[STORY] The Night Lagos Taught Me Why Everyone Needs a Bug-Out Bag

Two nights ago, Lagos went completely dark. I don’t mean the usual blackout — I mean everything.

Streetlights, billboards, phone networks, ATMs, gas stations, even the air felt different.

I was in my apartment, editing a vlog about eco-friendly survival gear for beginners, when my laptop screen blinked twice and went dead.

No power, no signal, no backup generator hum from my neighbor’s house. Just pure, heavy silence.

At first, I thought it was PHCN doing their usual madness. But after an hour with no noise from anywhere — no traffic, no shouting, not even a dog barking — I started feeling that survival-instinct itch that comes when something’s off.

That’s when I remembered the prepper kit I built last month for content. You know, for that “How to Survive a City Blackout” video that barely got 200 views? Yeah, that kit just became the most important thing in my house.

I grabbed my solar-powered flashlight, switched it on, and it cut through the darkness like a lightsaber.

I went out to the balcony and looked down. The whole city — silent. The skyline looked like a sleeping beast, the kind that might not wake up.

“Yo, this can’t be normal,” I muttered.

From the next building, someone shouted, “Does your phone have network? Mine’s dead!”

“No network here too!” I yelled back.

Then we both laughed awkwardly — two strangers suddenly thrown into a survival scenario with no plan, no WiFi, and no TikTok to escape it.

By midnight, I decided to go downstairs. A few neighbors had gathered outside with candles and rechargeable lamps.

Someone was boiling water on a portable camping stove, and another guy had pulled out an old transistor radio — like something straight out of an apocalypse movie.

“Any news?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing. FM dead. Maybe the grid crashed. Or maybe… something else.”

We all went quiet.

I could feel fear spreading through the group, but I tried to distract them. “You guys ever heard of prepping?” I asked.

A girl laughed, “You mean like those YouTubers who build bunkers and eat beans for five years?”

“Exactly,” I grinned, pulling my emergency survival backpack open. “Except I didn’t build a bunker — I just have everything I need to survive for 72 hours.”

Inside, I had:

• A first aid kit
• A water purification bottle
• Energy bars
• A multi-tool knife
• Solar charger

And, my favorite — a small emergency radio that could also charge my phone.

Her eyes widened. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” I said, as the radio crackled to life.

A man’s voice came through, faint and shaky.

“This is Lagos State Emergency… the power grid… cyberattack… we advise citizens to stay calm…”

Everyone froze.

The girl beside me whispered, “A cyberattack? Like, real life?”

“Guess we just became an episode of Black Mirror,” I said, trying to hide my own panic.

That night, we all decided to camp out in the compound for safety. I used my outdoor tarp as a makeshift shelter, shared my energy bars, and showed others how to use solar lamps for heat.

Someone even called me “Oga Bear Grylls.” I laughed, but inside, I felt something deeper — this was what all that survival and prepping content had been preparing me for.

By morning, the air smelled like damp dust and diesel. Birds were chirping again. A few cars passed, horns blaring. The power wasn’t back yet, but the city was alive again.

I used my solar charger to power my phone — still no signal, but at least it worked. The girl from last night, Ada, walked over holding a cup of instant coffee she made from my camping stove.

“You saved us last night,” she said softly.

I smiled. “Nah. Just shared what I learned from my YouTube channel. Maybe survival skills aren’t so boring after all.”

She laughed. “You think this’ll make a good video?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I grinned. “Title: ‘The Night Lagos Taught Me Why Everyone Needs a Bug-Out Bag.’”

But just as we laughed, the old radio came alive again.

“Power has been restored in parts of… unknown cause still under investigation… stay alert.”

Then, it switched off — by itself.

Everyone went silent again.

I looked at Ada. She looked at me.

“What was that?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Guess the survival lessons aren’t over yet.”

A week later, power and internet were fully restored. I uploaded the story as a video — clips from the night, photos of my survival gear, everything.

It went viral. Over 500,000 views in two days.

But here’s the crazy part: a stranger emailed me. No name, no subject line. Just one sentence:

“Next time, keep your radio off.”

I didn’t sleep that night.

Now, my survival backpack stays by my door — always packed. Because sometimes, prepping isn’t paranoia… it’s instinct.