In the minds of the city officials, equipping Lagos with a multimodal transport system will better help to connect over 20 million residents living here in the future, but at the moment, it is the rental property owners within a particular border community that seem to be getting most of the benefits. The imbalance has been attributed to the Blue Line Rail progressing further.

Only a 13-kilometre stretch of the Blue Line – from Marina to Mile 2 and back – has so far been completed since the rail service launched early last September to the amazement of Lagosians, who are starting to see their state transform into a forward-looking centre that normally should characterise a modern megacity.

However, as the development tarries on, a bulk of the burden from the rapid transformation has been passed on to renters currently dealing with difficult economic times.

The way the curtain has been drawn, landlords in the Mile 2 to Okokomaiko axis (both under the Badagry municipality) have a direct hand in the blockades their cash-strapped customers see ahead when trying to locate affordable apartments to live in.

ALSO READ: 30 minutes riding the Lagos Blue Line rail from Marina

Under a year after the first stage of the blue line was completed, rentals have doubled their amount and people feel helpless because of this. Christiana Okonkwo currently living in a two-bedroom flat in Abule Ado and whose rent will be due in a few months is worried about her existing rent expiring in the coming months.

My rent will be due next year but my landlord has already notified us of an increase in our rent from N700,000 per annum for our two-bedroom apartment to ₦1.2 million, which is about [a] 71 percent increase, says the Lagos Island worker as gathered by the BusinessDay magazine.

Before the transportation infrastructure started to improve, Miss Okonkwo’s community was a refuge shielding her away from the extremely pricey rate that her office environment naturally dictates.

With salaries remaining stagnant or pitched below rising inflation figures, an area with a moderate rent asking price is the most ideal for patrons of her calibre. And since property owners are opening up to the changes going on around them in the way of accessibility, residents like her find themselves in a fix.

Starting from Monday 12 August, those living around the area of Badagry that now has the blue line get a 25 percent discount on their fares when they ride the train during off-peak hours. This, according to the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, in a weekend statement, covers movements between 10:00 in the morning and 4 o’clock in the evening.

Also part of the MD’s announcement is the upscaling of the number of trips from 54 to 72 per day. This increase in ride opportunities has been captured in the latest travel schedule shared via LAMATA’s socials yesterday.

In terms of distance, Abule Ado is seven kilometres apart from Okokomaiko, although the farthest the Blue Line can reach within that axis for now is still Mile 2. Not minding that the remaining railroad to connect Abule Ado is still being constructed, landlords are already emitting the aura of having a well-connected rail service passing through their doorsteps, which makes renters like Miss Okonkwo feel like accommodation value is being overpriced.

Blue Line upscale to 72 trips per day, introduces 25% fare discount for off peak travels #LAMATA #keepingLagosmoving #lasg #BlueLineupgrade #72tripsaday pic.twitter.com/pAdRDaQ1bh

— Lagos MetropolitanArea Transport Authority LAMATA (@Lamataonline) August 11, 2024

Yet, old residents like her are lucky compared to those newly coming in. According to the worker, for new tenants, the landlord is now accepting only ₦1.5 million for the same size apartment and [the] same period of time, which is over 100 percent increase, and it is not as if there is any value added to the houses by way of renovation or new facilities.

While tenants are scratching their heads to get a full grasp of what could happen next, real estate agents have a better understanding of what has been driving the increase in rent value. Okey Ibeabuchi is one of them and has been seeing demand for housing in the Badagry catchment zone rise, as much as the infrastructural output. He told Business Day that people are only taking positions because of the improved infrastructure in this area. To have road and rail transportation connecting this area to the city centre is a major attraction and not many people can resist that opportunity.

ALSO READ: Launching Red Line Rail becomes President Tinubu’s achievement after 22 years

🌧️Beat the rain. Take the train. #LagosMegacityTransport on a Monday. pic.twitter.com/GKzeZ4nKpI

— Ayodelé Johnson (@Youthivist) May 6, 2024