made Lagos a Colony know what they did.

There are three States in US that are richer than France. Singapore is an Island but richer than Nigeria and West Africa. University of California budget is almost the same with Nigeria budget. Norway population is less than 6 million but makes more money from fishing than Nigeria makes from Oil. Dubai, one of the Emirates in United Arab Emirates makes more money from Tourism than Nigeria makes from Oil, the population of Dubai is not up to Lagos Mainland. There are States in US that makes more money from Aviation alone more than Nigeria makes from Oil. All those crude oil revenue you mentioned with recorded generated revenue of Lagos is very funny when 95% of internal revenue cannot be generated or stolen. If Lagos is running an independent economy, about 80% of the present population cannot be in Lagos.

Lagos has three International borders - Land, Sea and Air. These are Triangular Economic Power similar to the Mystical Spiritual Triangular Powers of the Sun, Moon and Star just as you have the Spirit , Soul and Body which spiritually makes up the human being. The British know more about Lagos before making it a Colony. I will stop here and be a layman at primitive level so that you can understand me.

Before the era of Pa Candido Da Rocha, Lagos has been a port for slave trade and West Africa trade hub . Lagos to Accra is shorter than Lagos to ABUJA. Lagos to Abidjan is shorter than Lagos to Kaduna. Lagos has link to many viable African countries. The unaccounted trade is more than 95% of the total value. The British settled first in Calabar as Capital when they came. Nigeria has not benefited Lagos, rather, Lagos benefited Nigeria. The most enterprising people in Africa - the IBOS are everywhere. If the British had left the Capital in Calabar, the business of the IBOS in Calabar wouldn't have been the same model with that of Lagos despite boundary to Cameroon and route to Equatorial guinea.

Nigeria did not make Lagos a trade hub, the Portuguese and other Europeans have been doing business in Lagos before Nigeria . It is Nigeria that caged and exploited Lagos. Comparing cities the way you did is very primitive and uncivilized. I cannot do economic analysis because you may not understand. You mentioned Ibadan and even mentioned IWO, you are very funny. A Director of Federal Ministry who later became a Minister told me at Abuja in 1997 that Lagos is just an ordinary city in Nigeria like any other City because Capital has been relocated to ABUJA. He said they are planning to dredge Lokoja River to Ocean in Niger Delta to relocate Port from Lagos to Lokoja. He said there is nothing again in Lagos. That was their believe. They are nomads with nomadic thinking. I just met one of them on nairaland.

Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba the commercial cities that demonstrated the Courage, Resillence and Enterprising spirit of the IBOS did not become commercial cities because they are in Nigeria. Those cities are never Nigeria or State Capitals but are created by Industrious people of Commerce. Lagos is never what it is because of being a Nigeria Capital. IBB relocated Capital from Lagos after Gideon Okar' s Coup in 1991 , Abacha finally destroyed Lagos from 1994 to 1998. Abuja has been Capital since 1991. From 1960 to 1991 was 31 years of Lagos as Capital. Abuja the Capital developed by the Kaduna Mafia with Niger Delta oil money is now 30 years. They will go to NTA international channel to advertise Abuja as the Political and Economic Capital of Nigeria. The International community understand Lagos as the Commercial Capital.

christistruth01:


Give it time SW will take back her Ports

Unspecified time is no time

babaolofin:


Your view is very myopic, uncivilized and nomadic. You said early 20th Century Lagos was not up to Ibadan and not up to 2X important historical city like IWO. This statement has shown your view is very primitive and you lack knowledge of economic analysis and development. Mentioning Ibadan and a rural town like IWO that was transforming from village to rural town as at the time you mentioned is making a mockery of intellect. You should have compared the economy of Lagos to other more historical towns like Ife, Oyo and Ogbomoso or Ejigbo as well. You don't just dabble into an intelligent discussion without having the prerequisite intelligent background. Using size or population as economic metrics or developmental parameters of Cities is very parochial and shows death of intelligence knowledge.

I will not answer you the way I should because you may not understand. Lagos was poor and now is even poorer now because it is part of Nigeria. Being part of Nigeria makes Lagos poor as her potentials and resources is being stolen by Nigeria. This is a discussion the Ghanaians analyzed few years back in Accra. The British that made Lagos a Colony know what they did.

There are three States in US that are richer than France. Singapore is an Island but richer than Nigeria and West Africa. University of California budget is almost the same with Nigeria budget. Norway population is less than 6 million but makes more money from fishing than Nigeria makes from Oil. Dubai, one of the Emirates in United Arab Emirates makes more money from Tourism than Nigeria makes from Oil, the population of Dubai is not up to Lagos Mainland. There are States in US that makes more money from Aviation alone more than Nigeria makes from Oil. All those crude oil revenue you mentioned with recorded generated revenue of Lagos is very funny when 95% of internal revenue cannot be generated or stolen. If Lagos is running an independent economy, about 80% of the present population cannot be in Lagos.

Lagos has three International borders - Land, Sea and Air. These are Triangular Economic Power similar to the Mystical Spiritual Triangular Powers of the Sun, Moon and Star just as you have the Spirit , Soul and Body which spiritually makes up the human being. The British know more about Lagos before making it a Colony. I will stop here and be a layman at primitive level so that you can understand me.

