Much of daily life in Lagos is run not by the government but by the street. Residents’ associations hire the guards, fix the road, buy the transformer and set the rules at the gate.
Who runs your street
- Estate residents’ associations run gated estates: security, gates, roads, sometimes water and power.
- Landlords’ and residents’ associations do the same for ordinary streets.
- Community Development Associations (CDAs) link streets and neighbourhoods to the local government.
Each has its own levies and meetings. Your landlord can tell you which apply to your street.
Levies and service charges
Expect to contribute to:
- Security: guards and gates
- Power: a shared transformer, or its repair, for your band of the grid
- Roads and drains
- Waste, through the PSP operator
Ask before you rent who pays them — landlord or tenant — and get it into the tenancy agreement. Ask for a receipt for every levy.
Gate rules
Estates often limit when okadas and kekes may enter, require visitors to be registered, and close gates at night. Learn them in the first week; your guests will need to know.
Neighbours
Introduce yourself, and greet people. Neighbours share news of power outages, water and security problems, and will notice when something is wrong at your door. Most estates and streets also have a WhatsApp group; ask to be added.
Environmental sanitation
Lagos has periodically held compulsory monthly environmental sanitation mornings, when movement is restricted while residents clean. Check whether one is in force, as the rules have changed over the years.