Areas in Lagos Island: Full List and What Each Is Like

The areas on the island side of Lagos are Lagos Island itself (Idumota, Balogun, Marina, Broad Street, Isale Eko, Lafiaji, Onikan), then Ikoyi, Obalende, Victoria Island, Oniru, Lekki Phase 1, Ikate, Osapa London, Agungi, Chevron, Ikota, VGC, Ajah and Sangotedo, with Abijo, Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe further east on the same expressway. Only the first group is in Lagos Island Local Government Area. Everything from Ikoyi to Sangotedo is in Eti-Osa, and the rest is in Ibeju-Lekki and Epe local governments. This guide lists each group and says what it is like to live there; the mainland list is in areas in Lagos Mainland.

Lagos Island and “the Island” are different things

Lagos Island Local Government Area is the small historic island at the centre of the city, joined to the mainland by Carter Bridge, Eko Bridge and the Third Mainland Bridge. When a Lagosian says they live or work “on the Island”, they nearly always mean something wider: Ikoyi, Victoria Island and the Lekki corridor as well, none of which is in that council. An address form asking for a local government wants Eti-Osa for Victoria Island or Lekki, not Lagos Island. The wider question of what counts as mainland and island is covered in Lagos mainland vs island.

Areas in Lagos Island Local Government Area

Idumota and Balogun are the market districts, among the busiest trading streets in West Africa; people trade here far more than they live here. See is Idumota mainland or island?

Marina and Broad Street form the old banking and office district along the lagoon front, with CMS at its centre. Residential stock is limited to a few executive flats and converted buildings.

Isale Eko, Lafiaji, Epetedo, Okepopo and the Brazilian Quarter around Campos Square are the old residential quarters, home to long-established Lagos families and to the palace of the Oba of Lagos. Housing is dense and mostly family-owned, so little reaches the open rental market.

Onikan, at the eastern end beside Tafawa Balewa Square and the National Museum, is the quieter side and the link to Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Executive flats on Lagos Island are indicatively ₦3m–₦10m a year. It suits traders and people who work in the Marina offices and want no commute. More in is Lagos Island mainland or island? and the Lagos Island area guide.

Areas in Eti-Osa: Ikoyi, Obalende and Victoria Island

Ikoyi is the quiet, low-density, most expensive residential district in the city: Old Ikoyi, Parkview Estate, Banana Island, Osborne Foreshore and Dolphin Estate. It suits senior executives, diplomats and established families. The full breakdown is in areas in Ikoyi.

Obalende sits between Ikoyi and Lagos Island and is administered with Ikoyi in Eti-Osa. It is a transport hub and a dense, older neighbourhood with some of the lowest rents this close to the business districts.

Victoria Island is the main business district — Ahmadu Bello Way, Adeola Odeku, Akin Adesola, Ozumba Mbadiwe — with serviced apartments and older flats between the office towers. Oniru is the planned estate on its eastern side, and Eko Atlantic is the new city on reclaimed land along the ocean front. They suit people who want to walk or take a short drive to work. See is Victoria Island mainland or island? and Ikoyi vs Victoria Island.

Areas in Eti-Osa: the Lekki corridor

Lekki Phase 1 is the original Lekki scheme around Admiralty Way, the most established and most expensive part of the corridor, popular with young professionals and families who work in Victoria Island.

Ikate, Jakande, Osapa London, Agungi, Idado and Igbo-Efon follow along the expressway. Ikate is the upscale end; Osapa London and Agungi are mid-range estates of terraces and blocks of flats.

Chevron, Ikota and VGC sit around the Chevron roundabout and beyond. Chevron Drive and the Ikota estates are family territory with many gated streets; Victoria Garden City is one of the oldest fully managed estates in Lagos.

Ajah — with Thomas Estate, Badore, Langbasa and Abraham Adesanya — is the affordable end of Eti-Osa, and Sangotedo is the growing suburb after it. The list is in areas in Ajah. For the whole corridor, see is Lekki mainland or island?, houses for rent in Lekki and the Lekki area guide.

