The Egbe-Ikotun area of Lagos, the once residential area, is
of late beginning to attract a lot of attention and increasingly becoming a
business hub, courtesy of the presence of Synagogue Church of All Nations.
Following the large number of people coming to worship or
seek one religious favour or another in the church, the tempo and standard of
life in the area have moved upward.
PUNCH reports that many house owners prefer to relocate to
other parts of the city and let out their houses as chalets.
One of them, Mr. Gabriel Omatade, who relocated to Gemade
Estate in Egbeda, said he had two houses now turned to hotels in the area.
He said he makes more than double the money he could have
made if his house had been solely occupied by tenants.
“The easiest way to make more money from your apartment is
to turn them to chalets. There are enough visitors here everday to stay in
them,” he added.
The many hotels, lodgings, business shops and transport
companies springing up around the locality are pointers to the pace of
development in the area.
In fact, saying that there is no street in that
neighbourhood without at least three hotels or lodgings would not be far from
the truth.
The area has also become a hotbed of activities for some
young employment seekers recruited to solicit customers and clients for the
growing business outfits in the vicinity. These young individuals, PUNCH
gathered, are paid commissions for every new client they attract to a hotel or
any of the hurriedly organised lodging places.
“Each time I take a guest to any of the hotels, I write my
name and the number of guests I bring. At the end of the day or month, I am
compensated. Some hotels can give me a bag of rice at the end of the year.
Others can give me commission based on what the guests pay,” a certain okada
rider revealed.
No matter how indecent some of these lodgings are, guests
still troop to them, not minding the terrible state.
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