LAGOS — While the Lagos State Government debates high-end urban planning and the ban on non-indigenous chieftaincy titles, a viral video from the Makoko floating community has shocked Nigerians by revealing that tenants in the slum pay as little as ₦400 per month for shelter.
The footage, which has garnered thousands of views, serves as a visceral reminder of the extreme poverty lines in Nigeria’s commercial capital. For many, the “₦400 rent” is the ultimate evidence of the “Almajirization” of Nigeria, where a vanishing middle class leaves behind a population struggling in conditions that defy modern living standards.
Life on ₦13 a Day
In the video, residents describe a life where basic amenities are non-existent. The ₦400 monthly payment typically secures a space in a makeshift wooden structure suspended over stagnant, polluted water.
- The Poverty Trap: Social commentators note that while ₦400 sounds impossibly low, it represents a significant portion of the daily income for residents who live on less than $1 a day.
- Contrasting Realities: The video surfaced just as a young lady’s lament went viral, showing that pepper, onions, and oil now cost ₦2,500—meaning a single modest meal for a family is now six times more expensive than a month’s rent in Makoko.
Economic Reforms and the ‘Floating’ Slum
Critics of the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda argue that the debt explosion—which has seen the national debt surge by ₦65 trillion since the subsidy removal—has failed to reach the “trenches” of places like Makoko. Instead, the ₦15.52 trillion set aside for debt servicing in the 2026 budget is seen as a drain on funds that could have upgraded such “human warehouses.”
The Political Lens
The Makoko video has also become a tool for opposition figures challenging the First Lady’s call to view the 2027 election as a ‘patriotic assignment’.
“If you want to know the true meaning of poverty and the failure of patriotism, you need to visit Makoko,” one activist posted on X. The footage contrasts sharply with the recent private jet luxury of Senator Adams Oshiomhole, further fueling the narrative of a widening class divide.
As of Wednesday, the Lagos State Ministry of Housing has not commented on the viral video, though the area has long been a target for controversial “regeneration” projects that threaten to displace the very people paying ₦400 for a roof over their heads.
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