Lagosians in the midst of shopping malls

Lagos is today renowned for malls/shopping centres like: Ikeja City Mall (Ikeja), E-Centre (Yaba), Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall (Surulere), Silverbird Galleria (Victoria Island) and Palms Mall (Lekki) and the Lekki Mall at the intersection of Lekki-Epe Expressway and Springville Road. Ajah Deborah Isaac who lives on the Ajah axis of Lagos said, “On a typical […]

Lagos is today renowned for malls/shopping centres like: Ikeja City Mall (Ikeja), E-Centre (Yaba), Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall (Surulere), Silverbird Galleria (Victoria Island) and Palms Mall (Lekki) and the Lekki Mall at the intersection of Lekki-Epe Expressway and Springville Road. Ajah
Deborah Isaac who lives on the Ajah axis of Lagos said, “On a typical work day, I spend between two and four hours traversing a distance of five and eight kilometres within the city center during traffic peak periods as a result of these shopping malls.
“The traffic situation has always been there but they have become worse with the way this malls are located right on the very busy expressway way.”
Sikiru Suleiman who lives around Maryland said, “You never pray to have anything to do with the popular Awolowo Road, especially around Aluasa around close of business or even public holidays because of the number of people trooping into the Ikeja Mall.
“I fear that the completion of the Old Maryland Plaza on Ikorodu Road in the Maryland area of Lagos will finally shut down the ever busy Ikorodu Road.”
There is also the Nigerian Police Cooperative Multi-purpose center known as the Oasis Center Ikeja along the Mobolaji Bank-Anthony opposite the Police College, Ikeja. The road is a major hub for evacuating traffic from the Domestic Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikaja.
Only recently, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State pledged his commitment to create an enabling environment for investors as a way of creating jobs for youths in the state while receiving a delegation of Walmart Incorporated, a leading global brand in retail supermarket.
According to him, the presence of the brand in Lagos will go a long way, not only to create jobs for teeming youths, but also boost the economy of the state noting that the success story of the brand, which currently operates in 28 countries with over 2.2 million employees, would be beneficial to the growth of the state.
There is also the Royal Gardens Estate, directly facing Lekki-Epe expressway, close to the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos Business School, Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate, with an estimated completion date of 2017. The project which was estimated to gulp N29 billion in construction on a 64,000 square meters (30,000 square meters letting space) is expected to be the biggest shopping mall in Nigeria.
According to Hakeem Ogunniran, Managing Director of UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) in Nigeria, Lagos can effectively hold 20 malls.
Ogunniran said, “Johannesburg, with a population of 4 to 5million people has substantially more malls than Lagos. Lagos with 17-20million could presumably take up to 20-25 malls.”
The recent trend in the development of shopping malls has changed the way Lagosians live. Malls/shopping centers bring the right social etiquette in us, to the extent of dressing up just to buy a few items. They are also hangout zones for soft drink and a range of retail outlets.
According to John D. Macomber of the Harvard Business School, the problems created by rampant urbanization are among the most important challenges of our time. They also represent one of the greatest opportunities and responsibilities for the private sector. Business is uniquely positioned to shape the sustainable, economically competitive cities of the future.