SPECIAL REPORT: No Rent, No Roof: How Lagos Residents Are Living Under Bridges By Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin
At nightfall in Lagos, as headlights stream across elevated highways and the city’s relentless traffic hums above, another Lagos awakens below. In the shadows of towering bridges and along their concrete decks, hundreds of residents quietly unfurl mats, arrange belongings, and settle into spaces never designed for habitation.
What was meant to ease mobility has, in an unintended twist, become a refuge of last resort, an improvised city within a city.
Across Lagos, infrastructure built to support movement is steadily assuming a second function. Beneath and atop bridges, a quiet but profound transformation is underway. Concrete pillars now double as partitions. Tarpaulins serve as walls. Corners become bedrooms. What once appeared as temporary refuge has evolved into a patterned system of habitation, structured, organized, and increasingly permanent.
From Ikorodu Road to Airport Road, particularly around the Afariogun axis, the phenomenon is both visible and expanding. At Ojuelegba and the newer bridge in Yaba near the Presbyterian Church, entire stretches of pedestrian walkways and bridge decks are occupied at night. The more bridges Lagos builds, the more these unintended living spaces emerge gradually forming an informal housing network embedded within public infrastructure.
For many occupants, this is not a choice made lightly. A significant number are workers in the city’s informal economy including bus conductors, loaders, street vendors, artisans etc. whose livelihoods depend on proximity to transport hubs. Living under or on bridges reduces commuting costs, preserves daily income, and offers a fragile sense of stability in a city where formal housing remains financially out of reach.
However, beneath this semblance of order lies a harsher reality. In several locations, control over these spaces has been informally appropriated by individuals or groups who demand payment from occupants. Fees collected daily or weekly determine access to these precarious shelters, effectively creating an unregulated rental system that exploits the most vulnerable. Those unable to pay are displaced, reinforcing cycles of instability and marginalization.
Security concerns further complicate the picture. Some underbridge and on-bridge settlements have become associated with criminal activities, including drug use, theft, and occasional violence. While enforcement interventions such as those previously carried out in Oshodi have yielded temporary improvements, similar patterns persist elsewhere due to inconsistent monitoring. Poor lighting, limited surveillance, and dense populations create conditions where crime can flourish with minimal deterrence.
Sanitation presents another critical challenge. Waste disposal systems are either inadequate or non-existent. Blocked drainage channels and accumulating refuse heighten environmental and public health risks, particularly during the rainy season when flooding can spread contaminants.
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Meanwhile, periodic clearance operations by agencies such as the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (KAI) provide only temporary relief. Displaced occupants often return within weeks, underscoring the cyclical nature of enforcement without sustainable alternatives.
For the Lagos State Government, the issue is multidimensional. While environmental enforcement falls under the purview of officials like Hon. Tokunbo Wahab, the broader challenge spans urban planning, housing policy, social welfare, and security coordination involving institutions such as the Nigeria Police Force. The persistence of these settlements signals systemic gaps—not only in enforcement but in housing accessibility, economic inclusion, and integrated policy design.
A durable response must begin with data. Comprehensive mapping of underbridge and on-bridge habitation across Lagos is essential to quantify population size, understand occupational patterns, and identify geographic concentrations. Without reliable data, interventions risk remaining reactive, with repeated evictions translating into recurring public expenditure and limited long-term impact.
Beyond data, targeted transitional solutions are imperative. The development of low-cost, secure shelters near major transport corridors could provide immediate relief while preserving access to livelihoods. Such facilities equipped with basic sanitation, storage, and security would reduce dependence on unsafe public infrastructure and mitigate associated health and safety risks.
Strengthening security architecture around bridge corridors is equally critical. Consistent patrols, improved lighting, and surveillance systems can deter criminal activity and enhance safety for both occupants and surrounding communities. Safer environments also support nearby commercial activities, reducing economic losses linked to insecurity.
There is also untapped potential within existing transport sector frameworks. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), under the Lagos State leadership of Mustapha Adekunle, has demonstrated capacity through the development of modern transport parks equipped with essential facilities such as toilets. Scaling such initiatives by leveraging existing revenue streams could support the creation of structured transit hubs with integrated sanitation and regulated resting areas for workers. This approach would ease environmental pressure while fostering order within high-density corridors.
Long-term solutions, however, must address the root cause: housing affordability. Innovative models such as micro-rent systems, flexible payment structures, and incremental housing schemes tailored to low-income earners are essential. Strategic partnerships with private developers and community-based organizations can expand access without overburdening public finances.
What is unfolding beneath Lagos bridges is not incidental, it is symptomatic. It reflects the intersection of rapid urbanization, economic pressure, and insufficient housing provision. Each new bridge does more than improve traffic flow; it inadvertently expands the footprint of this shadow housing system.
Above, Lagos moves fast, loud, and unrelenting. Below, another Lagos endures quietly structured, economically driven, yet largely unregulated. Until coordinated, data-driven policies address housing, poverty, environmental management, and urban security in tandem, the city’s bridges will continue to serve a dual purpose: conduits of movement by day, and shelters of necessity by night.
ADEBISI ADAMS OYESHAKIN, a PRNigeria Fellow, writes via: [email protected]
