Bonny Camp is a military cantonment in Victoria Island, Lagos state. However, a few civilians live there. Bonny Camp is like a linking cord to most areas on the Island due to its close proximity to Awolowo Road, Adeola Odeku, Ozumba Mbadiwe and most popular areas on the Lagos Island. The cost of renting an apartment in Bonny Camp is fairly affordable compared to other areas in Lagos Island. It is also easy to access the Lagos mainland from Bonny Camp Gate.
Bonny Camp boasts of a motorable road network and fair power supply. Strangers without a pass at the gate may not be able to access the military base. Like every military market, Mammy market is the major market here. The neighbourhood is fairly serene but it is not accessible to strangers or people that have no concrete mission there. The neighbourhood is also well secured due to the dominance of the military presence there. Most of the houses in Bonny Camp consist of blocks of flats. The neighbourhood is gated. Most residents have access to good water via their personal boreholes. Inside the expansive Cantonment, cyclists (popularly known as Okada riders), residents and visitors gleefully transact one form of business or the other.
Like every structured residential neighbourhood, there are schools here, the Bonny Camp Primary School and Command Children School. Hospitals like Armed Forces Dental Centre and worship centres such as the Moshalashi Central Mosque is present here. A few thriving small businesses also survive here. Companies in Bonny Camp include Fissi Utilities, Tomosons Motors Company and Nigerian Army Small Scale Drug Manufacturing Unit.
The residents are a blend of military personnel and civilians. There is an atmosphere of order and realisation of hierarchy dominant here. Most of the residents are Hausas. Thus, one can hear people speaking Hausa language freely. There are also a few civilians in the neighbourhood who are civil servants, artisans, and entrepreneurs.
Bonny Cantonment is one of the few barracks located in a posh neighbourhood. There are a lot of fun activities here, especially at the Mammy market. The neighbourhood is strategically located as one can easily access the Lagos mainland and the Lagos Island alike from here. Security within the cantonment is top notch.
The major market here is Mammy market where trading activities go on like any other market. In order to keep the indigenous military personnel close and readily available when they are needed, places like Mammy markets were established to cater for their immediate needs and serve as relaxation place for them when they were less busy. Mammy markets in Nigeria are the major places where soldiers can afford to buy goods on credit and relax after a day’s work. The goods sold in Mammy markets are relatively cheap as Cantonment/Barrack authorities constantly monitor prices.
Mammy market which is the happening place to unwind at the Bonny Camp consists of many drinking bars as well as lovely restaurants to wine and dine. The mammy market has a beautiful nightlife.
