Chapters
Lagos
Ports, rail, tech hubs · Lagoon and Atlantic coast
The five ages
- 1
Crisis
2023 · town-centre level 1The fuel subsidy is gone and the naira floats. Pump prices more than double, generators roar on every street, and the young are leaving. Start from the basics: homes, markets, power and order.
- 2
Recovery
2024–2027 · town-centre level 4Fix what is broken: steady power, safer streets, hospitals and schools that open every day. The first rail lines are already running.
- 3
Boom
2027–2032 · town-centre level 7A deep-sea port, tech campuses and fuel refined at home turn Lagos into a magnet for investment.
- 4
Megacity
2032–2040 · town-centre level 10Towers, fast rail and arenas. Lagos becomes one of the great cities of the world.
- 5
World stage
2040s · town-centre level 13Summits, a seat at the table and rockets on the pad. Lagos’s economy outgrows whole countries.
People of Lagos
The figures who appear as the city grows, run by the Governor.
The Governor
That is youFour years to turn the city around, then the voters decide.
The market women
The city’s tradersTheir associations can make or break a policy in a week.
Portrait: fictional depiction
The danfo drivers
The yellow busesWhen fuel prices jump, the whole city feels it at the bus stop.
Portrait: fictional depictionYour hero in battle
Helicopter gunship
Air coverFlies over walls straight to the fight. Ability: Air cover. Every unit nearby fights harder: +35% damage for 12 seconds.
The council
| Seat | Who they are | Speaks for |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner for Finance | The treasury and the economy | people, trade and the treasury |
| Commissioner of Police | Security | the police, the army and Peace |
| Adviser on religious affairs | Churches and mosques | Faith and faith balance |
| Commissioner for Education | Schools and universities | Progress and research |
| Commissioner for Commerce | Markets and investors | Wealth and Unity |
| Commissioner for Health | Hospitals | Health |
| Commissioner for Energy | Power and fuel | the grid |
| The House of Assembly | Lawmakers | impeachment, and whether you keep office |
Raiders and bosses
Who comes for the city in each age. Bosses come once you are into their age. How raids work.
| Age | Raiders | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| First Crisis | Armed robbers | None |
| Second Recovery | Area boys’ gangs | None |
| Third Boom | Kidnap gangs | Pirates from the creeks A raid from the water |
| Fourth Megacity | Militants | None |
| Fifth World stage | Armed militia | A border incursion Unnamed troops cross the border |
Soldiers
| Soldier | From level | |
|---|---|---|
| Police officer | Riot police with shields and batons. | 2 |
| Soldier | Infantry with rifles. | 3 |
| Armoured car | Hard to stop and slow to fall. | 7 |
| Marksman | One heavy shot from far away. | 10 |
Buildings
Every building Lagos can raise, shown as it looks in the middle of the story. What each type does.
People
Housing estate
Unlocks at town-centre level 1From face-me-I-face-you blocks to towers. Houses your people.
Hospital
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Raises Health, and healthy workers produce more. Raiders never touch it.
High Court
Unlocks at town-centre level 5Raises Trust and some Peace. Low Trust lets officials skim taxes.
Economy
Agro farm
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Mechanised farming and food processing. Tap it when it fills.
Cement works
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Cement for every building site in the city. Materials.
Steel works
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Iron rods and steel frames. Materials.
Cold store
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Refrigerated food storage. Raises your Food storage.
Warehouse
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Containers and building stock. Raises your Materials storage.
Bank
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Raises how much Wealth you can keep.
Market
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Umbrella stalls that grow into malls. Wealth, plus a little Unity.
Power station
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Gas turbines, then solar fields. Every building draws power; when supply runs short, generators come on and output, Health and Unity suffer.
Deep-sea port
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Container cranes and ships from every ocean. A large Wealth producer. Must touch the water.
Culture
Church
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Raises Faith. Keep churches and mosques in balance: if one far outnumbers the other, Unity falls. Raiders never touch it.
Mosque
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Raises Faith. Keep mosques and churches in balance: if one far outnumbers the other, Unity falls. Raiders never touch it.
University
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Lecture halls that grow into a tech campus. Makes Knowledge and runs research. Raiders never touch it.
Stadium
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Match days and concerts. Raises Unity. A big enough stadium can host the Africa Cup of Nations.
Air base
Unlocks at town-centre level 7A helipad and hangar. Brings the helicopter gunship to your forces.
National Theatre
Unlocks at town-centre level 8The Lagos landmark with the cap-shaped roof. Heritage for the ladder.
Defence
Police station
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Raises Peace and keeps robbers off the streets.
Security post
Unlocks at town-centre level 2A floodlit post behind sandbags that fires on attackers.
Security wall
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Concrete walls with razor wire and cameras, section by section.
Checkpoint
Unlocks at town-centre level 4A manned barrier where an avenue crosses the security wall.
