More broadly, I am profoundly concerned about urban affairs, with a particular focus on sustainable livelihoods, poverty and urban governance. My research explores ways to improve the living conditions of the urban poor, who are mostly accommodated in informal settlements, particularly focusing on Lagos, Nigeria but drawing examples from African context. My research also tracks how urban realities are mediated by the underlying institutional and governance structures. I am currently researching how neoliberal development ideology and the quest for urban modernity shape governance and development ideology, and the implications on the livelihoods of the urban poor in Lagos. Connected to this is the understanding of institutional power relations and hegemonic ideology embedded in urban neoliberal development. As such my research also explores alternative perspectives, as a form of counter-hegemony, that challenge the existing institutional structure that produces poverty, inequality and the prevailing unjust development outcomes.