Sanchez01:

I almost ran mad in Enugu at first. I thought it was too slow for normal humans to dwell in. Imagine transport vehicles waiting for you after you flag them down. Most of them will even reverse to you no matter how far they had gone.

Life in Lagos is not normal. If you stay too long in Lagos, normal stuff becomes abnormal when you see them outside Lagos.

A place where I run around as if I am possessed. God forbids.

When you're born and raised in Lagos, serene places in most cases become abnormal to you. That's how I went to Enugu and for the full year I stayed there, I kept jumping in and out of buses. I'm always shouting 'e dey o, e dey o' and already up even before we get to the bus stop. And 99%of the times, the bus conductor will say "guy sit down na, I go stop for you'. I dey always shame eh.....

otipoju:


What are the best places to live in Ondo states.
If you dont mind give me a breakdown of the different areas and their advantages and disadvantages.

The commercial areas, residential areas/estates upscale, middle class etc. Night life happening spots etc.

The last time i was in lagos in 2018 after a four year absence, i knew i cannot live in Lagos again. All i saw was a pack of mad hyenas...and kept wondering if i was like that before i left Lagos.

Ondo is where i would choose to live if i ever have an extended stay.

Ill be expecting your write up. Please.

living in Akure,the ondo state capital is generally peaceful,but when it comes to find where to live,that one depends on your financial level,how rich you are,Alagbaka/oba_ile,ijapo,oda road,igabatoro road,is where u will find both rich and middle class residents,but they all go to Oba Adesida to shop/market,Oba Adesida is a commercial place in Akure,where u will find all classes of people,
having a place to live depend on your pocket,decent night live happens in Alagbaka,ijapo,oda road,but if you the type that chose low life happening,i think the commercial area of the city is your best bet,talking of Oba Adesida,isolo,sabo,etc,there u can find cheap hookers/concubine,hope u will find this usefull?

Ottyn01:
You can't be staying in Lagos and be normal... Is impossible

Depends on the side of Lagos and upbringing.

Someone who grew up in Mushin would have same experience as someone who grew up in V/I.

Again, not all Mushin would behave Mushin. Some were groomed like butter.

You are right.



In Lagos, you tolerate and even form partnership with all tribes.



Lagos is movement galore. Tribal melting pot.


Tuwale for festac. Where I from enter earth.


Lagos is truly unique, na light dey fall our hand. And organization, which are Nigerian problems.


I have been to many states too, they are unique, but all their creativity is also part of Lagos ways.
Lagos is like how america is to the world, where every local government in the world has a representation there.

Thattallgirl:


I heard of a young lady who boarded a bus here and instead of her to say "o wa o" she started shouting "there is there is"... people were confused until someone got what she meant and said "o ni o wa o"

There is...

Omolomo.

She for join conductor patrol Lagos.

Sanchez01:

I can't believe you still remember the gist! It was an embarrassing moment, I won't lie.

And your submission is spot on. Everyone is always angry in Lagos; too busy and always in a haste. A typical Lagosian will struggle for the first few months should they find themselves in a serene, quiet state.

Lagos is a jungle, walahi!

This is absolutely true!


During my service year in a beautiful town in Oyo state, after spending few months, I couldn’t wait to be back home. I missed the traffic, the noise, crowdy environments etc and these are the things I hate about Lagos! How I missed these craziness of Lagos still baffles me!
Finally after serving, immediately we got into Lagos, the craziness started! We were stuck in traffic for hours, car broke down in a deep ditch making the car flooded, my bags were soaked! My dad almost had an accident on his way to pick me up from the park, I became security conscious again unlike when I was in Oyo state etc Kai I miss Oyo state but I know I’ll definitely miss Lagos state again.

Stewart883:
Na mad people full lagos. Both the girls and guys are all mad!!! The funny thing is that they don't even know they are mad!

lmao, this is so funny

IMASTEX:
To me Lagos is a perfect place only for commerce and not a dwelling place. The general rush & stress level is extremely high. I once told a guy who was so obsessed with Lagos life, that Lagos would make one age faster because everything is always on the fast lane. I believe most persons who live in would have preferred living in neighbouring states if there were ease in transportation to & fro especially train system, so they can only work in Lagos and return to their state of residence daily. I prefer my southern states!

