Lagos community where landlords prefer Indians, Lebanese to Nigerians

After two years of rigorous job search, Olanipekun James finally secured a job with a company in Ilupeju area of Lagos. It was barely three weeks after he arrived in Lagos from his village in Kogi State.

With so much enthusiasm, James resumed duty at his new work place. Meanwhile, he had to live with his friend in Sango area of Ogun State, which is several kilometres away from his office. This did not only compel him to wake up at 5am every morning so as to meet up with the 8:00am resumption time, he closed at 6pm and returned home around 9pm.

However, with a good salary and a reasonable housing loan, he was soon able to raise money to secure his own accommodation. With a strong desire to live in a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood that is not too far from his office and one that has link with the major arterial roads within the metropolis, James sought to get one within the same Ilupeju neighbourhood.

He explained, “The agent and I went from one street to another and most of the houses that I liked had that caveat on them. You would see a ‘To Let’ board on a property, and just below it, you could see ‘Indian/Lebanese tenants only’ or ‘Indian/Lebanese tenants preferred.’ And I could see in most of such houses that they already had Indians and Lebanese as tenants, so any Nigerian among them might be like a stranger.

“For example, I met with one of the landlords of such houses with ‘Indian tenants preferred.’ He had a block of six flats and he told me that because four of the tenants in the house were Indians, he would prefer an Indian or a Lebanese tenant to avoid crisis unless I was ready to pay more. A very clean, beautiful house, but I lost it. He said if I couldn’t pay more, Indians ‘would soon come’ for it.

“Some landlords won’t even indicate their preference until you approach them. My worry about this was that you tend to see such caveat on most of the good houses while the ones that are not very good are left open to all. And Ilupeju is almost fully occupied, so there are no numerous vacant houses which limits the options available. I found it quite strange that even as a Nigerian, foreigners could be enjoying an upper hand while we indigenes settle for crumbs.”

Since James could not get any of the houses he desired, he said he had to settle for a house in Mafoluku in Oshodi. “It is not that Nigerians cannot get good houses in Ilupeju, they can but the chances are small and getting smaller as the days pass by compared to the rising hope for Indians and Lebanese. Regardless, Indians are most preferred and that happens a lot in the very good houses,” he added.

James’ experience gives inkling into life in a Lagos community being taken over by foreigners.

Like James, 53-year-old Henry, who had just returned to the country after his 15-year sojourn abroad, is still taken aback that the community where he grew up is fast being overtaken by foreigners. He told Saturday PUNCH that before he travelled out of the country with his family, he could count all the foreigners in Ilupeju, as it was largely dominated by Nigerians but that since he came back, he had been struggling to come to terms with the development.

He said, “I went through a lot to get a good accommodation here when I came back. The owners or managers of almost all the houses I inspected had preference for Indians or Lebanese. Given the difficulty and the stress I went through, I could have opted for another location, maybe Gbagada, but I have been used to Ilupeju and I love its calmness, centrality, good road network and proximity to other parts of Lagos, so I had to keep searching until I got one. Of course, I couldn’t get the ones I really loved because the vacant ones are being reserved for Indians or Lebanese. Suffice it to say they have taken over Ilupeju.”

Indians as ‘hot tenants’ in Lagos

Beyond being foreigners or their different skin colour, findings showed that most landlords in that part of Lagos prefer Indians, mainly, because they are often willing to pay a higher rent and they do not make troubles, making the management of such properties easier. They also renew their rent as and when due and ejecting them from a property is often seamless as most of them want to avoid court cases and getting into problems with the police.

It was gathered that some of the Indians and Lebanese do not have the necessary resident or work permit, which compels them to avoid issues that have to do with security agents.

A landlord, Mr. Kayode Adewole, who owns a block of four flats on one of the streets adjoining the popular Coker Road, told Saturday PUNCH some of the reasons why he has preference for Indians. When our correspondent visited his premises, there was a ‘To Let’ board hanging on his gate, but with a caveat that an Indian tenant is preferred.

He explained that he had three of them as tenants already and that his preference for Indians was simply because they pay their rent on time; they don’t give him troubles and their presence could draw other Indians to the house in case there is vacancy. He continued, “They pay my rent at the right time and they are even ready to pay more to retain the accommodation. What else do I need. I have had Nigerians as tenants before and I know what I went through, but with Indians, life is easier.”

