lekki-wives

With its tales of infidelity, backstabbing and money-grabbing, “Lekki Wives” has become one of the most talked-about television programmes in Nigeria.
But the edgy portrayal of life in one of Lagos’ newest suburbs is far from imagined — and a sharp turn for an entertainment industry long shaped by outlandish plots and, at times, supernatural storylines.
Instead, the series dives straight into key issues facing the country, notably “the ills of what people do for money”, said its creator Blessing Egbe.
She wanted to show how Nigeria’s so-called economic boom has brought untold riches to a lucky few but left life unchanged for most.


“We have pushed the envelope,” she told AFP. “We didn’t try to be nice about it.”
And the scripts push the limits in this largely conservative, God-fearing country, as one where a character seeks a partner to indulge his need for sado-masochistic sex.
With Africa’s biggest population and largest oil industry, Nigeria has averaged more than seven percent economic growth over the last decade, among the highest rates in the world.
But poverty has worsened since 2004, the government conceded last year. And while the middle class has expanded, a good part of the wealth is concentrated at the very top.