Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa with more than 230million people living there.
Lagos, the country’s largest city, has a population of 23million people, and is one of the most congested places on Earth.
However, an ambitious new plan in the city plans to expand Lagos so that it can accommodate a staggering 88 million people expected to be there by 2100.
Over the last 100 years, Lagos has lost nearly two miles of its coastline due to erosion.
The solution to this is the Eko Atlantic scheme, which aims to reclaim 10 square kilometres of land to build on it.
Under the proposal, Lagos could be expanded with 10 new city districts that will house more than 250,000 residents.
Engineers are even planning to build what they call the “Great Wall of Lagos” – an eight kilometres long and 45 metre wide structure that rises 18 metres from the ocean floor.
Construction for the project started in 2008 and by 2020 some buildings had been completed already, including the Eko Pearl Towers.
The project is set to be completed in 2040, according to reports.
The website for Eko Atlantic says: “On 10 million square metres of reclaimed ocean land, shielded by an 8.5 km sea wall, Eko Atlantic rivals Manhattan’s skyscraper district in size.
“It embodies self-sufficiency and sustainability with cutting-edge urban planning, power generation, pristine water supply, advanced telecommunications, expansive roadways, and tree-lined streets.”
The website also boasts that Eko Atlantic is a “marvel of modern engineering and technology, and a testament to the rise of Nigeria on the world stage.”
It continues: “And the Great Wall of Lagos sea revetment, which is being built more than two kilometres offshore at eight-and-a-half-metres above sea level, has surpassed 6 kilometres in length and is now protecting over 6 million square metres of Eko Atlantic and Victoria Island.”
