Weekends for Mukthar Oladunmade typically featured a visit to the beach since he was a child. Living in the bustle of Lagos, he prefers unwinding on the breezy Atlantic shoreline that surrounds the city.
But these days, a beach break away from Nigeria’s commercial hub is becoming too expensive for many of the people who live there.
Costs include fees for entry, chairs, food, drink, and activities as the local government increasingly hands over more of the shore to private developers.
“By virtue of my job, I've been to Somone, Dakar, Lome, Accra, and Cotonou, several West African countries. And there, it's way easier to just wake up and walk onto the beach because it's free,” said the 27-year-old writer.
In Lagos, however, much of the coastline is no longer free public space.
