Lagos is a unique place to live.

Lagos with its estimated population of 21 million, is full of drama, good, bad and in between.  Below are some experiences you can only get in Lagos, Nigeria and nowhere else:

1. Danfo rides

  

Danfo is the German T series vehicles that serve as the major commercial bus transportation means in Lagos.  An average Lagos commuter rides in the Danfo at least twice a day.  The rides can be fun with many Lagosians and their peculiar sense of humour cracking practical jokes or telling stories ranging from real life happenings to outright lies with heavy embellishments. While it may look to an ordinary watcher as a mere transportation means, it serves as place of worship, hospital, bookshop, counselor’s office and many more to others. You can only catch the real drift if you take a ride in one of Danfos painted in yellow with black stripes. That is only available in Lagos.

2. Shopping on train tracks

In many parts of the world, the train tracks are revered as no go areas to avoid accidents. Except railway officials who have the mandates to work on the track, nobody really does any business around it. Surprisingly, that is not the case in Lagos. The train tracks, especially the ones that pass through the heart of the city also serve as commercial nerve points. Wares are displayed on the tracks with buyers and sellers going about business as if there’s no danger at hand. The wares are only moved from the tracks when vibrations and horns of an oncoming train is felt and heard very close to the market point. The merchandisers then allow the train to go and immediately it leaves a spot, the wares are laid back on the track. If you think it is a like go to Ikeja Along in the capital of Lagos and sees for yourself.

3. Hidden one way signs as a trap to motorists

It is only in Lagos where one-way road signs are hidden such that a driver who is unfamiliar with the terrain is misled into going through the wrong way so that he or she is latter arrested by the same police or traffic management agent that hid the traffic sign. There are many places only in Lagos state to try it out, Alausa, the seat of power in the state is one of the places.

4. Agents everywhere

In Lagos, there are agents for everything you want to do. Whether you want to buy things from the market or you have a business at government offices or you want to board a plane at the airport, there are people who will tell you they are agents and you have to go through them to get your business done for a fee of course.  These agents promise heaven and earth when they meet you to hand over your needs to them. At the end of it all, do not be surprised that they are fraudsters. You may end up losing your vital possessions to them. So when you are in Lagos, be careful of agents.

5 Bonanza everyday for everything

It is only in Lagos markets that you get bonanzas every day. If it is not on used mobile phones, it would be on books, cloths, kitchen utensils even books. Enter any Lagos market and you are sure to hear someone shouting Bonanza! Bonanza!! Bonanza!!! Even if it’s a lie you want to buy.