I was born and brought up in lagos but honestly the hustles and bustles here is nothing to write home about. I'm not still used to it and never will. Its getting worse by the day sef. I don tire

Sanchez01:

I can't believe you still remember the gist! It was an embarrassing moment, I won't lie.

And your submission is spot on. Everyone is always angry in Lagos; too busy and always in a haste. A typical Lagosian will struggle for the first few months should they find themselves in a serene, quiet state.

Lagos is a jungle, walahi!

A link to your Enugu story?

Lagos raised me. Abuja made me. No going back to that crazy hell-hole.

MummyD2020:


I was born and brought up in lagos but honestly the hustles and bustles here is nothing to write home about. I'm not still used to it and never will. Its getting worse by the day sef. I don tire

You guys are really trying seriously. The longest stay I have ever had was about a year and I was counting my days.

illicit:



Expensive and fast city....


When I was working at Ogba and living at Abule Egba, Half my salary goes to transport and the same bus you took for 50# in the morning could become 200 in the evening.... I kukuma resigned and went to Ondo state

Lol........Eko Oni baje!!!

Peppysco:


The "sorry for yourself" part hit me. Just trying to imagine the grin on the face of whoever told you that

Na true you can stay in this city all your life and be normal..I like dat part where u said na those poisonous fumes de make danfo drivers de behave like mad people. I think na d same tin de make police, lastma and those crazy vio de behave d way de do.
O boy u too mush.

Ishilove:

Hello sonofjos, thank you for sharing.

People like us who were born and raised here notice a marked difference in the tempo of activities in other areas of the country. I was in Ondo for a year and I almost ran mad there because life in that state is so... sleepy. Everyone was just moving like geriatric patients, unlike Lagos here where if you are too slow, you will be shoved aside. Last last when it was time to leave, I packed my travelling bags and two mighty Ghana-must-go bags and fled the place by 6am.

Lagos is a melting pot of different ethnic groups with different characters, both saintly and shady, so overtime it developed a character unique to it. We talk angrily a lot of the times because there is someone somewhere always trying to provoke you, cheat you, or steal from you so we are always on guard and on the defensive. Someone tried to pick my bag last year but the kind of eye I gave him must have turned his ancestors in their graves.

Add the congested roads and the traffic and you cannot be calm even if you try to. You will be angry for no reason. Yoruba people call it 'kan ra'. Pepper body. That is why danfo drivers behave like animals because one cannot sit inside hold up day in day out, inhaling noxious exhaust fumes, avoiding police, LASTMA, NURTW agbero, taskforce, police, VIO, those new ones wearing green uniform (I don't know these ones. There are so many uniforms in Lagos) and still be completely sane.

Conductors and passengers fighting is a normal thing. One day I was returning from work and saw two fighting in the middle of the road, and what amazed me was they were sparring like professional boxers, complete with the boxer's stance and leg work. iKid you not. Conductor and passenger. It was the agberos, funny enough, who came to chase them from the road because they were constituting nuisance to other road users. The kid you described did not have any super powers. He was just acting like the typical Lagosian who has been conditioned to act out in the face of provocation. Eat or be eaten. Some of these conductors are very rude and nasty (I suspect it is their own defence mechanism) while some passengers on the other hand are idiots.

The trader in Computer Village was not 'threatening' you. They are simply aggressive marketers. If you don't aggressively market your products you won't make any sales because there a 1001 traders selling the same thing as you. The secret to walking successfully through the Village is rearranging your face to look like granite, avoiding eye contact with anyone and stubbornly ignoring 'threatening'' calls. They cannot hijack you from the road into their shop, abi? Develop military mind!

The same military mind my friend Sanchez01 took to Enugu when he went on a visit. He wanted to board a bus and used ishon (muscle) to run pell mell to where the bus was parked waiting for him. When he jumped in with the skill of a James Bond stuntsman, he met the driver and passengers staring at him strangely.

The driver asked him: "Oga, are you from Lagos?", to which he replied in the affirmative. The driver then remarked "No wonder. It is only Lagos people that behave like they are fighting with everyone."

