Lagos!

I had heard from several people (plus my lonely planet guide book) that you can’t come to Nigeria without seeing Lagos. This past weekend I saw the real Nigeria, and it is incredible.

It started off typically Nigerian with a three hour delay at the Abuja airport Friday evening. Once we were finally about to board the plane, a monsoon like storm began. We only had to walk from the shuttle up the stairs to the plane, but in even those 10 seconds, we were soaked. To top it off, as Niki and I entered the plane, a bolt of lightning lit up the night sky. A small part of me wondered if this trip was meant to be, but Niki and I now have a history of poor luck when flying together so we brushed it off and took our seats. (Our journey from DC to Abuja took twice as long as it was supposed to.) Once on board, we waited another hour for the storm to pass before we took off for Lagos.

While Niki and I were waiting in the airport, this little guy joined us and provided some much needed entertainment. His mom was working at the one restaurant in the Abuja airport.

My friend Igho picked us up from the airport (it’s only an hour flight), and by that time it was close to 11pm—our flight was supposed to land at 6:30pm. Since Igho knew we were delayed, he ordered Thai food to go so we went and picked up dinner and then headed back to his house on Victoria Island. I met Igho when he lived in DC. He studied at George Washington University, but returned to Lagos after graduating. As Niki and I were to learn, it’s quite common for the more affluent Nigerian families to send their children to schools in either England or the States.

The Thai food was delicious. Nigerians love their spice so they add extra heat to the already spicy Thai food. We went to bed and I had my first restful night of sleep since being in Nigeria. 

Saturday morning we went to a café and enjoyed two cups of coffee each. It was the first real coffee we tasted in three weeks! (I don't count Folgers, which is what our hotel serves.) Despite being a bustling city of 10 million, and the economic and financial capital of Nigeria, the coffee culture has not yet taken off in Lagos. This café not only had great coffee, but had really cool art work displayed on the walls that I wish I had captured.

After the café, we stopped by a restaurant where Igho’s sister was having a birthday lunch with a few friends. We hung out a little while until we decided we needed to get our own lunch at a place called Manuela’s. At this point Igho’s girlfriend joined us as well as Sam, an IBMer from the Lagos office. We split a few pizzas and talked about the many things to do in Lagos, and in particular, about the growing jazz and art culture of the city.

After lunch, we visited a couple of really neat shops where I bought a dress designed by a local artist and friend of Igho, and a Nigerian soccer jersey, of course. At each place we went, Niki and I wished we had something similar in Abuja. That truth is, there is just not much of anything in Abuja but government agencies. However, in another 10 years, I think that will change. It is a new capital and needs time to develop. The government also needs to invest more money into it to attract tourism. 

That afternoon, Igho said he had to swing by a friend’s place and take some photos of an event. Igho works in finance, but does photography on the side for fun. The three of us arrived at this private estate where a jazz band was just starting to play. We sat down inside and soon had two glasses of wine handed to us. It turns out the owner of the house is the director of the annual Lagos Jazz Festival, which had its inaugural debut last year. He held this small jazz and wine party on Saturday in hopes of raising money and obtaining sponsors for the festival this November. The event probably had fewer than 30 people in total and included folks from Guinness, Mercedes, and Jack Daniels. Niki and I were living the life!

The gluttonous weekend continued with a fantastic sushi dinner. We went to a very nice restaurant on the waterfront, Lagos is on a Lagoon that opens up to the Atlantic Ocean, and shared a huge platter of sushi. I was very impressed with how fresh and well prepared the fish was. Before ending the night, we stopped by one of Igho’s friend’s houses. She was about to return to London for work so was having one last party with her friends. 

I want to write so much more about this weekend and about Lagos in general, but I can’t repeat all our conversations. In short, if you have the money, you can live a great life in Lagos and be part of a growing, eclectic, and vibrant culture. However, you also have to deal with corruption. For example, we passed a few police checkpoints in the city where the officers often expect tips, especially if you don’t want to deal with being pulled over and questioned about where you’re going to dinner or whatever. We drove by the Chevron headquarters in Nigeria which sparked conversations about oil money and the power supply problem in the country. While Igho’s family lives in a gated community, most people live in shanty towns which surround these communities. To end, Lagos is a fascinating city that anyone traveling to West Africa should explore.

#ibmcsc