Intrusion

I was in the market today and the eggs in the middle of this photo caught my attention but a passerby strolls into my shot and he's startled when he sees my camera flash. I hope he does not go home thinking he's being followed by spies. I waved at him as my ride drove off. He is just an innocent intruder.

Flowers for you

It's just stopped raining here so I went to the garden behind my office block where I saw this lovely flower. Do have a lovely weekend from everybody in Lagos.

Beautiful vessels

I have always loved the sea mainly from reading about it in books. I have only sailed on water once when I took a ferry as an experiment across the Lagos channel to Apapa. That was four years ago. I could not restrict myself taking this photo of boats at the millionaire Lagos Boat Club in Victoria Island. Someday I'll own my own.

Whet your appetite

I want to begin the week by whetting your appetite with this picture of a chef getting ready to serve his pastries. I took this photo at an event I attended a couple of days ago. Wouldn't you say the cakes look good? And they were really delicious because I got to have a taste. Hmmmm...memories of good times come rushing back to my mind.

Have a great week.

It is maize season

The rainy season brings about the harvesting of corn cobs here and they are prepared in many different ways. One of them is by roasting on hot coal. They are sold hot and are very delicious.

Bini chief

This is a photo of a Bini chief in the premises of the National Theatre. You can see the man standing tall and proud. Notice the beads around his neck and wrists, they signify he is a very important man. Unfortunately, the name plate at the base of the monument was missing when I took the photo so I could not identify him.

Buy anything

I once heard a comedian say that one can get stuck in a Lagos 'hold up' and not go hungry. He said that you can purchase a cooking stove while in traffic, buy some gas in it, get a tuber of yam, cooking pot, cutlery, oil, and plates, all in the comfort of your car and then make food before getting out of the traffic. How gross!

This guy here is selling pirated DVDs for amusement while you wait.

Get a castle in traffic

It is not unusual to get stuck in traffic in Lagos. It is a daily occurrence for Lagosians to spend some considerable amount of time in traffic. But the good thing is that you can actually purchase anything while waiting in the cool, or sometimes uncomfortable comfort of your car...don't mind my juxtapositioning of words.

In this photo I caught a newspaper vendor selling a property journal in a 'hold up' as we like to call it in Nigeria.

It's a Sunday

Most people I know go to church on Sundays because it affords them the opportunity to hear a rejuvenating message to prepare them for the week. This picture was taken after the service at Daystar Christian Centre, Ikeja.

King Kanu!!!

It was the final of the English FA Cup today at the Wembley Stadium in London where my country men Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka emerged winners with the Portsmouth FC team over Welsh team Cardiff City. Both Kanu and Utaka were the lead acts as they worked together to score the lone goal of the match. It was Kanu's crowning moment as he slipped the ball into the net from an Utaka cross that was parried by the Cardiff goalie. It's Kanu's third FA Cup win and Utaka's first. In the above photo (sorry it's not too clear) Kanu raises three fingers in the air signifying his third triumph. His story is an inspiring one. After suffering a life threatening heart disease about 12 years ago, he has gone on to play among the best in the world. Officially, Kanu is the most decorated African footballer ever having won the UEFA Champions League(1995), UEFA Cup(1997), 3 FA Cups, 2 English League trophies, the Dutch League, World Under 17 title(1993), and the Olympic Football gold in 1996.

Therefore you can understand when I dedicate today's photo to him even as I am in Lagos and he in London. All hail King Kanu!!!

National Theatre

This is the National Theatre located in Iganmu. It was constructed in the late 1970s when Nigeria hosted the Festival of Black Arts and Culture (FESTAC). It is constructed in the shape of a military officer's cap. It plays host to some major plays and concerts.

Agreement signed

When the groom's overtures have been accepted by the bride's family and the bride accepted by the groom's, they are both prayed over and their union is blessed. The new couple then take a seat on the ceremonial bridal chair where the bride performs her first traditional duties of feeding her husband with a piece of cake and then adjusts his dress in a manner signifying that she will beautify his life. After that comes the celebration dinner or lunch party.

