Google Maps Satellite Imagery

It looks like Google have updated their satellite imagery for Lagos and Abuja. I'm not sure how old the images are but Lagos must be within the last 3 years, just looking at the various developments.

I've put together a map of various sights, take a look. Share anything else you discover in the comments.

Here are some of the highlights.

Abuja - National Assembly

Lagos - Eko Hotel

Lagos - National Theatre

Old News Update part 1 : Umaru Yar'Adua's inauguration

I have just finished a rather difficult assignment for OU which has been taking up most of my free time the last few weeks. So now I will finally get around to making a few updates which should have been done a while ago.

Yar'Adua Inaugurated as President of Nigeria

If you remember, I made some comments on the Nigerian Election and Yar'Adua's successful bid for the presidency. He has since been sworn in and visited the G8 summit in Germany and made promises to improve the election process.

He has declared his personal assets of $5 Million. He has now decided to form a "Government of National Unity" inviting members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP), Action Congress (AC), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to join with Yar'Aduas Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a government... I am sure this will take a lot of effort to sort out.

Meanwhile, there has been a long wait for the government to be formed and it looks like, finally, there will be a government in Nigeria very soon.

I am sure there are plenty of contracts to be signed when they finally get to work.

Back From Abuja

Just a note to say I'm back in Lagos, after my short trip to Abuja.

I didn't get much chance to go out and see the city but what I saw made me wish to go back sooner rather than later. On my return to Lagos, I felt the tension rise in me as we hit traffic coming from the airport and we didn't leave traffic until we reached home on VI. I've decided on my next trip, when I feel I need a vacation I will spend a weekend in Abuja to chill out, perhaps not at the Le Meridien next time though.

Lagos needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into order but I have no idea where it should start. Have the Police and Other officials properly enforce traffic laws, especially for Public Transport, is probably as good a place as any.

I also recently went to a hospital in Lagos for the first time to visit a friend, that was quite an experience but I can't tell you about it. It made me realise I have to take more care over my travel insurance - Mine expires tomorrow!

Abuja Photos

I've posted a handful of my Abuja photographs to flickr, but haven't had chance to update any captions or organise them into sets at the time of posting this.

Here's a couple to check out.

Abuja

I'm in Abuja for a few days, My first time!

Looking around I am very impressed at the way things are working here, and I wonder what it is about Lagos that makes it so much more oppressive.

The roads are moving freely, buildings are spaced apart nicely with some very nice architecture around the place too. The weather is hot and dry in the day but quite cool at night as I experienced from my balcony in my hotel room. Cars and buses don't park on main roads blocking up the whole system, and everyone seems more relaxed.

Having said that, an Oyibo took me out last night to see some of the city and as he was backing his car out of the hotel car park he smashed straight into another parked car. Nobody saw us, and there was no apparent damage (bumper to bumper) so we went away quickly ;-)

I've just managed to get on-line at my hotel, I did get on-line yesterday but the connection was very poor. My problem is I need two power sockets, one for my laptop and one for my wireless bridge which I need because none of the wireless cards I have work well with linux.

Will post some pictures if I get online again with my camera to hand. If not when I get back to Lagos.

Nasir El Rufai: "Why they hate me"

It's an old story, from September 5th 2006 but I have just read this post on saharareporters.com of an interview with Nasir El-Rufai, Minister for Abuja Federal Capital Territory or 'Mr. Bulldozer'

It sort of backs up every good thing I've heard about the guy, and I admire his stubbornness for doing the right thing.

Tales from the survivors of Abuja ADC Plane Crash

I've just read a report from the BBC as captioned, about the survivors of Sunday's plane crash. While it is still sad news for Nigerians everywhere, people everywhere are furious with Aviation Minister Babalola Borishade who, before any investigation or consultation with industry experts, decided to publicly place the blame with the pilot of the aircraft.

Experts from Boeing have just arrived to investigate the crash, and reports from eye witnesses and survivors indicate that the plane was on fire and out of control before it hit the ground suggesting that the problem was mechanical.

According to one early report Borishade has today been ordered so swap roles with Culture and Tourism Minister Femi Fani-Kayode.


A new Sultan of Sokoto has been named as 53-year-old army colonel Sa'ad Abubakar, brother to the late Sultan.

Let us all hope things improve from this tragedy.

Technorati Tags: Lagos, Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria, Plane Crash

Back in Lagos

I'm back in town after finalising my visa arrangements on Friday and navigating the British Railway Networks to the airport. I would have liked to have said the train journey was good, and that the poor reputation of the railways is undeserved. However, finding a flea sucking blood from my arm while sat in a First Class coach of a First Great Western train, I decided there and then that I would not be praising them. Despite being almost on time.

So I arrived here yesterday morning, and made it out of the airport by 6:15am to be able to reach home before the Environmental curfew started which is 7am-10am Last Saturday of each month. Most of Saturday is a blur as I didn't sleep well on the flight and I was dozing on and off most of the time.

Today I hooked up my laptop and checked my email and received this story from a Nigerian friend of mine about the unswerving confidence of Nigerians. Not long after reading it I saw another headline come in from the BBC. Plane crash near Nigeria capital. Since then some of the names of those that perished on board have been revealed, including the Sultan of Sokoto, seen as the leader of all Nigerian Muslims.

After the crashes of last year, and the crash in September, one wonders if anybody in the Nigerian Government actually cares that their procrastination, inability to make simple rules stick and inefficient methods are costing the lives of the people that they are there to serve and doing untold harm to the economy along with it.