Hi everyone, I’m Oladipo from Nigeria. I live in Lagos, the most populated and commercial city of the country.
My passion for Google Maps started since the time before a lot of people around me learned to use it.
Before relocating to Lagos 2 years ago, I used to work in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory where I’d go online taking Uber requests after closing from my banking job. It was fun. I had a sense of fulfillment in being able to locate a rider and their destination using Google Map. And while Abuja presented no traffic issues such as the one that prevails in Lagos, the navigational feature the Map provides was a path-finder. Today as a rider with any ride-hailing service, I would insist the driver uses Google Map because it is the only platform that both provides direction and alternative (faster) routes.
When not using it to navigate, what I love doing most is making contributions to the Map. I would occasionally discover a new place which I couldn’t find on the map, and would promptly add it, or provide more details to help others. A closed road ahead of me, a one-way, a re-opened road, a fuel/gas station, etc. are all the additions I like to make to the map. I understand that it is with both continual use and contribution of guides like me that improves the platform, especially for my local community.
By the way, I have a Google Home Mini; it works fine for most features, but I can hardly wait for Google services to get to Nigeria so I fully optimize the device and features.
Lagos is a peculiar city: considering how unpredictable the traffic can get, I don’t leave home or work without consulting the Map. I call it the oracle, and me and my friends have dubbed our Google Assistants ‘Sheila’. It’s something about her voice, I guess.