Our Names

Every piece in this collection is named after a place in Lagos. Some of them raised me. Some of them I only ever passed through. All of them are part of the same city I carry with me everywhere I go. This is where the names came from.

Akoka (ah KOH kah)

This is where I grew up. Akoka gave me my first idea of what home sounds like.

Allen (AL in)

My mum's close friend lived on Allen Avenue. She'd take me to visit, and for years I wished we lived there too. That was where the rich folks lived.

Apapa (ah PAH pah)

Apapa is where my cousins are. This one's for the family you don't call enough, but never lose.

Eleganza (el eh GAHN zah)

We drove past Eleganza every Sunday on the way to church, for as long as I can remember.

Falomo (fah LOH moh)

Falomo is the bridge, literally, between Ikoyi and everywhere else.

Festac (FESS tak)

Built for a festival that brought the world to Lagos in 1977. Festac still throws its own.

Ikate (ee KAH teh)

Ikate is Lekki's newer edge, still becoming whatever it's going to be.

Ikeja (ee KEH jah)

Ikeja is the capital, Lagos's business quietly running the show.

Ikoyi (ee KOY ee)

Ikoyi is where I still go, for the version of me who's arrived but never stops moving.

Ketu (KEH too)

Ketu is market noise and mainland hustle, no apology for either.

Marina (muh REE nuh)

Marina's been Lagos's Wall Street since the colonial days. Old buildings, old money.

Maryland (MERR ih land)

Maryland's held its ground on the mainland since long before Lekki got popular.

Obalende (oh bah LEN deh)

Obalende is motion and suya smoke, a transit hub that never really stops.

Ojuelegba (oh joo eh LEG bah)

Ojuelegba never sits still. Buses, market noise, motion at every hour.

Oniru (oh NEE roo)

Oniru is quiet money, the kind that doesn't need to announce itself.

Onike (oh NEE keh)

Onike sits just off campus, close enough to still feel like Yaba.

Opebi (oh PEH bee)

Opebi doesn't wind down. Good food, good noise, most nights of the week.

Sabo (SAH boh)

Sabo is where I went to school. This one's for the girl still learning who she is.

Surulere (soo roo LEH reh)

I had a lot of friends in Surulere. I was there constantly.

Takwa Bay (TAHK wah bay)

Takwa Bay is boat only, sand underfoot, the one place in Lagos that isn't in a hurry.

Yaba (YAH bah)

Yaba is where I went to university, for figuring it out in real time.

I don't live in Lagos permanently anymore. But every piece in this collection goes with me, and so does the city.