Lagos Scenes | 1967

Scenes of Lagos, once the capital city of Nigeria captured in the early part of 1967.
From the sky and on the ground.
People, Buildings, Monuments, Streets.
Old Lagos; Victoria Island; Lagos Lagoon.
Independence House; Lagos Race Course, Holy Cross Catholic Cathedral; Marine Parade; Idumota Market.
Source of Footage: Reuters News Archive.
Music: "Aiyele" b/w "Alantere" performed by Orlando Owoh & His Omimah Band (1967).

[@planetolusola]

This is when Lagos was truly LAGOS. No danfos, molues, and bolekajas. Life was simply, a walk along the marina was blissful. Thanks for sharing Makinde.

[@Oseiwe]

It's difficult for me to join issues in comments on this video. I'm approaching 50, but i struggle to hold back tears when i watch the video, listen to the music. Black man is a tragedy in the human experience. Anyone wondered why this video was made? The people who have better depth were aware of the possibility that those places could become different in the thick uncertainty that clouded the future of Nigeria at the time. The question that has worried me for decades is: why? Man, why? Can't you see the futility of the human experience? Instead of us to join hands in worldwide human solidarity in this existence called life that we know nothing about, we're here bringing one another down, making our brief time here occupied with misery and sorrow. Look at the children; look at the school girls; they're just like Nigerians today, going about their lives. Just as they were, we are now and we will then turn old and die off and another set would be roaming about just like those ones. I recognise places I've been to in the video. These places were filmed in 1967, i didn't even exist. The whole world was going on and i wasn't there! And then i come and i now say because of one thing or another, i must get this thing or that thing must happen or the world would end. Man, your ego is sick. All humans had this problem, but they didn't know any better. With all the lessons learned in the human experience, black man still refuses to learn, insisting he must go through all the painful processes of experiencing the same and then arrive at same conclusion. I'm rambling, but i feel pain

[@Timelessnarratives123]

Well said sir

[@tomatopaste1936]

God bless you sir

[@justinebube8573]

You've poured out your heart and I can feel your pain........ This is one of the greatest write up I've ever come across...... Well said my dear....... If only we humans can go into self reflection, that's only when we can relate to this.....

[@joyandpeacefullaughter5307]

I think about this too sometimes and there seems to be no clear solution in sight. How can there be when we are our own worst enemies? 😔

[@reuben853]

Well said sir, God bless you.

[@dawnbroker5156]

I saw the video of Wole Soyinka being released in 1969 and Bishop Anyogu during the prelude to the biafran war. Your channel is rich in historical treasures.

[@nketiahkofi260]

I AM A GHANAIAN I QUIET REMEMBER THERE WERE HARD WORKING NIGERIANS IN GHANA THOSE LOVELY DAYS AND TODAY,THAT LIFE HAS DISAPPEARED FROM US.THIS VIDEO SHOWS YOU THE TIME THE NIRA WAS ABOUT TO LEAD THE WORLD. AGAIN, IT ALSO SHOWS YOU THE TIME OF TOGETHERNESS AND THE HAND THAT GIVES TO THE POOR .THOSE DAYS CAN NOT BE SEEN ANY MORE.

[@efemzyekun900]

In 1967, when this video was supposedly made, Nigeria was embroiled in a bloody civil war. Despite this episode of chaos, one can tell that her people, especially the Yoeubas, are progressive, peace loving and accommodating. About 18 months later, she welcomed back into her fold, the same people that fought to break away from them and gave them back their abandoned properties. The same two tribes today, can hardly tolerate each other. God is indeed patient.

[@jessedee8635]

I got overwhelmed with nostalgia watching this video😭😭

[@emekaofordile8835]

Lovely nostalgic music. Sad 2 see we still depend on same infrastructure as was in 1967 without any improvements of note. Ur channel is very informative & I always look forward 2 ur uploads.

[@joyandpeacefullaughter5307]

2:32 did anyone see how the cars all stayed in line even as there was space to overtake? 😔

[@aframaco9491]

Stands to reason, fewer people and even fewer cars on Lagos roads!! We are now talking of Lagos as a mega city. That wasn't the case in 1967. 👊🏾🇳🇬👊🏾🇳🇬!

