The countdown has begun for one of Lagos’ busiest commercial hubs. The Lagos State Government has told traders at Ikeja’s famous Computer Village that they have just 18 months to pack their bags and move to a brand new location in Katangowa, Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA. 

For years, Computer Village has been the beating heart of Nigeria’s tech trade, a place where you could buy anything from a brand-new iPhone to the tiniest phone screw. But the market has also been a thorn in the government’s side.

What was a simple residential neighbourhood in Ikeja slowly morphed into Nigeria’s largest technology market, without official planning approval, and has since caused headaches ranging from congestion to infrastructure strain.

Now, the government says it is time for order. At a stakeholders’ meeting with traders and market executives on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, made it clear that relocation is not just a suggestion, it is happening.

“The government wants your cooperation to ensure the relocation comes to pass,” Oki told the traders. “The relocation period is 18 months.”

According to the project coordinator, Olayinka Bello, the 15-hectare space has been designed to suit the traders’ needs. Plans include a police post, hotels, and easy access to the BRT terminal for smoother transportation of goods and people. In short, the government is selling the move as an upgrade, not a punishment.

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Still, history hangs over the project. Traders have heard this before. The idea of moving Computer Village out of Ikeja is almost two decades old. The Iyaloja of the market, Chief Abisola Azeez, reminded everyone that an agreement to relocate was first made in 2006 with then-Governor Bola Tinubu, now Nigeria’s President. This time, however, the government insists the facilities are finally ready, and there is no turning back.

It will not be an easy transition for traders, as thousands of businesses have grown up in Ikeja, relying on its central location, foot traffic, and long-standing reputation as Lagos’ tech capital. The big question is whether customers will follow them to Katangowa, or if the new site will have to build that magnetism from scratch.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is framing the relocation as part of a wider plan to bring order to Lagos’ urban sprawl while also creating modern, better-structured markets. Whether the traders see it that way remains to be seen. But what is certain is that Lagos’s most iconic gadget market is on borrowed time in Ikeja.

Eighteen months may feel like plenty of time, but not for the thousands of traders whose lives are woven into the fabric of Ikeja, it is a countdown to uncertainty. The move to Katangowa could be the rebirth of Computer Village, or the end of an era in Lagos’ tech story.

Anita Chinedu