U miss gan

izzou:
I went to the bank yesterday. The queue was a bit long. The lady in my front was about to pass through the door when the guy behind me started shouting

Oga, make Una two enter. Two-two abeg

Before I could tell him to be patient, he had jumped the queue and entered with the Lady.

I just tire

sonofjos:
Dear lagosians,

Please pardon the grammatic errors.

Being born and bred in the north, I am conditioned to a certain societal behaviour that the first time I went to Lagos, interacting and seeing the people was a bit of a cultural shock to me. I've travelled to many states in the North and few in the south and almost all seemed just about the same as home.

But the first time I visited Lagos a few years ago I had many experiences that made it seem as if was in another country entirely. I'll share a few notable ones.

Please note that I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just giving a honest opinion

It was as if everyone seemd to converse harshly over very simple transactions. One would think they know each other from somewhere.
Many people in the public seemed angry as a default mode. I wondered why.

I boarded a bus to computer village and a primary school kid later joined and was later exchanging very hot words with the conductor who was a very muscular guy over some trivial amount. I watched with interest and it got to a point where I feared for the little guy because If that conductor decided to as much as slap the small boy, there won't be much left. But somehow the conductor calmed down as if he had met a worthy opponent. That boy seemed to me as if he had super powers.

I joined another bus and a fight broke out between the conductor and a passenger. Both of whom were muscular. None would hear sorry. The fight got so bad that the both ended with broken faces and the passenger got a rock and shattered off both side mirrors of the bus. Since I intended to join night bus home, I kukuma dropped and joined okada (it was legal then) which was much more expensive but worth it. I don't know how they ended.

I noticed many young people are muscular body builders. I wonder why.

I was walking on a street at computer village and a guy started threatening and commanding me to come over. At first, I thought he was speaking to someone else when I realised there was no one around me, and he made it clear he was referring to me. Till today, I don't know what confidence made me to keep walking. That was how I escaped O.

Everyone seems to be in hell of a rush.
I even said that if rapture takes place, Lagos would not know anything had happened for two weeks.

But Behind all these seemingly negative atmosphere, I discovered that lagosians are very kind people. Always willing to help.
As a stranger, I found it difficult to find places and routes. But almost anyone you ask is very willing to show you directions. I've had instances where people left their comfort to walk me to places where they gave me directions. Very welcoming set of people to strangers I tell you.

All these mixed experiences made me say that Lagosians are Indeed a very strange people.

Many other things I've experienced at Lagos over my other subsequent visits, but Lagos has remained strange to me.

I mean no disrespect to anyone, I'm just a fellow countryman who wants to better know my country.

My question to you guys is, why is Lagos the way it is?

Is there anything I missed or misunderstood about Lagos?

Thanks

Hi sonofjos,
That's how Lagos works! The guy that called you menacingly is probably one of those gangs that extort people in broad daylight around markets such as computer village and super. You were courageous enough to walk away, many Lagos kids who are raised sheltered will fall for that con. Yes, there are people born in Lagos that are so sheltered that this kind of experience will shock them a bit.

Yes

dancok:
living in Akure,the ondo state capital is generally peaceful,but when it comes to find where to live,that one depends on your financial level,how rich you are,Alagbaka/oba_ile,ijapo,oda road,igabatoro road,is where u will find both rich and middle class residents,but they all go to Oba Adesida to shop/market,Oba Adesida is a commercial place in Akure,where u will find all classes of people,
having a place to live depend on your pocket,decent night live happens in Alagbaka,ijapo,oda road,but if you the type that chose low life happening,i think the commercial area of the city is your best bet,talking of Oba Adesida,isolo,sabo,etc,there u can find cheap hookers/concubine,hope u will find this usefull?

Thank you very much. I dont live in Nigeria and will not for a very long time by Gods grace. But Akure is where i would prefer to cite all my anything that has to do land.

Osun mo ile ju Eko lo.

Holadpearl:
Lol. Best read on nairaland since a while.

Lagos is the only state I've been to that didn't have a "welcome to signage" .

