Lagos is the worst place to spend your 20s and 30s
When I moved to Nigeria’s economic hub, Lagos state, three years ago, I was young, fresh out youth service and eager to make the city my home. In less than six months of living in the state’s capital, I was already overwhelmed, in a constant state of tiredness and couldn’t wait to run away to any other state that was not Lagos; anyone that offered something I could consider as greener pasture.
This situation may be peculiar to me alone, however, from my interactions with many other residents of the most populous state in Nigeria, I can tell that many others are longing for an escape to a calmer state, preferably Abuja. For that reason, Lagos is not the city for me and I would argue that it is not also the city for many others, especially young adults in their 20s and 30s.
My argument stems from
- Living in Lagos makes a person sleep deprived
About eight decades ago, people slept around seven hours and 54 minutes each night but the same cannot be said about this decade where people are sleeping less. Sleeping hours differ for Nigerians, particularly residents of Lagos, majority of whom do not get past four hours of sleep daily. This is against the National Sleep Foundation’s seven to nine hours daily sleep recommendation.
According to data from the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy of a Nigerian is around 54 years five months, with men living an average of 53 years seven months and women living an average of 55 years four months. Sleep deprivation adds to several other factors reducing the life span of Nigerians, especially those who live and work in Lagos.
2. Inability to save
According to The Economist’s 2018 Global Liveability Index released by its Intelligence Unit and World Bank, Lagos is the third worst desirable place to live. The city ranked 138 out of the 140 cities surveyed. This ranking was based on many factors including social stability, healthcare, culture and environment.
The cost of living in Lagos is very high. It is considered one of the most expensive states, ranking 461 out of the 526 cities surveyed in the world. With a cost of living index of 32.67, adults in their 20s and 30s who are still struggling to find their feet and earn a living, find it difficult to have a decent take-home pay after the monthly expenses
3. Lagos residents are Impatient
The saying, patience is a virtue is not for the residents of Lagos who live their lives on the go. There is this sense of urgency that comes with living in Lagos and everything seems to be fast paced, making residents very impatient and cranky, especially on the roads. Little wonder many curse a lot.
Becoming a resident of Lagos increases the chances of developing anxiety and panic disorders because there is a nexus between impatience, sleep deprivation and anxiety. That is why Lagos, to me, is the worst place to spend your 20s/30s and I would not also recommend a person spend his/ her retirement in the state.
