Lagos is very very expensive. Sometimes i wonder whether we just like to be purnished. Go to the Chinese restuarants and they will mix pepper and some vegetables then start to demand the kind of money that can be used to start a restuarant in China.

Dude has been priced out of an auction!!

You're looking for cheap pepper soup in VI? Goodluck with that.

I guess you're too fancy to check out mamaput. Abi you dey fear running stomach.

KnowAll:

Most disaporans will like to settle back home but for the hyper and over inflated prices people pay for necessities of life. Some examples


1. Why are pepole paying N700, 000.00 for a 1991 Honda Accord when in the UK u can buy that kind of car for £250.00 - N50,000.00 in the auction or £400.00 or N80,000.00  IN THE OPEN MARKET.

2. The house prices on the island is out of this world even well paid diasporans find it extortionist. You buy a house in say lekki for between N50 to 100 million that is between £250,000.00 and £500,000.00. Can you imagine paying that kind of money and your neigbours are a mechanic village, a few small block making firm and a  mammy market selling pepper and tomotoes . This kind of  loop-sided development that is taken place in lekki has to be addressed.  Most diasporans will rather use that kind of money to buy in choice areas in london, New york , and miami. You could get beuitiful condone in miami beach for less than that.

3. Take your mobile phone calls just damn to costly. I can remember using N3,000.00 CREDIT just having a normal tel chat with a freind the las time I was in Nija this has to be addressed.

4. Going out to choice areas to have a meal, I remember going to some joint in VI and a plate of pepper soup is N3,500.00 for one small peice of fish.  Haba how much is fish in lagos all these business men for lagos na go kill person oh.

5. Lets talk about clothes that is a no go area for diasporans that settle in nija, aint nothing like Sale ANYMORE. You go to those little boutiques in lagos and buy a jeans for N50,000.00 u go there 2 days later u will be charged N75,000.00.

The problem with Nigerian businessmen if they have not made 1000% profit they no go sell we should refrain from this kind of mentality to what obtains all over the world. A consistent modest profit is better than a one off massive profit.

I agree with you know All , everything you have said is 100% true.I just hate the way lagos is ridiculously expensive. I have been trying for the past 2 years to buy a property in Lekki  but all the property they have shown me so far are not even worth the price they are asking for. One Nigerian seller was asking me for N100 million for a house that  has only 4 bedrooms  with no pool on  a very small piece of land.

After searching for months i decided to build a house instead in South Africa on a hilltop which will cost me the equivalent of N70 Million naira and the house is bigger and more beautiful than most of the homes in Lekki.

By the time it is completed ,it will boast 6 bedrooms, 2 lounges ,5 bathrooms,2 dining areas, rock pool, Gym ,staff quarters, office, Entrance hall, hilltop 360 degrees view  deck ,outdoor gas Braai (grill stand),Gourmet kitchen, electronic access gate,2 bedroom flatlet and a home theatre  room.

If my house was in Lekki  ,i am sure i will spend not less than N150 million before it is completed if not more. Building a property in SA is very cheap as compared to Lagos. You get more for  your money. The house is 84 % complete ,i  am hoping that i get enough funds to complete it before December so i can move in. I have attached a picture so you can see what i am talking about.

My family is still angry that i am building a house in SA instead of naija but i just ignored them. Why should  i waste my hard earned funds on a poorly built tiny house in Lekki that will probably be flooded in the rainy season not to mention the fact that ,i won’t have electricity except i buy a gen. I want to live in a hassle free environment where electricity is constant  and there is efficient drainage systems.

I am sorry but Lagos does not cut it for me. Maybe in the future when naija gets its act together ,then i will consider buying a home there.

Another thing i like about SA is the internet.I get unlimited internet for just N20,000 per month.That means unlimited download of movies ,games ,indecency e.t.c at the speed of at least 4Mbps all day day long for 30 days non stop.We call it ADSL uncapped.

I must say however that food is way cheaper in Nigeria than SA. A plate of Ogbono here costs a minimum of N500 and that is from a cheap middle class restaurant.Cars are way cheaper here than naija,the only problem is that the cars are right hand drives like the U.k so it is pointless to export them to naija.