[@naijanistan]

The MUSIC in this video is out of this world. Awesome sound indeed. This was 52 years ago and not much have changed. Leadership in other nations would have turned all these areas into Paradise by now with the resources that the nation is blessed with. But oh well, the looting leaders were and are still busy looting while the nation continues to regress.

[@1anre]

Highlife music bringing peace and calm to one’s mind.

[@NTNews.64]

I swear 😁

[@ekitiyoungprogressivesna3244]

First time hearing that song by Orlando Owoh. Thanks for sharing

[@kemmieokon]

I must confess... I love your channel!

[@youssefcamara3916]

Thank you, merci beaucoup mon ami. Low population density, green space everywhere. I don’t know what went wrong 50 years later.

[@ChibuzorDrSleek]

As a historian I’m simply marveled, our kids need be taught history visually and theories too

[@ADE-of-LAGOS]

Surprisingly history has been expunged from school curriculum.

[@mohammedusman8490]

There is this nostalgia I can't shake off

[@johnsmit3112]

Those students in school uniform will be grandparents by now

[@bilalishaq9477]

That's if they are not late. Life

[@jonesanku2357]

Yes

[@jonesanku2357]

The kids are happy they are being filmed

[@TeflonDon451]

Sad for them to see how this country went downhill.

[@pastorcharlesblessing5197]

Some may even be dead by now.

[@TayoAinaFilms]

Just came across your youtube page and this struck a chord with me "My contention is that no underlying philosophical approach to re-configuring the African mindset has been promoted by any African intellectual movement which would have the effect of changing the way people think and the way in which they can build the sort of identity and institutions which will unshackle the continent from the bondage of the past as well as the present." Promoting this new mindset is one of my missions! Is it possible to have a conversation with you about Nigeria on my channel? Will really appreciate your consideration!

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

Absolutely. My email is [e-mail]

[@nongovmedia]

Hey Tayo! This is a topic I am passionate about. Will be glad to share my thoughts if you let me

[@willieledbetter5494]

I believe Pan-Africanism went some considerable way towards that, but was during the same period of its flowering being overcome by the weeds of postcolonial vindictiveness from Western governments with vested interests in the continent's future. The meddling ended many opportunities for what you describe, and continues to this day, stifling its resurgence and progress.

[@Phriffo]

True, the victim mentality of Africans is the problem. Who were we before colonization?

[@bernardjay379]

Serene and organised unlike the mayhem of today. Great highlife music as well.

[@IGutube1]

An Educator, infotainment master, well done sir!

[@ikennaenwelum7798]

The amount of people walking barefoot was quite astounding

[@mosesdreylegend4981]

I'm emotional right now 😥😢

[@damilolaosanyintuyi303]

Thanks for your video archives. This really show case we really had the potential to be Great but somewhere along we lost it. I guess like the saying "easy to destroy than to rebuild" God we need your miracle in my country Nigeria so we can be what you envisioned us to be IJN....Amen

[@jessedee8635]

The bane of our nation Nigeria is the perennial inteferance of the military in governance. Each military government took us 10 years backward in all ramifications until the country eventually LOSTS it's glory. Too SAD

[@jaybee4577]

@@jessedee8635 LIES! Nigeria actually did better under military rule.

[@akojiekeyi9854]

​@@jessedee8635The civilian governments have been worse than the military ones in Nigeria; they are the ones that orchestrate and outrageously exploit our economic, earthly and regional fault lines and are more docile in curtailing criminality.

[@akinwaleolusayo8907]

Very lovely to see ❤

[@kenmarcus6183]

Good one for the archive.

[@willieledbetter5494]

This was lovely to watch. Very pleasant.

[@redbimmer6]

So incredibly beautiful.

[@masarrachy5854]

And peaceful

[@rgbphotomediaprod.2384]

Sooooooooo lovely!

