By Nkem Ndem
Lagos…it is the city of possibilities. From careers to aspirations and even love, there are endless opportunities. When it comes to the living situation, however, the pickings are slim. 90 percent of the time, residents are forced to go for tiny apartments which they will have to share with 3 roommates and still pay too much money for.
Basically, those looking to move to the city have to keep it at the back of their mind that living in a tiny apartment is one of the sacrifices they would be making, as chances are that they will have to trade a comfortable life in spacious houses with multiple bedrooms, closets and a garage for small apartments.
We at Jumia Travel believe that the good still outweighs the bad as Lagos is indeed the greatest city in the country…but then, sometimes it is hard not to ignore these few hiccups:
There is little or no room to place things
Collecting Nigerian literature books may be a great idea, but you may want to give that up if you are looking to live in a Lagos apartment. Most of the flats in the city now have very tiny rooms that make it hard for you to own a lot of stuff as there is little or no room to place or store what you already own.
Your apartment gets really messy, really fast
You don’t have to be very active to get the whole apartment messy and cluttered. Even if you are a neat-freak or you have OCD, you still find that your apartment just break down after a short while or it just looks crowded all the time. It is not your fault really; it is just that the ratio of stuff to space is way uneven.
Entertaining guests is truly challenging
At some point, you will want to invite people to your apartment, either for game night or just for chill, but at the thought of having to squeeze them in your apartment, you find yourself giving up. For most of the apartments, having more than three guests at a time can be a nightmare as getting up or moving around can only make sense if it is for completely necessary reasons. This is a reason why most Lagosians eat out a lot, especially when they have group lunches or hangouts.
Doing laundry becomes an ordeal
Doing laundry in a Lagos apartment can be an ordeal. First, you may not even have space to install a washing machine, and even when you give up on the idea, the bathroom may be too small for a thorough hand wash. Again, where to hang the clothes after washing is also a dilemma. You are eventually forced to come up with an award-winning strategy or you take your clothes to the Laundromat or ask a dry cleaner to render their services.
Cooking becomes a chore
For some reasons, the kitchens are usually the smallest rooms in Lagos apartments and tenants can barely fit in to make a meal. And even when the meal is prepared successfully, cleaning up (washing plates, mopping the floor) proves so difficult to manage in the small space that it most time takes away the joy of the meal. The tiny kitchens are super discouraging for a lot of people really and they just resort to eating from mama-puts or local restaurants.
You can’t hide within the space
Sometimes you have family or friends visiting and you just want to take a minute to yourself alone. Lagos tiny apartments do not make room for such as the space is so small and you are forced to notice the other person’s every activity. Even in situations where you have had a fight and need space from each other, it is almost impossible to stay clear of each other. The tiny apartment ensures you cannot stay mad at each other and you have no other option but to kiss and makeup.
Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
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