There's no welcome to Lagos.
All you see is ... "This is Lagos"

So @op, This is Lagos....

ajeh this is so true!

Having lived most of my adult life in Lagos, and have travelled round the country for work and also a few West African countries, I conclude there is a fierce and aggressive spirit controlling Lagos. Traveled to Ghana by road once, immediately we crossed Seme, it was like a heavy burden was lifted off our shoulders. Coming back, as soon as we crossed in, see tension, curse, swear, fight, so terrible. Left Accra 6am, got to Seme 1pm, finally got home 9pm inside this same Lagos.
No joy for this place. Suffering and smiling yet some people call it sharpness.
I try not to let Lagos demon control me sha

Wahala be like bicycle

Just like other graduates searching for job opportunities in Lagos, I left my parents house to squat with a friend. I arrived Lagos at night and it was raining heavily. So when I reached my bus stop, I was avoiding been drenched in the rain. In the process of offloading my bags, the driver dropped my bag on the ground filled with water because I wasn't fast enough to grab it from him. As I ran to carry the bag, I noticed that it was torn. I was like "oga wetin happen to my traveling bag " he just looked at me without saying sorry.
In his mind I knew he calling my JJC and that was true because If I wasn't a JJC, I would have insulted him that night and he would have apologized for tearing my bag.

pocohantas:


The guys are building abs, the babes are doing bumbum surgery. We are looking good for ourselves ni. Sometimes when I close from work in the evening, the kind of guys with abs, beard and brown brogues I see ehn. I just say get thee behind me Satan.

Lagosians are always ahead of themselves and they are quite proud of that attitude.

Nice video on YouTube...it's getting better

..reminds me of my first week in Ondo, I would always chase after the cabs before they stop.
..That was how a passenger asked if I came for Lagos..
..After many years of chasing after Danfos at bustops...who could blame me.
..The day a taxi reversed to pick me, I was like..Shuu!!..nazo e dey be for here??.
The moment I land at Berger or Ojota...mehn it's Lagos Mode Activated oh.

Ishilove:

Hello sonofjos, thank you for sharing.

On a normal level, by normal level i mean equal opportunity- you will beat chimanda hands down.

looking forward to hearing your name up there one day.

bukatyne:




There is...

Omolomo.

She for join conductor patrol Lagos.

Right!

Jakumo:
As an unrepentant and ashamed villager to the bone, most cities are not my cup of tea, but Lagos occupies a surreally dystopian realm of its own, as a nightmarish and chaotic war zone that easily meets and exceeds all the criteria comprising my personal definition of hell on Earth.

1. Anger. As the OP stated EVERYBODY is fighting mad the instant they wake up in the bowels of Lagos, and primed on a hair-trigger, to start screaming, punching, biting and kicking like wounded animals, even in the total absence of any visible provocation.

2. Danger. Every traffic jam that traps your vehicle could be the location of your most serious injury ever sustained, or the site where you will be killed outright, by roving packs of hungry and desperate robbers who specialize in smashing car windows and stabbing the occupants while grabbing their valuables in a feeding frenzy.

3. Air and Nose Pollution : The harsh, choking smog billowing from millions of gridlocked rickety cars that are never regulated to reduce toxic emissions, combined with the unrelenting cacophony of EVERY driver leaning on their blaring car horn full time, punctuated by the hysterical screaming of combatants locked in frenetic fisticuffs, is cumulatively GUARANTEEED to reduce any human lifespan by a decade or more.

4. Uniformed Terrorists. Lagos is awash with a thousand different uniformed personnel, all foaming at the mouth in absolute rage, as they vigorously vie for supremacy over one another, and over civilians who, despite having no uniform to wear, are still more than willing to stand their ground while loudly invoking that ubiquitous phrase "Do you know who I am ?" in a suicidal bid to intimidate their uniformed oppressors, even when such adversaries are fully armed and more than ready to pull the trigger.

5. Utterly hopeless traffic congestion. Commuting from one side of Lagos to the other could take as little as 30 minutes, or as long as 5 hours, depending on whether accidents have blocked the road, or petrol tankers have once again exploded in traffic incinerating scores of people, or road works are in progress, blocking all but the narrowest escape routes.

