If you're in Lagos for the first time... you would notice a huge body of water while crossing from Lagos Mainland to Lagos Island, vice versa. It's so huge that it must be one of the largest lake in West Africa, right? Wrong...
That is, my friend the Lagos Lagoon. Yes, a lagoon. More specifically, an inland lagoon. It's very much inland that I thought it was a lake with murky water. Even the Portuguese who came ashore in the 1400s got it all wrong. They named the place Lagos, built some trading post along the shore of the "new" found place and the name stuck! The original name, Èkó still in use too, by the Yoruba. After all, we are in Yoruba land.
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| Map of Lagos state and the huge inland lagoon, Lagos Lagoon |
But back to the word Lagos, which mean "lakes" in Portuguese...I mean it's geographically wrong and the name still stuck?! I mean Lagos would way be cooler with Èkó, the mark above the word E and O (btw it sounds like echo). Plus, if you Google the word Lagos, there's another one...of course in Portugal and it was famous during Henry the Navigator, a historical shipyard aaaand centre for trading slaves from Africa!
Now I do hope they named this place Lagos because of the Lagoon, which they thought was a lake...and not related anyway to the Lagos in Portugal. You know, homesick sailors...made landfall...decided to make this place homey, named the place in honour of the port which they came from.
Personally, I love the lagoon. Its huge and only once I traveled to Epe to see the end of it and it was quite a journey. At 650sqkm, the lagoon is slightly smaller than Singapore. But it has almost lifelike character and the weather played its part too!
On a clear day, you would be able to see the other side of the lagoon as far as the shores of Ikorodu. At night, the Third Mainland Bridge from Lagos Island to Lagos Mainland would lit up and cars from the island going back to mainland would be caught in traffic jam.
During Harmattan season (click here), the last time was a double whammy. Apart from the air, some part of the lagoon was full with hyacinth. But I was told by a local craft maker that they could do beverage coaster and other stuffs with it.
The lagoon is important to Lagosian. Some depend on it for livelihood , fisherman for instance. Modified barges move to and fro carrying goods across the lagoon, which is faster I reckon if they have to drive. Traffic congestion is a norm here, and alternative way of transporting goods if there's any is welcome here.
I wonder if similar concept like the ferries in Penang, Malaysia for pedestrian and vehicle would work here. I'm sure it would. Just the other week I went to visit a friend at Osbourne Phase 2 Estate and I saw a defunct Ferry jetty there. They do thought about it, and with about 20+ million population crammed in an area 4 times the size of Singapore (again), good transportation system is vital to avoid gridlock and ensure smooth delivery of goods all over Lagos and its adjacent states.
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| Penang ferries, source: Penang Port Malaysia A two deck ferry. Below for vehicles and top for pedestrian. |
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