lagos - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

African cities with the most millionaires

GROWING private wealth in Africa is transforming the continent's major cities into hubs for millionaires and billionaires, according to the latest Henley & Partners Africa Wealth Report. Collectively, these urban centres are home to 135,200 millionaires, 342 centi-millionaires with fortunes exceeding US$100 million, and 21 billionaires. With the number of high-net-worth individuals projected to jump by 65% over the next decade, these cities are not only expanding economically but are also setting the stage for a new era of prosperity and influence. bird TenX lists the top ten cities and regions for private wealth in Africa:1. Johannesburg, South Africa: 12,300…

Mar

2024

By OPE ADETAYO

Nigeria food banks cut back on handouts as prices soar

NEWS

AT a warehouse in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, dozens of women patiently wait their turn to receive food handouts. Among them is 68-year-old widow Damilola Salami, who received an invitation to the facility just as she had almost run out of food. The Lagos Food Bank is a crucial lifeline to residents like Salami but has seen supplies from private and other donors fall as inflation soars in Africa's biggest economy. Nigeria is grappling with the worst cost of living crisis in decades, which has deepened since President Bola Tinubu rolled out bold but unpopular economic reforms after assuming office last May. "There is…

Mar

2024

By JULIA PAYNE and LIBBY GEORGE

Nigeria’s Dangote wants to set up trading arm for Lagos mega refinery

NEWS

Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote is planning to set up an oil trading arm, likely based in London, to help run crude and products supply for his new refinery in Nigeria, six sources familiar with the matter said. The move would reduce the role of the world's biggest trading firms, which have been negotiating for months to provide the refinery with financing and crude oil in exchange for product exports. The giant 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery is set to redraw global oil and fuel flows and the trading community is closely watching the way it will operate. Dangote, whose wealth is…

Feb

2024

By BUKOLA ADEBAYO

Can Nigeria turn the tide on plastic pollution?

ENVIRONMENT

WHEN it rains heavily in Lagos, the torrents of water gushing down streets and sidewalks sweep up disposable drink cups, plastic bottles and packaging and dump them into the coastal city's drains and waterways. "Most floods in Lagos happen because of blockages of non-biodegradable polystyrene packages and not the volume of rainfall," said Joshua Babayemi, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo, a state in southwestern Nigeria. But from this week, the tide of trash should at least contain fewer foam food containers as city authorities start enforcing a ban on single-use items that reflects nascent…

Feb

2024

By ADEWUMI I. BADIORA

Lagos: drugs, firearms and youth unemployment are creating a lethal cocktail in Nigeria’s commercial capital

NEWS

LAGOS is the most populous city in Africa and a regional economic giant, having West Africa’s busiest seaport. It is the centre of commercial and economic activities in Nigeria. The city’s population is estimated to be 20 million people. The existence of informal settlements makes it difficult to come up with a more precise number. ADEWUMI I. BADIORA, Senior Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Olabisi Onabanjo University Lagos has grown rapidly since Nigerian independence in 1960 when its estimated population was 763,000 people. In the 1980s, its population reached 2.7 million. The government of Lagos state estimates that…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Lagos city planning has a history of excluding residents: it’s happening again

AFRICITIES

IN Lagos, a megacity with a population estimated at 21 million, the state government has been building a satellite city, known as Eko Atlantic. At the same time, it has been destroying informal settlements, where as much as 60%-70% of Lagos’s population may live. HALIMAT SOMOTAN, Assistant Professor of African Studies, Georgetown University Makoko, a community on the mainland of Lagos, is one of the places threatened with demolition. Its residents, who originated from coastal communities in the Niger Delta, Benin, Togo and Ghana, claim to have occupied the area since the early 1900s. Half of the population resides in…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s Dangote Group says it is cooperating with FX investigation

NEWS

NIGERIA'S Dangote Group said that it was cooperating with an anti-graft commission which is investigating the possible misuse of foreign exchange from the central bank and would provide all required information. In its first comments since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) visited the company's headquarters in Lagos last week, Dangote confirmed that the agency's officers had sought some documents to help the investigation. The group is owned by Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote. It said it first received a request for documents last month and delivered a batch on Jan. 4 but the EFCC did not accept the documents, insisting…

Nov

2023

By ANGELA UKOMADU

Lagos Rage Room offers Nigerians cathartic release for pent-up anger

NEWS

NIGERIANS seeking a safe outlet for their anger can now get an unusual form of therapy, a "rage room" where they can break glass, smash wardrobes, and destroy electronic devices without any consequences. Located in the crowded megacity of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, the Shadow Rage Room offers 20-minute sessions for 7,500 naira ($8.93). Banjoko Babajide James, a co-founder, said the idea for the rage room came from the rising mental health crisis in Nigeria which is "a taboo topic" to discuss openly. "We want to create a community of like minds, to make people to understand that this thing…

Nov

2023

By OLUDAYO TADE

‘One-chance’ in Lagos: how criminal gangs rob city commuters

NEWS

“ONE-CHANCE” is the name Nigerians use for a form of robbery that takes place in both public and private vehicles when people accept the offer of a ride. It is an organised crime, perpetrated by people who work together, using a strategy of hailing passengers into their waiting vehicle. They capitalise on the transport needs of passengers, especially during rush hours in the morning and the evenings. In Lagos, an estimated eight million commuters and five million vehicles use the roads and bridges connecting the mainland and the island. OLUDAYO TADE, Sociologist/Criminologist/Victimologist and Media Communication Expert, University of Ibadan At…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Lagos building collapses: we used machine learning to show where and why they happen

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BUILDING collapses have become a major menace in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is the business hub of the country and has its largest seaport and airport. With an estimated population of 15.4 million, it is the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest in Africa after Cairo. The city has two distinct geographical areas: Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland, connected by three bridges. Lagos Island is the historical nucleus of the city. This area is renowned for its eclectic mix of architectural styles, a blend of modern skyscrapers, remnants of colonial-era structures and bustling traditional markets. It serves as…