Lagos Living: A Lagosian’s Reality Beyond the Buzz
I learned early that Lagos does not wait for anyone.
I grew up in Aguda, Surulere, in a flat that was always loud, not just with people, but with ambition. Everyone around me was chasing something: a better job, a side hustle, a visa, a breakthrough. In Lagos, urgency is a shared language. If you slow down, the city moves on without you.
With an estimated population of over 20 million people, Lagos is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Every day, thousands arrive with the same belief I grew up with: that this city rewards effort. What no one prepares you for is how demanding that effort can be.
The Hustle as a Way of Life.
By the time I finished university, the idea of the “Lagos hustle” stopped sounding inspirational. It became practical, almost unavoidable. You wake up very early because Lagos traffic is unforgiving. You take jobs you are not passionate about because bills are immediate. It doesn’t take long for you to learn that relying on a single source of income is risky in Eko.
The numbers also reflect this reality. Nigeria’s youth unemployment and underemployment rate has remained high, often estimated at 30-40 percent in recent years. In Lagos, this has pushed many young people into freelancing, informal work, or running multiple side businesses at once.
I worked a 9-to-5 that barely covered my feeding and transport from Aguda to VI. At night; I freelanced online. On weekends, I worked as an event manager. The hustle became more about staying afloat than pursuing my ambitions.
Community as Survival.
What Lagos takes in energy, it often returns through people.
It was neighbors who shared food, friends who covered transport, and relatives who helped pay back my loan that helped me survive when my boss delayed our salaries for months.
In Lagos, our ‘community’ quietly fills the gaps left by unreliable systems.
This dependence on informal support networks is common across Nigeria. Families, friends, religious groups, and social circles often function as safety nets, providing financial and emotional support when formal structures fall short. In my opinion, the community is the city’s most reliable infrastructure.
The Hidden Mental Cost.
Lagos does not slow down, and neither do the expectations placed on those living in it. Social media and public success stories that rarely show exhaustion constantly amplify the pressure to succeed. Everyone looks like they are coping well, but research and surveys increasingly point to rising levels of stress and anxiety among young Nigerians, particularly in urban centers like Lagos. According to the 2021 Lagos State Mental Health Survey, depression affects 5.5% of residents, and 3.5% have generalized anxiety disorders.
In this city, taking a pause or resting feels like falling behind. Burnout is the norm.
A few months ago, I experienced my share of burnout. I had frequent headaches and emotional fatigue. It was just a sense of numbness I could not explain. Lagos had taught me how to push myself, but not how to stop.
Redefining What Success Means.
Living in Lagos has changed my definition of success.
Success is no longer just income, titles, or visibility. Success to me now means stability, having options, and being able to say no to opportunities that drain more than they give. It is protecting my mental health in a city that constantly demands more.
Lagos is a city of extremes. It stretches you, frustrates you, and tests your limits. But it also sharpens you. Lagos teaches resilience as a daily practice.
I am still here. Still trying and learning.
And in Lagos, that may be the most honest definition of success there is.
By Esther O.
