"Business is picking up, and it's about time!" : the streets of Lagos, the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa, were swarming again with people on Monday 4 May. From the first light of day, between the nervous horns and the harangues of the traders, the economic capital of Nigeria quickly turned the page of containment.

On every street corner, the small sellers of drinks, vegetables and grilled meat had resumed their places behind their coolers and their steaming cans while, on the way to work, the lines of travelers stretched out in the parking lots.

Faced with social pressure, after the violence and looting that had erupted in recent weeks, the government decided to relax the measures and impose only a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Hunger was sorely felt

In this country where more than 80 million inhabitants - out of a total of 200 million - live below the threshold of extreme poverty, and where one depends above all on the informal sector to survive, hunger was cruelly felt.

In the densely populated districts of "Mainland", the mainland of the city, the bus stations had also returned to their usual buzz: minibus drivers cheerfully challenged customers, but this time with a mask to protect their faces.

In the business district of Victoria Island, we were rushing to the banks to be able to recover money and restart our economic activity.

Not enough security forces

Police were deployed across the city to try to educate crowds about protective gestures and the rules established by the state of Lagos. "We only allow passengers with masks," one of them told AFP. "The capacity of the buses must not exceed 60%, and only drivers who can distribute water, soap or hydroalcoholic gel can circulate."

The policeman assures that his team has already prevented fifty buses from circulating. But the task is titanic in this megalopolis and the security forces will not be enough to enforce the principles of social distancing of at least 1.50 meters imposed by the authorities.

Too few tests

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the governments of sub-Saharan Africa, where a large part of the population lives in the informal sector, against the temptations of deconfinement.

Nigeria recorded nearly 2,500 officially reported cases of coronavirus infection on Monday - the majority of new cases in Lagos and Kano - for just 87 deaths.

However, the most populous country in Africa with nearly 200 million inhabitants has carried out only an insignificant number of tests. Authorities in Kano, the northern capital, admitted on Sunday that "most" dozens of "mysterious deaths" in the state in the past few days were due to the coronavirus, although they are not recorded in the statistics official.

With AFP

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR