Gideon Chukuemeka: The Story of Eko Politics and Why “Gangs of Lagos” Wins

Lagos politics is said to have the fixtures of corruption that define the Nigerian political landscape and is also brazenly flavoured with thuggery. In the past, one could readily dismiss this description as an untrue or unfounded rumour, but today, especially since the 2019 election cycle, this narrative holds water. And Nollywood played a key role in moulding cracks of untruths into a robust crucible of facts and inquisition.

For a while now, Nollywood films have made efforts to shine credible light on Ekoʼs political darkness – King of Boys; King of Boys: The Return of the King; Shanty Town. And now, Gangs of Lagos. But in this shortlist, Gangs of Lagos easily clinches the prize. One may suggest that this verdict is underpinned by a kind of recency bias – “It’s a new movie, so the writer is still reeling from the hype and excitement,” but that’s not the case here. 

The Gangs of Lagos story is, arguably, banal and predictable, and may not appeal to someone looking for a fresh perspective on the political gangsterism of and in Lagos State. But despite this shortcoming, Gangs of Lagos works because of its relatability and audacity. In fact, these two qualities are sides of the same coin, with both reinforcing each other. Its relatability hinges on its audacious storytelling, while describing it as audacious is apt because of its plausibility and no-holds-barred approach. 

Discussing what makes Gangs of Lagos relatable would require the writer to map scenes to real national events. This would be a risky venture given that the Nigerian polity is still finding healing after a tumultuous election. But what the writer can say is this: Gangs of Lagos connects firmly to the present political realities of Nigeria. It mirrors the lengths people could go to cling to power. The subtle hints were hard to miss. Within the movie’s 21st minute, we hear Obalola’s baritone describe a certain Olorogun Araba. “Number one political godfather in the Southwest. Olorogun owned a piece of every business that mattered in Lagos, from the ports to the banks. And this election, Olorogun had bought everybody.” Then in the closing scenes of the movie, villainous Kazeem called himself “Asiwaju.” To some viewers, these hints may mean nothing. To others, they are pointers to the enterprise that is Lagos politics. 

Gangs of Lagos made us see probable reasons why political pawns would rather remain silent puppets than rebellious voices. Who would want their entrails splashed on the floor? Or who would want to be hanged like a cow’s carcass in a slaughterhouse? Some may decide to dismiss these narratives as mere fiction, but this dismissal can be countered as a dishonest assertion.

Gangs of Lagos is as entertaining as it is sensitive. Isn’t this why Mama Ify’s (Chioma Chukwuka) monologue during the funeral service of Ify continues to haunt our minds? Because we know who Ify represents. That average youth with dreams to japa. The one mutated to cause chaos. The one holding a snatched ballot box as he speeds off on a bike. The one whose life can be easily traded for power and wealth. The one at the toll gate. The one who dies.

The Ify character was brilliantly played by Chike Osebuka. He embodied his role so well that it was surprising. In fact, casting him as the older version of child actor, Nifemi Lawal, was perfect. I have seen a couple of films Nifemi featured in (Africa Magic’s Brethren, Netflix’s Man of God, and Showmax’s Devil’s Angel) and he is always that cute, polite kid who just wants the good life. So it wasn’t surprising to see him play a lily-livered boy trying to survive in Isale Eko. 

Ify also stood out in Gangs of Lagos because, after a long while, Nollywood finally realised that casting a professional singer to play the role of a singer is the best thing to do. Gangs of Lagos scored a point casting Chike. 

And not just Chike. There’s Olarotimi Fakunle who played Kazeem. You see, sometimes, it can be difficult to assess the artistry of a protagonist because protagonists naturally appeal to the viewer’s sentiments. However, it’s different for a villain. Any villain that can get viewers to hate their guts, forgetting that it is just a movie, knows their onions indeed. This is the reason we must give Olarotimi his flowers. His fiendish scenes projected so much horror and heartlessness that made the viewer uneasy. He was a worthy villain for the protagonist, Obalola. A Twitter user even joked that the police should keep tabs on Olarotimi because his portrayal was intense. 

As for Tobi Bakre who played Obalola, we can confidently conclude that he has stamped his foot firmly as an actor to watch out for in the industry. Who would have thought that Tobi of #BBNaija would later become a cinematic delight, causing our hearts to race as we watch him in thrilling blockbusters?  

Gangs of Lagos also clinches a point for its fight scenes. It showed what a typical fight in Nigeria looks like: a brawl. Punches, weapons, and all. However, some have criticized that the fight scenes were too organised. According to a review on Facebook, fights in the ghetto are “absolute chaos. No one waits for anyone to fire a shot before they start tearing each other up.” However, this is a minor flaw that can be overlooked. 

But a flaw that can’t be overlooked was the rushed storyline. There were characters we wanted to connect with. While we praise the Ify character, we can’t deny that we didn’t know much about him. We didn’t know how hard he’d worked to pursue his music career. We didn’t know why his friends, upon his death, felt their visa out of Isale Eko was gone. One could even postulate that the producers capitalised on Chike’s music acclaim to avoid fleshing out his story – “It’s Chike now. The audience already knows him as a singer.” But Chike – the boo of the booless, is different from Ify – the struggling musician in Isale Eko wey no like wahala. 

And what about Obalola’s dad? Why was his wife against Isale Eko’s politics? Why was his political prudence a problem? Why did Nino fancy him to the point of adopting his son and attempting to show him the right path? 

Gangs of Lagos leaves us with several questions. But we understand that it may be difficult to cram these many stories into a two-hour runtime. This is why it will be great to have a spin-off, probably a mini-series in the likeness of King of Boys: The Return of the King. 

It is also important to note that the rushed storytelling doesn’t take away anything from the overall quality of the film. In fact, we demand more stories because Gangs of Lagos is and should be a delicious meal of pounded yam prepared and eaten slowly, not rushed like a 2-minute man noodle.