Begging for the bride

In traditional Yoruba weddings, the groom and his friends "beg" for a wife from the parents of the bride. In this photo, the groom (in green agbada) prostrates before his wife's family in a manner asking for their endorsement as he's found a "lovely flower in their backyard" that he wants to pluck.

He is later accepted into the family after paying his way through supported by his friends all the way. The bride is then led into the hall where she goes through the process of meeting her parents for prayers before she heads into the new family of her husband.

Lagos beauties

The main photo today is a reproduction of a photo I saw at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, as part of an exhibition of Old Lagos in the days just before independence. I make to think how these ladies must have felt on top of the world as being the belles of their time.

In the second image is a present day marriage ceremony where the friends of the shy bride (in green Aso Oke shawl) dance with her as she enters the wedding hall to meet with her new family. You must have observed that the dress type is not very different from the older photo. I will be posting images from a traditional Yoruba wedding in the next couple of days and explaining all the interesting processes of getting a wife in Yorubaland.

Way to Lagos

This photo was taken on the 3rd Mainland Bridge which leads into the heart of Lagos.

Patriotic Okada man

This commercial motorcyclist, Okada man, flies the Nigerian colours of green and white on his fender while on his dashboard lies the sticker of English football club Arsenal. Many Nigerians are passionate followers of English and European football clubs and do wear their replica jersies as a sign of faith in those teams. The most popular team in Nigeria is Arsenal FC. Other teams like Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Liverpool, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona have considerable amount of followers.

The matches involving these teams are sometimes more passionately followed than games involving the country's national team, the Super Eagles.

Lunch at The Astoria

This is a Nigerian style lunch consisting of jollof rice (rice cooked in tomato sauce), fried rice, moinmoin ( ground beans cooked with palm oil in leaves, so tasty!), dodo (fried plantain) and some pasta with chicken and beef to go with it. You could wash it down with wine or lager but I did mine with Maltina, a malt brand.
This was at The Astoria Hall in Lagos' Civic Centre yesterday where I attended a meeting of media executives.

Mr. Bigg's

This is the oldest and largest fast food franchise in Nigeria. The brand is about 22 years old and has outlets in Ghana. It is a western style outlet in the form of McDonald's and it serves meat pies, doughnuts and soft drinks as its major fare. It also does local Nigerian dishes like jollof rice and moinmoin.

In this photo, the old meets the new as the woman walking in front is a local food seller. She usually caters to artisans and low income people who cannot afford the high prices of the fast food outlets. But even rich people have been known to sometimes prefer the services of local 'Mama Put' because of the lively nature of their repas.

Okada

Photo:One way of getting around Lagos is on commercial motorcyle locally called Okada. They are fast and dangerous and easy to meander through traffic that perenially cripples Lagos. As much as we love to hate them, an okada miight just be the saving grace you need to meet that very important job interview. But watch out as they have been known to cause accidents which have crippled many and left a lot of people dead.

Dis na Lagos life

Photo: Lagos yellow bus locally called Danfo. Be careful because these can tear your clothes, just another part of Lagos life.


Photo: This building has been carrying this sign for like forever and it makes one wonder whether people can actually see the sign. The building is located on Ikorodu Road close to Maryland just in case you want to purchase the space.

Lagos as it is!

Photo: Commuters queue up to board the newly introduced BRT Bus at Ojota, a 'strange' event because Lagosians are used to rushing for everything.


You must have heard a lot about the city of Lagos, assuming you don't live in it and never visited it before. Lagos means many things to different people. For many, it means money. Thousands of people beseech Lagos on a daily basis searching for greener pastures. For them, Lagos is the one place where a man can never go to bed hungry, if he is smart and hard working.

To others, Lagos means chaos. The hustle and bustle of Lagos is enough to send a sane man crazy.

But to me, I think Lagos has its good and bad sides. I like Lagos and would like to show you the Lagos that I see everyday via images. Please do leave your comments about Lagos behind. Thanks for stopping by.

Please let your friends know about this site.

Have a nice day.