Our Aim Is to Redirect Investors’ Attention to Mainland — Firm

As property prices continue to rise in Lagos Island neighbourhoods, Frontier Commercial Services Limited has moved to promote the mainland as the next major investment destination with the planned maiden Mainland Housing Summit.

The summit is scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at The Mainland Heritage, Ikola, Ipaja, Lagos.

Speaking during a press briefing at the company’s headquarters on Monday, July 6, the Managing Director of Frontier Commercial Services Limited, Olalekan Oseni, said the event was organised to highlight the investment potential of the Lagos mainland, where he said significant growth opportunities are emerging.

Oseni argued that while areas such as Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi have traditionally dominated Lagos’ real estate investment conversation, rising costs and reduced profit margins are gradually pushing investors towards alternative locations.

“For years, the conversation about real estate investment in Lagos has been almost exclusively focused on the Island. Lekki. Victoria Island. Ikoyi. And for good reason, these markets delivered, but that window is closing gradually,” he said.

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“Prices on the Island have moved to a point where the entry cost for a new investor is at the peak and the margin for meaningful return is increasingly getting thin.”

He added that investors were beginning to explore mainland opportunities because of factors such as infrastructure development, population growth, commercial expansion and increased government attention.

“The smart money is shifting. And it is shifting to the Mainland. Not because the Mainland is a consolation prize but because the fundamentals that drove Island growth twenty years ago such as infrastructure investment, population density, commercial activity and government attention are now actively playing out across the Lagos-Ogun corridor,” Oseni said.

The managing director described the summit as more than a property exhibition, saying it would bring together investors, developers and industry experts to examine emerging growth areas in the mainland property market.

“This is not just a property fair or a showcase. It is a special event bringing together serious investors, credible developers, and some of the sharpest minds in the Nigerian built environment to answer one question: where exactly is the mainland growth happening, and how do you get there first?” he said.

He added that experts, including the Chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Ogun State Chapter, Dr. Adeyemi Adeniyi, Dr. Olorunsheyi Sunday and Dr. Niyi Adesanya, would share insights at the summit.

The Executive Director of the firm, Mr. Tolulope Adekunle, said Frontier Commercial Services conducted extensive research before developing the event, resulting in the production of the Mainland Real Estate Growth Report 2026.

“Before we started planning this summit, Frontier did deep research and found out some key details. We made a report about it. It is called The Mainland Real Estate Growth Report 2026. You have a copy in your press kit. Let me walk you through it,” he said.

Adekunle said findings from the report showed that property values in some parts of Lagos had recorded significant appreciation over the years, citing Lekki as an example.

“In 2010, land in Lekki sold for as low as ₦15,000 per square metre. Today, it sells for up to ₦600,000. That is a return of over 1,900 percent,” he said.

He noted that mainland locations currently offer comparatively lower entry costs for investors.

“Right now, land in the Mainland corridor sells for between ₦18,000 and ₦105,000 per square metre. That is 10 to 20 times cheaper than the Island currently,” he added.

Adekunle also pointed to Nigeria’s housing deficit as a major opportunity for real estate investors, stressing that demand for housing would continue to drive development.

“Nigeria has a housing gap of 28 million units. That gap will not close on its own. It will be filled. And it will be filled here, on the Mainland,” he said.

The Director of Sales at Frontier Commercial Services Limited, Mrs. Maryann Opara, said the summit would attract more than 1,000 participants, including investors, professionals, business owners, diaspora Nigerians and real estate practitioners.

She said registration would begin at 10 a.m., while the main programme would run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are expecting 1000+ attendees — a curated mix of investors, working professionals, business owners, diaspora Nigerians seeking trusted opportunities, and real estate practitioners,” Opara said.

She added that the event would feature keynote sessions, fireside chats and exhibitions involving professionals across the built environment, including builders, architects, interior designers and other service providers.

Addressing concerns about land availability and accessibility in Lagos, Oseni said the major challenge facing emerging communities was not a shortage of land but inadequate infrastructure.

“The issue is that for most of us, we are all centred around one particular area. Why are people not going there? It’s because there is no accessibility,” he said.

He said improved transportation infrastructure, particularly an efficient metro system, would encourage more people to live and invest in developing areas.

“Let’s assume that we have a good metro system. Imagine you waking up in Ibeju-Lekki and you want to come to Ikeja, and within 20 or 30 minutes, you are already here. Once accessibility improves, more people will begin to move into these areas,” he said.

On concerns about land documentation and government acquisition, Oseni assured investors that properties offered by the company would have the required approvals and documentation.

“As far as the other documents are concerned, which is the approval of all documents, it’s something that all our clients will have access to,” he said.