Beyond Eti-Osa: Ibeju-Lekki and Epe

Ibeju-Lekki begins after Sangotedo and runs east through Abijo, Awoyaya, Lakowe, Bogije, Eleko, Ibeju and Akodo to the Lekki Free Zone, the Dangote Refinery and the Lekki Deep Sea Port. It is mainly a land and new-estate market that suits investors and people who work in the industrial corridor. Geographically it lies past the end of the peninsula, which is why is Ibeju-Lekki island or mainland? has a less obvious answer than the adverts suggest.

Epe is the lagoon-side town at the far end of the expressway, with its own local government. It is quiet, agricultural and cheap, and most buyers there are buying land; read buying land in Epe: red flags first, then browse properties in Epe.

Indicative annual rents on the Island

These are indicative asking ranges for a full year. Serviced buildings with round-the-clock power sit at the top of each range, and service charges are paid on top of the rent.

• Ikoyi: 2-bedroom flat ₦4,500,000 – ₦12,000,000 per annum
• Victoria Island: 2-bedroom flat ₦3,000,000 – ₦8,000,000 per annum
• Lekki Phase 1: 2-bedroom flat ₦2,000,000 – ₦3,500,000 per annum
• Chevron: 2-bedroom flat ₦1,200,000 – ₦2,800,000 per annum
• Ajah: 2-bedroom flat ₦800,000 – ₦1,800,000 per annum
• Sangotedo: 2-bedroom flat ₦900,000 – ₦1,800,000 per annum
• Epe: 2-bedroom flat ₦350,000 – ₦600,000 per annum

To see what is on the market now, search flats for rent in Ikoyi, houses for rent in Victoria Island, flats for rent in Lekki or properties in Ajah. Owners and agents can list an Island property on Cabans free.

Frequently asked questions

What areas are on the Island in Lagos?

In everyday use the Island means Lagos Island itself (Idumota, Balogun, Marina, Isale Eko, Onikan), plus Ikoyi, Obalende, Victoria Island, Oniru, Lekki Phase 1, Ikate, Osapa London, Agungi, Chevron, Ikota, VGC and Ajah. Sangotedo, Abijo, Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe are further along the same expressway and are usually advertised as the Island axis.

Is Lagos Island the same as the Island?

No. Lagos Island is one local government area covering the historic island: Idumota, Balogun, Marina, Broad Street, Isale Eko, Lafiaji and Onikan. The Island, as Lagosians use the phrase, is much wider and takes in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah, which are all in Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

Which local government areas are on the island side of Lagos?

Lagos Island and Eti-Osa are the two island local governments. Ibeju-Lekki and Epe lie beyond the end of the Lekki Peninsula, but they are reached by the Lekki-Epe Expressway and are normally grouped with the island side when people talk about property.

Which local government is Victoria Island in?

Victoria Island is in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, together with Ikoyi, Obalende, Oniru, Lekki Phase 1, Chevron, VGC and Ajah. It is not in Lagos Island Local Government Area.

What is the most expensive area on the Island?

Banana Island and Old Ikoyi are the most expensive residential addresses, followed by the rest of Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Eko Atlantic and Oniru. In Ikoyi a 2-bedroom flat is indicatively ₦4,500,000–₦12,000,000 a year.

What are the cheapest areas on the Island?

Rents fall as you travel east along the Lekki-Epe Expressway. Ajah, Badore, Langbasa and Sangotedo are the affordable end of Eti-Osa, and Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe are cheaper again. In Epe a 2-bedroom flat is indicatively ₦350,000–₦600,000 a year.

Related guides: Areas in Lagos Mainland, Areas in Ikoyi, Areas in Ajah, Lekki vs Victoria Island, Ikoyi vs Lekki, Lagos mainland vs island.