Before the era of Pa Candido Da Rocha, Lagos has been a port for slave trade and West Africa trade hub . Lagos to Accra is shorter than Lagos to ABUJA. Lagos to Abidjan is shorter than Lagos to Kaduna. Lagos has link to many viable African countries. The unaccounted trade is more than 95% of the total value. The British settled first in Calabar as Capital when they came. Nigeria has not benefited Lagos, rather, Lagos benefited Nigeria. The most enterprising people in Africa - the IBOS are everywhere. If the British had left the Capital in Calabar, the business of the IBOS in Calabar wouldn't have been the same model with that of Lagos despite boundary to Cameroon and route to Equatorial guinea.

Nigeria did not make Lagos a trade hub, the Portuguese and other Europeans have been doing business in Lagos before Nigeria . It is Nigeria that caged and exploited Lagos. Comparing cities the way you did is very primitive and uncivilized. I cannot do economic analysis because you may not understand. You mentioned Ibadan and even mentioned IWO, you are very funny. A Director of Federal Ministry who later became a Minister told me at Abuja in 1997 that Lagos is just an ordinary city in Nigeria like any other City because Capital has been relocated to ABUJA. He said they are planning to dredge Lokoja River to Ocean in Niger Delta to relocate Port from Lagos to Lokoja. He said there is nothing again in Lagos. That was their believe. They are nomads with nomadic thinking. I just met one of them on nairaland.

Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba the commercial cities that demonstrated the Courage, Resillence and Enterprising spirit of the IBOS did not become commercial cities because they are in Nigeria. Those cities are never Nigeria or State Capitals but are created by Industrious people of Commerce. Lagos is never what it is because of being a Nigeria Capital. IBB relocated Capital from Lagos after Gideon Okar' s Coup in 1991 , Abacha finally destroyed Lagos from 1994 to 1998. Abuja has been Capital since 1991. From 1960 to 1991 was 31 years of Lagos as Capital. Abuja the Capital developed by the Kaduna Mafia with Niger Delta oil money is now 30 years. They will go to NTA international channel to advertise Abuja as the Political and Economic Capital of Nigeria. The International community understand Lagos as the Commercial Capital.

Prerequisite intelligence indeed ? And what did you end up saying.. Lagos as a multibillion dollar center of economic functions is as a result of its place within Nigeria. Yes, in the 50s and at independence Lagos was not up to twice the size of places like Iwo, Ogbomosho, etc. and smaller than Ibadan. https://escholarship.org/content/qt43h9640r/qt43h9640r.pdf?t=lnq1ci (page 6 of the pdf, p.703). Early 70s awas a game changer for most of Nigeria. The state/national identity we know today is from that period.

Cocoa or oil palm gave us 100 million Nigerian pounds in revenues. Lagos wasn't all that then. But by the mid 60s and 70s when funds exceeding total GDP and budget poured into Nigeria for energy projects, where were those transactions processed ? 400 million USD from companies across Europe and NorthAm to a country that did not even have capital stock up to half that amount... 18 billion USD revenues by 1976, centered in what location? distributed from where ? The marquee urban infrastructural were located where? Undertaken by what authorities (Biafran or Oduduwan ?). Lagos' port activity in TEUs was what in the 50s or the 60s ? 90% of import dollars are from where? CBN or [CBO or CBB (Oduduwa and Biafra)]
Nigerian oil dollars is what allows the import trade. Lagos is not industrial as it is commercial. Air land and sea transport infrastructure developed by what authorities and with what money ? You know what intrinsic value is right ? As per Oga Sabi-everything-with-the-requisite-intelligence.

Now on the figures on Singapore and Taiwan, I merely pointed to you that you seem to not understand that those locations are way ahead of Nigeria on economic terms, even with all the oil money.. So bad reference... there u go with the comparisons, UAE?.. You forget the financial backing provided by Abu Dhabi for all that to smoothen out in the 90s and early 2000s ? Stop talking about kaduna mafia etc. That's not relevant. The boogeyman of northern domination is a worn out tool. Lagos was the military economic financial and political center of NGA for decades and that was what made it what it is today. Today it is not the military or political capital.. But what's ur point about Abuja being economic and Lagos. commercial ? For a professor, you are quite comical. Lagos is the financial/economic/commercial capital. Trade, investment transactions, capital markets and corporate leadership is centered in Lagos. So it retains the broad economic capital title, whether commercial or otherwise. What is in Abuja except government power ? On raw industrial activity, PHC even does better than Abuja.. Visit Abuja during oil busts and observe for yourself.

Lastly, unaccounted trade is 95% of value ? what are u on ? what is the size of the total addressable market of West Africa ? The same Lagos has a GDP (thanks to its place in Nigeria) bigger than that of Abidjan, Accra and their entire nations (CIV AND GHA). So why are you making it look like there is an endless well of trade activity as tho u border Shenzhen or NYC? Kano is more important to Lagos than those cities, PHC is more important to Lagos than those cities. Look at the transactions processed in Lagos... Look at the users of the port in Lagos. Another thing, users of Tema and Abidjan have no need for Lagos ports and have developed their own infrastructure as sovereigns in their own right. Dont get too comfy with these ur anti-Naija ideas. if anything happens, u will see the change.

Btw if Calabar was dredged properly and became the principal city, same thing would have happened there..Just saying.. hasn't the same Naija advanced Ibo trade and ingenuity. Or who controls trade in Lagos, PHC, Abuja, Kano ? etc