Old Nollywood did every Nigerian a massive disservice when they portrayed Lagos as the best city in Nigeria.
In those 90s movies, all Chidi Mokeme had to do was go to Lagos with his friend, Charles Okafor (who might or might not be a ritualist) and he would come back to the village with a brand new Mercedes Benz 190 and wads of cash after 6 months.
We believe that these movies are one of the leading causes of the massive overpopulation in Lagos. People think everything works here when in reality, Lagos is like a mini hell. Everything works alright, but it works against you and you must find a way to thrive despite that.
We listed the top 5 stressors of people living in Lagos and if you can’t relate with more than two, then you need to share your secret. The people need to know.
Traffic
There’s no bigger opp to life in this city than the traffic. You leave your house by 7 AM, plan to get somewhere by 8 AM and do something reasonable, only for you to find yourself still struggling with a gridlock on Third Mainland Bridge by 11 AM.
You’ve already lost half of your day to the traffic and when you eventually get where you’re going, you’ll spend another one or two hours recovering from the horrible experience. It’s really hard to live like this and make it in life.
Landlords and Rent
There’s a saying that “most people in Lagos are basically working for their landlords.” The cost of houses in the city are shocking for a place that is barely livable. The more central the area, the more ridiculous the price.
Meanwhile, finding a house is a herculean task. Agents have devised a means to become rich without doing anything in the name of agency and agreement fees.
Lagos landlords on the other hand build super uncomfortable houses and increase the rent indiscriminately because they know people have no choice.
We also think there’s a correlation between the length of name and price. Houses in places like Yaba and Lekki are more expensive than houses in places like Ikorodu and Ifako-Ijaye (Don’t try to fact check us).
Buses and Bikes
Buses in Lagos do not care about passengers because they know there are a lot of people to pick up. They don’t stop or reverse for you to enter or get down, you have to run after them and jump in. It really puts “catching a bus” in a different perspective.
Also, have you lived in Lagos if you haven’t been in a shouting match with a bus conductor?
As for bikes, they’re only good for evading traffic. The bike men ride like they have extra lives that are safely stored in a box at home.
If you have a car, it is very likely that you have been hit or scratched by a bus or bike. It is really hard to stay sane when everything around you is out of it.
Dirt
The places in Lagos that aren’t overwhelmingly dirty can be counted on your right hand (Source; We nor fit lie give you). From Victoria Island to Badagry, the dirt is constant. During the rainy season, the entire state is an eye sore.
If you don’t come to Lagos, you’ll never know. Old Nollywood excelled in this aspect. If we remember correctly, Onyeka Onwenu acted in a movie that was mostly set in a massive dump site. New Nollywood would never show you this, they’d rather show you 20 scenes of the Lekki Ikoyi Link Bridge.
Chores
Handling chores in Lagos requires a lot of energy, normal stuff like market runs basically take the whole day. If you choose not to cook, buying food that’s affordable, tasty and healthy is like playing Russian Roulette, it is based on luck. It’s almost as if the city is after your life (which it is).
After experiencing traffic, conductors, the stench and everything in between, it can be stressful having to do mundane tasks like laundry and cleaning.
Luckily, there’s a better way. You can still live a relatively stress-free life in Lagos. Eden Life exists to help with that.
We will handle the cooking, cleaning and laundry while you focus on resting from the stressful existence that is Lagos life.
Relax, we’ve got you covered.