The colours, the clothes, the hustle and bustle, the noise, the rowdiness, I can only be talking about one place, Lagos Marina Market. Ironically, it comes with all the smells, random people touching you, and vendors insisting they have exactly what you want (even when they have no idea why you’re there 😂).

The bad roads, the crowd, the black gutter water, yet it is still one of my favourite places in Lagos. Yes, I enjoy fancy restaurants and all that, but the famous “Eko” market is where you go if you’re looking for anything: clothes, provisions both local and imported, makeup, jewelry, meat, chickens, you name it.

While I do not enjoy having to shout at people touching me, I do enjoy browsing. It is easy to get caught up in the glamour, but a vendor seeing you staring usually assumes you’re buying, and suddenly you feel bad for just looking.

Despite the chaos, the touching, the crazy smells, the shouting, the occasional thievery, this market is home to some of the richest and most successful business people in Lagos. Once you get past the madness, you can find anything you’re looking for…especially the best street puff puff and bone-straight wigs for half the price.