[@taiwoadebunmi2818]

I noticed the water is very close to the Marina Church back then, that means there was lots of sand filling to push the water back & to create wider roads & bridges, wow.

[@loveone3676]

Nice one. thanks for this

[@bofloa]

I was born this year

[@gerald1495]

looks so clean

[@bowser3017]

a time when the population of Nigeria was less than that of the UK. Incredible

[@joyomole-ohonsi6082]

I just recently turned 17 and all these buildings I'm seeing are the still the same buildings I'm seeing today. So this is just saying Nigeria isn't moving forward or what? Because why are the infrastructures being used in the 60's!!! Being still used in 2021!!! No modifications or anything! Oh wow

[@memesfamilyguyandtvshows]

It's called culture most buildings in Lagos has a history and bring them down would be destroying those stories they tell

[@SimonDelucca]

@@memesfamilyguyandtvshows This young now-19-year-old is brilliantly correct. For example, compare the buildings of Singapore in 1967 . . . with that of 2024

[@j.c.n9718]

Majestic.

[@aniekanthomas979]

1. Too many comedians in the film today (i mean the smiling children...) 2.Speaking of the children, many of them would probably be grandparents by now...Nothing is permanent... 3.Lagos looked a lot 'quieter' back then...

[@jessedee8635]

Very quiet and peaceful. You can literally count the number of cars and people on the streets. Can't believe is the same cms i see today

[@kmoses2814]

The funniest thing is: no further development since then.

[@fashakinbanke3671]

oh wow......

[@abubakarsanni5422]

Once upon a time, Nigeria

[@ChuchuJS]

My dad told me when he came to Lagos in the early 70’s you didn’t have to worry about security, was so peaceful. But we didn’t have a futuristic leaders . If they had planned out Lagos in 50 years with a larger population they would have invested in more structures and better road networks.

[@TheLynx8888]

I grew up in lagos then, blame the military for Lagos' lack of planning for population growth. It was always going to continue as the leading city in Nigeria despite Abuja.

[@akinokusami3623]

Damn! We sooo missed an opportunity here. Can you imagine what we'd be if we had maintained the same level of organisation, civility , and no corruption? We'd be literally the closest to Wakanda. Oil hadn't even been discovered at this stage!

[@obinnaigboeli6686]

Good old days

[@Jerrydoller]

Lagos is like this 1967 so why Tinubu is saying him made Lagos na wa o

[@lagoscityview]

Not even a single thumbs down. Wow

[@thegoodlife6739]

that kid who ran away from the camera at 4:29 😂😅😭😂

[@randoms2826]

He’s a grand father now 😂

[@lameyoshey]

The music 😢

[@olamilekanadam8310]

Wow when Lagos was real

[@schillaci5050]

Strangely enough life was better then

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

@ O Paul. The problems of African development goes further than "fear of Biafrans", "Fulanization" etc. Cities like Accra and Nairobi, which are growing at tremendous rates, and which face water shortages and problems related to urban sanitation, are not being hindered because they lack "Biafrans" or are subject to "Fulanization". Onitsha, a city full of "Biafrans", recently garnered the unenviable reputation as the city with the world's worst air pollution. Facts on the ground suggest poor "maintenance culture", "poor planning", poor governance", "corruption" and other ills are at the root of these problems. And while I understand those crucial problems which have bedevilled Africa because of the arbitrary lumping together of disparate groups of peoples, it is unhelpful to ethnicize these developmental issues by asserting that one ethnic group is intrinsically full of exceptional qualities and would serve as the panacea to any and all problems of human development. History and contemporary analysis suggests otherwise. The challenge lies in the intellectual and political leadership working towards fundamentally changing the mindset and the psyche of the people. My contention is that no underlying philosophical approach to re-configuring the African mindset has been promoted by any African intellectual movement which would have the effect of changing the way people think and the way in which they can build the sort of identity and institutions which will unshackle the continent from the bondage of the past as well as the present.

[@1anre]

Adeyinka Makinde what can be done to propagate this PAN African , nonselfish and forward thinking mindset we Africans so crucially lack?

