OBSESSION WITH LAGOS: THE PROBLEM IS LACK OF ECONOMIC CREATIVITY OF OTHER STATES - OLAJIDE ABIOLA
OPINIONS - Posted on: 5th Oct. 2025 at 9:08PM
ohannesburg has an estimated GDP of $131bn according to 2020 estimates, while Durban has an estimated GDP of $89bn. That’s about $42bn difference.
Durban is the home to South Africa's premier, largest, and busiest port, acting as the main cargo and container hub on the African continent and in the Southern Hemisphere, handling millions of tons of cargo annually. It serves as a critical link on major shipping routes with extensive road and rail infrastructure and plays a vital role in the national economy by processing over 60% of South Africa's container traffic.
Johannesburg, has Africa's largest dry port at the City Deep Transport Logistics Hub, functioning as a major container depot for goods arriving via the seaport of Durban. The City Deep terminal handles import, export, and domestic container traffic, connecting Johannesburg to the coastal ports and the rest of the country by road and rail.
One doesn’t have the ocean as a natural advantage and doesn’t have to compete on the same economic turf.
This is why it is concerning that so many people’s obsession with Lagos economic superiority to other states, which many love to largely attribute to the availability of seaports.
Ondo has one of the longest ocean coasts in the country. Rivers has, Bayelsa and Delta to have as well.
Some states once muted the idea of dry Inland port but with shallow commitments and drive ro get it to thrive. I have used the Kaduna dry Inland port in the past. Yes it works.
But my real problem with us is the lack of economic creativity on the part of many states which stems from our sordid African culture. We are mostly only interested in what the other person is doing. This is why copy cat syndrome is widespread. Once a Nigerian sees an appearance of business flourishing by another, it is that same business they are interested in. Not from a place of research. Not from a place of thorough insight. Just bandwagon. “They said money dey inside am” and that is all. They plunge.
It is this same psyche that’s at play when it comes to lack of economic creativity by the states. Some states have deserts. Some have lakes. Some have rivers.
Look at our lakes in Abuja (Yes we have Jabi and Asokoro). It has served more of largely real estate developments rather than tourism, recreational and hospitality related economic activities that should generate real and active revenue for the City.
Some weeks ago, Dangote remarked that there are many who have more liquid cash than he does. It is a fact. The humongous size of the Capital markets should point to that. No! most of them will rather just have the capital idle there or stashed away in safe havens around the world while they watch Dangote from the sidelines with Malicious rather than aspirational envy.
There is no State in Nigeria that doesn’t have a natural economic advantage over another but they are simply too myopic, indolent and laid back. Recently, Gov Otti said Lagos is not his competition but other small nations doing well economically. I love the sound of that and hope he can make success of his ambition.
ohannesburg has an estimated GDP of $131bn according to 2020 estimates, while Durban has an estimated GDP of $89bn. That’s about $42bn difference. Durban is the home to South Africa's premier, largest, and busiest port, acting as the main cargo and container hub on the African continent and in the Southern Hemisphere, handling millions of tons of cargo annually. It serves as a critical link on major shipping routes with extensive road and rail infrastructure and plays a vital role in the national economy by processing over 60% of South Africa's container traffic.
Johannesburg, has Africa's largest dry port at the City Deep Transport Logistics Hub, functioning as a major container depot for goods arriving via the seaport of Durban. The City Deep terminal handles import, export, and domestic container traffic, connecting Johannesburg to the coastal ports and the rest of the country by road and rail.
One doesn’t have the ocean as a natural advantage and doesn’t have to compete on the same economic turf.
This is why it is concerning that so many people’s obsession with Lagos economic superiority to other states, which many love to largely attribute to the availability of seaports.
Ondo has one of the longest ocean coasts in the country. Rivers has, Bayelsa and Delta to have as well.
Some states once muted the idea of dry Inland port but with shallow commitments and drive ro get it to thrive. I have used the Kaduna dry Inland port in the past. Yes it works.
But my real problem with us is the lack of economic creativity on the part of many states which stems from our sordid African culture. We are mostly only interested in what the other person is doing. This is why copy cat syndrome is widespread. Once a Nigerian sees an appearance of business flourishing by another, it is that same business they are interested in. Not from a place of research. Not from a place of thorough insight. Just bandwagon. “They said money dey inside am” and that is all. They plunge.
It is this same psyche that’s at play when it comes to lack of economic creativity by the states. Some states have deserts. Some have lakes. Some have rivers.
Look at our lakes in Abuja (Yes we have Jabi and Asokoro). It has served more of largely real estate developments rather than tourism, recreational and hospitality related economic activities that should generate real and active revenue for the City.
Some weeks ago, Dangote remarked that there are many who have more liquid cash than he does. It is a fact. The humongous size of the Capital markets should point to that. No! most of them will rather just have the capital idle there or stashed away in safe havens around the world while they watch Dangote from the sidelines with Malicious rather than aspirational envy.
There is no State in Nigeria that doesn’t have a natural economic advantage over another but they are simply too myopic, indolent and laid back. Recently, Gov Otti said Lagos is not his competition but other small nations doing well economically. I love the sound of that and hope he can make success of his ambition.
Posted by: Emdee David
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