Back to Feed
Long Read

Sustainability in Shagamu: How Green is This Urban Space? (Spoiler: It's Complicated)

@Mason Grey2/8/2026blog

i've been in shagamu for three days and i'm already questioning my life choices. i came here to write a datapiece on sustainability, but all i see is a whole lot of dust and plastic bags fighting for space on the roads. maybe i should have brought a hazmat suit. anyway, let's see how green this place really is.


first things first: i embedded a map so you can see where i'm stuck. shagamu sits in ogun state, about an hour and a half from lagos if the traffic gods are smiling. the city is a major commercial hub, famous for its markets like the shagamu central market where you can buy everything from fresh plantains to second-hand batteries. but sustainability? that word feels like a foreign concept here. or maybe it's just whispered in the corridors of the city hall.

i walked around and noticed a few things: there are trees, but they're mostly in people's compounds, not lining the streets. the air smells like exhaust and burning rubbish sometimes. i asked a guy at a roadside stall about recycling and he laughed like i told a dead joke. 'we burn everything,' he said, 'what's recycling?' that's the vibe.

now for some hard numbers because apparently i'm supposed to be data-driven (ugh, fine). rent: i chatted with a landlord who quoted me 300,000 naira per year for a one-bedroom apartment in a decent area. that's about $750 at the parallel market rate. compare that to lagos where the same gets you a shoe box. so rent's cheap, but your quality of life might be... rustic. safety: locals told me it's relatively safe during daylight, but after dark you shouldn't be walking alone near the railway compound or the outskirts. carjackings and muggings happen, especially near the expressway. job market: dominated by informal trading, agriculture (cocoa, kolanut), and a few small factories. unemployment is high among youths; many resort to okada (motorcycle taxi) riding or petty trade. there's a tech scene? not really. if you're a software engineer, you're better off remote or in lagos.

weather: it's hot, like someone left the oven on and forgot to take out the pizza. humidity sits at 80% and the sun beats down like a spotlight on a bad open mic. the rainy season brings downpours that flood the low-lying areas, turning streets into rivers. neighbors: just a short drive away, lagos looms like that noisy cousin who never leaves. its influence is everywhere: traffic, noise, the kind of pollution that makes your eyes water. but there's also abeokuta, about 30 minutes away, with its famous olumo rock, which is actually a tourist spot with some hiking and... well, it's not shagamu, but it's there.

what are people doing for the environment? i heard rumors of a city council initiative to plant trees along main roads, but someone told me it's all about photo ops for the governor's next campaign. 'they plant saplings and then forget to water them,' a woman at the market said. and waste management? there's a private company that collects trash in some affluent neighborhoods, but in the poorer areas, folks dump in open pits or burn it. i saw kids playing next to a smoldering trash heap. heart-warming.

but there's a glimmer: a group of youths started a community cleanup drive, organizing weekly cleanups and trying to educate on plastic use. they're called 'green shagamu movement' or something. i checked their facebook page (link) and they have like 500 followers. it's a start.


overheard gossip blockquote 1:
> 'you know they're planning to build a mega mall right where the old mangrove used to be? the one that filtered the water? yeah, now they'll just pump more sewage into the lagoon. classic.'
- a fisherman at the dock, probably drunk

blockquote 2:
> 'my brother works at the city planning office. he says the sustainability plan is just a document they wrote to get foreign aid. they haven't implemented a single thing in five years.'
- a student at the university, clearly jaded

i tried to find eco-friendly spots. there's a cafe that claims to use biodegradable packaging, but i saw them throw a whole bag of Styrofoam in the bin. i also heard about an organic farm on the outskirts, but the road to it is so battered it took me an hour to get there. they grow vegetables without pesticides, which is cool, but they sell mostly to lagos expats. locals can't afford the prices.

what about renewable energy? solar panels are popping up on some rooftops, mostly businesses and rich folks. the grid is unreliable, so everyone uses generators. those things belch smoke like a dragon. the government talks about solar, but the upfront cost is too high for most. there's a micro-hydro project somewhere? i think i read about it on a nairaland thread (link). it's experimental.

transport: the main forms are okada, danfos (minibuses), and private cars. traffic is chaotic. there's talk of a bus rapid transit system, but that's been in the works for years with zero progress. cycling? i saw one guy on a bike, and he looked like he was training for tour de france with the gear. not practical on these roads.

so, how green is shagamu? on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is a post-apocalyptic wasteland and 10 is copenhagen, i'd give it a solid 3. it's not the worst, but it's far from sustainable. there are pockets of hope: community groups, some trees, that organic farm. but systemic change? not happening. the city is growing fast, and without proper planning, it'll choke on its own waste.

if you're a sustainability tourist, you'll be disappointed. but if you're a realist, you'll see the struggle and maybe want to help. or you'll just come for the cheap rent and lowkey living.

check out these links for more:
- TripAdvisor's take on Shagamu attractions
- Yelp's best street food (if you can stomach the hygiene)
- r/Nigeria discussion on urban sustainability
- Ogun State news on waste management

anyway, i'm off to find a cold drink and maybe a tree that's actually alive. peace.

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Mason Grey

Observer of trends, culture, and human behavior.

Loading discussion...