An ode to the third most stressful city in the world

godfred akoto

September 25, 2017 7:54 AM

The city of Lagos is a sight of beautiful chaos

They can say

Lagosians, 20 million of us, know that Lagos can be a bit much. We know Lagos is stress with the bad traffic, bad roads, noise pollution and dirty streets.

Lagos is a jungle with mad max okada riders, fast and furious danfo drivers, and banshee conductors.

When it's night and darkness descends, the sound of generators haunts us. Rusty pipes pollute the air with carbon monoxide. And if you are stuck outside at night, know that hungry policemen will dig their claws into your pockets.

During the dry season, the sun can melt dreams and the rainy season is a watery nightmare.

Lagos is non-stop hustle. Lagos does not sleep. Lagos does not respect anyone. Lagos is fierce. Lagos is mad. Lagos is ugly. Lagos is chaotic. Lagos is noise. Lagos is a monster. Lagos is everything.

Lagos is Eko- the city of grind. This city of hustlers, the ones who refuse to take 'no' for an answer. When we wake up each day to go to work, we defy the odds. We defy the traffic. We defy the louts.

ALSO READ: Why Lagos is the best city to live

Lagos is all about obstacles and you overcoming them. Lagos is not paradise but it can be heaven for those who put in work mixed with street smarts. Lagos is not called 'ilu ogbon' for nothing. You have to be a quick thinker to make it in this concrete jungle.

And after you put in that work, it is time to party. As a popular singer once said 'ain't no party like a Lagos party'. We ball from sun up to sun down. We party hard. Eko Miami. We soak up the beauty of the sun at the beach. We dance to the latest Nigerian pop tunes till our backs are slick with sweat.

Lagos, the city of stars, the city of hustlers, the city of beautiful people, the city of hope. If you can make it in Lagos city you can make it anywhere in the world. The stress doesn't hold us back, it makes who we are.

And who are we? We are Lagosians. We walk the pavements, we ride the buses, we get stuck in traffic searching for that big break. Lagos doesn't break us. It moulds us to winners.

godfred akoto