The Nigerian megacity’s dynamic growth is outstripping its rental supply, and wages are not keeping up with rising costs
Every weekday before dawn, Oluwatobi Ogundipe leaves his small flat in Sango Ota, an industrial town in Ogun state, for a four hour commute to the glass towers of Lagos Island.
Despite working in one of Nigeria’s growing technology sectors, the 32-year-old product manager cannot afford to live any closer to his office.
“In 2023, I found a self-contained room on Lagos Island, close to my office, with its own toilet and kitchen, renting for ₦900,000 [£490] a year. After agency and agreement fees were added, the cost nearly doubled. I simply couldn’t afford it,” he says. “After exploring other options, I eventually decided to move to Sango Ota, where rent is cheaper.”
Across the sprawling metropolis, stories such as Ogundipe’s are common. Lagos is one of the African continent’s most powerful financial, cultural and entertainment centres. Its energy and vibrant nightlife earned it a reputation as a city that never sleeps. Chaotic yet magnetic, it is Africa’s most populous city after Cairo, with an estimated 22 million people, according to the state government. But the same dynamism powering its growth is also driving its housing market to breaking point.
