Lagos

== Tourism ==
[[File:Sunset at Landmark Beach.jpg|thumb|The Landmark Beach with the urban development [[Eko Atlantic]] in the background]]
Following the remodernization project achieved by the previous administration of Governor [[Babatunde Fashola|Raji Babatunde Fashola]], Lagos is gradually becoming a major tourist destination, being one of the largest cities in Africa and in the world. Diasporan Africans and others, especially from East and Southern Africa, are increasingly visiting Lagos mostly to understand and experience the Nigeria that has been presented to them by Nollywood.

[[File:The-elegushi-beach-lagos.jpg|thumb|[[Elegushi Beach]]]]

=== Beaches, water sports ===
Lagos has sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including [[Elegushi Beach]]<ref>{{Citation |title=My Day and Night Experience at Elegushi Beach, Lagos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5WL1_92Piw |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref> and Alpha Beach. Lagos also has a number of private beach resorts, including the Landmark Beach<ref>{{Citation |title=LANDMARK BEACH IN LAGOS, NIGERIA {{!}} A QUICK TOUR OF MY FAVORITE BEACH IN NIGERIA |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjO4LCWM1Wo |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref> and the Inagbe Grand Beach Resort.<ref>{{Citation |title=What Can $100 Get in LAGOS, NIGERIA? (Africa's Craziest City) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXIrIjQMB5c |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}, starting at 7:40</ref>

On Wole Olateju Crescent, in the immediate vicinity of Lekki Bridge,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge - Julius Berger International |url=https://www.julius-berger-int.com/referenzen/lekki-ikoyi-link-bridge-in-lagos-nigeria |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Julius Berger International |language=de}}</ref> there are several companies that offer boat tours and rent kayaks or jet skis.

=== Dancing, shopping, dining ===
Nightclubs are mainly found on [[Victoria Island, Lagos|Victoria Island]], where the well-to-do and foreign guests hang out, and around [[Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Lagos|Adeniran Ogunsanya Street]] in [[Surulere]].

Rooftop restaurants on the Atlantic beach or on the lagoon offer not only culinary delights and a view, but also a welcome breeze from the sea for the heat-stricken visitor.<ref>{{Citation |title=I Tried Every Rooftop Restaurant In Lagos So You Don't Have To! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wYhKrnQFeU |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref>

Even before the devaluation of the local currency, the naira, in June 2023, Lagos was a place where US$10 (9.10 euros) could keep you full for a day and buy souvenirs to boot.<ref>{{Citation |title=What Can $100 Get in LAGOS, NIGERIA? (Africa's Craziest City) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXIrIjQMB5c |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=What Can $10 Get in LAGOS, NIGERIA? (Craziest City) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrRLCoKmLLA |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref> The stress-resistant and experienced bargain-hunter buys brand-name clothes for a knockdown price at the ecomarket and the adjoining Martin Street.<ref>{{Citation |title=Lagos, Nigeria is CRAZY 🇳🇬 (25 million people, Largest English Speaking City) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO2oMLKiMsQ |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}</ref>

The Lekki Arts and Crafts Market (known to Lagosians as Oba Elegushi Market) is a large market that displays a wide variety of African arts and crafts. It is considered the largest art market in Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Community |first=Craftsvillage |date=2022-06-08 |title=A Visit To The Lekki Arts and Crafts Market |url=https://craftsvillage.com.ng/town-crier/a-visit-to-the-lekki-arts-and-crafts-market/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=CraftsVillage™ MarketHUB |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Parks and gardens ===
[[File:Images of Freedom Park 28.jpg|thumb|Freedom Park]]
''[[Freedom Park (Lagos)|Freedom Park]]'' is a memorial and recreational park in the middle of Lagos city centre on Lagos Island, Nigeria, which used to be Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison. It was designed by architect Theo Lawson. The park was built to preserve the history and cultural heritage of Nigerians. The monuments in the park commemorate the colonial heritage of Lagos and the history of Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison. It was erected to mark the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations in October 2010. The park is a national memorial, a historical landmark, a cultural site and an arts and recreation centre. Now a tranquil place for individuals, visitors and collective contemplation, the park is open to the public daily. Today, Freedom Park has become a gathering place for various social events and recreational entertainment.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-26 |title=Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Freedom Park, Lagos |url=https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/nigeria/top-10-fascinating-facts-about-freedom-park-lagos/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Discover Walks Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>

''[[Tinubu Square]]'' (formerly Independence Square) is an open space on Broad Street, Lagos Island, Lagos State, Nigeria, named after slave trader, merchant and aristocrat [[Efunroye Tinubu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2017-02-05 |title=New face of Tinubu Square: A boost to tourism in Lagos mega city |url=https://www.environewsnigeria.com/new-face-tinubu-square-boost-tourism-lagos-mega-city/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=EnviroNews Nigeria |language=en-US}}</ref> It used to be called Ita Tinubu before it was renamed Independence Square and later Tinubu Square by the leaders of the First Nigerian Republic after Nigerian independence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tinubu Square: A befitting memorial to an Amazon |url=https://thenationonlineng.net/tinubu-square-befitting-memorial-amazon/ |access-date=2023-07-01}}</ref> Tinubu Square is the most popular square in Nigeria.

