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Beeple NFT. Image Source: domus
It’s pretty interesting how the world’s attention gets shifted from time to time and from industry to industry. We can most certainly say that the world’s focus has moved on from agriculture, zoomed past crude oil - the black gold - and even past gold itself, dwindling on big data although not so obviously but has assuredly come to a halt, in awe - jaw-dropped and eyes wide opened - amazed at the concept of NFTs.
Although launched in 2012, NFTs only started to step into the global limelight in the latter months of the COVID year when ginormous sales of NFT arts like that of Beeple (worth over $69m) which is now crowned the 3rd biggest sale of any artwork by a living artist.
I guess now your interest is piqued, “what are NFTs?” you may now be asking under your breath. Well, you’ll find out soon enough.
Although the acronym makes it sound really classified and top secret, the whole name actually pretty literal and self-revealing. NFT is short for Non Fungible Tokens and that’s exactly what it is Tokens that are not fungible. Fungibility fundamentally means divisibility plus value. For example, you can repay a $10 debt with 10 notes of $1 or a different note of $10 than the one that was collected, because they all hold the same value as the $10 debt.
However, 1 NFT is not equal to the other. They are individually unique. This is its superpower to serve as authentic or true ownership to any digital item it is linked to. The list ranges from in-game items and gifs to digital arts and tweets. Truly limitless!
Speaking of limitlessness, entire parallel universes are springing up on the blockchain ( the underlying technology for NFTs) which will serve as virtual environments where more of these provably authentic digital items can be built and even traded. With these environments, virtual properties like lands, buildings, landmarks etcetera can be uniquely owned and sold. These environments are now referred to as metaverses and one of the biggest out there is Upland with over 1 million NFTs minted (crypto geek word for created).
Upland takes you into an alternate reality mapped to real-world addresses, geographical coordinates and proportions and authenticated by the blockchain as NFTs. Given that NFTs are unique, the aforementioned combination gives players true ownership of any in-game property purchased. No one, not even upland itself (as in the game operator), has control over your owned properties as access to your account is secured by private keys they are unaware of.
This article will move on to focus on the possibilities of upland with the city of Lagos as a case study. Let’s hop into the metaverse.
By the way, this is my explorer and property on upland just in case we bump into each other in “the alternate reality”, we could say hi to each other and maybe waive each other some visit fees. Haha!
My Upland Explorer Beside Owned Property
Now let’s rebuild the world!
Welcome to Lagos
Ikoyi link Bride. source: Videvo
You’ve probably heard or read about Lagos, its reputation precedes it. Lagos state is one of the 36 states of the country Nigeria - visibly the smallest in size. It is situated on the southwest beach line of the country and was formerly the capital city of the country.
Although the smallest of 36 states, Lagos is by no means small in population. With a population of over 20 million people (according to Wiki) concentrated in its popular city - Lagos City - it is crowned the most populous city in Nigeria and second-largest city in Africa after Cairo in Egypt. The megacity is a powerhouse of the state, the country and of Africa, financially and economically.
To emphasize the strength of the city, it is worthy of mention that the city has the fourth-highest GDP in Africa and that in the COVID year, two unicorns emerged as well from the city.
It gets more interesting, stay with me.
To guide our exploration of the city we’ll jump from pillar to pillar of the upland metaverse. As stated by the parallel universe, its focus will be entertainment, commerce and personal connections.
Entertainment
Beyond reasonable doubt, the quest of the upland metaverse is to be a means of pleasure/fun for fun seekers, even as they grow real wealth. Based on this, its target market must be one with lots of thrill-seekers and hedonists yet with business, tech intelligence and a handful of ambition. The people of Lagos happen to be just the right fit.
Being the favourite many, partially because of the myriad of entertainment channels that exists, it has earned the name Lasgidi, arguably culled from Las Vegas. Without dispute, the city is the entertainment HQ of the country as it is home to internationally famous Nigerian actors, musicians, comedians and even all the industries that produces them.
Nigerian hip-hop, fuji, juju, afrobeat and all other styles of music all find their birthplace in Lagos. The party-lifers and the vibrant nightlife (indeed, Lagos never sleeps) are encouraging factors to this growth.
Commerce
It is no small feat to be responsible for the fourth-highest GDP in the whole of Africa, especially when you consider its “tiny” landmass. Well, the city has a humongous “water mass” and a lot happens on it. As a matter of fact, the city is home to the fifth busiest seaport in West Africa - The Premier Port situated in Marina, Apapa. The port, also ranked top ten in the whole of Africa, is the first earliest and the largest seaport in Nigeria and is responsible for 80% of all the goods imported into Nigeria and 70% exported. Now, that’s some property worth hunting for on Upland!
Given the above, and its huge population/market the high level of business activities in the metropolitan area comes as no surprise. It is literally a point where goods meet people. This is enough justification for it being home to the wealthiest of the country and even the continent. (in a low voice) Let’s leave our corrupt looting politician out of the picture.
To paint you a mental picture, life in this city is so fast that to catch and get off a commercial transport bus, you have to get in or get out before it comes to a complete halt. Yes, I recommend taking an Uber. Disclaimer: It will cost the adventure.
Personal Connections
Lagos is a city teeming with life, youthful life. Every day you meet people from different walks of life with incredible ambitions - from building the next unicorn, importing truckloads of merchandise to developing country-size estates, and you get just wowed and hungry to meet and connect with more people. Because it is true, even here in Lagos, that people are the doorway to opportunities - You never know, you might be talking to the next investor for your startup.
The large “hungry” population of Lagos is not without side effects. Gridlocks would be a second name for Lagos. At peak hours of the day, the traffic jams can be a real pain but all roads lead to places where even more personal connections are built; In the morning, your workplace and at night, hmm, the world is yours.
