On the Move and Socialedge.org
have recently moved to my third neighborhood in Lagos in less than three months and am happy to be getting a good breadth of living arrangements. I first lived in Ikoyi on Lagos Island, later moved to Ajah and am now living in Lekki Phase 1.
I have been on a CD buying spree picking up Timaya, Femi Kuti, Eedris Abdulkareem and Asa. I also met a Nigerian Hip Hop group in Lekki called 4th Republic who have a hit track and cartoon music video out called “Mu bottle ye wa.”
“Yahoozee” is a popular song about kids in the internet cafes of Lagos and Benin City who have successfully engaged in advance-fee (419) and internet fraud. The song glorifies criminal activity, similar to many rap songs in the US. There are people who own homes and cars they bought with money they made through 419. “Yahoozee” is controversial because many Nigerians want to dispel the bad reputation Nigeria has for internet fraud, while others are proud of the cunning Nigerians who exploit people’s greed and “chop their dollars.” Is begging for money on the streets better and more economically productive than making money on the internet?
It is the rainy season and I have a lot of admiration for Lagosian commuters. There are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in this city who wake up every day at about 4:30am in an apartment without electricity, skip over massive puddles, brave heavy rains, traffic accidents, transfer from 3 buses and 1 okada and arrive in their office on Lagos Island at 7:30am dressed to the nines in crisp, pressed shirts and spit-shined shoes. However, the “go-slow” (traffic jam) takes its toll and it is common to see at least one heated argument or extra-judicial ruling over traffic accidents on the way back from Lekki to Ajah.
I finally had the opportunity to see a new part of Nigeria last week when I visited Abuja. Abuja is a well planned capital city with good infrastructure and beautiful solitary hills like Aso Rock meditating in the midst of Nigeria’s middle-belt. I attended a high profile wedding with many guests including the Governor of Benue State and a former high-ranking General during the Abacha regime. Last weekend I visited Abeokuta which is home to Olumo Rock and home town of Olusegun Obasanjo, Moshood Abiola, Wole Soyinka and Fela Kuti. I enjoyed driving out into the coutryside of Ogun state and seeing the public service announcements and political propaganda on billboards. Like, “Dare to be a Daniel,” “Congratulations to a Deserved Leader” and “One good term deserves another” for the Governor Elect Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
After climbing the rock we had an excellent lunch of amala, fish, egusi, draw soup and goat meat. I swallowed the amala in the Nigerian way instead of chewing it and napped on the drive back to Ojota. My interview on Social Edge is online now and can be viewed at: http://www.socialedge.org/blogs/new-entrepreneurs/archive/2008/06/24/ari-sznajder