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

​@@1anre: That would take a lifetime of writing, but to distil in a few sentences, I would emphasise the need for a greater degree of self-examination starting in the area of metaphysics, for the first commandment in human social development is 'Man Know Thy Self'. I will be writing more about this in the future and will also soon upload a dialogue I recently had with a Nigerian thinker on the challenge of transforming post-colonial African societies into modern progressive entities. It lies in re-configuring the African mindset.

[@opaul7500]

@Adeyinka Makinde for the avoidance of doubt, here's what I wrote: *.........but fear of Biafrans and the need to contain them as Sokoto extends to the Atlantic shoreline is still holding things up until Lagos turns into a decrepit slum State........* ------------ Me. If required, I'm more than glad to clarify it's meaning and defend my rationale through a dialogue process which is what I imagine you'd want your site to reflect. You write very commendably lucidly, but are undermined in delivery by presumptuousness and an unfounded reactiveness. Your response seems to impute motive or intent, without seeking clarification. It is better to ask first, deliberate in thought, and then put down your opinion. Presumptuousness creates the impression of veiled censorship and a thin-skin, yet this is your site.

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

@@opaul7500: (Or are you the son of Chief Eleyinmi? - "but are undermined in delivery by presumptuousness and an unfounded reactiveness." ) This will not be the first time you have written a portion of relatively substantial text on a thread on this channel and when challenged have said you can supply more "clarification", "elaboration" or "justification". The terms of my initial response are based on an inexorable logic and still stand. Lagos faces essentially the same problems as other cities such as Accra and Nairobi. Note that I have created a thread in the "Community Section" entitled "How can Lagos, which faces problems related to overcrowding, infrastructural degeneration regain the charm and aesthetic beauty of its past?" Feel free to contribute. By the way no "veiled censorship". As I had to mention in a thread which is attracting mainly Ghanaian commentators, abusive or threatening language is a no-no. And I do enable comments that express criticism and even cynicism. So the ruminations about "veiled censorship" (weeding out the ill-mannered and the cantankerous) or "thin-skin" (an alertness to the perils of accommodating Internet trolls) are rather unfounded.

[@opaul7500]

@@adeyinkamakinde6164 you stated: *".....this will not be the first time you have written....and when challenged have said you can supply more information....."* _______A. Makinde So?.... what's your point? In another thread about deposed Ghanaian leader Ignatius Achaempong I did state to a fellow contributor that I could defend the rationale for my opinion because that contributor felt my that my analysis on Achaempong's fate was invalidated by my mere use of the word "Fulanization", and I could. I've stood by my analysis and could contextualize my use of the term "Fulanization" but have not gotten a response from that member desiring it. Similarly, another contributor questioned my opinion on the basis of my not being Ghanaian but without providing their own cogent analysis and similarly I let them know that I needed their own analysis rather than questioning my authority to opine. I'm not rude or obnoxious in my posts, but here you admit being a troll in following my comments thread to thread responding to my contextual analysis as though to one string of thought. What a pity.

[@ttbalog]

Fantastic! Please can you report this with the original audio?

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

There was no original audio. It was soundless.

[@ttbalog]

@@adeyinkamakinde6164 I see, thank you. I wish I could hear the kind of dialogues therein. Also, I could not but notice the smoothness of all the roads in the video. Life was good then.

[@obinnaigboeli6686]

God bless Nigeria

[@cosmos6107]

Chaos reigns today.

[@emersonjtv5553]

Primitivy is higher now than then

[@emekaofordile8835]

Pls what's d title of this song? Couldn't find it via shazam

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

As the description box indicates it is two songs. The first is "Aiyele" and the second "Alantere". Both were performed by Orlando Owoh & His Omimah Band in 1967.

[@LRG246]

extra nostalgia by private moridele

[@PhillyBlack]

Marina looking as clean as wall street, smh what happened 50 years after

[@gerald1495]

population explosion without infrastructure construction

[@tmajec]

Waiting on Jesus and God to change what we can do for ourselves is what happened

[@BelloMohammed-ki2yf]

What's the title of this sweet song pls, and where can we download it? Please

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

Read the description box.