In Lagos, if your heart and mind is in the right place, without searching far you can get inspired to dream big as a peasant, and as an elite, you can find sympathy and compassion by just looking out of your skyscraper tall office towards the slumps.
Upland in Lagos
Standing on the existing pillar connections which Lagos shares with the considered metaverse, there are some pretty interesting places and buildings which Lagosians would kill for to own once they grasp the interesting concept of true ownership. Places which hold continent-record or are just interesting to visit.
Lagos Seaport. Source: The Guardian Nigeria
The first place I’m going after remains the largest seaport in Nigeria. Yes, it’s not one of the prettiest but it’s one of the milkiest. When the city is unlocked inside of upland whatever imports or exports into the city would earn me (with the group of owners) some good income in UPX and in the Lagos metaverse, we would be one of the Richest (laughs diabolically). Need I remind you again that this port accounts for 90% of the country’s foreign exchange? I think not. I only hope that the Nigerian metaverse government (if there ever is) don’t come after me. (laughs diabolically again)
Third Mainland Bridge. Source: The Guardian Nigeria.
Lagos is also home to one of the continent’s longest bridges. The Ibrahim Babangida Bridge is popularly known as the Third Mainland Bridge. Spanning 11.8km long, cutting across the Atlantic ocean, it used to be Africa’s longest until it was usurped by another one constructed in Cairo. Interesting facts about Lagos would not be complete without mentioning it. However, there are other pretty interesting looking bridges like the Ikoyi-link bridge shown in the intro video above. It has the most amazing view at night when the beautifying lights come on.
Ikoyi Link Bridge (Night View) Image source: Wakaholic
Very much visible from one of the ends of the Third Mainland bridge is Makoko, one of Lagos’ most interesting settlements. It is a full settlement on water - people living and carrying out their business activities there. Owned as an NFT inside of Upland it would be some rare ownership. It’s the only place of its kind in the entire country. Makoko - The floating City 1/1.
Makoko - The Floating City. source: LagosToJozi
Being a coastal city that shares most of its border with the Atlantic, you can expect that the city is home to a lot of beautiful beaches. The cuddling sand, caressing tidal wind and stunning view sets the stage for perfect Intra/interpersonal connections. Lagos has more than 30 beaches to meet whatever needs you may have; meditation, relaxation, fun, picnics whatever it may be. Uplanders deserve some way to cool down don’t you think?
Landmark Beach sunset. Photo credit: Me
Besides bridges, beaches and seaports, Lagos is home to the most interesting looking structures within and without. These structures could serve as an inspiration for structure models within the metaverse.
The Nestoil tower Lagos. Photo credit: Me
The Iconic structure above is the Nestoil tower located in Victoria island (VI), Lagos. It is a fifteen storey structure which holds 12,200 metres square of commercial space and a helipad.
Lagos Intercontinental hotel. Photo credit: Me
Also located in VI Lagos, this is the tallest hospitality building in the country - the Lagos intercontinental hotel. It is a 25-storey skyscraper with a height of 100m and a two-level basement 10m deep below the ground level that can accommodate up to 300 cars. Truly magnificent!
Eko Court Complex. Photo credit: Me
The Eko court complex triplets are 3 24-story high-rise buildings geometrically positioned to form an arc. Each has a height of 98.5m with 155 apartments and it is also situated in VI Lagos. These are one of the popular landmarks of Victoria Island.
The view from each of these skyscrapers is worth the stress of taking the stairs should the elevator disappoint. Generally, Lagos is a city where nature and man have connived to create jaw-dropping views. Regardless of the high-point you stand to get a view, a bridge, a skyscraper, what meets the eye is usually appealing. It could make a grown man cry!
I’d share some with you. Thank me later.
Lagos View 1
Lagos View 2. Photo credit: Me
And even the night views, whoo!
Pool Night View from the Radisson. Photo credit: Me
Let’s go inside before we catch a cold. Besides it’s no short of good views, not of nature and man’s craft this time, solely man’s but usually from nature’s inspiration.
Nike Art Gallery. Photo credit: Me
And that’s me inside - Inside what is arguably the largest art gallery in West Africa, The Nike art gallery. Located in Lekki, Lagos, It is a 5-story building housing diverse artworks (over 7,000) from various Nigerian artists giving good insight into the history and culture of Nigeria. It is owned by Nike Davies-Okundaye.
Nike Art Gallery View Photo credit: Me
It will be most spectacular to have a virtual representation of this gallery inside of the Upland metaverse. Guess who’d be running to own it and be its gatekeeper?
One thing is sure from all my travels and research about Lagos - I'm going after Victoria Island!!
Conclusion
The possibilities of having Upland in Lagos are truly endless. I imagine a case where treasure hunts would be done inside the waters via some deep dive to discover some wreckage and salvage some lost treasure, bridges built across the waters to ease uplander’s businesses and maybe as the builder you could earn some tolls.
As described above, the metaverse already shares some pillars with this popular metropolitan area, to entertain those who want to and already live in the centre of entertainment, to propagate commerce across worlds to people who live and breathe in the heart of probably the biggest market in the whole of Africa and to connect with them as well as build connections between themselves.
Beyond all the fun and games, Upland has a good chance to lead a redistribution of wealth in the city and the country as a whole as it gives players an opportunity to truly own properties, they never would get the opportunity to own in the real world. Perhaps when they grow enough wealth in the metaverse they could "fiat-it-out" and get the physical property they've always had an eye for.
To life, liberty, property and prosperity.
See Upland in Lagos.
