An American blogger, Matt Lakeman, described Nigeria as chaotic after visiting four major cities.
Lakeman visited Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, the ancient cities of Kano and Ibadan, and the capital of Ogun state, Abeokuta.
He wrote:
“Nigeria is chaos. The cities are extremely crowded, dirty (more on that later), noisy, and lively. Everyone seems to be talking all the time, often over each other.
“Outside the few modern sections of Lagos (and probably the capital, Abuja), Nigerian cities are made of endless winding roads and alleys periodically packed with open-air markets.
“Middle-class and rich people all live behind walls topped with barbed wire or broken glass and are protected by guards.
“Poor people live in slums that sprawl eternally in and around the cities, consisting of concrete, wood, or metal hovels stuffed into every square inch of space.
“A significant chunk of Lagos holds slums built on stilts on the water populated by fishermen and boat people.”
He also compared Nigeria to India regarding the poverty rate, adding, “I’ve been to a lot of poor countries, but Nigeria felt just a bit poorer.”
Sharing his experience in the northern city of Kano, he stated:
“I’ve encountered plenty of child beggars, but I’ve never had two (a boy and girl) grab each of my hands and refuse to let go as they followed me down the street for 100 yards until a helpful onlooker yelled at them.”
Taking a swipe at the country’s leaders, Lakeman wrote:
“Though it is by no means the source of all its problems, Nigeria is the poster child for the “imperialists messed up a country by drawing arbitrary lines on a map” meme.”