Eko o ni baje!

'Everyman sent out from his university should be a man of his Nation as well as a man of his time.' - Woodrow Wilson.

Hi blog-pals, hope we had fabulous weekends yeah?

This deviates from my regular posts in a tiny winny way. Yea, we still going to talk about love but this time, it wouldn't be about the mushy mushy boy-girl thingy......this time I'm about the love for a city.

I remember I used to dread the city of Lagos like it was a plague. Say Lagos and all I could think of was traffick jams, one-chance, kidnap, non-existing power, notorious Oshodi, Danfo survival, flooding during the rains, noise, dirt, too many people, robbery........just name any vice n I easily linked it to Lagos. Insanity! I vowed never to live in Lagos, why suffer when places like Abuja exists?

January 1, 2008, my family n I cruised into Lagos for our usual LIG Family Re-union.....right from the 'Aro-meta', we started seeing changes. My dad could not stop talking about how clean the streets were. You see, he was born, buttered, sugared n Tea-d in Lagos n it had been awhile since he saw a clean Lagos. No traffick. The land was looking green n sane. He was impressed with the present government.

The heart is the center of a man's being. It controls almost everything about him. Little wonder the good book tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it springs the issues of life. True words. As a man would think in his heart, so is he. Now, who wouldn't agree with me that Lagos is the heart of Nigeria? Anybody?

Even with all the 'terrible' testimonies about Lagos, the people ain't leaving, rather what you see is an influx of people from in and out of the nation looking for greener pastures. Relatives invite their people from the village communities to come n make a living in Lagos. Thousands of people come into the city to transact business on a daily basis. Live the life, partake of the hype....as a Lag babe/bobo is concerned. Societies n international organizations recognize the city n it has a whole lot of awards to its name. You just cannot undermine the effect this city has on the nation as a whole.

Imagine a Japan without Tokyo, imagine a United States without New York, imagine a United Kingdom without London.......now, imagine a Nigeria without Lagos.

In case you are wondering if this is a campaign, dispel that thought. I'm not even a Lagos indigene, but when I see progress, I commend it. Kudos to the Babatunde Raji Fashola government for working on Lagos n making it work. I came across the I SEE LAGOS page on Facebook which encourages people to air n express their visions for Lagos. The BRF government seeks to hear from the people; what do you want from Lagos? What do you see when you see Lagos? Please visit this link to share your vision- http://www.facebook.com/iseelagos

Share your ideas n concepts and be rest assured it would be taken into consideration. Who knows, you might be getting a contract.

We can make it better, we can make changes. For my peeps in diaspora,  but just imagine a Lagos with a dysfunctional airport.....how do you wanna visit n come home? We all know MM2 is still the most functional airport in Naija, last time I checked. So, this is about you too. This is a chance to give your input.

My song definitely isn't the same......I sing a different note now. Lagos still has its hustle n bustle, but living is a lot better. At least each day, we have power supply for 12 hours (give/take). The roads are clean, waste management works. Transportation is better, I am yet to be robbed n I can walk through Oshodi without being tosssed about. I'll say Lagos is working.

So, dear blog-fam......this is about my found love for Lasgidi (Lagos). I am a Lasgidi babe confirmed!

Please visit the I SEE LAGOS Facebook page or website to leave your ideas- http://www.iseelagos.org.ng/

'The Lagos we SEE is the future we'll have'

Eko o ni baje!

Much love!