Life in Nigeria: Socio-Economic Classes

So here's the thing, being labeled a "third world country" comes with a lot of preconceived notions about a country. There can be a lot of good existing with the bad. In my country, the gap between the rich and poor is very very wide. There are people who are so wealthy that they can send their children to Harvard and Oxford Universities and there are people who pick trash to eat living right along side them. To illustrate this, notice the shot of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. This bridge connects the mainland to Lagos island and it is basically like going to Manhattan. If you notice, this is similar to the view from the Brooklyn bridge when going from mainland to the island. The skyline in Lagos has been compared to that of New York a lot because of the lay of the land and views from the water, etc.



Now look at the images above. This is what you see on one side of the bridge as you drive in to work or live on the island. This is the "Floating City". It has a local name and I will try to remember to ask my mom to clarify that in case any of you were curious. People live on these house built of sticks, wood and corrugated iron supported by stilts on the water. They subsist on fish and selling wood and live in abject poverty. The water in the Lagos Lagoon around them is filled with trash and waste and the smell as you cross the bridge is almost unbearable. Now contrast that with the skyscrapers in the distance where there are business, banks, shops, etc. Just the gap between these people and the middle class alone is immense.

The problem is, in spite of the fact that Nigeria is now a democratic country, after so many years of military dictatorship the country is still trying to play catch up to deal with all the corruption that came before. Dealing with making sure basic infrastructure like electricity is available to people and there is telecommunications. The educational systems have to be fixed and money spent where it is needed instead of it being embezzled by the very leadership that is supposed to deal with it. The food supply also needs to accessible and affordable and when I was home a bag of rice ( a basic food stable of most Africans) was so expensive that it affected everything from the price of food in restaurants or road side canteens, to what a family eats for dinner that week.It's like a reverse domino effect. If you don't fix one thing, others cannot be affected.

Things are getting better for the average Nigerian, but there are still many, many of us who have along way to go to just be average. More coming up on the current state of infrastructure like electricity, phones, internet, etc. Be well everyone.