Africa's Super City.
Lagos. - (WIX, 2024)
Alongside Africa's Western coastline, is one of the largest megacities on Earth. It stretches across Nigeria's coast and has over 24 million residents. It is a testament to Nigeria's rapid economic and medical growth over the past 40 years. Even more than this, it is a monument to the power of Africa's developmental future. "...Lagos is Nigeria's economic powerhouse, making it a destination for people seeking new opportunities. But that rapid growth creates pressure on the streets, and the environment." (BBC, 2021). Lagos is the center of a new African development that has seen cities across the continent pop up to megacity status in the last 20 years. From Cairo to Lagos to Cape Town, these economic zones have shown Africa's grand capability to grow far and beyond their colonial restrictions, but they have also shown a worrying push on the environment and the people within.
"While the overall climate in Lagos is expected to see less rainfall overall with climate change, the intensity of rain is expected to increase, bringing with it greater risk of flooding. Meanwhile, the low-lying city is also particularly vulnerable to water from another source: rising seas. If global warming exceeds 2C, the city is predicted to see 90cm of sea level rise by 2100, according to research led by marine physicist Svetlana Jevrejeva, of the UK's National Oceanography Centre." (BBC, 2021). With Lagos experiencing the woes of climate change firsthand, it is essential to remember that the government's perspective on this issue is very divided. Part of what has made Lagos so rich is its urban expansion, cheap and unregulated industrial standards, and growing labor force. Climate change is seen as a potential threat to the economic power of Lagos, and many in Africa feel this is another example of uneven distribution of the burden of climate change. "Why does the West get to pollute, but we do not?" (BBC, 2021). It is a complex problem for one of the largest cities on Earth, but it is only a part of a larger story.
Lagos is also seen as the epicenter of West African music and cultural exchange. Its expanse has meant the world has taken notice and invested billions in its multitude of studios for film and music. It is an example of Africa's crown jewel of pop cultural movements. "Lagos is Nigeria's capital of culture, finance and entertainment. It is the laboratory of two of Nigeria's major cultural exports: music (including Afrobeat) and cinema (Nollywood). Afrobeat songs chart high on the Billboard Hot 100; Nollywood is the world's second-largest movie industry by output. Even as a boy growing up in northern Nigeria, hundreds of miles away, the city was my reality. Like most Nigerians, it informed my identity — culturally, linguistically, philosophically." (NYT, 2024). Lagos has seen tremendous growth in its cultural influence globally, but with Western influence, mainly British, often covering this up, Nigerians are beginning to rethink their relationship with the world. With Chinese investment growing, Russian influence sparking, and British power waning, Nigeria has also become a political powerhouse in its own right.
Long after British rule, Nigeria became one of the epicenters of African politics. However, it reignited a close relationship with the UK, one of its largest trade partners and military allies. As a part of the British Commonwealth, it enjoyed the many benefits of the Anglo-sphere but also began to experience the desire for true freedom from England. The rise of China in Africa provided a unique opportunity to align with other powers. "Unfortunately, Nigeria is also beset with corruption, human rights violations, a violent insurgency waged by Boko Haram in the northeast, and an armed rebellion in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Under these conditions, Nigeria has sought neutrality on Ukraine and aims to deepen relations with China and the United States to the greatest extent possible to serve its interests." (Carnegie, 2023). These interests are at the epicenter of Lagos's desire to become the world's supercity, but it remains unclear where these interests lie. Will it win its war in the north against terrorism, redevelop climate change, protect human rights, remain neutral globally, or retain the ancient English economic cooperation is unclear. However, Lagos's future remains steadily optimistic as it grows into Africa's most potent epicenter.
Bibliography
Buoro, Stephen. 2024. “Read Your Way through Lagos.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/books/books-lagos-nigeria.html (April 8, 2024).
Fabbian, Liza. 2023. “Nigerian Presidential Election: How Bola Tinubu Became the Master of Lagos.” Le Monde.fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2023/02/22/nigerian-presidential-election-how-bola-tinubu-became-the-master-of-lagos_6016792_124.html (April 8, 2024).
Halimat Somotan Assistant Professor of African Studies. 2024. “Lagos City Planning Has a History of Excluding Residents: It’s Happening Again.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/lagos-city-planning-has-a-history-of-excluding-residents-its-happening-again-217291 (April 8, 2024).
Johnson, Ayodele. 2022. “How Africa’s Largest City Is Staying Afloat.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210121-lagos-nigeria-how-africas-largest-city-is-staying-afloat (April 8, 2024).
“Megalopolis: How Coastal West Africa Will Shape the Coming Century.” 2022. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/27/megalopolis-how-coastal-west-africa-will-shape-the-coming-century (April 8, 2024).
Nigeria in the emerging world order - carnegie endowment for international peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/12/07/nigeria-in-emerging-world-order-pub-91192 (April 8, 2024).
Payton, Ben. 2024a. “Lagos, Nigeria’s Megacity, Grapples with Urban Planning Dilemmas.” African Business. https://african.business/2024/01/trade-investment/megacity-lagos-grapples-with-urban-planning-dilemmas (April 8, 2024).
———. 2024b. “Lagos, Nigeria’s Megacity, Grapples with Urban Planning Dilemmas.” African Business. https://african.business/2024/01/trade-investment/megacity-lagos-grapples-with-urban-planning-dilemmas (April 8, 2024).
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