Attempting To Visit Makoko Slum, Lagos, Nigeria: My Experience
Intro
Reading online, I was extremely curious about one thing in Lagos, Nigeria: the Makoko community residence area. For those unaware of what the Makoko "slum" is, it is one of the largest slums in the world, and it is called a "floating slum." I am in no way a poverty porn tourist, but I am a curious soul who likes to explore the places where few tourists have been. Thus, I wanted to explore Makoko.
Unfortunately, due to my police escort, I wasn't able to make it around and explore. I simply came to understand what life is like there and see the natural beauty that I have been told about:
Allow me to explain.
What Happened...
Well, this is quite an interesting story. The first stop before entering Makoko was for cash, and if you have read this article, you know what a pain in the arse that was. The reason is that the police unit informed me that I would need cash to pay some people to gain entry.
Entering Makoko from a car consists of driving down a road into the residential area. Seeing as we were heading into Makoko, and I am quite an adventurous person, I asked if the police unit could stay outside while I went in by myself. However, they had been instructed not to let me out of their sight, so this didn't work.
Great. So we are driving into a place with a police vehicle and a Mercedes; this is just dumb... truly dumb...
We were stared at from every direction, and I wondered what the eff was I doing here. I do have to say that from the second we started driving along the road, I was shell-shocked at the stark contrast between our lives in the USA and our everyday lives. Makoko is a place that you have to see and feel to believe.
Before long, the commander decided to leave and re-group outside because, like I told them before, this idea was not going to work...
The Second Attempt
Part of this tour of Africa was to do things that I don't usually do anywhere else in the world. You can go out to bars everywhere in the world (almost) or go shopping anywhere in the world. What you cannot do everywhere in the world is take a boat down a floating slum.
The commander advised me to leave and told me that we would go to a restaurant on the beach once we exited. I told him that with or without him, I was going to Makoko since it was something that I wanted to do.
Since they wouldn't let me out of their sight, they came up with a plan where I would ride in a police car with them to the entry point, which is at the end of the road. So we entered:
Driving past day-to-day life in Makoko...
With local markets selling spices and nuts...
Tuktuks filled the small, narrow road, and people walked along the street, bags filled with items to sell.
The largest aspect that stood out to me was the amount of people sitting by their shops.
The Confrontation
This is where the issue began to arise. We were approached by a couple of gentlemen informing us to get out of the car. The commander debated for a while and looked at his fellow officers. However, he eventually decided to pull the car over.
I snapped this picture right before I was told to stop taking pictures...
After pulling over, the commander advised me to stay in the car while he talked about gaining me passage to enter the main part of Makoko. 10 minutes passed, and they were still debating whether or not to let me in, so I got out of the car and decided to have a conversation with the "boss."
He advised me that I would have to pay 200,000 Naira to enter the community but promised that he would show me an unforgettable time.
I said that the sum was way too much money and I didn't want to pay that.
He responded with, "You have a police escort; money is no problem."
I explained to him that a friend had arranged this police escort (this is the reason why I should have gone in alone) and that the maximum I would pay would be 20,000 Naira.
Back and forth went on, and eventually, he compromised to 50,000, but I didn't have 50,000 cash left since I had to tip the police officers at the end...
The one thing that really stood out to me is that it was a constructive conversation and never once felt overly heated. I understand; I am a tourist attempting to enter their community, and it's probably not the most pleasant thing to have tourists come here (maybe it is, I am not sure).
They asked for some money for coffee, so I gave them a couple thousand Naira, and we left. The picture below sums up some of what I learned in Africa. The people in Lagos, Nigeria, were actually really dope and friendly. Of course, there are certain things you have to navigate, and if you are caucasian, expect to pay bribes.
We then proceeded to head to more "touristy spots" per se.
Final Thoughts
Twice, we went into Makoko, and twice, we were denied entry into the floating part of the residential area. That means I am going to have to go back next time with no police escort since the third time is a charm🙂. If you are looking to enter Makoko and experience the beauty, just be aware that there is a cost attached, sort of an "entry fee." I highly recommend going by yourself, and don't be worried; the most you'll get into is an argument. Nigerians are friendly people🙃.
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