Glossary

31 words you will hear in Lagos and nobody will stop to explain: government acronyms, housing vocabulary, and the Yoruba and Pidgin that carry most ordinary conversations.

A

agberoYoruba
The touts who collect levies from drivers at Lagos motor parks and bus stops.
area boysNigerian English
Loosely organised young men who control a street or junction and extract informal levies from those using it.

B

bandNigerian English
The classification of your feeder by promised daily hours of supply, which sets what you pay per kWh.
BRTNigerian English
Lagos's bus rapid transit - fixed fares, a dedicated lane, and the one road option traffic does not reach.
BVNNigerian English
The eleven-digit number that identifies you across every Nigerian bank. Separate from your NIN.

C

CACNigerian English
The federal registry of companies and business names, under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020.
CERPACNigerian English
The Nigerian residence permit for foreign nationals, renewed every year and priced in dollars.
Cowry cardNigerian English
The stored-value card for the BRT and the Lagos rail lines. Cash is not accepted on either.

D

danfoNigerian English
The yellow minibuses that are Lagos's real transport system. No timetable, no route map, no stops.
DisCoNigerian English
The company that distributes power to your address. In Lagos, Ikeja Electric or Eko Electricity.
domiciliary accountNigerian English
A Nigerian bank account held in dollars, pounds or euros rather than naira.

F

face me I face youNigerian English
A tenement of single rooms opening onto a shared corridor, with shared bathroom and kitchen.
FIRSNigerian English
The federal tax authority. It collects company tax and VAT - not the income tax of a Lagos resident.
FRSCNigerian English
The federal agency for road safety: highway patrols, crash response, and the national driver's licence and plate systems.

G

Governor's consentNigerian English
The Governor's approval required for any transfer of land, without which the transfer is not valid.

H

harmattanNigerian English
The dry, dusty wind that blows south from the Sahara between December and February.

I

Ilera EkoYoruba
The mandatory Lagos State health insurance scheme. Ilera Eko means Lagos health.

K

kekeNigerian English
The three-wheeled tricycle taxis that do the short hops a danfo will not.

L

LASEMANigerian English
The Lagos State agency that coordinates the response to emergencies and disasters, reached on 767 or 112.
LASRRANigerian English
The Lagos State residents' register, and the card it issues. A state scheme, separate from the federal NIN.
LIRSNigerian English
The Lagos State tax authority, which collects the income tax of everyone who lives in Lagos.

N

NIMCNigerian English
The federal commission that enrols people for the National Identification Number and issues the national ID card.
NINNigerian English
The eleven-digit number issued by NIMC that every other Nigerian document now depends on.
NISNigerian English
The federal agency that issues Nigerian passports and controls entry, residence and work permits for foreign nationals.

O

okadaNigerian English
Motorcycle taxis, banned across most of the Lagos local government areas and enforced against seriously.
omo onileYoruba
Literally children of the landowner - the families claiming customary ownership of land, and the levies they extract.

P

PAYENigerian English
Income tax deducted from your salary by your employer and remitted to your state - in Lagos, to the LIRS.

R

RSANigerian English
Your personal pension account, held by a PFA in your name and carried between jobs.

S

self-containNigerian English
One room with its own bathroom and kitchenette - the entry point to the Lagos rental market.

U

up NEPANigerian English
What a Lagos street shouts when the electricity comes back, named after an authority that stopped existing in 2005.
USSDNigerian English
Banking and payments by dialling a short code, which works from any phone, with or without data.