Market street in Lagos, Nigeria

By BlackmansStreet today

Lagos, Nigeria, is projected to become the world’s largest city by the end of the century with an estimated population of 100 million people.Ontario Tech University in Canada predicted Lagos could outstrip Tokyo, Delhi, and Shanghai to become the most densely populated urban area globally. In addition, 13 of the world’s 20 largest cities will be in Africa because of Africa’s high birthrate, and people are seeking tech jobs.Currently, Lagos, home to approximately 20 million residents, holds the title of Africa’s largest city. There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Lagos including the Hausa, Igbo, and Fulani. Small minorities of American, British, East Indian, Chinese, white Zimbabwean, Greek, Syrian, Lebanese and Japanese are also present in the city. In the mid-19th century, many ex-slaves of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban descent and emigrants from Sierra Leone created communities in Lagos, along with ex-slaves from the Americas.Until 1975 it was the capital of Lagos state, and until December 1991 it was the federal capital of Nigeria. Ikeja replaced Lagos as the state capital, and Abuja replaced Lagos as the federal capital. Lagos, however, remained the unofficial seat of many government agencies. 

But Lagos has its problems. 

Two-thirds of residents in this megacity live below the poverty line of US$1 a day, and it’s estimated that over 70% live in informal settlements. These settlements are prone to evictions because they occupy land that is increasingly becoming targeted for high-value property development projects. As a result, at least 50,000 people have been forcibly evicted from these areas in a violent four-year campaign by Lagos State authorities and police, leaving many dead and tens of thousands homeless.