Living in Lagos Nigeria can be fun or weird depending on what you already know about the great city of Lagos. Welcome to Nigeria’s no.1 city, the commercial capital of Africa, where everything happens. To really get along in Lagos, you have to be #streetwise. Getting to know some of these survival tips in Lagos will save you a lot of stress, trouble and heartbreak. Some of the Lagos survival hacks include:


1. Fast Life: Everybody in Lagos is always in a rush. They want meet up with the next appointment, client, person, destination etc., So don’t expect that bus driver to completely stop or park-well before you get in or alight and when in, hold sits rails as you move to your seat cos bus might zoom off before you might even get to sit down.

2. Know your bus stops: If not very familiar with bus stop to drop off, always tell the bus conductor the very bus stop you intend dropping off and tell passengers near you to notify you when you get to that bus stop. Still remind them after a while cos they might have forgotten. Normally, conductors call bus stop names as the journey progresses. When you hear your bus stop been mentioned, you shout "Owa" - which is a Yoruba word meaning, “it’s in”. This alerts the driver and he parks so you drop off.

3. Ask wisely: When asking for directions, ask at least 2 persons before you heed that direction and while walking towards that direction for a while, ask other persons on that way so as to be sure you are going the right way.

4. Enter right vehicle: Always enter yellow coloured buses if taking commercial transport or use Uber or Taxify app on your phone to book for driver near you if you can afford it and especially if you dress porch or cooperate so you don’t be prey to the badt guys. If a lady, try avoid free rides (going my way). There are many stories of near end of life experience after such and some others never lived to narrate their ordeals.
[img][/img]

5. You are not James Bond: If driving yourself, don’t be tempted to beat corners like the drivers over here, you could get your vehicle scratched, damaged badly or drive against traffic which will get you fined by Lastma officials (Lagos traffic officers) or even the police.

6. Boys are not smiling: Just like every other busy cities of the world. There are a lot of criminally minded persons here. You need have the mentality that everybody is a suspect until they prove otherwise. So before you make that call in public, make sure your discussion is not exposing your personal life. Robbers, Kidnappers are for real here. Some can even follow you up to your house, then come at night to rob/kidnap you. Many people you see standing in bus stops are jobless and are ready to devour anybody.

7. Operate phone in traffic with sense: Operating your phone while in public bus in traffic (Go slow) especially when seated close to the window is risky, it could be jacked from you through the window. If you must operate your phone, make sure you are not seated to window side.

8. Avoid overly active acts: Reject any unsolicited activities that involves body contacts in public areas from strangers and make sure you check your belongings after such especially wallets, phones are still with you. If not, grab them and begin shouting Ole! Ole!! Ole!!! Which means Thief! Thief!! Thief!!! In Yoruba until crowd gathers and you explain to them what just happened and you that can’t find your belongings anymore. Trust Lagos, most times they will buy the case from you. Common instance is a person or group of person might hug or carry you calling you generic names and you will be wondering where you got to know them – don’t be carried away, it’s a trick, After the little drama, you find out you don't know yourself from Adam. You will realize later your wallet; phone is gone in that process. They do this smartly without you noticing. Some will even act like police men and try act like they want arrest you by grabbing you by the trouser then say it’s just a joke and might shook hands with you as sign of friendship to ease your anxiety. My dear, your valuable is gone. Some will even start forming one foreign accent claiming they have this or that. Never buy into that. We call them local scammers. They have their scripted well prepared and you will never be happy to narrate your ordeals. Most will even you be being used for rituals. Learn to face squarely what brought you out of house for the first instance.

9. Guard your Pocket: When entering bus especially at close or start of work hours. Some of the persons that struggles to get into bus with you are pocket picketers’. They are not going anywhere. They get in and get down immediately. So while you rush with the crowd, guard your pocket and belongings jealously.

10. Lagos don’t sleep: Lagos night life is superb. Though you can almost get transport at every time of the day including odd hours of the day but your safety is at such times not guaranteed. If it’s not the armed street criminal, it will be the very diabolic people ready to use human part/life for their selfish spiritual solutions.
Lagos is really a great city with plenty of opportunity especially if you are skilled or have money to invest. Some persons have stayed for a very long period here and never experienced any of this while some others experienced a couple of them in a few period of stay. This is Lagos, be #streetwise.

Courtesy:

https://marblebrandhotel.com.ng/blog

When you frighten people with all of these, you still expect them to patronize you?

Lagos...wherever..... minus the body ritualists.... it's the way of life in congested big cities.

Mizwisdom:

its not to frighten anybody, its just to put visitors at alert.

MbHotel:
its not to frighten anybody, its just to put visitors at alert.

You're frightening people, take note no need to argue

Mizwisdom:



You're frightening people, take note no need to argue

Thanks