Correspondent's Diary, Lagos - Day Two

This one is a few days late, and I’ll try and catch up on the reportage – internet has been down for a few days and we’ve just got it up and running now.

So, Monday. Even this close to Christmas, Lagos was busy with life, and with traffic. We woke early to head down to the BG Nigeria offices to be given a security briefing – mandatory for all guests, visitors and family.

The Security Advisor taking us through all the details was an ex-Army chap who had been working out in Nigeria for the past twelve years. From the sound of it, he had been on the rough end of a kidnapping himself on at least one occasion. His message to us, more than anything, was that Lagos, and Nigeria, like anywhere, had places you could go, and places you should avoid. Common sense was the key, and that was what my brother and I took to heart. We have no intention of heading anywhere near the Delta on this trip. In all but name, a civil war rages there, but for the distance, it might as well be a different country. Until Lagos sorts out its infrastructure it will never be a holiday destination, but having seen some of the culture and some of the potential, I have to wonder that maybe in a few generations once the political process has had time to bed in, that might just become a reality.

We headed down to the yacht club a little too late in the day to get any time on the water – winds were dropping and most of the boat-boys had gone home, so I sat and indulged in a Bloody Mary while Iain got a dry lesson on the GP14.

Life is tough.