I spent the first few weeks of our journey working in the office trying to understand the current state of business, learn who the dealers are; get to know employees, etc. During this time, everyone kept telling me that it would be a good idea to make Lagos, Nigeria my first trip into the SSA Market. Why? Well first of all, it’s the largest market i
n SSA and we have very important partners operating there. Secondly, it offers visitors a very good representation of what “Africa” is all about. I’ve often been told that South Africa is not “Africa”. Johannesburg South Africa where we live is very much like any other 1st world, well established, cosmopolitan city with everything to offer such as major sporting events, arts and culture, shopping, and of course crime, traffic jams,etc. Nigeria, on the other hand, gives you a good flavour of what to expect in the rest of “Africa”. So, I planned a trip to Lagos, and as the trip neared, everyone kept making comments to me about the upcoming trip with an interesting smirk on their face. I guess I was in for some kind of “treat”.
My trip to Nigeria was my first experience with South African Airways. I was very impressed. They operate Airbus A-340’s on their long haul flights and provide a very professional service. The flight to Lagos is a little over 5 hours from Joburg and arrived early evening. My traveling companions for the trip advised me to be ready to run off the plane to customs. They were serious. Literally, everyone in Business Class Seating was allowed to depart the plane first and we all sprinted to the Customs Counter. Why? Well, let’s just say their “processes” need to be a little refined and a British Airways 747 landed just after our flight did so unless we wanted to spend the night at the airport, we needed to get a move on! I was one of the first off the plane and total time from plane to driving off the airport property was at least 2 hours, and I was told we were “lucky”. One of my co-workers spent 5 hours trying to get through customs one trip. Africa – not for wimps! That’s what my co-worker told me as we raced through the terribly unpaved side streets of Lagos trying to make our way to the hotel. Our driver was one of the managers from the dealership we were visiting. The experience of riding in a motor vehicle in Nigeria is unlike no other I have had. The first thing that is apparent is that there are no rules – or if there are rules, they are more like guidelines that are not often adhered too. Second is that the use of the horn, or as locals call it “the hooter” is virtually non-stop. They honk to let people know they are illegally passing them on the shoulder – they honk to let someone merge in front of them – they honk to tell someone who cut them off to “piss off” – they honk immediately when the light turns green. Honk Honk Honk……wow it was annoying. The next thing that caught my attention was the taxis. They come in 3 forms in Nigeria – 3 wheeled cars, mini-vans, or 125CC Motorbikes. The vans where hysterical. They operate with 2 people – a driver and a money collector. The money collector hangs outside the open door. That’s right; they never close the sliding door of the vans. Customers are constantly jumping in and out and the money exchange is fast. From time to time you will see someone jump on the back of the and ride it hanging on for a free ride like Spider Man…..until the money man catches them and then beats the crap out of them. The taxi motorbikes were downright frightening to watch. They would commonly have 1-2 people on the bike weaving in and out of traffic like lunatics – no helmets, shorts and wearing flip flops. I saw several mothers hanging on with babies in their arms. Absolutely insane.
We arrived at our hotel late Sunday night for a short 3 day trip. We stayed at a fairly new business hotel called the Southern Sun. Below is a picture out my window. In short, this view and the guards armed with machine guns at the front door should be enough to explain that this is no “Garden spot”.
While in Lagos, I toured our Ford Facilities around town meeting the teams, handing out training awards, and just generally getting to know the area. The car rides were a little scary, but I really enjoyed seeing the city. All over the metro area you have large office buildings right next to shack villages with no utilities. Again, 3rd world meets 1st world. The dealers in Nigeria, Brisco Ford and Coscharis Motors have invested heavily in the automotive industry in Nigeria. In fact, they operate facilities all over the country representing multiple brands in some places where we can’t go (terrorist activities including hi-jacking of westerners). I enjoyed meeting them and getting to know their businesses. On the final day of my trip, I got to participate in a media ride and drive event. I’ve always enjoyed this part of my job. Its fun to “talk shop” with the media sharing our “Ford Story” with them. It was cool to learn later that we got our picture in the local Lagos paper.
I arrived back at the airport for my return flight 5 hours early (traffic is a nightmare around rush hour) and enjoyed warm beer and fly swarmed egg sandwiches in the business lounge. A cockroach the size of my hand laying upside down next to my seat provided me with entertainment as he lay there twitching while ants devoured him for dinner. In summary, I think I will hold short of recommending Lagos as a “vacation spot” for your next family trip. However, Nigeria really does represent the potential Africa has to offer, if some of the basic issues of political instability, security, and infrastructure can be solved.
