Field trip time again. Since all of us have client companies somewhere in Nigeria, all the coaches plus our wrangler/mom, Melissa, packed up and headed to Lagos. When our Ghanaian friends heard this, their responses were all the same: “Oh, you’re going to Lagos!” Eye roll, nervous laughter, conspiratorial nod of the head. After about the 10th time, it got a little unnerving.
A simple yet effective alternative to an electric fence
I thoroughly enjoyed Lagos and the hospitality of our Nigerian hosts. Yes, it’s a big city, with big city problems and attractions. It has high unemployment and poverty like a lot of places in West Africa. Nigerians are (by their own admission) more forceful than Ghanaians, who agree with that assessment. The feel is different – bustling, moving fast. Lagos’ population is nearly the same as all of Ghana. It’s spread over a large area of mainland and islands.
Stars and Stripes Forever – Clinton and friend at Lekki Market
We stayed in a hotel on Victoria Island. It sports some of the most expensive real estate in the world. The juxtaposition with parts of the mainland is jarring. Imported tile, corrugated metal or thatched roof? Private school or no school?
Lagos – Contrasts
Traffic is the common denominator. Lagos is now #1 on my list of places in the world where I don’t want to drive. Or even open my eyes while on the road. Picture downtown Boston without rules. OK… too easy. Lots of drivers in many places in the world make 3 lanes from 2. In Lagos they turn 2 into 5. Cruising at about 40 mph down a main highway, I heard thumps. No, it wasn’t a bad tire. We were trading paint with cars around us. NASCAR in Africa! The driver thought nothing of it. But when someone ahead slowed down, he sure got upset. Abuja (capital city in the north) is beautiful, with similar congestion.
The Grand Mosque in Abuja
We had the opportunity to talk to government leaders in the capital. There is a wide gulf between their view of the economic situation and that of business people. The former were bullish about everything. New programs are the solution. The folks we talked to were very serious, and may make a difference some day. The business leaders were more realistic and cynical. They saw a public sector that “lost” $20B, then immediately fired the official who sought to investigate. The shiny object called oil made them lose sight of Nigeria’s strength as one of the world’s top agricultural exporters. Now they can barely feed themselves. One might ask, just where is that oil wealth is going? The GDP growth rate is phenomenal, but that money stops somewhere. A short drive down the street makes it painfully clear where that money is NOT going.
A suburb of Lagos