Yinka Olatunbosun In the heart of Obalende, Lagos, an unusual act of visual storytelling unfolded, focusing on a group whose public reputation has long eclipsed the realities of its everyday existence: the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Titled As We See Am, the public space installation was conceived by documentary photographer Andrew Esiebo, political scientist Laurent Fourchard of Sciences Po, Paris, and curator Miora Ranaivoarinosy. The project draws on eight years of ethnographic research by Fourchard and two years of Esiebo’s photographic documentation of Lagos motor parks. Comprising photographs and recorded testimonies gathered directly from NURTW members and those who interact with them, the installation offers an intimate glimpse into the rhythms of street life. Through attentive listening and close observation of lived experiences, it invites viewers to look beyond familiar assumptions and reconsider spaces they often overlook. The research takes a panoramic view of the union’s place within Lagos. Since 1978, the NURTW has regulated much of the city’s public road transport. When structural adjustment policies of the 1980s led to the withdrawal of the state from bus parks, municipal transport systems collapsed and local governments stopped collecting levies. The union stepped into the vacuum, assigning routes, collecting fees, resolving disputes and negotiating with law enforcement agencies. Esiebo’s photographs capture men engaged in the ordinary exercise of that authority. Many began as drivers before becoming park attendants—popularly known as agberos—and later rising through the ranks as treasurers, unit chairmen and branch chairmen. Their lives have unfolded within the same motor parks, where they know every driver by name, every route by its peak hours and every police officer by habit. “What you see in these images is not only a uniform, a gesture, a posture of power—it is also a life built in the margins of what the city has made possible,” the curatorial statement notes. The exhibition opening followed the Lagos Studies Association Conference at Trinity University, Sabo-Yaba, on June 20, where academics, artists and transport union members gathered to discuss the research. A guided tour of the Obalende installation underscored a central insight: the street is a place of labour, negotiation, recognition and, at times, punishment. Between every departure and arrival lies a daily accumulation of tickets issued, passengers marshalled and journeys coordinated. Behind this routine is the story of drivers constantly adapting to fluctuating fuel prices, union dues and the uncertainties of urban life. The motor park emerges not merely as a transport hub but as a complex economic ecosystem and a vibrant social space. Funded by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Centre for International Studies (CERI), Sciences Po, the project reflects years of sustained engagement with the subject. Speaking at the opening, Fourchard described the commitment behind the research. “I am based in France, but I come to Nigeria three times a year for this research. I invited my friend Andrew to join the project, and he began photographing Obalende, Oshodi, Ajah and Bariga to provide a visual dimension to the union’s activities. There are many opinions about the union but not enough questions about how it actually works. There are many stereotypes. People think they are merely agberos who extort money. I do not deny that such practices exist, but they are also doing much more. They organise mass transportation in Nigeria. Every day they work. What they do is important. “They resolve conflicts and negotiate their presence with the police while managing limited motor park spaces. They exercise a recognised measure of authority.” Featuring more than 40 photographs, the installation offers a nuanced portrait of the transport union, revealing dimensions of its work that rarely enter public conversation. Ranaivoarinosy, who joined the project two years ago, described it as “a combination of art and science—a way of bridging knowledge with ways of knowing through observation and presence.” Esiebo added: “We wanted to explore them beyond the clichés. We focused on their daily realities, how they work within the motor parks and how they relate to authority. We first had to be introduced to the people, earn their trust and spend time observing the space. Through sustained engagement, we witnessed how they interact with passengers, mediate conflicts and help maintain security within the parks.” The NURTW’s Lagos State Secretary, Comrade Usman Teslim, praised the initiative for documenting an often misunderstood institution. “This project showcases what the union is doing, and I think it is commendable because many people see the union from a
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