Local calls here are cheap but internationals calls are not.

If anything, all I see is business opportunities!! It actually says that there are immense opportunities in Nigeria. Any good entrepreneur would provide better services at half these prices and make a kill!! Play the market on the reverse and pull the rug off the feet of the greed running the market currently.

For instance, hotels in VI charge an average of 30,000- 50,000 naira per nite and yet you pay for internet, breakfast, and everyother thing.
Solution. Simple. Start a well designed hotel that offers free internet, breakfast, chaffeur driven car, free laundry, etc and charge say 20,000. You will have 100% occupancy rate. So while your profits per head might not be high, you total profits would probably beat the competition considering you are utilizing 100% capacity!!

Bottomline is Entrepreneurs would sove the problem by providing better services at much cheaper prices. Its already happening in telecoms and it can happen in the other sectors!!

Very nice crib you are building, I like the design.

playmode said

After searching for months i decided to build a house instead in South Africa on a hilltop which will cost me the equivalent of N70 Million naira and the house is bigger and more beautiful than most of the homes in Lekki.

If it's the house you posted above you're referring to, I'm afraid there are many far bigger and better looking homes than that at Lekki.

Rossikk:

playmode said
If it's the house you posted above you're referring to, I'm afraid there are many far bigger and better looking homes than that at Lekki.

You and this your bad mouth, so you are here again, may God have mercy on this your mouth

That local looking house is what somebody is boasting about?

I doubt this playmode is nigerian.

I guess the word hilltop is what's tripping you here. You feel like it puts you in the same league as obj or ibb with their own hilltop mansions, right?

I prefer going to Abuja and visiting my uncle in one of these apartments before I go to the East.

tpiah!:

That local looking house is what somebody is boasting about?

I doubt this playmode is nigerian.

I guess the word hilltop is what's tripping you here. You feel like it puts you in the same league as obj or ibb with their own hilltop mansions, right?

@PLaymode, that pad is smoking . . . where you copy the design from??

I love Nigeria more than anything else, but I must confess that our system is designed for folks to steal (preferable government money).
Examples:
To rent a decent crib in Lekki for a year will cost you over N3m, in VI N5m and Ikoyi N6m (Don't let us talk about buying at this time)
Average monthly cost of diesel will be about N200k
Average quarterly cost of school fees N1.5m (if you have 4 or more kids, just simply jump off 3rd mainland bridge)
Weekend pocket money (bwt you, the kids and madam) about N250k or more
Average monthly money stolen from you by your drivers, gateman, houseboy, housegirl, electrician, generator engineer, mechanic and other invisible individuals, about N350k.
And other miscellaneous, about N200k.

I call it CRAZY NIGERIA.

I prefer going to Abuja and visiting my uncle in one of these houses before I go to the East.

those are apartments

Big B1:

I love Nigeria more than anything else, but I must confess that our system is designed for folks to steal (preferable government money).
Examples:
To rent a decent crib in Lekki for a year will cost you over N3m, in VI N5m and Ikoyi N6m (Don't let us talk about buying at this time)
Average monthly cost of diesel will be about N200k
Average quarterly cost of school fees N1.5m (if you have 4 or more kids, just simply jump off 3rd mainland bridge)
Weekend pocket money (bwt you, the kids and madam) about N250k or more
Average monthly money stolen from you by your drivers, gateman, houseboy, housegirl, electrician, generator engineer, mechanic and other invisible individuals, about N350k.
And other miscellaneous, about N200k.

I call it CRAZY NIGERIA.

The country is too expensive. I dunno how people cope. And you aren't getting much value for your money.

Be very careful with service apartments.
If you're not making at least 3 or 4m per month, do yourself a favor stay away from service apartment in Ikoyi or VI.
But if you can afford it, the best service apartments are the ones not too far from Tinubu's stolen mansion in Ikoyi (park view area)

Nor be na wa, na real wa o!

Me still dey wonder the attraction wey Lekki, V.I & environs get for most peeps

vladimiros:

those are apartments

Dude was obviously lying, def' never even been to Abuja, talk less knowing the difference between a house and an apartment,

Nor be na wa, na real wa o!

