Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to interrogate the pathways through which local and aspiring global migrants construct imaginaries of destinations in Lagos, Europe and North America.

Paper long abstract:

The enduring myth of the Eldorado, which came out of the Spanish Conquests of Latin America in the 16th century, continues to represent the desires and aspirations of (international) migrants around the globe vis a vis prosperity and the beginning of a new life. But beyond such outdated clichés and the paternalism embedded within such narratives, the personal and existential dimensions of migratory processes and patterns (that is, their expectations and experiences) is still very much worth exploring.

The paper seeks to shed new insights on key questions relating to how myths and imaginaries affect the migratory patterns of Nigerian migrants, such as:

· What are the mechanisms through which mobility imaginaries are formed among migrant groups in Nigeria, both global and local?

· What, if any, are the similarities between the imaginaries and myths held by local migrants to Lagos and aspiring global migrants?

· Has there been a disconnect between the imaginaries formed in the minds of local migrants to Lagos and the realities of their experienced discovered upon arrival to Lagos?

We will employ a mixed methods research approach, incorporating the use of quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews, both structured and unstructured) methods. The study will be carried out with migrant communities from other parts of Nigeria that are domiciled in Lagos.