Lagos businesswoman cries out after eviction from her shop despite spending millions on renovation

• A Lagos entrepreneur shared how she was forced out of two business locations after investing millions of naira in renovations, leaving her financially and emotionally drained.

• The story sparked reactions online, with many Nigerians blaming unfair landlord practices while others stressed the importance of legal agreements before renovating rented properties.

• The incident comes as the Lagos State Government considers a new tenancy law aimed at curbing arbitrary rent increases, illegal charges, and unregulated activities by estate agents.

A Nigerian entrepreneur has shared her frustration online after allegedly losing two business locations in Lagos despite spending millions of naira on renovations, sparking conversations about landlord-tenant disputes and business insecurity in the state.

In a viral video, the business owner recounted how she invested heavily in upgrading a rented property only to receive a sudden notice to vacate the premises.

"This is how I lost everything. I am so tired. Lagos landlords will humble you. It's from spending millions of Naira to renovate a space and landlords always trying to oppress you or evict you," she said.

According to her, the owner of the first property claimed she needed the building for personal use, only for it to later be rented out to another tenant operating a similar business.

"This was my previous place. They gave us a quit notice. She claimed she wanted to use it for her personal use just to rent it to somebody else. I was doing the same business."

The entrepreneur explained that after the setback, she downsized and moved into a smaller location in an attempt to recover financially. However, she was once again served a notice to leave after the landlord reportedly announced plans to demolish the building.

"Then we had to downsize to a smaller space, try to recover from the losses and everything. We're thinking we're going to be able to manage this for a while and back to square one, the landlord said he wanted to demolish it, to pack out, and gave us quit notice."

Expressing exhaustion over the repeated disruptions, she added:

"At this point, I'm tired. Business is not for the weak. I just want to rest. I am tired. I am hurt. Jesus."

The video attracted sympathy from many Nigerians, with several people arguing that business owners should be better protected from arbitrary eviction and sudden tenancy changes.

One commenter wrote, "I've always said this, it is wrong to invest in Lagos properties, they can take it away any day."

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Another said, "How about we start holding landlords accountable? And we start taking paperwork seriously?"

Others stressed the importance of proper legal agreements before carrying out expensive renovations on rented properties.

"It's important to have legal contracts that bind whatever kind of partnership you want to undertake with anyone in case of fallouts like this," a user commented.

Another added, "I also blame most tenants, they don't seek the consent of a lawyer before venturing into a transaction like this. Draft an agreement before renovating and impose a clause that the landlord should allow you to stay there for a certain number of years before he can increase the rent or send you away."

Several people simply sympathised with the entrepreneur's situation.

"My heart honestly goes out to her," one commenter wrote.

Another added, "For anyone who has a business you can testify that it's not easy to keep living in uncertainty, about space, about sales, about anything."

The incident comes amid growing concerns over rising rents and landlord practices in Lagos.

READ ALSO: BNXN sparks debate as he compares Lagos and Los Angeles living costs, says “Lagos is more expensive than LA”

Recently, entrepreneur and actress Lilian Esoro revealed that one of her businesses received another rent increment notice, pushing the annual rent for the property to ₦50 million. There have also been reports of sharp rent increases in high-end areas of Lagos, including claims that rent on a property in Banana Island increased by more than 390 percent.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government is proposing a new tenancy law aimed at addressing excessive rent hikes, illegal charges and other exploitative practices in the real estate sector.

Speaking during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, said the bill is currently before the Lagos State House of Assembly.

According to the commissioner, the proposed legislation seeks to tackle arbitrary rent increases, excessive agency fees and fraudulent activities by unregistered estate agents.

Akinderu-Fatai disclosed that one of the major provisions of the bill would make registration with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) compulsory for all estate agents operating within the state. He added that operating without registration would become a punishable offence once the bill is passed into law.

The proposed reforms are expected to bring greater accountability to Lagos' housing sector and offer stronger protection for tenants and business owners facing uncertainty in the rental market.