Lagos City/Victoria Island

Victoria Island is an affluent area that encompasses a former island of the same name, neighbouring Lagos Island, Ikoyi and the end of the Lekki Peninsula by the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and financial centre of Lagos in Lagos State. Victoria Island is one of the most exclusive and expensive areas to reside in Lagos.

Understand
Prior to British colonisation, Victoria Island was surrounded entirely by water. It was bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the south, the mouth of the Lagos Lagoon on the west, the Five Cowrie Creek to the north, and swamps on the east. The British then began filling in the eastern swamps to reduce mosquito breeding areas, creating a land bridge between Victoria Island and Lekki Peninsula, putting and end to its existence as a true island.

After independence, successive state governments expanded this development, culminating in the construction of a highway connecting Victoria Island to Epe. This activity, along with the rapid commercialisation of Victoria Island, served to stimulate residential development along the Lekki-Epe corridor, starting with Lekki Phase 1. The area of the land bridge, composed of the former swampland, became a large slum called Maroko Town which housed many of the new migrants to Lagos State. Residents of the island complained about this problem, leading the military Governor of the State, Raji Rasaki, to forcibly remove the residents on 14 July 1990, resulting in numerous injuries. Governor Rasaki and his armed security forces caused the eviction of as many as 300,000 residents, some of whom had legal title to their property.

This new area established after the evictions was called Victoria Island Annex. It was cleared and sold to residential buyers. Subsequent reclamation expanded the area to the extent that Victoria Island Annex is now connected to the Lekki Peninsula. This new, enlarged area is referred to as "Oniru Estate" after the ruling family of the area.

It was designated as an upscale residential area, but failing infrastructure and overcrowding in the old business district on Lagos Island, and lax zoning enforcement in Victoria Island led to a mass migration of businesses. Today, Victoria Island is one of Nigeria's busiest centres of banking and commerce, with most major Nigerian and international corporations headquartered on the island. The island has continued to rapidly develop, and, along with Ikoyi, is a favourite spot for both Nigerians and foreigners to live and play. However the influx of banks and other commercial ventures has changed the formerly serene atmosphere of the island.

A new project being developed by the Chagoury Group includes the Eko Atlantic City, next to Victoria Island. The project is being built on reclaimed land that has been lost to coastal erosion.

Eat

 * Debonair's Pizza (opposite Park n Shop) (pizza)
 * Goodies Restaurant (next to Goodies supermarket, near Falomo Bridge)
 * Natives.
 * Double Four (pizza)
 * Yellow Chili(specialties include Fried Snail with Fries) - Nigerian cuisine
 * Prime Chinese - Open 24 hours
 * Debonair's Pizza (opposite Park n Shop) (pizza)
 * Goodies Restaurant (next to Goodies supermarket, near Falomo Bridge)
 * Natives.
 * Double Four (pizza)
 * Yellow Chili(specialties include Fried Snail with Fries) - Nigerian cuisine
 * Prime Chinese - Open 24 hours
 * Yellow Chili(specialties include Fried Snail with Fries) - Nigerian cuisine
 * Prime Chinese - Open 24 hours

Drink

 * Pat's Bar: Ajose Adeogun Street. A sports bar with a rugby theme, Very popular with expatriates of all nationalities and the prostitutes that love them.

Sleep

 * Peerage Retreat & Resort Ltd
 * Peerage Retreat & Resort Ltd
 * Peerage Retreat & Resort Ltd
 * Peerage Retreat & Resort Ltd
 * Peerage Retreat & Resort Ltd

Cope
Victoria Island hosts most of the diplomatic presence in Lagos, many of which were the embassies to Nigeria prior to the move of the capital to Abuja. The now consulates, embassy branch offices, or Deputy High Commissions on Victoria Island include Benin, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.