Lagos has long been a city of generators, a legacy of an unreliable electrical grid; the end of fuel subsidies this year has left millions in the dark.
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Generators are everywhere in Lagos, used by almost everyone in the Nigerian megacity to counteract crippling power outages.
Those living in upscale gated communities or working at big companies turn to massive, soundproof diesel generators when the electricity grid inevitably fails. There are the smaller, noisier petrol versions for those who can’t afford to maintain a diesel rig. And at the bottom of the generator hierarchy, found in countless shops and homes, are legions of less capable machines known in Nigerian Pidgin as “I-pass-my-neighbor generators.” The derisive name mocks those who can’t afford even a generator that puts out just enough juice to run fans, turn on lights and charge phones.