A Nigerian lady has stirred conversations online after opening up about how growing up in Lagos shaped her mindset, revealing that she only recognised the impact of the city’s fast-paced lifestyle when she travelled to Calabar for her university admission screening.
In a video making the rounds on social media, she recounted that she was born and raised in Lagos and had never lived anywhere else before travelling to Calabar to sit for her post-UTME examination.
According to her, the trip became an eye-opening experience, showing her that life in other parts of Nigeria moves at a completely different pace.
She explained that she arrived in Calabar late at night ahead of her examination, which was scheduled for the following morning.
The next day, she headed to a nearby bus stop to continue her journey and immediately noticed something unusual. Unlike the daily struggle she was accustomed to in Lagos, only a handful of people were waiting for public transport, and everyone remained calm.
She recalled that when a minibus eventually arrived, passengers boarded in an orderly manner without scrambling for seats.
Out of habit, however, she hurried into the vehicle, expecting others to compete for the available spaces. To her surprise, the bus still had plenty of empty seats.
Looking back on the moment, she said it made her realise just how deeply life in Lagos had influenced her behaviour and way of thinking.
She noted that many residents, particularly those from middle-class families, become accustomed to constantly rushing from one bus to another in an effort to keep up with the demands of everyday life.
The woman added that no one else attempted to force their way into the bus, making her realise that the urgency she felt existed only in her mind.
She concluded that the pressure associated with living in Lagos often leaves people feeling they must always be in a hurry, even when there is no real need.
In her words:
“As somebody who was born and raised in Lagos, you don’t realise how much it affects you until you move to another state. You don’t realise that your lifestyle isn’t normal until you see how people in other states live.
“I remember the first time I travelled to Calabar to write my post-UTME. I was born in Lagos and had lived there all my life with my family. I arrived in Calabar very late, and my exam was the next day.
“The following morning, I went to the bus stop. There were only about three or four people waiting for a taxi. The first thing that surprised me was that there was no rush. Nobody had told me there was no ‘downfall’ in Calabar. We were all just waiting calmly for a taxi.
“When the minibus arrived, everyone boarded slowly. Nobody was rushing. That surprised me because I had spent my whole life rushing, especially as someone from a middle-class family. You’re always jumping from one bus to another. You’re always in a hurry. Lagos conditions you to live that way.
“So when the minibus arrived, I rushed to get in. The funny part was that the bus was almost empty. Yet I still struggled to enter, thinking everyone else would do the same.
“Did anyone struggle with me? No. Was anybody fighting to get into the bus? No.
“So why did I rush? Because Lagos had conditioned me that way. Lagos makes you feel like you’re constantly being pushed. It makes you think that if you’re not rushing, you’re falling behind. Lagos can make you feel crazy.”
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