The first African city edition of the
famous board game Monopoly has been launched in Lagos.
The Nigerian metropolis is one of the fast-growing cities in the world.
The board's layout was unveiled at an event in Lagos City Hall, with the
manmade Banana Island named as the upmarket equivalent of Mayfair in the London
edition.
Makoko, the slum on stilts over the city's lagoon, is the cheapest property
for sale on the Lagos board.
Nimi Akinkugbe, the head of Bestman Games which is producing the Lagos
edition, told Nigeria's Guardian newspaper ahead of the launch that suggestions
for the Mayfair spot were "a hot topic".
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo in Lagos says Banana Island,
which got the coveted position, is an artificially created island where the very
wealthy reside.
Some properties on the island sell for about $8m (£4.9m) - and it would cost
about $150,000 a year to rent a flat there, he says.
The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Murtala Muhammed International Airport and
several hotels are other properties on the board.
Many of the squares are sponsored by banks and shopping centres and even the
Lagos state government appears, while some major landmarks like Tinubu Square,
the New Afrika Shrine nightclub, Third Mainland Bridge and the National Theatre
have been left out, our correspondent says.
Other aspects of the game have been tailored for Lagos, like the "Go To Jail"
cards, which read: "Go to jail. Go directly to Kirikiri jail," referring to the
city's maximum security prison.
Our reporter says one of the Chance cards issuing a fine quotes a phrase
regularly used by police officers: "Park! Park! For reckless driving pay a
fine... and register for retraining."
Another reads: "For attempting to bribe a law enforcement agent, pay a
fine."
Some of the new traffic laws introduced by the Lagos state government, and
the punishments for various offences, have also been included in the game, our
reporter says.
"You've been caught driving against traffic. Report for psychiatric
evaluation," one card reads.
The Monopoly game was developed in the US, originally based on streets in
Atlantic City. A London version of the game was produced in 1935.
"Lagos is the first African city to have its Monopoly. Two countries in
Africa have theirs, Morocco and South Africa. But there's no city that has its
own customised edition," Ms Akinkugbe told the Guardian.
Wow! Sounds interesting! Would like to have this version of monopoly. Good initiative! What do you think folks?
-bbc.co.uk
