By Prisca Sam-Duru

For most people, Lagos will remain a metaphor for everything wrong with what a city should be. For some others, in spite of its anarchic nature, Lagos is an entity that represents a fertile space for survival.

The evident chaotic nature of the ‘self-styled’ megacity notwithstanding, Lagos means different things to diverse people from across the globe, depending on individuals’ point of view.

In her latest literary offering titled, “Suitors Are Scarce In Lagos” Dr Lola Akande of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, captures an avalanche of experiences of individuals in the entity which is perhaps, one of, if not the busiest cities in West Africa.

In so much as creatives have through one form of art genre or the other, attempted interrogating the impact of metropolitan city of Lagos on its dwellers and vice versa, Lola Akande’s new book does the same but with a fresh perspective, covering the demographics that comprise the city, particularly its people, glamour etc.

The 296-page collection of ten short stories published by Tunmike Pages, Yaba, Lagos, comes barely two years after publishing her third novel, “Where Are You From” which was preceded by her 2017 award winning novel, “What It Takes”.

Each of the ten short fictions assembled in “Suitors Are Scarce In Lagos”, captures from its unique perspective, a novel angle that unravels perhaps, what distinguishes Lagos from other cities in Nigeria and beyond. The collection examines everyday familiar themes that explore the enigmatic city of Lagos with so much vibrancy, diversity, social engagements, chaos, injustice, wealth and poverty.

The first story titled “Who Is Sane In Lagos” which is about the longest of the ten, is told in the first –person narrative just like most others in the collection. The plot of this opening tale, very well provides an answer to what should have been a rhetorical question posed by the title. The storyline appears to be saying that no one is sane in Lagos. The author here, attempts to portray the choky nature of a typical day on Lagos roads. No wonder many have formed the opinion that Lagos makes people age rapidly and in fact, reduces one’s life span. Even when one isn’t out for trouble, without invitation, trouble locates and deals with that person mercilessly.

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The author’s ingenuity in using it to arrest the attention of her readers is commendable. The anarchical nature of Lagos is exhaustively captured as readers follow the storyteller, Tokunbo, as she navigates the traffic and vicissitudes of Lagos roads, just to visit a relative. It is also an expose of how life is made unbearable for Lagosians by ‘Danfo’ drivers and particularly unscrupulous elements in the Police force.

Dr Lola Akande who is also author of ‘In Our Place’, may not have noticed this but her story titled, “Photogenic”, helps to douse the tension and gloom generated by “Test For Motherhood”. The story is about the shortest of all in the collection. It’s quite engaging and filled with lessons for young ones, just like the others. ‘Photogenic’ is at the same time, most captivatingly, hilarious.

Many people have averred that Civil Service sector is the bane of Nigeria’s development. And when critically analysed, it’d discovered that people with such notion are not far from the truth. They work less and, do they really earn more? Anyway, they may not really be earning more but the issue is that there’s an alarming level of corruption and unseriousness in that sector. The author did well to shine the light on the rot in the Civil Service in her tale titled, “Waiting For 4pm”.

“Waiting for 4pm” exposes the damage the civil service at all levels has done to the country’s economy. The good thing is that some of the key players here were judged accordingly but one expected that a character such as Ene should have received her fair share of disgrace.

All the stories mirror life in Lagos, and it’s no wonder that they are all set in the city. As recorded in the title story, ‘Nocturnal’ and ‘Caged Bird’, it’s important to understand the core message- if the centre can no longer hold, leave to live. It is hoped that every being violated will learn from Sade’s daunting experiences.

It’s unbelievable what the youth do on campus. The story, ‘Test For Motherhood’, a tragic narrative of frivolous lifestyle of girls on campus, is an urgent call to parents to pay adequate attention to their children/wards while on campus. Children should be brought up to have a mind of their own to be able to resist peer pressure no matter how intense the pressure becomes.

The employment of flashback technique and engaging dialogues accompanied by an elegant language register, make the thematic expressions in all the short stories comprehensible.

The collection is a priceless companion for everyone especially parents, young ones on campus as well as women seeking life partners. It is an eye-opener for even the married!

Vanguard