IT is worrisome that Nigeria’s former capital and
still its current economic capital, Lagos, is ranked
the fourth most difficult city to live in the world. A survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, EIU, a
subsidiary of The Economist, ranked Lagos as
137th out of 140 cities polled. Among cities in the bottom 10were Dhaka
(Bangladesh), Tripoli (Libya) Harare (Zimbabwe)
and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), the worst
of the lot. Canadian cities Vancouver, Toronto and
Calgary, and Australia’s Adelaide, Sydney, Perth
and Melbourne were in the top 10 most liveable cities on earth. Indices taken into account included stability,
healthcare, culture, environment, education and
infrastructure. Lagos is the flagship metropolis in
Nigeria, setting the pace in most critical
development areas due to its history,
geographical location and residual federal infrastructure and institutions from its days as the
political capital of Nigeria. The survey draws attention to Nigeria as a
country, not just Lagos State. What standards do
we apply in developing our cities? How do we want our people to live? The indices
used in the cities’ survey are largely covered in the
15-year Millennium Development Goals, MDGs,
which the United Nations launched in 2000.
Nigeria largely ignored the initiative and is at the
verge of not achieving any of the goals by 2015. Best indications that Nigeria participated in the
MDGs are many abandoned construction projects
round the country that bear the MDGs sign boards. The failure of the MDGs pulls more people into
Lagos. People seeking opportunities they think
exist in the city – the skilled, the unskilled, and
criminals – come in their numbers. Everyone
thinks there is something in Lagos for him. In
such situations, developing infrastructure to meet the elastic needs of the city is more challenging. The MDGs offered opportunities for Nigeria to
wholesomely develop her peoples and places.
The neglect of the MDGs meant that poverty kept
growing without any effective initiatives to tackle
it. With fewer cities offering the seeming
opportunities in Lagos, it became more attractive and its infrastructure further suffered. Again, since the relocation of the capital to Abuja
in December 1992, maintenance of federal
infrastructure in the city has been neglected. The
impact on the city shows. If Lagos is to be redeemed from this parlous
situation, the state government must work at
better partnerships, principally with the Federal
Government, and the private sector to re-develop
the city. It is important too that other States adopt similar
initiatives to develop their principal cities, such
that the choices available to Nigerians increase. There are better reasons to develop Lagos, and
other Nigerian cities, than global rankings –
Nigerians deserve to live in healthy and
sustainable environments.
still its current economic capital, Lagos, is ranked
the fourth most difficult city to live in the world. A survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, EIU, a
subsidiary of The Economist, ranked Lagos as
137th out of 140 cities polled. Among cities in the bottom 10were Dhaka
(Bangladesh), Tripoli (Libya) Harare (Zimbabwe)
and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), the worst
of the lot. Canadian cities Vancouver, Toronto and
Calgary, and Australia’s Adelaide, Sydney, Perth
and Melbourne were in the top 10 most liveable cities on earth. Indices taken into account included stability,
healthcare, culture, environment, education and
infrastructure. Lagos is the flagship metropolis in
Nigeria, setting the pace in most critical
development areas due to its history,
geographical location and residual federal infrastructure and institutions from its days as the
political capital of Nigeria. The survey draws attention to Nigeria as a
country, not just Lagos State. What standards do
we apply in developing our cities? How do we want our people to live? The indices
used in the cities’ survey are largely covered in the
15-year Millennium Development Goals, MDGs,
which the United Nations launched in 2000.
Nigeria largely ignored the initiative and is at the
verge of not achieving any of the goals by 2015. Best indications that Nigeria participated in the
MDGs are many abandoned construction projects
round the country that bear the MDGs sign boards. The failure of the MDGs pulls more people into
Lagos. People seeking opportunities they think
exist in the city – the skilled, the unskilled, and
criminals – come in their numbers. Everyone
thinks there is something in Lagos for him. In
such situations, developing infrastructure to meet the elastic needs of the city is more challenging. The MDGs offered opportunities for Nigeria to
wholesomely develop her peoples and places.
The neglect of the MDGs meant that poverty kept
growing without any effective initiatives to tackle
it. With fewer cities offering the seeming
opportunities in Lagos, it became more attractive and its infrastructure further suffered. Again, since the relocation of the capital to Abuja
in December 1992, maintenance of federal
infrastructure in the city has been neglected. The
impact on the city shows. If Lagos is to be redeemed from this parlous
situation, the state government must work at
better partnerships, principally with the Federal
Government, and the private sector to re-develop
the city. It is important too that other States adopt similar
initiatives to develop their principal cities, such
that the choices available to Nigerians increase. There are better reasons to develop Lagos, and
other Nigerian cities, than global rankings –
Nigerians deserve to live in healthy and
sustainable environments.
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