Other property owners who spoke to Saturday PUNCH reiterated Adewole’s explanations as to why they prefer Indian or Lebanese tenants. One of them who identified herself simply as Mrs. Beatrice, said she had already made up her mind to continue to give Indians preference anytime she had vacancy in any of her houses within the neighbourhood. She said, “When you get one of them into a flat, before you know it, when another flat becomes vacant in that premises, they bring one of their own, which saves you the stress of looking for tenants or losing rent. I have known relative peace in managing my house since I started having them as tenants. They pay their rent on time and in some cases, their company pays the rent, which makes life easier for everybody. Even when you have reasons to eject them, they leave with ease, but Nigerians, you could spend two years in court and they would continue living in your house without paying rent. So you can also see reasons why landlords are beginning to prefer them.”

When asked to comment on the trend and reasons for some landlords’ preference for Indians, a seasoned Estate Surveyor and Valuer, Mr. Dipo Fakorede, told our correspondent that majority of the landlords in Ilupeju area now prefer Indians or Lebanese unlike what obtained years ago. He said the relative ease in managing the properties they occupy is largely one of the reasons for the preference.

Fakorede, who is the Head of Practice, Dipo Fakorede & Co., said, “Those days, it was the other way round. Then, landlords preferred Nigerians but now, landlords would tell you Indians first. The reason is not far-fetched. They pay higher. For example, a Nigerian might offer N800,000 for an accommodation, but an Indian could come and offer N1m and the landlord is looking for the highest bidder to maximise his returns. So, if a landlord says he wants an Indian or Lebanese, there is nothing you can do than to get an Indian and Lebanese, and they are everywhere.

“Apart from that, if you want to eject them (Indians), once you give them notice, they don’t go to court, they just go. They don’t give any problem, unlike when you want to eject a Nigerian that could take you months and years.

“Also, economically, some of them are richer than us and most of the time, their company pays their rent because some of them are here based on invitation, and the person inviting them would have promised them accommodation before bringing them in.

“Notably, these foreigners leave your accommodation peacefully without allowing issues to degenerate to court case for obvious reasons, so they just go once you tell them to. We have limited accommodation in Ilupeju now, so immediately it becomes vacant, you see them rushing it.”

….a bitter-sweet experience

From the foregoing testimonies, having Indians as tenants is like a better experience compared to having Nigerians as tenants, according to some landlords who spoke to our correspondent, but some of them (landlords) also noted that it comes with its own challenges.

A 67-year-old landlord, whose property situates on a street off Town Planning Way, said one thing he found disgusting with Indians is the way some of them convert rooms to a temple (for worship) and the fact that some of them are fetish.

He said, “Yes, they pay their rent, but apart from that, some of them are fetish and they do those things inside the room. Some even convert a room into a temple. If they have a three-bedroom apartment, they could convert one of the rooms into a temple. Regardless, they hardly give problems even though they also try to play smart sometimes.”

Another landlord, whose property is located close to Palmgrove Estate, lamented that some of them, without permission, convert their rooms so as to accommodate their brothers or friends. “Despite the advantages, they too can constitute nuisance. Most of the time, they convert rooms without permission because they want to live together,” he added.

“Those are the major issues landlords have with some of them,” a real estate consultant, Mustapha Abidemi, told Saturday PUNCH.

Abidemi explained that most of the time, Indians and Lebanese leave properties in tenantable condition and that given the fact that some landlords are pensioners, they tend to prefer any tenant who pays their rent as and when due without troubles.

“Given this plethora of issues, it appears some of the landlords consider the stable income above other considerations. “If you do the cost benefit analysis, it appears they are better, because some Nigerians also do some illegal things in the house they rent,” he added.

It should also be noted that some landlords in this area have preference for their fellow Nigerians because of the language barrier and other factors. One of them who said he doesn’t see himself having Indians or Lebanese as tenants anytime soon, said, “Personally, I don’t have any preference for them, because of communal living and illegal conversion of properties, but the truth of the matter is some landlords in Ilupeju prefer them. Interestingly, Nigerians are their domestic staff; they use our people as cook, driver and factory workers. They maltreat them, yet they don’t pay them well. It boils down to the government that does not protect its citizens.”

