Lagos – Waking Dreams Unmasked

Rigozo

I was at a lounge called O’shey Bar & Chips, located in Sabo, Yaba. It was my first official night out this year. That should give you an idea of how introverted I am.😪

With my three pals, T.B, Steph, and Freddie, I had enlightening conversations, danced, and had many laughs. Before the night was over, I got acquainted with Virgin Mojito and Virgin Pinacolada.

How it all started…

Well, I went out to the studio earlier in the day to edit pictures from yesterday’s event – the official office launch of a startup called, Your Study Path.

The founders and team of Your Study Path are young and highly talented individuals. Their objective is to create the largest digital educational ecosystem in Africa.

‘School in your pocket,’ is what they aspire to build, by making learning fun again with the help of technology.

It’s amazing what they’ve set out to achieve, and how much it will help people, especially young people, here in Nigeria. They also have a parent company that manufactures glasses, called GrokBrand.

So, I had a good time yesterday shooting, and today, editing the pictures. I shot with a Canon EOS6D (full-frame DSLR camera). I also used 30mm and 50mm lenses and a Yonguo560 IV Speedlite. I did the editing in Lightroom and it was fun stuff.

Meanwhile, T.B, Steph, and Freddie were hanging out in the studio while I was editing (imagine that😒).

T.B is the CEO and creative director of the photography outfit I work with, Wise Visuals Media. He’s an awesome photographer and a good friend.

He asked if I would like to visit Nike Art Gallery later, and I was like, “Heck yeah!” And he thumped me on the head for not being subtle or something.

After editing, we set out for the gallery.

I was excited to visit the place because I’ve heard so much about it. Unfortunately, we found out that the gallery was closed. (Closing time was 6pm).

The time was almost 7 pm.

I was devastated because I was looking forward to having a swell time.

The night was still young I guess…

Since we had set already, we decided to find a place to sit, drink, and chill. Of course, I couldn’t offer any suggestions because I don’t know the night terrain in Lagos.

One thing led to another, and I started up a conversation with Freddie (He was our designated driver).

Freddie is a pretty interesting guy. He is an expert on cryptocurrency and his company Digital Connect, has a community of over 7,500 people that are all crypto enthusiasts.

I switched into interviewer mode and asked a lot of questions about his work and life. Freddie was glad to answer them all.

Soon, I was sitting in the lounge with my pals, listening to music, and sipping my drink. Trust me I knew I shouldn’t be using my phone, but the conversation was on hold because of the music blasting from the speakers.

By the way, this DJ was good, and the aesthetic was cool. But what do I know? I’m a homebody.

We ordered drinks…

I didn’t choose my drink. T.B picked one for me off the menu. It was called Blow Job. Now that was just crazy.

The waiter returned to tell us that the drink – Blow Job – was unavailable, so J.B quickly changed the order to Virgin Mojito. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have let him choose my drink.

1st drink: Virgin Mojito – Mint leaves, lemon wedges brown sugar, and top with soda water garnished with a lemon wedge.

Virgin Mojito was an epic fail. It tasted watery and bland. I would have preferred it if it had more lemon juice than soda. I made funny faces at everybody.

I swapped drinks…

Steph was gracious enough to offer me her drink. I declined, but she insisted. It was a Virgin Pinacolada.

Wait! So Mojito has a sister? 😰

At that point, I was wary of virgins.

2nd drink: Virgin Pinacolada – Coconut liqueur, coconut cream, and fresh pineapple, garnished with pineapple wedge.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture.

Virgin Pinacolada was a frothy coconut drink with coconut shavings at the bottom. It was better than the sister, Mojito, and went down well with the food.

All in all, it was a good night

At first, it was very noisy, and the bass from the speakers was rattling my chest. But soon I settled back, and we all had a good time.

Moral lesson: When in doubt, choose water.

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Rigozo

I’ve never stepped foot outside the borders of Nigeria. I was born and bred in Lagos State, which is in Western Nigeria. I have lived and visited other states in different regions – East, West, North, and South.

Lagos is the former capital of Nigeria. It’s a megacity (largest city in Nigeria and the second-largest city in Africa) comprising of a mainland and an island, with a population of about 15.3 million people. It’s well known as an economic, entertainment, and fashion hub.

It is home to me, and like people say, there’s no place like home.

I can say with my full chest, ‘there’s no place like Lagos.’

TOP 4 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LAGOS

Here are four things that you’ll need to know about Lagos if you are visiting for the first time or returning after a long time.

Lagosians

People who reside in Lagos are called Lagosians, and they are all mad. No jokes. The madness is in the air, the food and water, and wherever two or three Lagosians are gathered. Lagosians sleep with one eye open (if they sleep at all), and because everybody is sleep derived, tempers run high, and fists fly at the slightest offense. Drivers in Lagos are a menace. They’ll give the Fast and Furious franchise a run for their money. Every day is one drama after another. Just try not to get into an argument with Lagosians – it’s not worth it.

Danfo (Yellow Bus)

Danfos (yellow buses) are the bloodline of Lagos’ transport system -the most common way to move around Lagos. Enter a danfo at your own risk. Better still, if you can afford it, call an uber. But if you ever find yourself in a danfo, make sure that it is going in your direction, have your complete fare to avoid stories that touch, and when you get to your bus stop, be ready to jump out of the danfo while it’s still moving because the driver may not stop the bus.

Lagos Traffic

You’ve called your Uber driver, you’ve jumped on a Danfo, Keke (tricycle), or Okada (motorbikes). Good. Now settle down for the ride because Lagos traffic is nobody’s mate. You’ll arrive at your destination wishing you had never stepped out of your house. It’s why Lagosians arrive at events late and are famous for this excuse, ‘There was traffic,’ A lot of things happen in Lagos traffic – signing contracts, buying household appliances, a pregnant woman delivering a baby,

Owambe (Parties)

It is an Owambe if there’s free food, a live band or DJ playing loud music, the women try to out dress themselves in their asoebis and geles, people spray money on the dancefloor like water, and souvenirs were. When you’re having a wedding, naming ceremony, an anniversary, or even a burial (celebration of life), it’s an unspoken rule to throw a party – whether you can afford it or not – and invite family, friends, village people, neighbors, and colleagues. Not even the pandemic was able to stop Lagosians from attending Owambe.

If you ever find yourself in Lagos, don’t forget to have fun and say Hi to me. Know that I’ll decline to meet you if it means I have to leave the house.