A BREAKDOWN OF LAGOS

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Ah Lagos,
The center of excellence, the land that belongs to everyone (except PDP). The smallest city with the biggest personalities.

Lagos is arguably the most popular city in Nigeria. I mean, it even showed up in Captain America: Civil War (although they didn't actually film in Lagos, but you get my point.)

The city has been subject to a slew of memes and stereotypes over the years.
If you ask a random non-lagosian to tell you their idea of Lagos, they'd probably say something along the lines of "terrible traffic jams", "congested city" and "insane individuals".
And while there is definitely some truth to these stereotypes (make no mistakes, Lagos is full of mad people), we should note that it's not all black and white.

Lagos is a big place filled with vast amounts of different varieties of people, so the stereotypical lagosian is just one fraction of a population filled with richness and flavor.
Saying every lagosian is mad is like saying every calarbarian eats dogs (although I'm still suspicious of this).

What I'm gonna do is this article is to break down the different parts of Lagos and give you dear readers an insight into the different breeds of lagosians along with vital information about the parts they inhabit.
As someone that has lived in Lagos for half his life (and also encountered most of these stereotypes), I feel Inherently qualified to guide y'all through this analysis.
So without further ado...

Time for the breakdown.

THE BREAKDOWN

In this breakdown, I'm going to be dividing Lagos into three parts:
•Lagos pro max
•Eko
•Ogun State pro max

Before I continue, I want to clarify the parameters of our analysis.
We will be taking a look at the people, environment and lifestyle of the three parts mentioned above. This way, the general stereotype will be dissolved into much smaller and accurate stereotypes.
Let's go...

LAGOS PRO MAX:

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This includes places like Lekki, Victoria island, Ikoyi, Marina, Ikeja and so on.

ENVIRONMENT:
If Lagos is the London of Nigeria, then this division is the London of Lagos.
If you want a taste of the abroad life without stepping outside the country, then the areas here are the best places to do that.
You're more likely to see massive buildings and posh establishments here than anywhere else in lagos.

It is also very clean and devoid of pollution. And when I say pollution, I also mean noise pollution, these areas are quite quiet and there is hardly any generator noise. Even if there is, it's likely not to sound like an earthquake is fighting with a tornado like most generators in this country.

There's basically 24/7 light and each house comes with it's own swimming pool. If you see a house that doesn't have a pool, just wait till rainy season.

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PEOPLE:
This place is for the big boys and girls.the money spenders, the celebrities. I guarantee you that if you're in any of these areas for about a weekz you'll run into a celebrity. That's how packed this part of Lagos is.

The people here also tend to be calm, so all that "na mad people full Lagos" doesn't apply here. Na ajebutter with soft life vibes dey here, along with the occasional oyinbo.

LIFESTYLE:
Sports cars, beaches, restaurants that charge you 50k for a plate that contains maggi cube and a single leaf... It all happens here baby.
If you have money to waste. Look no further than Lagos pro max.

EKO:

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This is the part known as the mainland. It covers areas like ikorofu, oshodi, mushin, ebutemeta e.t.c.
90% of stereotypes you have heard about Lagos occurs here.

ENVIRONMENT:
Congested... check, traffic jams... check, noise pollution...check.

The mainland is a special place. I'm not gonna say much except this place definitely has the highest amount of generators in Nigeria.. possibly in the world.

PEOPLE:
Yes, the people here tend to be mad. You have to understand that the mainland is stressful and people need ways to relieve their stress. Most mainlanders choose to shout and"shey werey".

This place is the most popular part of Lagos and it has the most varieties of people. You can find anyone ranging from calm and collected to violent lunatic. But unlike the people of Lagos pro max that tend to be boring, these people are the life of the party and are usually very kind and welcoming.

LIFESTYLE:
There are some people on the mainland that can afford luxury cars, but they dare not buy it. If you want to enjoy your car on the mainland, get a Toyota. They are very strong.
I'm very sure that this Part of Lagos has the most Toyotas in the world. But even at that , it's still the second most common vehicle. The first is danfo.

You can also run into celebrities here, except most of them are Fuji singers and APC members.

OGUN STATE PRO MAX:

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It is just as the name implies. This area is right next to the border between Lagos and Ogun and is commonly referred to as the outskirts.
Most Lagosians on the island and mainland stubbornly refuse to acknowledge these people as fellow Lagosians.

Ogun pro max includes places like Alagbado, Ajegunle, Abule Egba, Ahmadiyya (and yes, most of the places here begin with the letter a. No one knows why)

ENVIRONMENT:
This place has the worst roads out of the three parts of Lagos. But, it also has the best prices for houses.
400k will get you a decent room and parlour apartment on the bigger part of Lagos. 400k in ogun pro max will get a 3 bedroom flat plus boy's quarters.

PEOPLE:
Majority of the population here is made up of old people and small children so don't expect too much partying. This division is usually peaceful and quiet (at least compared to the other two). People don't really have your time here.

LIFESTYLE:
This is the hub of Maruas (tricycles). Apart from India, I doubt there are any other places in the world with more tricycles.

This is also the most boring part of Lagos. If you're looking for clubbing and fun, this place is not for you.

The only fun you may encounter here is when Chelsea FC wins a major trophy and their fans come out to celebrate by painting a cow/car blue.

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So there you have it folks, my breakdown of the most popular state in Nigeria. I hope you've learnt something and the stereotypes are less stereotypical.

To those reading this;
What's your favorite thing about Lagos?
Do you stay in Lagos?
If so, what part?
If not, would you like to come to Lagos?

Let me know your answers below...

Thank you for reading.

Stay buzzing,

Maximus✍🏾