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Article: Lagos versus Abuja.(View from Lagos)
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Lekki is one of the fastest-growing parts of Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria. New housing estates sprout all the time beside old fishing villages, offering three-, four- and five-bedroom homes to the middle class. Large swathes of swamp have been 'reclaimed' and filled with the fine off-white sand which the construction company Julius Berger relentlessly sucks out of the nearby lagoon. A huge shopping centre has recently opened, complete with Wal-Mart-style supermarket owned by a South African company, as well as upscale bars and patisseries.
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The big problem with Lekki is that it can only be accessed from the rest of Lagos by ...