Armoured unit
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Armoured vehicles behind sandbags. Hits hard, reloads slowly.
Space centre
Unlocks at town-centre level 13Level 1 launches a satellite, level 3 flies an astronaut, level 5 lands on the Moon.
Army
Army barracks
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Each level holds more soldiers.
Industrial park
Unlocks at town-centre level 5Factories and workshops. Raises Progress.
Landmarks
Freedom Park
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Built on Her Majesty’s Broad Street Prison, the colonial jail first raised in 1882; the park marked 50 years of independence in 2010. Unity, Heritage and visitors.
Tafawa Balewa Square
Unlocks at town-centre level 6The old Lagos Race Course, where independence was celebrated on 1 October 1960. Four white horses and seven red eagles stand over its gate. Unity and events.
Lekki Conservation Centre
Unlocks at town-centre level 8A nature reserve set up in 1990, with what is billed as Africa’s longest canopy walkway. Health, Unity and visitors.
Lekki–Ikoyi Link Bridge
Unlocks at town-centre level 9Nigeria’s first cable-stayed bridge, 1.36 km over Five Cowries Creek, opened on 29 May 2013. Progress and tolls. Must touch the water.
Third Mainland Bridge
Unlocks at town-centre level 11Completed in 1990, 11.8 km across the Lagos Lagoon; it was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996. Progress and trade. Must touch the water.
Eko Atlantic
Unlocks at town-centre level 12A new city on 9 km² of land won back from the Atlantic, behind an 8.5 km sea wall built against the erosion of Bar Beach. Shields the coast from storm surges. Must touch the water.
Beach resort
Unlocks at town-centre level 7Sand, umbrellas, suya and music by the water. Unity, Health and visitors. Must touch the water.
Eko Sky Needle
Unlocks at town-centre level 13A future project: a kilometre-tall tower with a glowing observation ring, taller than anything on Earth today. The world comes to look.
Lagoon Arcology
Unlocks at town-centre level 14A future project: a stepped city in a single building, with farms, schools and homes for 100,000 people on its terraces.
Solar Crown
Unlocks at town-centre level 15A future project: a ring of solar parks and gardens held high above the city on white pillars. Clean power and a skyline nobody can copy.
Research
| Technology | Branch | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Improved seed | Farming | Better seed and fertiliser: +10% Food. |
| Cold chains | Farming | Less food spoils on the way: +15% Food storage. |
| Irrigation | Farming | Year-round farming: +15% Food. |
| Agro-processing | Farming | More value from every harvest: +20% Food. |
| Building codes | Building | Fewer collapses, faster approvals: builds 8% faster. |
| Steel frames | Building | Taller and stronger: buildings +10% sturdier. |
| Local cement | Building | Cheaper materials: builds cost 8% less. |
| Prefab towers | Building | Factory-built floors: builds 10% faster. |
| Police training | Defence | Better trained officers: +8% damage. |
| CCTV network | Defence | Cameras on every post: posts +12% damage. |
| Body armour | Defence | Better protection: +12% unit health. |
| Drones | Defence | Eyes in the sky: +12% damage. |
| Instant payments | Trade | Transfers in seconds: +10% Wealth. |
| Ease of business | Trade | Fewer forms and fees: +12% Wealth. |
| Free trade zone | Trade | Investors and exporters move in: +20% Wealth. |
| Teacher training | Learning | Better teachers: +15% Knowledge. |
| Tech hubs | Learning | Coders and start-ups: research 15% faster. |
| Research labs | Learning | Universities that invent: +20% Knowledge. |
| Festival calendar | Heritage | Concerts, carnivals and festivals: Faith and Unity rise. |
| Nollywood studios | Heritage | Films for the whole continent: Heritage. |
| Afrobeats on the world stage | Heritage | The city’s sound goes global: Heritage. |
| Fintech signature | Heritage | Signature tech. Money moves by phone: Knowledge and Progress. |
| Urban rail signature | Defence | Signature tech. Trains link the districts: walls and posts 25% stronger. |
Did you know?
- The fuel subsidy ended on 29 May 2023, and pump prices more than doubled.
- On 14 June 2023 the naira was floated; it fell from about ₦461 to about ₦770 to the dollar.
- Headline inflation peaked at 34.80% in December 2024; food inflation hit 40.87% in June 2024.
- The UK approved about 132,000 visas for Nigerians in the first half of 2023 alone.
- Public university lecturers were on strike from 14 February to 14 October 2022.
- The Lekki Deep Sea Port was commissioned on 23 January 2023.
- The Lagos Blue Line began carrying passengers on 4 September 2023; the Red Line from 15 October 2024.
- The Second Niger Bridge opened to traffic on 15 December 2022.
- Nigeria signed the Artemis Accords on 13 December 2022, one of the first two African countries to do so.
- NigeriaSat-1 was launched on 27 September 2003.
- The national motto is “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”.