Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your

town or city reflects behaviour that is in line with the

concept of sustainable development?

In your opinion, what should be improved?

MBA ADMISSION ESSAY

Idówu Abósede Adesina

International MBA Candidate, March 2014

Express Yourself Question G:

I live in Lagos, the commercial centre and most cosmopolitan

city of Nigeria, with a contribution of $80.61b to the country’s

GDP, large diversity of people and high rate of industrialization.

Come meet my City!

Map of Nigeria

Nigeria

Map of Lagos State

Popularly known as the “Centre of Excellence”, Lagos is the

smallest state in Nigeria and has an area of 356,861 hectares out of

which 75,755 hectares are wetlands. With an estimated population

of 21 million, Lagos is ranked the 13th most populous city

globally.

With an unprecedented annual growth of about

6%, the Lagos’ population is expected to hit 25

million in 2015 and will become the world’s 3rd

largest megacity after Tokyo and Mumbai.

Lagos State Coat of Arms

City Centre & Skyline of Lagos

With locals referred to as “Lagosians”, the State has

cultural landmarks and activities that encourage tourist

attraction. There is also an on-going project to make

Lagos a model city in Africa.

Eyo Festival Celebration

Consistent industrialization of Lagos has brought about high rate

of urban development. This has attracted increasing rural-urban

migration which constitutes 75% of the population growth.

It is a fact that Lagos is OVER-POPULATED!

According to World Bank, Sustainable Development is “meeting the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

theirs”. In summary, it is the ability to balance the social, environment and

economic objectives while making present decisions.

Sustainable Development

Social

Economic Environment

Let’s examine how Lagosians’ lifestyle align with the above...

Economically…

With stringent procedures in place, Nigerian Joint Tax Board has

confirmed consistent growth of the Tax revenue of Lagos which

makes the state a self-sufficient leader unlike most of its counterparts.

This has encouraged development and maintenance of infrastructural

projects to make the environment more conducive for its inhabitants.

The inherent potentials of Lagos landscape have attracted

large companies and foreign investments. This opportunity

has created the high pull of rural-urban mass migration,

seeking better economic opportunities. The availability of

adequate manpower have encouraged efficient use of these

resources.

The economy of Lagos encourages free enterprise and

rewards productivity, especially entrepreneurship, without

bias. A city of equal opportunities, Lagos provides idea

owners the right motivation to build an empire from scratch.

Environmentally… A rapidly improving environment, Lagos is relatively an expensive

city to reside as land mass is becoming increasingly insufficient for

the growing population. This demand has placed high value on the

asset. To accommodate this, deforestation activities and conversion

of farmlands for residential purposes are indulged. Also,

construction of buildings on water is in progress on a large scale.

Lagos generates over 10,000 metric tonne of solid waste

daily, a huge percentage consists of plastics. This is a source

of health concern as it has created a dirty environment.

Environmental-friendly policies are in place to manage

collection, sorting and general handling of the waste.

Erratic power supply is the order of the day as Nigeria cannot meet the

required generating capacity due to poorly maintained facilities.

Presently, Lagos has access to 10% of the total electricity produced. This

has steered residents to rely on diesel and petrol powered generators.

These machines are major source of air pollution due to carbon emissions

which is hazardous to health.

Socially…

Every industrialized city struggles with the mobility

needs for the populace. Lagos is not exempted with road

being the main source of transportation. Although the

metropolis boasts of the most extensive road network in

the country, main sections of the major routes are

congested for most parts of the day with high level of

air pollution far beyond the permissible maximum level.

To reduce this, several programmes have been initiated

such as the “Park & Ride” initiative. Here, Bus Rapid

Transport (BRT) vehicles were provided with highly

subsidized ticket rates and segregated lanes. This

initiative was introduced to encourage vehicle owners to

take the buses to their destinations instead of driving.

Record shows a daily average patronage of 180,000

individuals.

Lagos’ social strata has revealed massive gap

between the rich and the poor, with the middle class

almost non-existing. With the State’s population

explosion, poverty level has increased drastically.

Poverty amongst the less-privileged has influenced

vices such as crime, street-hawking activities with

children and females hawkers and drastic increase of

slums. Government, NGOs, private individuals and

corporate entities have introduced collaborative

measures to manage these issues such as providing

shelters for children, rehabilitation projects for

females, youths empowerment initiatives, to mention

a few.

I believe the

lifestyles of

Lagosians can

be guided

towards

environmental

sustainability

by improving

these areas

Provision of other mass transportation means that will

accommodate the growing population; yet environmental-friendly –

Cable Cars, Rail & Water.

Leverage the hot climatic condition and available water resources to

provide alternative source of power supply – Solar-powered and

Hydro-electric power plants.

Introduce viable marine-based economic activities that will provide

employment opportunities for the growing populace.

In summary,

I acknowledge the plans in place to ensure the continuous growth of Lagos metropolis, however, sustainable development must be aggressively pursued by all. Lagos’ inability to evolve towards becoming more environmentally-focused will negatively affect the city.

As Lagosians, we have a responsibility to build an environmentally-friendly world for ourselves and our future generations hence the need to be actively involved and take deliberate actions.

It is my wish to share with IE’s

Venture Lab, some of my ideas

that can help Lagos become a

more sustainable environment.

Idówu Abósede Adesina

International MBA Candidate, April 2015

Thanks for your time.

References • Ministry of Economic Planning & Budgeting, Lagos State Government, 2012

• The Atlantic, Washington DC, Sept. 2012

• CIA Fact book, 2014

• Q3 2013 GDP Report, National Bureau of Statistics, Nov. 2013

• Lagos State Government official website http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/

• Lagos State Government, 2010 Report

• http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/exhibit/colonial-footprints-lagos-then-and-

now/ARivCwds?hl=en-GB

• http://oshlookman.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/housing-situation-in-lagos-nigeria/

• www.freedomfoundationng.com

• www.news247.com.ng

• www.lagosstateppp.gov.ng

• bizwatchnigeria.ng

• Lindaikeji.blogspot.com

• www.truhealthonline.com

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos