Ojota, Lagos: Area Guide for Renters and Buyers

Ojota is a busy transport and trading district on Ikorodu Road, in Kosofe Local Government Area on the north-eastern Lagos mainland. It sits at the interchange where Ikorodu Road meets the link to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with Ketu, Ogudu, Oregun and Maryland around it. Most people know it for its motor parks and its BRT station, but behind the main road are ordinary residential streets where a 2-bedroom flat indicatively rents for about ₦250,000–₦700,000 a year. It suits people who depend on public transport and want to be well connected at a modest rent.

Where is Ojota, and which LGA is it in?

Ojota is in Kosofe LGA. The short answer on which side of the lagoon it is on is in Is Ojota mainland or island?; this guide is about living there. The areas around it are:

• Ketu: the next district along Ikorodu Road, towards Mile 12 and Ikorodu. See the Ketu area guide.
• Ogudu: on the side towards the Third Mainland Bridge, with Ogudu GRA as its quieter, more expensive estate. See the Ogudu guide.
• Oregun and Alausa: on the Ikeja side, reached along Kudirat Abiola Way. These are in Ikeja LGA. See the Oregun guide and the Alausa guide.
• Maryland: the next district along Ikorodu Road towards Anthony and Yaba. See the Maryland guide.

What is Ojota like?

On the main road, Ojota is loud and crowded. Interstate and city buses load at the motor parks, traders work the pavements and the pedestrian bridges, and traffic passes through the interchange all day. Gani Fawehinmi Park, the public park beside the road, is a landmark and a well-known rallying point. Step into the side streets and it becomes a normal mainland neighbourhood of older blocks of flats, tenement houses, bungalows and a few newer blocks, with schools, churches, mosques and corner shops.

• Daily needs: shops, pharmacies, banks and food sellers are everywhere, and the big food markets at Ketu and Mile 12 are a short bus ride away.
• The landfill: the Olusosun landfill is on the Oregun side of Ojota. On the streets nearest to it, smoke and smell can be a nuisance at times. Ask residents before you take a flat on that side.
• Power and water: public electricity is unreliable, so most buildings run a generator or an inverter, and most compounds use a borehole.
• Flooding: some of the lower streets hold water after heavy rain. Check the exact street.
• Noise: homes facing Ikorodu Road or a motor park are noisy day and night; streets a few minutes' walk inside are much calmer.

Indicative annual rents in Ojota

The indicative range for a 2-bedroom flat in Ojota is ₦250,000 – ₦700,000 per annum. Older compound flats on the inner streets sit at the bottom; renovated flats with easier road access, a prepaid meter, a borehole and parking sit at the top. Rooms and self-contained units cost less than that and 3-bedroom flats more, and the neighbouring Ogudu GRA is a different, dearer market altogether.

Landlords usually ask for a year in advance, and the agency fee, legal fee and caution deposit come on top; move-in costs in Nigeria shows how to add these up before you start viewing. To see what is available now, browse flats for rent in Ojota and houses for rent in Ojota.

Buying property in Ojota

Ojota is fully built, so there is very little open land. What comes up for sale is mostly older houses and blocks of flats on the residential streets, and commercial property on and near Ikorodu Road, where shops, offices and warehouses earn more than homes do. Buyers are usually small landlords who want steady tenant demand, or businesses that want the passing trade and the transport links. Prices depend heavily on the street and on whether the plot can be used commercially, so compare several similar properties before you make an offer.

Have a lawyer search the title at the Lagos State Lands Bureau, and confirm the approved use of the plot and that the building is clear of any road or drainage setback. Read how to verify a C of O in Lagos and buying a house in Lagos, then browse properties for sale in Ojota.

Getting around from Ojota

Transport is the reason people choose Ojota. From the interchange you can go:

• Along Ikorodu Road towards the Island: through Maryland, Anthony, Palmgrove and Fadeyi to Yaba and Lagos Island. The BRT runs on this road and has a station at Ojota.
• Along Ikorodu Road the other way: to Ketu, Mile 12 and Ikorodu.
• Towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: past the old toll gate towards Alausa, Berger and out of Lagos.
• Towards Ogudu: through Ogudu to the Third Mainland Bridge, the usual drivers' route to Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island.
• Towards Ikeja: along Kudirat Abiola Way through Oregun to Alausa and central Ikeja.

The motor parks also load for cities across the south-west and beyond. The interchange is a bottleneck at peak hours, and the Ogudu approach to the bridge queues in the morning. Walk the route from the flat to your bus stop, and travel to work at your normal hour, before you commit.

Who Ojota suits

• Workers who commute by bus or BRT to Ikeja, Maryland, Yaba or Lagos Island
• People who work in Oregun, Alausa, Ketu or along Ikorodu Road
• Traders and small business owners who want a very large passing population
• Frequent travellers to other states who use the motor parks
• Small landlords and commercial buyers

It is not the place for quiet, low-density living; for that on this side of the city look at Ogudu GRA or Magodo. To compare more widely, see areas on the Lagos mainland.

What to check before renting or buying in Ojota

• The exact street: ask for the full address; “Ojota” can mean the junction itself or streets a long walk from it.
• Noise and air: visit on a weekday and in the evening, and ask about the landfill if the street is on the Oregun side.
• Drainage: ask neighbours what happens after heavy rain, and look at the gutters and the level of the ground floor.
• Power and water: confirm the meter, the generator arrangement and that the borehole works.
• Parking and access: check how a car gets in and out at rush hour.
• Who you are paying: confirm the landlord's identity and the agent's authority before money changes hands, and insist on a written agreement and receipts.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Browse the Ojota area guide, the Kosofe area guide and the Ogudu area guide. Related guides: Ojota location guide, Ketu area guide, Oregun, Mile 12 location guide, Gbagada area guide and renting a house in Lagos. Have a property here? List your property on Cabans.