To all who grew up in Lagos and love the place, may I just wish y'all the very best. As for me, I would sooner spend a month camping in the deepest and darkest forest, shooting snakes as needed, than spend a single day in the finest luxury hotel available in Lagos. Not for a million dollars cash, and paid up front, would I ever accept the challenge to spend a single week trapped in Lagos. Were it not for the international airport that happens to be located in Lagos, I would gladly and gratefully avoid setting foot in that congested and squalid post-Armageddon landscape, until I am dead and buried.

Perhaps it is no surprise that my favorite city on this planet, is San Diego California, where just about any location in town, can be reached in ten minutes of easy, relaxing freeway driving, with the car's cruise-control set at 55mph, and the radio station playing smooth jazz. Now THAT, is my kind of city. A life spent in Lagos, would amount to a death sentence by agonizing installment, for this simple country boy.

You are a freaking good writer. And this is coming from a fellow writer.

Sanchez01:

I think it was an over-the-phone gist Ishilove and I had a while ago. How she remembered is a mystery.

Ok
Thanks

The rush in Lagos, Nah Wa!

You have to leave the place to notice the difference.

We went out of Lagos for just a few days. The serenity outside was refreshing.

As soon as we got to the Welcome Gate or enter Lagos, we were rushed by sellers and the crowd was so overwhelming, you may get sick if you are not used to it.

Ishilove:

Hello sonofjos, thank you for sharing.

People like us who were born and raised here notice a marked difference in the tempo of activities in other areas of the country. I was in Ondo for a year and I almost ran mad there because life in that state is so... sleepy. Everyone was just moving like geriatric patients, unlike Lagos here where if you are too slow, you will be shoved aside. Last last when it was time to leave, I packed my travelling bags and two mighty Ghana-must-go bags and fled the place by 6am.

Lagos is a melting pot of different ethnic groups with different characters, both saintly and shady, so overtime it developed a character unique to it. We talk angrily a lot of the times because there is someone somewhere always trying to provoke you, cheat you, or steal from you so we are always on guard and on the defensive. Someone tried to pick my bag last year but the kind of eye I gave him must have turned his ancestors in their graves.

Add the congested roads and the traffic and you cannot be calm even if you try to. You will be angry for no reason. Yoruba people call it 'kan ra'. Pepper body. That is why danfo drivers behave like animals because one cannot sit inside hold up day in day out, inhaling noxious exhaust fumes, avoiding police, LASTMA, NURTW agbero, taskforce, police, VIO, those new ones wearing green uniform (I don't know these ones. There are so many uniforms in Lagos) and still be completely sane.

Conductors and passengers fighting is a normal thing. One day I was returning from work and saw two fighting in the middle of the road, and what amazed me was they were sparring like professional boxers, complete with the boxer's stance and leg work. iKid you not. Conductor and passenger. It was the agberos, funny enough, who came to chase them from the road because they were constituting nuisance to other road users. The kid you described did not have any super powers. He was just acting like the typical Lagosian who has been conditioned to act out in the face of provocation. Eat or be eaten. Some of these conductors are very rude and nasty (I suspect it is their own defence mechanism) while some passengers on the other hand are idiots.

The trader in Computer Village was not 'threatening' you. They are simply aggressive marketers. If you don't aggressively market your products you won't make any sales because there a 1001 traders selling the same thing as you. The secret to walking successfully through the Village is rearranging your face to look like granite, avoiding eye contact with anyone and stubbornly ignoring 'threatening'' calls. They cannot hijack you from the road into their shop, abi? Develop military mind!

The same military mind my friend Sanchez01 took to Enugu when he went on a visit. He wanted to board a bus and used ishon (muscle) to run pell mell to where the bus was parked waiting for him. When he jumped in with the skill of a James Bond stuntsman, he met the driver and passengers staring at him strangely.

The driver asked him: "Oga, are you from Lagos?", to which he replied in the affirmative. The driver then remarked "No wonder. It is only Lagos people that behave like they are fighting with everyone."

wow!. Ishilove, you can write well. You hit the nail on the head on all points. You get mouth jare. Have a cold bottle of your favorite drink on me.