Hope for the Future of Lagos

Lagos, a Mega-City with Mega Problems

Ndubisi Onwuanyi is a Lecturer in the Department of Estate Management, Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the University of Benin, our son Chinaku’s alma mater. I read his article about Lagos in an online site called The Conversation.

He detailed the history of Lagos from the time of the colonial administrators. He said, “The foundations of orderliness for any city are planning and management. Lagos had this in place in the early days. The city was governed by an elected Lagos City Council, Nigeria’s oldest, established in 1900.”

The city continued to be orderly, and lovely, until the 1960s. I remember my early days in Nigeria. My flat was in Ikoyi, then a solely residential part of Lagos. My first school was on Lagos Island, near the museum and a tennis club. Going back and forth I passed attractive homes in the developing residential area of Southwest Ikoyi.

When Clem and I married I moved into his house. It was in the colonial style, surrounded by nearly an acre of trees and bushes, with a gardener to take care of it all.

After the civil war we moved into another house in Ikoyi, newer but also attractive. After he left the Electricity Corporation which had provided our homes, we lived for a couple of years in an American Embassy duplex, again surrounded by greenery and other pleasant homes.

The military governments that took over from the late 1960s until 1999, with a brief break, had no interest in city governance. They did not pay attention to the infrastructure or municipal regulations. In 1991 the new capital in Abuja opened, and Lagos was further neglected until 2000, when a civilian government again took over.

There have been positive changes, the writer says. “For example, over the past 15 years the authorities succeeded in raising more taxes using money to restore basic infrastructure, expand public services and strengthen law enforcement.”

But with both Lagos State and the municipal leaders of Lagos in charge, it is difficult to establish authority. He is hopeful, though he is wary of who will be left out.

He closes the article saying, “City planners should not plan for only the rich to the exclusion of the poor and disadvantaged. While accepting that slums and informal settlements have to be tackled, my research recommends a policy rethink that should involve enabling strategies which fully address the rights of people who are illegally settled on public land.”

I was surprised by his conclusion, but glad he addressed the needs of the millions in and around Lagos who do not have proper housing.

Women in Space

Today marked a milestone for astronautics: two female astronauts, unaccompanied by a male, undertook a task outside the international space station to repair a power controller.

 

The original plan was for two women to do a spacewalk together in March. But they found there was only one spacesuit on the international space station that fit the women! So having two women had to wait until a suit could be adjusted.

“Spacesuits are essentially mini-spaceships, built for one of the most dangerous tasks during an astronaut’s mission,” the article says. Each is configured individually for the astronauts. There are many adjustable parts, upper torso and waist, elbows and knees, gloves, and padding, among them.

In a congratulatory call with President Trump, Ms. Meir said, “This is really just us doing our jobs.” She added that credit was owed to the female explorers, scientists, engineers and astronauts who came before her.

NASA TV showed a conversation with Ms. Koch recently. She was asked if she was bothered about having her gender brought up. She said no, it’s important to have her gender pointed out so others notice. Just like in schools where having minority teachers and administrators visible to the students, having female astronauts visible to the world sends a message to everyone. Especially for minorities and girls, seeing someone like you is powerful. It says, “You can do this too!”

Which makes me think I’ll send the article to my granddaughters!

Igbo People in the Diaspora

My husband’s people, the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria, are firm believers in community. They gather wherever they live around the world to celebrate their cultural heritage.

In China recently, the Igbo people celebrated the New Yam Festival!

The Chinese branch of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, the name given to the organization charged with uniting Igbo people anywhere, was established in 2017. They held their “maiden New Yam Festival” in early October. Hundreds turned out for the celebration.

The event took place in Guangzhou. The Consul General of Nigeria in Guangzhou was present for the occasion. Others who attended were the President of the Nigeria Community China, the President of the Nigeria Business Communities in China, and various African community leaders and Chinese-Nigerian families.

I can imagine the scene with fabulous clothing, music, and speeches. Breaking kola would have been first on the agenda!