IE Admission Essay on Question G "Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?"

1. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your
town or city reflects behaviour that is in line with the
concept of sustainable development?
In your opinion, what should be improved?
MBAADMISSION ESSAY
Idówu Abósede Adesina
International MBA Candidate, March 2014
Express Yourself
Question G:

2. I live in Lagos, the commercial centre and most cosmopolitan
city of Nigeria, with a contribution of $80.61b to the country’s
GDP, large diversity of people and high rate of industrialization.
Come meet my City!
Map of Nigeria
Nigeria
Map of Lagos State

3. Popularly known as the “Centre of Excellence”, Lagos is the
smallest state in Nigeria and has an area of 356,861 hectares out of
which 75,755 hectares are wetlands. With an estimated population
of 21 million, Lagos is ranked the 13th most populous city
globally.
With an unprecedented annual growth of about
6%, the Lagos’ population is expected to hit 25
million in 2015 and will become the world’s 3rd
largest megacity after Tokyo and Mumbai.
Lagos State Coat of Arms
City Centre & Skyline of Lagos
With locals referred to as “Lagosians”, the State has
cultural landmarks and activities that encourage tourist
attraction. There is also an on-going project to make
Lagos a model city in Africa.
Eyo Festival Celebration

4. Consistent industrialization of Lagos has brought about high rate
of urban development. This has attracted increasing rural-urban
migration which constitutes 75% of the population growth.
It is a fact that Lagos is OVER-POPULATED!

5. According to World Bank, Sustainable Development is “meeting the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
theirs”. In summary, it is the ability to balance the social, environment and
economic objectives while making present decisions.
Sustainable
Development
Social
EconomicEnvironment
Let’s examine how Lagosians’ lifestyle align with the above...

6. Economically…
With stringent procedures in place, Nigerian Joint Tax Board has
confirmed consistent growth of the Tax revenue of Lagos which
makes the state a self-sufficient leader unlike most of its counterparts.
This has encouraged development and maintenance of infrastructural
projects to make the environment more conducive for its inhabitants.
The inherent potentials of Lagos landscape have attracted
large companies and foreign investments. This opportunity
has created the high pull of rural-urban mass migration,
seeking better economic opportunities. The availability of
adequate manpower have encouraged efficient use of these
resources.
The economy of Lagos encourages free enterprise and
rewards productivity, especially entrepreneurship, without
bias. A city of equal opportunities, Lagos provides idea
owners the right motivation to build an empire from scratch.

7. Environmentally…
A rapidly improving environment, Lagos is relatively an expensive
city to reside as land mass is becoming increasingly insufficient for
the growing population. This demand has placed high value on the
asset. To accommodate this, deforestation activities and conversion
of farmlands for residential purposes are indulged. Also,
construction of buildings on water is in progress on a large scale.
Lagos generates over 10,000 metric tonne of solid waste
daily, a huge percentage consists of plastics. This is a source
of health concern as it has created a dirty environment.
Environmental-friendly policies are in place to manage
collection, sorting and general handling of the waste.
Erratic power supply is the order of the day as Nigeria cannot meet the
required generating capacity due to poorly maintained facilities.
Presently, Lagos has access to 10% of the total electricity produced. This
has steered residents to rely on diesel and petrol powered generators.
These machines are major source of air pollution due to carbon emissions
which is hazardous to health.

8. Socially…
Every industrialized city struggles with the mobility
needs for the populace. Lagos is not exempted with road
being the main source of transportation. Although the
metropolis boasts of the most extensive road network in
the country, main sections of the major routes are
congested for most parts of the day with high level of
air pollution far beyond the permissible maximum level.
To reduce this, several programmes have been initiated
such as the “Park & Ride” initiative. Here, Bus Rapid
Transport (BRT) vehicles were provided with highly
subsidized ticket rates and segregated lanes. This
initiative was introduced to encourage vehicle owners to
take the buses to their destinations instead of driving.
Record shows a daily average patronage of 180,000
individuals.
Lagos’ social strata has revealed massive gap
between the rich and the poor, with the middle class
almost non-existing. With the State’s population
explosion, poverty level has increased drastically.
Poverty amongst the less-privileged has influenced
vices such as crime, street-hawking activities with
children and females hawkers and drastic increase of
slums. Government, NGOs, private individuals and
corporate entities have introduced collaborative
measures to manage these issues such as providing
shelters for children, rehabilitation projects for
females, youths empowerment initiatives, to mention
a few.

9. I believe the
lifestyles of
Lagosians can
be guided
towards
environmental
sustainability
by improving
these areas
Provision of other mass transportation means that will
accommodate the growing population; yet environmental-friendly –
Cable Cars, Rail & Water.
Leverage the hot climatic condition and available water resources to
provide alternative source of power supply – Solar-powered and
Hydro-electric power plants.
Introduce viable marine-based economic activities that will provide
employment opportunities for the growing populace.

10. In summary,
I acknowledge the plans in place to ensure the continuous growth of Lagos
metropolis, however, sustainable development must be aggressively pursued by
all. Lagos’ inability to evolve towards becoming more environmentally-focused
will negatively affect the city.
As Lagosians, we have a responsibility to build an environmentally-friendly
world for ourselves and our future generations hence the need to be actively
involved and take deliberate actions.
It is my wish to share with IE’s
Venture Lab, some of my ideas
that can help Lagos become a
more sustainable environment.

11. Idówu Abósede Adesina
International MBA Candidate, April 2015
Thanks for your time.

12. References
• Ministry of Economic Planning & Budgeting, Lagos State Government, 2012
• The Atlantic, Washington DC, Sept. 2012
• CIA Fact book, 2014
• Q3 2013 GDP Report, National Bureau of Statistics, Nov. 2013
• Lagos State Government official website http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/
• Lagos State Government, 2010 Report
• http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/exhibit/colonial-footprints-lagos-then-and-
now/ARivCwds?hl=en-GB
• http://oshlookman.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/housing-situation-in-lagos-nigeria/
• www.freedomfoundationng.com
• www.news247.com.ng
• www.lagosstateppp.gov.ng
• bizwatchnigeria.ng
• Lindaikeji.blogspot.com
• www.truhealthonline.com
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos