Hello, my name is Mr. Marsh and I'm here today to teach all about Lagos, challenges and solutions.

So grab everything that you need for today's lesson and let's get going.

By the end of today's lesson you'll be able to describe some of the challenges of life in Lagos and list some possible solutions.

There are five key terms for today's lesson.

Those are pollution, inequality, informal settlement, informal job sector, and poverty.

Pollution refers to anything that makes the environment dirty or unhealthy.

Inequality refers to when something is not shared evenly between everyone.

Informal settlement refers to an area of makeshift housing where the people who live there don't own the land or have access to services like clean water, power, and sanitation.

Informal job sector refers to jobs that are not officially recorded or regulated and do not involve the payment of taxes.

And finally, poverty refers to not having enough money to afford basic human needs such as food, clothing, or somewhere to live.

There are two learning cycles for today's lesson.

We're gonna start with the first one, which is all about challenges in Lagos.

The rapid growth of Lagos and its status as a global city has created a huge amount of different opportunities.

Aisha says that Lagos also faces several challenges that impact people and the environment.

What challenges do you think these are? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question, or perhaps even better, have a discussion with someone near you.

Now, Lagos faces many different challenges, as I'm sure you were able to come up with yourself.

They include unfair employment, inequality, pollution, flooding, overcrowding, and traffic congestion, and finally strains on housing and services.

And we're gonna spend the next part of the lesson really trying to get to grips with these six different challenges and understand them in a little bit more detail.

Let's start with strains on housing and services.

Lagos has a very high population density, meaning lots of people are living there in a rather small area.

Property prices are rising and there isn't enough affordable housing for people to buy or rent.

The image on the screen does a great job in actually illustrating or demonstrating that high population density.

Housing shortages in Lagos has led to the growth of informal settlements, and an informal settlement is one which is unplanned.

It's unplanned housing.

This means that people don't have any legal claim to actually live there.

Informal settlements though, aren't just particular to Nigeria, they're found in many cities around the world.

In fact, 49% of Nigeria's urban population, by which I mean towns and cities, actually live in informal settlements.

So almost half of all the people in Nigeria that live in cities are actually living in informal settlements.

That is an astounding statistic.

Time now for a learning check.

And the question for this is what are informal settlements? So what I need you to do then is pause the video here whilst you try to recall the definition of an informal settlement.

And the correct answer, as Sam says, is that informal settlements are unplanned housing.

The learning check flow continues.

My next question for you is what percentage of Nigeria's urban population live in these informal settlements? So once again, I need you to pause the video whilst you try to recall that piece of information.

And the correct answer, as Lucas says, 49%.

49% of Nigeria's urban population lives in these informal settlements.

So really well done if you're able to identify those two correct answers.

Makoko is a large informal settlement in the capital city of Nigeria, which is Lagos.

Here it is, it is located on the mainland along the coast of Lagos Lagoon.

And if you study that map, you'll see that inland water, this is called a lagoon, and Makoko is a large informal settlement located on its coast.

Nobody knows exactly how many people live there, but estimates range from 85,000 people all the way up to more than 250,000 people.

More than a quarter of a million people potentially live in that very small area of the city.

Now, GIS can be used to investigate Makoko in a little bit more detail.

Now, zooming in and switching to a different base map, as the video in front of you is currently showing, can provide us with a little bit more detail about what the settlement is like.

Let's spend a few moments actually just watching this video to try and understand a little bit more about Makoko.

So whilst I'm watching this video, I'm seeing this informal settlement, and what I can clearly see when I'm looking at this is how densely packed the buildings are.

And when it flips to the satellite images we'll see in a second, we can also see perhaps just how unstructured and unplanned the settlement actually is, especially when you compare it to the more planned area of the city, further to the southwest in the bottom left of that picture that you can see in front of you.

Makoko is a collection of villages which are actually spread across land and water.

Some people live in housing built on stilts along the edge of Lagos Lagoon, whilst others live further inland.

The image in front of you does a great job of actually just showing what some of those housing on stilts looks like.

As Jun says, "Makoko is sometimes called the 'Venice of Africa' because of the many waterways running through it." Makoko has a very high population density, as we described earlier.

Many people here are facing challenges in their lives such as the following.

An inadequate access to clean water, sanitation, and electricity.

Limited education as well as healthcare.

Overcrowded housing, pollution.

A risk of eviction.

Remember, these informal settlements are not legal, so they could be removed at any time.

And also a vulnerability to flooding, being that they're close to the lagoon, being that they're close to the ocean as well, they are very susceptible to flooding.

Despite the challenges, or perhaps even because of the challenges, Makoko has a real strong sense of community.

People living here often have close connections with others in their community and they live near their friends and family.

There is also a thriving informal sector which provides work for people and different trades such as fishing and wood carving.

In terms of unfair employment, while thousands of people move to Lagos each and every single year in search of employment, probably they're moving from other parts of the country, particularly rural areas which are significantly poor in the country of Nigeria, and they come to places such as Lagos looking for employment and an income.

Job opportunities, though, are often in certain sectors and require specific skills and qualifications.

Many people may only find work in the informal job sector.

This may mean that people aren't paid fairly and lack job security and benefits such as sick pay and holiday pay.

Things that we take for granted in countries such as the United Kingdom.

They could be fired the next day without reason.

And again, these are all job securities that we experience, and perhaps even take for granted in countries such as the United Kingdom.

Izzy and Sam then are having a discussion.

You need to decide in this learning check who you think is correct.

So what you need to do right now then is pause the video whilst you read through those two statements and decide who you think is correct.

And the correct answer is Izzy.

Izzy says that many people in Lagos only find work in the informal job sector.

This often means that they aren't paid fairly and lack job security and benefits.

Really well done if you're able to identify Izzy as the correct answer.

As we can see here as well, more than 60% of the world's employed population actually work in the informal job sector.

So working in the formal job sector, which has those holiday benefits, those job securities, and a reasonable pay which is fair, is actually more uncommon in the world than working in the informal job sector.

So once again, really well done if you're able to identify Izzy is the correct answer.

Next we have overcrowding and congestion.

Well, the high population density in Lagos leads to overcrowding.

The transport system then is incredibly busy and traffic, as a result, is very congested in the city centre in particular, as the image in front of you demonstrates.

This causes air pollution and long commuting times, and a higher rate of road accidents.

What about pollution? Well, air and water pollution are pressing issues at Lagos currently.

The causes include the following.

Industry, inadequate waste management, traffic congestion, as well as high population density.

All of these things come together to create real issues around air and water pollution for both the people and the environment.

This pollution then, as I said, is actually harmful to both the people and the environment of Nigeria, and it is a real critical issue in Nigeria currently.

Flooding, while Lagos, as I said previously, and as we looked at on the map previously, is situated in a low-lying coastal area.

This makes it especially vulnerable to flooding.

And flooding is common during the rainy season, during that monsoon season.

Changes in weather patterns and rising sea levels as a result of climate change are also increasing the risk and intensity of these flooding events.

Finally, inequality in society is a real issue.

There are high levels of inequality in Lagos, particularly.

Lagos is Nigeria's economic hub, it's where it generates a huge amount of the country's income.

And this has generated a lot of wealth for some people.

The city is home to thousands of different millionaires and a few billionaires.

But on the other hand, millions of people in the city live in extreme poverty, as we saw earlier, with these informal settlements.

This means they don't even have enough money to afford basic human needs such as food, clothing, or somewhere to live.

So Lagos is a city of extremes.

On the one hand, you have billionaires and millionaires, but on the other hand, you have millions of people living in extreme poverty.

And this, therefore, goes some way to contributing to this society which is really riddled by inequality.

So a quick learning check.

It says, "True or false, everyone has financially benefited from the wealth generated by the economy of Lagos." You need to pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer was false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why that statement is false.

And the reason it's false is because there are high levels of inequality in Lagos.

The economy of Lagos has generated a huge amount of wealth for some people, but millions of people in the city still live in extreme poverty.

So really well done if you are able to identify those two correct answers.

On now to our two practise tasks for our first learning cycle.

And the first one says to complete the spider diagram to show some of the challenges in Lagos.

The second one then says to choose just one of those challenges.

And I'd like you to share your learning and thoughts about it with someone else.

So please then pause the video here whilst you attempt these two practise tasks.

Best of luck.

And now for some feedback.

So here is an example of a completed spider diagram which you may have got yourself.

So what needed to be included in terms of challenges? Well, unfair employment, inequality, pollution, flooding, overcrowding, and traffic congestion, and finally strains on housing and services.

Really well done if you're able to include that in your spider diagram.

And feedback for the second question now.

I asked you to choose one of those challenges and share your learning and thoughts about it with someone else.

And here's an example from Andeep.

Andeep says that the causes of pollution in Lagos include industry, inadequate waste management, traffic congestion, and its high population density.

Air pollution is also a problem in London where I live.

Really, really well done if you're able to include anything like that in your discussions with your classmate.

And finally, are any of these challenges an issue in the place where you live? You may like to pause the video here whilst you discuss that with someone near you.

On now to our second and final learning cycle.

And this is all about the solutions that can be found in Lagos to those challenges.

Now, many of the challenges facing Lagos are issues in most of the world's cities.

Lagos is no different to many, many different cities around the world.

What do you think the solutions to these challenges might be? Aisha says to talk to someone about your ideas as solutions to those challenges which we went through in the first part of this lesson.

So you may like to pause the video here whilst you discuss this with somewhat near you.

Here are some possible ideas which you may have just previously discussed.

People may have different viewpoints about these challenges and what action is actually needed.

So what does Andeep say? Andeep says that building more affordable housing might help to improve living conditions.

Sam, she says that improving public transport options might help to reduce traffic congestion.

And finally, Alex says that making the world's super rich people pay more tax might help to tackle inequality.

The money could be used for things like education, healthcare, fair wages, and looking after the environment.

And certainly each and every one of these three statements and solutions by Alex, Sam, and Andeep are all valid solutions and suggestions.

Action is being taken in Lagos to tackle the problems that it faces.

And here are a few examples.

They're trying to instal solar power.

They're trying to provide more affordable housing.

They're building floating schools on that lagoon that we saw earlier, and finally they're trying to improve and invest in public transport.

Time now for a learning check, and it says, "True or false, the challenges facing Lagos are problems in most of the world's cities." So what I need you to do right now then is pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer is true.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why or how that statement is true.

And the reason it's true is that, well, yeah, many of the challenges facing Lagos are issues in most of the world's cities.

And my question to you is, are any of them challenges in the place where you live? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question or perhaps even have a discussion with someone near you.

So the first solution that the Nigerian government is trying to implement is installing solar power.

Most homes in Makoko, that informal settlement we looked at previously, are not actually connected to the main electricity grid.

So one solution has actually been the installation of solar power systems in homes, schools, and healthcare clinics found there.

But many people in Makoko and across Nigeria still face challenges in actually accessing electricity.

Improving public transport has also been a priority for the Nigerian government.

Lagos is one of the most traffic congested cities anywhere in the world.

And one solution that has been to improve public transport so that there are actually fewer cars on the road.

The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit, or the BRT system, is a network of buses around the city.

More than 200,000 people travel on the buses every single day, and plans are underway to actually extend this system.

The Lagos rail mass transit system, or the LRMT, is also being extended, and an electric train line called the Blue Line is currently being built.

And there is an image of one of the stations on the Blue Line, and again, it's trying to combat two potential problems. One being the lack of public transport, the congestion that that causes, but also the air pollution that causes as a result as well.

So by using electric trains as public transport, it solves two problems of congestion as well as air quality.

Now to deal with the problem of access to quality education, particularly in those informal settlements, building floating school has also been a solution that has been enacted by the Nigerian government.

Communities in Makoko are particularly vulnerable to flooding, and many homes are actually made of very weak, flimsy materials and perched on stilts over the water.

Residents also face challenges in access and services such as education and healthcare.

As a result, one solution has been to build a floating school.

Made of wood, as you can see on the image in front of you, it floats on plastic barrels, which means that it can be easily moved around to respond to changing tides and water levels.

The school is also used as a healthcare clinic and community centre.

So again, it's providing multiple purposes to try to alleviate some of the problems and challenges that Makoko is actually facing.

Now, the Nigerian government has made a real effort to try to provide more affordable housing, but what were the reasons for the lack of affordable housing in the first place? Well, they include the following.

The rapid population growth and urbanisation of Lagos.

So many people moving into the city in such a short amount of time left limited housing stock for people.

There's also a lack of investment for building and land development.

There is also the high cost of land, and also a limited amount of infrastructure.

And all of these factors combined have contributed to the lack affordable housing for people.

So coastal erosion and rising sea levels are also an increasingly significant issue in the area.

Now, one solution to this challenge then is to actually just build more affordable housing.

New housing developments have been built in Lagos, but still many of these housing developments are just too expensive for the ordinary, normal person in Lagos.

Many of these luxury apartments that you can see on the screen in front of you remain empty.

These high-rise buildings are in Eko Atlantic, a new coastal city being built on reclaimed land next to one of the islands in Lagos.

True or false then is our next learning check.

It says, "Most of the new housing developments in Lagos are affordable for everyone living in the city." So what you need to do right now then is pause the video here whilst you consider, and then select your answer.

And the correct answer is false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to how or why this statement then is false.

And the reason it's false is, well, the homes in many of these new developments are just too expensive for most of the population in Lagos.

Lack of affordable housing is an issue though in many places around the world.

Really well done if you are able to identify those two correct answers.

Time now for our two practise tasks for our final learning cycle.

And the first one says to complete the table by describing one or more of the challenges in Lagos that each of these solutions is helping to address.

The second one says, "Think about one of the challenges from that table from practise question one and describe what another possible solution might be, and share your learning and thoughts about it with someone else." So please then pause the video here whilst you attempt these two practise questions.

Best of luck.

And now some feedback.

So here is an example of a completed table.

You may have thought though of other challenges.

So for example, with a solution of improving public transport, the challenge that that it was trying to solve is traffic congestion as well as air pollution.

What about installing solar power? Well, it was solving the problem of a limited access or just no access at all to electricity.

The solution of building a floating school solved the problem, perhaps, of limited access to education as well as flooding.

And finally, the solution of providing more affordable housing solve the problem of lack of affordable housing.

Now the second question asks you to think about one of the challenges from that table and describe what another possible solution might be.

I asked you to share your learning and thoughts about it with someone else.

Izzy says, "Traffic congestion is a problem in Lagos.

Another solution would be to make the roads safer for cycling and walking." So not only providing improvements in public transport, but also trying to encourage people and make it safer for people to use their bicycle, or even just walk to work or wherever they are going during that day.

So really well done if you are able to include anything like that in your answer, or include anything like that in your own discussions.

Time there for our learning summary and what you need to know from today's lesson.

Well, many people in Lagos live in informal settlements because of a lack of affordable housing.

Traffic congestion and pollution are major problems in Lagos.

There is also high levels of inequality in Lagos society.

Solutions include the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System, as well as floating schools.

So, really well done during today's lesson.

It was a pleasure teaching you, and I will see you again on the next lesson.

Goodbye.