[@BelloMohammed-ki2yf]

​@@adeyinkamakinde6164alright thanks 👍

[@opaul7500]

City looked less bustling and more orderly. Nigeria's South alone has 853 kilometers of shoreline. Lagos alone has 50 kilometers, and not all of it developed. This means that there are 17 Lagos's able to be built along the Atlantic coastline complete with multiple international seaports, multiple international airports, multiple bus transportation hubs, Federal, State, and Municipal road networks, pre-planned and zoned cities etc, all capable of being built and fully functional almost overnight to take the slack from Lagos, and enable some planning and zoning, deconstruction, demolition and renovation to implement and introduce modernization, green areas and land management best-practices. Doing the above would launch Nigeria through the stratosphere as a world stage international destination with limitless potential, but fear of Biafrans and the need to contain them as Sokoto extends to the Atlantic shoreline is still holding things up until Lagos turns into a decrepit slum State.

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

@ O Paul. The problems of African development goes further than "fear of Biafrans", "Fulanization" etc. Cities like Accra and Nairobi, which are growing at tremendous rates, and which face water shortages and problems related to urban sanitation, are not being hindered because they lack "Biafrans" or are subject to "Fulanization". Onitsha, a city full of "Biafrans", recently garnered the unenviable reputation as the city with the world's worst air pollution. Facts on the ground suggest poor "maintenance culture", "poor planning", poor governance", "corruption" and other ills are at the root of these problems. And while I understand those crucial problems which have bedevilled Africa because of the arbitrary lumping together of disparate groups of peoples, it is unhelpful to ethnicize these developmental issues by asserting that one ethnic group is intrinsically full of exceptional qualities and would serve as the panacea to any and all problems of human development. History and contemporary analysis suggests otherwise.

[@opaul7500]

@@adeyinkamakinde6164 for the avoidance of doubt, here's what I wrote: *.........but fear of Biafrans and the need to contain them as Sokoto extends to the Atlantic shoreline is still holding things up until Lagos turns into a decrepit slum State........* ------------ Me. If required, I'm more than glad to clarify it's meaning and defend my rationale through a dialogue process which is what I imagine you'd want your site to reflect. You write very commendably lucidly, but are undermined in delivery by presumptuousness and an unfounded reactiveness. Your response seems to impute motive or intent, without seeking clarification. It is better to ask first, deliberate in thought, and then put down your opinion. Presumptuousness creates the impression of veiled censorship and a thin-skin, yet this is your site.

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

​@@opaul7500: (Or are you the son of Chief Eleyinmi? - "but are undermined in delivery by presumptuousness and an unfounded reactiveness." ) This will not be the first time you have written a portion of relatively substantial text on a thread on this channel and when challenged have said you can supply more "clarification", "elaboration" or "justification". The terms of my initial response are based on an inexorable logic and still stand. Lagos faces essentially the same problems as other cities such as Accra and Nairobi. Note that I have created a thread in the "Community Section" entitled "How can Lagos, which faces problems related to overcrowding, infrastructural degeneration regain the charm and aesthetic beauty of its past?" Feel free to contribute. By the way no "veiled censorship". As I had to mention in a thread which is attracting mainly Ghanaian commentators, abusive or threatening language is a no-no. And I do enable comments that express criticism and even cynicism. So the ruminations about "veiled censorship" (weeding out the ill-mannered and the cantankerous) or "thin-skin" (an alertness to the perils of accommodating Internet trolls) are rather unfounded.

[@opaul7500]

@@adeyinkamakinde6164 you stated: *".....this will not be the first time you have written....and when challenged have said you can supply more information....."* _______A. Makinde So?.... what's your point? In another thread about deposed Ghanaian leader Ignatius Achaempong I did state to a fellow contributor that I could defend the rationale for my opinion because that contributor felt my that my analysis on Achaempong's fate was invalidated by my mere use of the word "Fulanization", and I could. I've stood by my analysis and could contextualize my use of the term "Fulanization" but have not gotten a response from that member desiring it. Similarly, another contributor questioned my opinion on the basis of my not being Ghanaian but without providing their own cogent analysis and similarly I let them know that I needed their own analysis rather than questioning my authority to opine. I'm not rude or obnoxious in my posts, but here you admit being a troll in following my comments thread to thread responding to my contextual analysis as though to one string of thought. What a pity.

