Lagos has always had its starter pack. We had the era of people carrying cash around because ATMs were not to be trusted, or people joining long fuel queues because someone on Obasanjo鈥檚 internet swore that prices would go up by morning (they were usually right), and there was also the era where we willingly climbed high-risk okadas with engines that you couldn鈥檛 tell apart from a wailing child. That version of Lagos isn鈥檛 completely gone, unfortunately, but it鈥檚 no longer the only version of the city we are now used to.
Beneath the chaos of the city, a different Lagos is slowly but steadily taking shape. One where smarter systems, everyday convenience, and new infrastructure are changing how people navigate the city. If you鈥檝e paid attention to these things, chances are that you鈥檝e already caught a glimpse of the future.
Here are seven sure signs you鈥檝e stepped into the New Lagos starter pack.
1. You genuinely don鈥檛 know where your ATM card is
You probably think we are calling you careless, but honestly, that鈥檚 not it. We also don鈥檛 know where our cards are.聽
There was a time when we had the tonasobe and the Motorola phones that could only make calls and send texts, but fortunately, technology has advanced, and we now have the androids and iPhones. Your phone can order groceries, pay your bills, settle your Uber driver, and take care of anything you need. The only time you ever remember you have an ATM card is either when your bank app fails (as it usually does) or when you enter a place that only collects cards.
2. 聽All the delivery riders in Lagos know the way to your house聽
Yes, we are exaggerating, but even you know we are not lying.聽
There was a time when ordering things felt like a luxury, but now, it鈥檚 like second nature. Life has become so convenient that you don鈥檛 have to leave your house to buy food, clothes, groceries, or even medications. If you are an introvert, you are probably having a great time.聽
3. Fuel might be everyone鈥檚 circus, but it鈥檚 not everybody’s monkeys anymore
Every Lagosian always seem to have a lore connected to fuel. You鈥檝e probably queued for it, fought a stranger over it, or watched it affect the cost of everything around you. It鈥檚 exactly this reason why it鈥檚 impossible not to notice that some riders aren鈥檛 dependent on petrol like you.聽
4. An Okada finally gives your ears a break
If you are prone to sensory overload and live in Lagos, you probably have daily crash-outs dedicated to wondering about the reason for your existence.聽
The unorganised transportation system, the touchy conductors, the fumes, the buses and okadas with engines that sound like they鈥檙e just two seconds away from croaking. So, the day an Okada passes by you without making any noise, you ask yourself if you hallucinated it, but no, you didn鈥檛. Welcome to the New World.聽
5. You see a battery provide what a fuel station usually does
You鈥檙e at the fuel station, fighting for your life (as usual), when you see a bike rider park nearby, and instead of joining the queue that was starting to get rowdy, they casually removed a battery from their bike, replaced it with another one, and rode off while you鈥檝e barely moved an inch.
If you鈥檙e wondering what you just witnessed, it鈥檚 called battery swapping, and it鈥檚 already happening in Lagos. Spiro is an example of a company using it to keep electric motorcycles on the road without relying on petrol, giving riders a faster and easier way to get moving.
But Spiro isn鈥檛 just making electric motorcycles. It鈥檚 building the infrastructure behind them, making it possible for riders to easily swap batteries in minutes instead of waiting in fuel queues (like you).
That vision is attracting serious (chaching) backing too. Spiro has raised a total of US$270 million from investors to expand its electric mobility and battery-swapping infrastructure across Africa. We guess it鈥檚 safe to say that, like us, the rest of the world might be paying attention too.
6. You finally understand why that bike is soooo quiet
The first time you get to ride one of these bikes, you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never does. The noise and the fumes you鈥檙e used to never come. It probably scares you at first because you鈥檝e lived in Lagos all your life, and like a toxic ex, the city has not provided you with one single moment of peace and quiet, but guess what? That ends now.聽
7. You begin to realise that Lagos is on another level聽
Not only are we beginning to have everyday conveniences, but we are now living in a world where bikes can run on batteries rather than fuel. If someone had told you a few years ago that such motorcycles would exist in a city like Lagos, you would have probably laughed in their face. Yet here we are, watching Lagos evolve with the times (as it should).
The big story here isn鈥檛 the motorcycles, even though they鈥檙e pretty awesome. It鈥檚 the system behind them. Spiro is creating systems that could shape the future of mobility across African cities, finally making it possible for people to move around without constantly relying on petrol.
The future isn鈥檛 in a strange land, expecting us with open arms. It鈥檚 already finding its roots here, and years from now, we are going to look back on the fact that we were watching the beginning of something much, much bigger than quieter motorcycles.
