Nigeria's Capital Lagos: A Divided City

As the commercial capital of the biggest economy in Africa, Lagos has become a symbol of Nigeria’s oil-fueled advancement in recent years. But as its gross domestic product increased, other statistics, such as youth unemployment, and poverty around the country stayed flat.

The city has become a microcosm of the complex nature of Nigeria. On Victoria Island, high-ranking politicians and businessmen mix and mingle at swanky parties and stay in hotels that cost more than they would in the heart of Manhattan. But just over the bridges, on the mainland, Lagos continues on as it always has. Though now home to an emerging startup community, many are still living below the poverty line and waiting to see what a decade of economic development will do for them.

More photos of Lagos and the floating slum village of Makoko can be viewed here.