[@nwankwonwachukwu5277]

4:28 DAT child would be around his 60s

[@edward_ketiak88]

Why was the traffic the other way round?

[@femijinadu6755]

You didn’t know that vehicles in Naija used to be right-hand drives until April 2nd, 1972, when Nigeria ditched the British styled right-hand drive to the left-hand drive common among the French, German, & Americans e.t.c…

[@neduupdates5746]

I don't know the month in 1967 this video was taken. That year wasn't a happy one for the Easterners. Some of them have died and many were preparing to die.

[@mremre5292]

Please can someone help with the music on this video. The name of the musician please.

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

@hazaido special : the description box provides the relevant information.

[@toluakinbohun4809]

Dr Orlando Owoh, aye le is the title

[@toluakinbohun4809]

Orlando in the 60's

[@charleskweh4250]

It looks better and even cleaner than Lagos today.. 75 percent of Lagos today is a complete shit hole risky dirty and undeveloped city. I promise myself never to return to that city cause it's a complete mess especially the traffic..

[@jaybee4577]

You really do have a problem. Nigeria has her own problems just like every other country. Badmouthing of Lagos won’t change Nigeria but contributions by various tribes/ethnicity will make Nigeria better.

[@tmajec]

@@jaybee4577 it’s not badmouthing, it’s an observable fact. Nigeria won’t be better if you keep saying it would be better. Little do you know that some people alive in this footage were saying the same thing. It’s 50 years later and it’s worse. That country needs to cease to end and everyone return to their hometowns

[@juliekeku6087]

3:40 the look on that woman's face though 😂😂

[@hillcrestprofessionalservi3502]

The chaos was always there..As the population grew, the level of chaos grew with it

[@adeniyimarcus5475]

those kids now are grandpa oo

[@nasirben4112]

Africans countries were great at these days . And were very clean

[@adamubala1463]

So all the children in this video are older than me💔😂😂😂

[@jamesfadayomigooglemailc-ki6cf]

Easy life long time a go.

[@realdiplomat7504]

Perhaps just 10 percent of today's population but the same road network infrastructure is still in place till date. That is why it ranks as one of the worst City to live in the World today. People commute 7-10 hours every day for a distance of about 30-45 kilometers

[@abdurrahmansanuth3366]

Third mainland bridge?

[@ikzp1881]

Its a pity lagos till date no railway/underground system. I lived in city Chengdu China in 2007 to 2008. I see how fast their metro/ railway was so fast.

[@jaybee4577]

@@ikzp1881 WTF China is totally different from Nigeria. They have a system of governance and culture that totally different from Nigeria. China is also more homogeneous than Nigeria.

[@skyblueokr]

The market looks the same it’s a shame. I mean the dressing the way people look and walk. There is it difference. It’s sad. Nigeria should have been greater than it is today

[@jonesanku2357]

What was the population then

[@memesfamilyguyandtvshows]

Wasn't up to a million I guess

[@nace766]

Lagos island 1:56-2:46

[@simplyizustic6122]

Back then Lagos looked like most cities in today's developed countries. A shame it was left behind

[@TheBrokerTopGee]

Where's Tinubu

[@lawuyilalude4584]

How true is this?

[@realemmycool7767]

Now is not the Nigerian we know again 😢

[@reuben853]

And now it's Tinubu's Lagos???🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@Narrative_hoook]

Same period Biafra was in perils 😢 sad

[@Africantourism]

Truely govt has ruin the future of this country

[@Raymond08]

Was the footage recorded by a white man? The incessant staring at the cameraman makes it a bit awkward, lol.

[@omoharry2173]

Tinubu built Lagos .. make Una see Lagos B4 Tinubu came with his Agberos