There is so much excitement that comes with working on the Lagos Island. However, a large number of the people who work there really reside on the mainland. People still decide to commute to the island every day from areas like Festac Town, Ojota, Ogudu, Ogba, Omole, Ojodu, Ketu, Agege, or even as far as Ikorodu.
These workers include some who must rise as early as 3 or 4 am every day to avoid the typical holdup on the third mainland bridge. If you leave the mainland after 5:30am to go to work, there’s a good possibility you’ll arrive late at your workplace. Before you can get to the island from the mainland, you would meet heavy traffic on the bridge. And in Lagos, more people reside on the mainland than the island.
In the early hours of the day, you read of incidents where people board one-chance vehicles and they are robbed or hurt. But despite this, employees continue to leave for Lagos island as early as 4am. To reduce the risks on the road in such early hours, the more careful people would prefer to enter the road at 5am instead. They do so either by public transportation or in their own cars.
The majority of individuals would prefer to work on the island rather than the mainland for a variety of reasons, many of which are valid. They might decide against residing on the island. They might not be able to afford the exorbitant cost of living in Victoria Island, Ikoyi, or Lekki.
Why People Prefer To Work In Lagos Island
Many still want to work on the island despite the fact that they cannot afford the cost of living there. Consequently, they seek cheaper locations on the mainland. They secure dwellings on the mainland where rent is less expensive. Therefore, they commute daily to the island from there. On the mainland, there are still respectable career prospects in affluent locations like Ikeja, Yaba, Anthony Village, Maryland, and so on. However, the island is the most favored locations for employment in Lagos. These are the explanations for why it is so.
Bank Headquarters On The Island
Did you know that Victoria Island serves as the home of nearly all of Nigeria’s banks? This is so important to the island that certain streets and locations are named after the banks. For instance, Zenith Bank occupies practically the whole Ajose Adeogun neighborhood on Victoria Island. There are numerous facilities operated by the bank. You find them all the way from the Eko hotel roundabout towards Ligali Ayorinde Street. You will find their substantial employee parking lot, as well as a number of annexes, off Molade Okoya Thomas. That much area is covered by only one bank on the island. Consider other financial institutions like Fidelity Bank in Kofo Abayomi, GT Bank in Akin Adesola, and Access Bank on Prince Alaba Abiodun Oniru Road.
Leading Brands In Lagos Island
There is more to it than just that. Large corporations with the largest turnover in all of Nigeria are spread over Victoria Island. On the island, there are numerous multinational corporations, financial unions, oil companies, and real estate firms. Which ought to be to be included and which ought to be omitted? ExxonMobil, Petroli Energy, NNPC, Nestoil, Alfa Gas Energy, and many more significant oil corporations have offices in Victoria Island. Large offices for the telecommunications industry titans MTN, GLO, Etisalat, and Airtel are also located on the island. The Mike Adenuga Center is located along Osborne Road, in one of Ikoyi’s coolest spots.
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Top Real Estate Companies On The Island
Leading real estate firms including PWAN Group, Chateau Royal Real Estate Limited, Zylus Homes, Kings Court Realtors, Fine and Country, Gtext Homes, RevolutionPlus, Landwey, Cadwell, among others, all have offices on the island. These companies hire a large number of people from Lagos mainland. And these companies pay very handsomely. Lagos State is experiencing an unprecedented real estate boom. Many real estate companies have concentrated a lot of their focus in the Epe and Ibeju-Lekki areas. This is due to the potential of property investments in those areas. Investors keep pouring into those locations to purchase real estate at low prices. Assets in those areas are still within reach at this early stage of development.
For instance, an entire plot of property in Epe may be purchased for about 1 million Naira. Lekki and other areas on the island are much more expensive. Beyond Eleko, the population of the island is increasing in too. The Pan-Atlantic University, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Lagos State Deep Sea Port, the Dangote Refinery, and a lot of other developments are going on in Ibeju and its environs. This is opening up employment opportunities for people who live on the mainland in Lagos.
Other Reasons
- Class consciousness: There is an ingrained notion that residing or working on the island is a reflection of one’s social standing or aptitude. Although that may not always be the case, this is the belief of the typical Lagos-dwelling Nigerian. People who work for the island’s companies are probably better of, because their companies pay quite well. They have the highest pay and are connected to other significant persons in the corporate sector. All these assumptions contain some element of truth. But as we’ve already stated, these criteria are not the gold standard for what constitutes a happy life. People who work on the island should be able to afford quality housing there, but some of them are unable to. For those who can but still prefer to reside on the mainland, it is possibly just a matter of choice.
- Exposure: Lagos region’s highest level of civilization is unquestionably found on the Lagos island. Exposure is provided by the caliber of employees, the working environment, and ways of doing business there. So, you have an excellent opportunity to learn something no matter which company you work for on the island. For these organizations, one can perform menial tasks as well. A fresh graduate once accepted a position as a gateman for a church in Victoria Island, according to a story. Through one of the powerful men in the church, he was able to transition from being a gateman to having a career with a leading oil company on the island.
My Air Xperience
Prosper T. Nwankwo is a Nigerian writer with well pronounced talents. Content writing is one of his strong suits. While blogging professionally, Mr. Prosper maintains his interests in technology and real estate. He publishes for My Air Xperience and other websites.