Me still dey wonder the attraction wey Lekki, V.I & environs get for most peeps

The attraction is very simple: These areas are safe, more civilized and very friendly to diasporans; unlike other areas around Lagos.

Ideally I'd live somewhere cheaper like Ogun when I move back. Problem of course is finding a livelihood that doesn't require me to be based in Lagos. Hrm, we shall see.

Ogun? You will regret it.
You better stay cool where you @.
Ikoyi, VI and Lekki still remain where any diasporan (journey just come) wants to be. Forget Abuja!

What is wrong with Ota area? I can buy land relatively cheaply, build a nice big house, contact Shell and get them to pipeline natural gas to my house/business, and have 24/7 electricity using that NG.

That sounds like a good deal to me. If I want to go to Lagos to party, spend the weekends at a hotel or at a friend's place.

It is not only about just you, think about your madam and kids (if you're married with kids) who you're bringing from a well structured environment
Do you love your family?
If your answer is yes, then you'll find a safe, civilized and friendly environment at least for the first 5 yrs returning back to this country.

Don't get me wrong, Ota is an OK area, but absolutely not for a JJC.

Do you take lacal herbs?? agbo jidi?
no offence

ekt_bear:

What is wrong with Ota area? I can buy land relatively cheaply, build a nice big house, contact Shell and get them to pipeline natural gas to my house/business, and have 24/7 electricity using that NG.

That sounds like a good deal to me. If I want to go to Lagos to party, spend the weekends at a hotel or at a friend's place.

Or you could live in an area like this in Lagos. 

[img]http://api.ning.com/files/Fp1-0GAyHioG4fve*733IDnb28EWKerchlpndUbI2qaF34nQaGE47oEqeGlI7git6GTTqXO102y5Q0ooQXhNevNMppPM2L87/lagos_slum4.jpg[/img]

Absolutely yes.
It will only cost you about N12k per year for rent; with free cat fish from time to time.

Rhino.5dm:

Do you take lacal herbs?? agbo jidi?
no offence

No clue what you mean. The natural gas would be for a generator. Natural gas is a really cheap fuel source for electricity. I'd prefer using it as a fuel to say diesel or petrol.

Big B1:

It is not only about just you, think about your madam and kids (if you're married with kids) who you're bringing from a well structured environment
Do you love your family?
If your answer is yes, then you'll find a safe, civilized and friendly environment at least for the first 5 yrs returning back to this country.

Don't get me wrong, Ota is an OK area, but absolutely not for a JJC.

Alright. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. BTW, what are the practical differences? Is it just safety? Schooling? Food? Entertainment? What can a JJC not find in Ota that they can find in Lagos?

Big B1:

Absolutely yes.
It will only cost you about N12k per year for rent; with free cat fish from time to time.

OMG, my stomach. Becomerich is a landlord there

Alright. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. BTW, what are the practical differences? Is it just safety? Schooling? Food? Entertainment? What can a JJC not find in Ota that they can find in Lagos?

You will be far from everything.
For medical, you will have to return to Lagos.
For good school, you will have to look for good boarding school.
For entertainment, you will have to invite basketmouth to your house weekly.
For safety, you will need Jesus himself to give you the proper security required for that area.
If you're not a businessman, for great paying jobs, you will still have to return to Lagos.

In short, if you're not frustrated in less than 6 months your madam will be frustrated.
You can not simply return from oversea and jump into living in Ota.

ekt_bear:

What is wrong with Ota area? I can buy land relatively cheaply, build a nice big house, contact Shell and get them to pipeline natural gas to my house/business, and have 24/7 electricity using that NG.

That sounds like a good deal to me. If I want to go to Lagos to party, spend the weekends at a hotel or at a friend's place.

What d'you smoke?
It be really good stuff!

I blame google!!!!!

@ekt_bear
As a JJC family, you want your kids to mingle with other kids that have great things in common with them. The last thing you want is for you and your entire family to become a local champion in an area like Ota; the negative result of such move may not be visible right away, but in a long run, it isn't what you want for yourself or family>