BRIDGING THE DEVELOPMENT GAP -

MEGACITIES
Lagos
Facts Megacity – a city
with a population of
 7th fastest growing city in the world.
over 8 or 10 million.
 Population estimated at 11.8 million making it the 25 th largest in the
world.

Location

Income inequality in
megacities

Lagos is the biggest city

in Nigeria and the 2nd
largest in Africa. It is
currently estimated to
be the second fastest
growing city in Africa.

Development and the Environment

Development and poverty reduction are often at the expense of the environment unless there is careful
management in place.
 Two sides to Lagos

Housing – ‘temporary’ settlements are generally found …

 Steep land
 Marshy land
 Alongside transport routes
 Close to the city centre
 On former farmland on the edge of the city
Most of these settlements are illegal. As a result there is often a high level of
inequality between rich and poor residents in LEDC cities.

Deprivation – what challenges do the urban poor face each day?

 Limited access to employment opportunities.
 Reliance on the formal economy.
 Violence
 Unhealthy environments
 No legal rights
 No police security
 Limited health opportunities
 Limited education opportunities
 Poor infrastructure
 Limited telephone and internet services
 Limited access to credit facilities
Obtaining a clear picture of what the problems are and where they are located is an
important requirement for targeting any management.

Pollution problems of cities in LEDCs

Air Pollution
 Air in cities such as Cairo is so poor that breathing it is the equivalent of smoking 60 cigarettes a day.
 Major chemical and gas explosions.
Water pollution
 Untreated sewage
Water Supply
 The overuse of groundwater supplies has led to subsidence and flooding.
Waste Disposal
 25% of all urban dwellers in the developing world have no adequate sanitation and no means of
sewage disposal, especially in squatter settlements.
Transport-related issues
 Traffic queues in Mexico City are over 90km each day.
 Private car ownership in Taipei has increased 100 fold over a period of 20 years.
 Factfile
The State of Lagos spans 3,577 km2

Population The most recent census (1991) reported a population of 5.6 million. However, it is widely
discredited because many of the city’s inhabitants returned to their villages of origin during the
census. Experts generally estimate that the population ranges between 10 and 13 million.

Economic data 62% of Nigeria’s GNP is concentrated in Lagos, along with about 40% of currency in
circulation and 45% of the industrial labour force. Yet it is estimated that about two-thirds of the
city’s population live below the poverty line.
 Lagos confronts its waste problem;
A Nigerian environmental organisation is driving a campaign to clean up the Ajegunle ghetto; a
densely populated slum distinct in Lagos, described by the government as a “plighted area”.

Prince Baba Enowo Junior; heads the Clean-Up Nigeria (CUN), outlined the problems affecting the
water supply in the area to the BBC World Service’s Discovery programme.

He also called for more help from the authorities.

Lagos lagoon area; Poor sanitation has long been a problem in Ajegunle.

Vehicles collect sewage empty

their contents into the lagoon.
What they have at the end of
the day is; human excrement
that has been left for one-two
years.
- 2million + live in shanties.
- Lack of bathroom facilities forces defecation in the canal.
- The water from the canal then flows back to the well where
people draw the water to drink and bath.
- Dire conditions increase the risk of diseases such as cholera
and typhoid.

NEW PLANT:

Nov 2001, it was reported that polluted water supplies led to an outbreak of cholera in Kano,
Nigeria’s most populous state, causing more than 600 deaths.

LSPCA (Lagos state environmental protection agency);

Is the government department responsible for this region.
Seeking funding to help clean the industrial pollution locally.
"Unfortunately we do not have a sewage treatment plant that is taking responsibility for this human
waste", he explains. "Even though people know it is an offence, they will go to the obscure areas of
the lagoon and dump human waste.
"Lagos Government is planning to build a central sewage treatment plant in this state. Hopefully, in
2002, the programme of constructing the plant will begin."

Action Plan;
LSEPA reinforces its intention to stabilise sanitation levels by
- Monitoring the types of companies like to dump waste in the lagoon.
- 60-70% of industries in Nigeria reside in Lagos. Many industries still
haven’t had onsite effluent treatment plants put in place.

Prince baba Enowo Junior’s opinion; the action is not enough.

His message;
"You are supposed to provide toilets and gutters. You are supposed to dispose of refuse and
apparently you are doing nothing."
He added: "When it comes to LSEPA tackling industrial pollution, they are doing very well,
but when it comes to reaching out to the local community, they are doing nothing."