Four weeks ago I arrived in Lagos, Nigeria. It was not the first time being in Lagos: I grew up in Lagos and spent my childhood here till my 8th year, because my parents were working in Lagos. So for me, it was getting kind of back to the roots…

When I arrived in Lagos, a driver was waiting me up for taking me to the guesthouse where I will stay for my internship. Lagos’ tropical warmth, its stirring urban street life and its spontaneously arising informal activities overwhelmed me, but it recalled me of many experiences from when I was a little boy.

It is nice to be back in Lagos with a purpose. It was impressive to remark the difference of leaving Lagos in 1993 from an airport located at the fringe of the city in a green environment, and arriving at the same airport in 2010, now totally surrounded with urban sprawl. Lagos’ rapid urbanisation is one of the issues we will take along in the coastal flooding management study, an issue which also emphasises the urge of this study.