''[[Tafawa Balewa Square]]'' is a 50,000-capacity stadium that was a racecourse under the British and where independence was proclaimed in 1960.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whiteman |first=Kaye |title=Lagos: A Cultural and Literary History (Landscapes of the Imagination) |publisher=Andrews UK Limited |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-908493-89-7 |edition=5th |location=Luton, UK |language=en}}</ref> At the entrance to the square are sculptures of four white horses and seven red eagles. After Abuja replaced Lagos as the capital, the "TBS" fell into disrepair. Attempts by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to renovate the stadium have not yielded results (as of 2023).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogundeji |first=Josephine |date=2023-03-22 |title=Tafawa Balewa Square: Years after concession, world-class tourist site dream fades |url=https://punchng.com/tafawa-balewa-square-years-after-concession-world-class-tourist-site-dream-fades/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref>

''[[Ndubuisi Kanu Park]]'' is a public green space much loved by all for relaxation.

=== Zoos ===
[[File:LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTRE (LCC) 10.jpg|thumb|Canope walkway at the Lekki Conservation Centre]]
The ''Lekki Conservation Centre'' is essentially the Lagos [[Zoo]]. It consists of a fenced-off strip of vegetation that attempts to replicate rainforest, mangroves and savannah. There are monkeys, numerous birds, snakes and crocodiles. There is a small museum with stuffed animals. On Sundays however it is used for lengthy religious service. According to a tourism website, the LCC is the second-most popular site<ref>{{Cite web |title=DIE 10 BESTEN Sehenswürdigkeiten in Lagos 2023 (mit fotos) |url=https://www.tripadvisor.de/Attractions-g304026-Activities-Lagos_Lagos_State.html |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Tripadvisor |language=de}}</ref> in Lagos to see (after the Nike Gallery, see [[#Art|chapter "Art"]]).

''Lufasi Nature Park'' is the Lekki Urban Forestry and Animal Shelter Initiative.<ref>{{Cite web |last=travelwaka |date=2021-06-01 |title=Lufasi Nature Park - A Nature Reserve in Lagos |url=https://www.travelwaka.com/lufasi-nature-park-a-nature-reserve-in-lagos/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=TravelWaka |language=en-GB}}</ref> It preserves nature and protects wildlife and endangered species. Nollywood film crews often use this park as a set.

=== Buildings ===
[[File:(Photo-walk Nigeria) palace of oba of egbeda, Lagos State.jpg|thumb|The Oba's Palace in Iga Idungaran, Lagos]]
[[File:Lekki-link-bridge--full-view2.jpg|thumb|Lekki bridge]]
* [[National Theatre, Nigeria|National Theatre, Iganmu]] (see chapter "[[#Monumental buildings|Monumental buildings]]").
* [[Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge]], the first cable-stayed bridge built in Nigeria.
* The Oba's (Kings) Palace at Iga Idunganran - This is an ancestral palace for the [[Oba of Lagos]] - the custodian on the traditions and customs of the people of Eko.
* [[Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos]]

=== Statues ===
*[[Herbert Macaulay]] memorial statue,
* [[Welcome to Lagos]] statue showing three Lagos white cap chiefs. In local parlance, they are noted as warning you not to "suegbe, didinrin nor ya mugun" while in Lagos,

=== Other tourist attractions ===
* [[Tarkwa Bay Beach|Takwa Bay]] - A popular bay from where you can observe shipping traffic in and out of the Lagos port as well as enjoy some water sports. If you have a personal yacht this is where to go.
* [[Festac Town|Festac town]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=nevada |date=2021-02-27 |title=10 Best and Unique Tourist Attractions in Lagos Nigeria |url=https://nevadahotelsandsuites.com/10-best-and-unique-tourist-attractions-in-lagos-nigeria/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=Nevada Hotels and Suites |language=en-US |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629080539/https://nevadahotelsandsuites.com/10-best-and-unique-tourist-attractions-in-lagos-nigeria/ }}</ref>

=== Not LGBT-friendly, but no convictions ===
Despite its active nightlife and prevailing [[joie de vivre]], Lagos, like all cities in Nigeria, is "not LGBT-friendly". [[Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013|Nigeria's 2014 legislation]] in this regard is among the most draconian systems of repression<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isaack |first=Wendy |date=2016-10-20 |title="Tell Me Where I Can Be Safe" |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/10/20/tell-me-where-i-can-be-safe/impact-nigerias-same-sex-marriage-prohibition-act |journal=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref> against queer people in the world. Homosexuals, but also their "supporters" such as people who have attended a same-sex wedding in another country, or hotel staff who have provided a room for a queer couple, theoretically can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

In Lagos, however, internet searches reveal only ''one'' case of persons being prosecuted under the 2014 laws (as of 2023). The 47 men were arrested in December 2019 after a raid on a bar frequented by local men.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |date=2019-12-11 |title=First men go on trial under Nigeria's anti-homosexuality laws |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/11/first-men-go-on-trial-under-nigerias-anti-homosexuality-laws |access-date=2023-07-02 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=Over 40 Men Have Been Arrested in Nigeria for Homosexual Acts |url=https://www.globalcitizen.org/fr/content/nigeria-police-arrest-men-for-homosexuality/ |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=Global Citizen |language=fr}}</ref> The Federal High Court in Lagos acquitted all the accused in October the next year. The case was considered a "test case" for the application of anti-LGBT laws in Nigeria, but was dismissed because prosecutors failed to appear at trial and no incriminating witnesses could be found.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigerian judge throws out homosexuality case against 47 men |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/27/nigerian-judge-throws-out-case-against-47-men-over-homosexuality |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-10-27 |title=Nigerian judge throws out case against 47 men facing homosexuality charge |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-lgbt-idUSKBN27C1TZ |access-date=2023-07-02}}</ref> No other arrests or convictions are known from Lagos. However, three men were convicted and subsequently stoned to death by an Islamic court in [[Kano (city)|Kano]], northern Nigeria. Tourists should definitely take the legal situation in Nigeria very seriously.