They told us, “When a blind man leads a blind man, they both fall into a pit, ” but that is not true in Lagos. Lagos is a city that defies the odds and we Lagosians have shown life that it cannot box us to one corner.

Oshodi pedestrian bridge is always busy in the morning with people bumping into each other like worker ants hurrying to and from their colony. The human traffic will mirror that of the road below, clumsy and difficult to navigate, even for an Olympic sprinter. Still, on this pedestrian bridge, in the morning rush hour, I saw a blind man comfortably leading another blind man. They did not fall into any pit, but navigated the busy bridge, went down the stairs and crossed the road. A blind man was leading another blind man successfully. Lagos does not obey English adages.

Lagos is a city where even blind men shine their eyes, while some with good sight may be blind… having their pockets picked in broad daylight.

As a Lagosian, once or twice after your easygoingness has been taken advantage of, no one will tell you to open your eyes. Lagos life will make one find out how to approach things with caution, and strangers with suspicion while leaving a place in your mind for any eventuality.

Lagos is unpredictable, no single formula can solve its complex equation and it does not fit into the general scope of life in cities elsewhere in the world. Someone brought to my attention that, while there is a “Welcome to…” sign and slogans for many other cities, for Lagos, it is “This is Lagos!”, which sounds almost like a threat, warning visitors that they should be ready to see and face anything.

Back to the blind men. It was remarkable that both men had canes, and I considered these sticks to be symbols of commitment rather than independence. Lagos creates a notice in our minds, an alarm, warning that anything could go wrong. Instead of scaring Lagosians into quitting, this mental awareness becomes an urge for us to go on. The blind men reflected this spirit of Lagos; by each having a cane even while supporting each other, they demonstrated that even if anything happened and they were separated, they could continue their journey, each one to himself. So the cane did not indicate independence but in-dependence!

And here in life, many are dependent, thinking that they could make others responsible for them. That should not be. Other people can only do so much or nothing at all for us. Every support we can get is a bonus. We have our burdens to bear and so do they. When we depend on other people to sort out our problems, we become like someone whose phone is stolen in Oshodi who asks passersby if they saw the thief. In Lagos, even those who saw the thief will quietly mind their business. Life is like that most times, a solitary race.

So the next time you think that we Lagosians are less kind, just know that we have shone our eyes and have seen it all in life. We have seen people whose heads are on their legs, we have seen men whose profession for the past ten years has been begging people for “money for food” during lunchtime, and that job has sustained them and their families for the whole time. So, you see, nothing moves a Lagosian.

So while you marvel at our dexterity in handling life, our advice is simple: hustle, but shine your eyes… that is the spirit of Lagos. You can lean on others but do not be dependent, be in-dependent because, that shege wey you think say na only you dey see, even blind man for Lagos don see wetin pass that one, but on top of that, him dey still see road. Buckle up and keep going in this journey called life.

(“The Spirit of Lagos” is a draw-sketch series started in my journal EKOes in 2017; they were intended to turn sights of Lagos that would shock me to ones that would amuse and yet have embedded life-lessons)