If you are not living on the Island side of Lagos, especially VI-Ikoyi-Lekki-Ajah axis, you may be missing the following:
1.Fresher air and sands: Truth be told, there is this special air you feel on entering Island, starting from Bonny cantonment, or, especially, entering through Ikoyi. Island generally has fresher air. Mainland air can be thicker and more polluted. Even the sands on the Island are fresher - the white, beach-type sands everywhere compared to the dirty brown sands of Mainland. There is even less noise on the Island. Less indiscriminate honking of vehicle horns by hardened drivers that are the kings of the roads on the Mainland, more neighbourhoods using soundproof generators, etc.
2. Less aggressive LASTMA: LASTMA, the Lagos traffic police, are generally more gentle and less aggressive than on Mainland. In fact, apart from a few spots on the Lekki-Ajah expressway, you hardly see LASTMA guys on Island. You hardly see LASTMA arguing with people. You hardly also come across VIO and other traffic law enforcement agents. Perhaps because Island drivers are more law abiding? Perhaps because of potential of the driver of that private car being a big man?
3. More exotic autos: Driving on VI-Lekki-Ikoyi axis on a Sunday evening can be therapeutic. You see fine cars being driven by young and upwardly mobile folks. You don't get much of that on the Mainland except in a couple of places.
4. Less heavy trucks: Until very recently due to Dangote refinery construction, you hardly see heavy duty vehicles on the Island. Although you now see a couple of them, usually late in the night, on Lekki-Epe expressway, the situation is still far better than in many parts of the Mainland.
5. Better security at night: You can drive around late in night on the Island with little worry about security. You see heavily armed security men at almost every turning late into the night. If you are a night crawler, you have little worry on the Island as you are almost always covered.
6. No yellow buses: Let's face it, those yellow buses are an eyesore. No wonder the state government banned them from entering Island.
7. More orderly traffic: While there is traffic on the Island as it is on Mainland, there is hardly complete lock-down on the Island. No matter how bad, the traffic will still be moving. Island traffic is more orderly. Probably because there are more corporate gentlemen as road users. A major source of traffic on the Mainland is breakdown of one long articulated truck, you hardly see that on the Island. Add the fact that there are less trucks and carelessly driven yellow buses, and you will understand why Island traffic "schooled abroad" while that of Mainland "schooled" in you-know-where.
8. Less one-chance: Cases of one-chance, robbery using public transportation system, while they exist, are far less heard of on the Island.
9. Less traffic robbery: Cases of brazen robbery inside traffic are very few and far between on the Island, although they exist.
10. Natural swimming pool: Okay, you may not miss this: your street (or even bedroom) turning into swimming pool at the slightest downpour!
Any other thing we have missed?
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