Makoko 2035: An Encyclopedia

Local Authority

Historically speaking, the inner workings and political hierarchy of Makoko have been headed by a small quorum of respected elders who meet regularly to make decisions about large projects, make laws and determine punishments, adjudicate grievances, liaise with visitors from the outside, and otherwise go about the business of governing the city. In the years following the global economic crisis, however, and with the growing ubiquity of technological access, this centralized system of government, while remaining intact, has required supplementation by the addition of smaller quorums representative of the people who have spread with Makoko's growth. Also required was the granting of increased power and autonomy to the organizers and teachers of the Makoko Floating School Network—as well as to those of the hacker and makerspaces—and the offloading of much of the daily peacekeeping to the local Area Boys. This sharing of responsibility often requires the quorums, who mostly represent ethnic interests in Makoko, to turn a blind eye on much of the activities of these groups, particularly those of the Area Boys and hackers—the former in that their tactics often skirt the line between peace-keeping and intimidation, and the latter in that they are often at odds with the Lagos mainland police. The gains returned for this sharing of power, however, have been great; the Area Boys are highly effective at maintaining local order and protecting against incursion from unwanted or dangerous outsiders, and the hackers have done much to improve both the living conditions of Makoko as well as its connections to the outside world.

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