Ilupeju, a growing Indian/Lebanese community in Lagos

As of today, it is safe to say Ilupeju, Lagos seems to be swarming with Indians, a few Lebanese and some Chinese, all of whom seem to be gradually taking over the community. Notably, there are more Nigerians in this community, but during our correspondent’s many visits to the area in the recent past, it was observed that their presence is noticeable in every part of the community.

From the Ilupeju Industrial Estate down to Town Planning Way, Association Avenue, popularly known as Obanikoro, Palmgrove Estate, Palmgrove, the popular Coker Road and its many adjoining streets and many other streets in the area, their presence is everywhere.

However, findings also showed that because of the lack of the relevant immigration papers, most of them are not buying houses but they could pay for long lease, an option that is embraced by many landlords.

“Generally, Nigerians are still dominant in Ilupeju, even though there are many Indians and Lebanese too. However, in the nearest future, they (Indians and Lebanese) would be more than us, with the way they are coming and taking over all the properties,” Fakorede added.

Thus, the question, what is it with Ilupeju that attracts Indians? An Indian in his 40s, who identified himself simply as Khader, said he had lived in Nigeria for about 18 years, noting that what attracted himself and others to Ilupeju over time was the fact that it is industrial, commercial and residential, all at once.

Khader’s friend, Khamari, who spoke in the company of his wife and children, said he had to move from Surulere to live among his people in Ilupeju. “In a foreign land, it is better to live among your people,” he said amid mild laughter.

When asked about some of the issues raised by some landlords as regards temple and illegal conversion of rooms, they both said it could be possible but that not all of them were involved in such.

In his own contribution, Fakorede said most of these foreigners are industrial in nature, adding that there are many industries within Ilupeju Industrial Estate and the many industries in Matori at Fatai Atere, and that the nearest business-residential area to these locations is Ilupeju.

Thus, talk of a part of Lagos that is central and offers a quiet and peaceful residential neighbourhood, Ilupeju community fits snugly into this description, in spite of the industrial estate and commercial activities that is located around it. It also boasts of good infrastructure and good road network that links major arterial roads within the metropolis, with proximity to both Lagos Island and other parts of the mainland.

A legal practitioner who has his office in the area, but prefers anonymity said they had been able to penetrate the community. He said, “They are also at Palmgrove Estate, which is an expensive estate in the neighbourhood. It is the high income earners among them that live there. They have yet to dominate the estate as we still have more Nigerians, but now when a tenant leaves, the owner may likely want an Indian or a Lebanese, so it increases their population there and across the community.

“Some of the real owners of the properties in the estate are late, so it is the children and the grandchildren that are letting, and the houses may be too big, such that they want to convert them, and the moment they do that, they give to Indians who are already waiting for them.”

According to Fakorede, “There are many of these foreigners in the estate but I don’t think they are more than Nigerians. They are almost of the same population. But in the next one or two years, they would be more than that in the estate.

Ilupeju as centre of attraction for Indians

Perhaps, some other factors that make Ilupeju attractive to Indians is the presence of their worship centre, the Shree Jagannatha Temple, their school, Indian Language School comprising both Primary and Secondary schools and shops where their local food items are sold.

While the Temple is located inside Palmgrove Estate, their school, ILS, is located off Coker Road and their market, popularly called bazaar, where their local food items are sold, is located on Ade Akinsanya Street, off Town Planning Way, all in Ilupeju, Lagos.

Thus, beyond the need to live among their people, these facilities are a point of attraction for them. These exclude their businesses that spread across the community.

Findings also showed that these facilities have not only made Ilupeju a typical Indian city in Lagos metropolis, some other Indians who live in other areas within Lagos visit the community whether because their children might have to attend the school, or to worship at the temple or to buy foodstuffs at the market.

“They have their temple and school there. Some of them used to live at Surulere and Apapa, but immediately the temple was built there, they moved to Ilupeju,” Fakorede said.

On the effect of their influx on property values, he said the value of properties in the area had increased. He explained, “About 10 years ago, a three-bedroom flat in Ilupeju was between N150,000 and N180,000. Five years later, it went to about N350,000 to N400,000, but now it’s about N1m to N1.2m and they are ready to pay. Within the next few years, they might dominate this entire neighbourhood.”