Akinsulu Bamidele

Despite its earlier exposure to civilization, Lagos state is still among the dangerous place if not the most dangerous place to live in with many atrocities been perpetrated by powerful and miscreants people in Lagos state and the way the young people are being use for thuggery, gangsterism,women trafficking, drug trafficking trafficking ,and political thuggery by the people who own the means of Lagos state.
GANG OF LAGOS Movie is a true picture of Lagos state they are hiding from the outsiders.

Apart from the fact that majority street in Lagos state are full of heinous activities and the exposure of young people to this dangerous acts,Lagos state could be best described as a place where you must be cruel or wicked to survive and the bad news is that, it has been seen as culture by majority of the youth in Lagos state.

Gang of Lagos ,a movie recently released by Jade Osiberu which have Bankole Wellington, Adesua Etomi and others as the Executive producers is centers on the way political lord and politician are using thuggery to win election and survive at the advantage of the less privileges people. The movie shows how thuggery is been brood ,who are behind them ,how they protect their own and the expectant effects of gangsterism.

Though the movie was seen by politician as recap of what is happening in Lagos state and how Political Lord is controlling Lagos state and southwest generally and winning election by all means with no regard to the lives of people and a petition has been written to halt it by the indigenous people of Lagos state(isale eko ) people. In reality, Gang of Lagos portrays what is happening in Lagos state and the movie could be placed for award instead of castigating it by the so-called selfish politician that are economising with the lives and well being of Lagos people.

Akinwale also know as Nino in the movie is a young promising Youth that thought of leaving heinous activities for business but was convinced to stay till he met his untimely death. He was heard in one of the screen condemning his activities and said it should not been done by anybody but when isale Eko and their lord could not provide opportunity for them,he had to continue till he meet his untimely death.

Olorogun as been seen in the movie is a great politician in Lagos state state that has never lost any election due to the way he is using young people to trade his business successfully without minding if they would die or not.

Obalola who happened to be the protagonist of the play suffered a lot from the beginning to the end of the play. He lost his dad who happened to be one of the thug when he was still an infant,and started living life the way it comes to him. His mum tried to rescue him but efforts put abortive. He was used for many atrocities until he later joined hand with rival and terminated the life of Kazeem the leading thug to Olorogun the political Lord of isale eko.

For me,the movie is the true picture of what is happening in Lagos state and it will continue till necessary steps are taken. The Lagos state in reality has been a city of survival where you can work for all your days and lost everything to the owner of Lagos. Lagos is a dangerous city. I have seen how Lagos is corrupting the less privileges people when the few elites are living in fear. Apart from Isale Eko as been used in the movie, ijora badia,mushing, oshodi and other famous places in Lagos state are known for infamous activities and it is now becoming generational . In the movie, the daughter of Kazeem said, his infamous father will rule over Lagos one day despite the fact the he doesn't pass the educational corridor because of his connection to olorgun,this testified to the latent fact that Lagos state can be described as Jungle where you have to pay the master to survive.In the movie, olorogun is the master and the controller of Lagos, same thing in reality.

Toward the end of the movie, Kazeem was seen ,saying the he would rule Lagos state, to be frank,as it stand Tom and harry will still rule the Lagos state so far they can pay their way through.

The movie should be embraced by the youth and should not image it to Lagos state alone. They relate the movie to how politician are using them to perpetrate evils, what they could not do their children . The movie should serve as wake up call to Nigeria Youths who are eating crumb from the table of crime. They should wake up and and open their eyes to reality because that is when we can construct better society for ourselves that will be freed from hostilities.


Akinsulu Bamidele writes from Mass Communication Department, The Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State.