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Ikeja
—  LGA and suburb  —
Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Location in Lagos
Country	Nigeria
State	Lagos State
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population (2006)
• Total	313,196
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)

Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential environment with shopping malls, pharmacies and government reservation areas. Ikeja is also home to the Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherlan', both live music venues.

History[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Ikeja was founded by an Awori hunter named Akeja Onigorun, after whom the area is named. To this day, the majority of residents in Ikeja are Awori.^{[citation needed]}

An explosion in the Lagos Army Barracks on 27 January 2002 caused fires. Many fleeing people drowned in a canal which was covered by hyacinth (common water weed).^[1][2] The official death toll was 600 people. Much of Ikeja was kept intact, however.^{[citation needed]}

A disaster fund was created to provide for those displaced in the tragedy. The government provided food, clothing, shelter and health care. The official number of displaced people was put at 20,000.^{[citation needed]}

Ikeja, like other Lagos municipalities, has suffered from neglect, a lack of planning and over-concentration of disorganized commercial activities (which include street trading).^{[citation needed]}

Government and infrastructure[link]

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has its headquarters on the grounds of Murtala Muhammad Airport.^[3] The Accident Investigation Bureau of the Nigerian government is headquartered in Ikeja.^[4] The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has its Lagos office in Aviation House on the grounds of the airport.^[5]

Economy[link]

Several airlines have their head offices in Ikeja. Arik Air's head office is in the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja.^[6] Air Nigeria's (formerly Nigerian Eagle and Virgin Nigeria Airways) head office is located on the 9th Floor of Etiebets Place in Ikeja.^[7] Aero Contractors has its head office on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport.^[8][9] Overland Airways has its head office in Ikeja.^[10] Other airlines with head offices in Ikeja include Associated Aviation and Dana Air.^[11][12]

In addition, Virgin Atlantic has its Nigeria office in "The Place" in Ikeja.^[13]

At one time Nigeria Airways had its head office in Airways House in Ikeja.^[14][15][16] Prior to its disestablishment Afrijet Airlines had its head office in the NAHCO Building on the grounds of the airport.^[17] Bellview Airlines had its headquarters in the Bellview Plaza in Ikeja.^[18] Other disestablished airlines with head offices in Ikeja include Sosoliso Airlines,^[19] and ADC Airlines.^[20]

Communities[link]

Communities in the area include:

• Oregun
• Ojodu
• Opebi
• Akiode
• Alausa
• Agidingbi
• Ikeja
• Ogba
• Maryland
• Government Residence Area, Ikeja

Computer Village[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Ikeja is home to a large computer market. Begun in 1997 as a small market of only 10 shops, the current market now has well over 800. While most vendors provide the expected computer sales and repair services, it is also possible to find sales and repair services for various types of office equipment and electronic devices.^{[citation needed]}

As the market is unplanned, it has experienced growing pains. Some local residents are upset at the expanding market. Traffic around the area has become very congested, and it can be almost impossible to find a place to park. The electrical infrastructure, already overloaded and unreliable, has become highly stressed with the new market. Computer and electronics stores require power to work on computers and demonstrate their products to potential customers, and this added load has made the supply erratic.^[21]

References[link]

External links[link]

Nigeria portal

• MSN Map

Coordinates: 06°35′N 03°20′E / 6.583°N 3.333°E / 6.583; 3.333

v t e Lagos State State capital: Ikeja Administrative divisions Badagry Epe Ikeja Ikorodu Lagos LGAs Agege Ajeromi-Ifelodun Alimosho Amuwo-Odofin Apapa Badagry Epe Eti-Osa Ibeju-Lekki Ifako-Ijaiye Ikeja Ikorodu Kosofe Lagos Island Lagos Mainland Mushin Ojo Oshodi-Isolo Somolu Surulere

Murtala Ramat Mohammed
Mohammed (left) with Bolaji Akinyemi (right)
4th Head of State of Nigeria
In office July 29, 1975 – February 13, 1976
Preceded by	Yakubu Gowon
Succeeded by	Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ
Personal details
Born	(1938-11-08)November 8, 1938 Nigeria
Died	February 13, 1976(1976-02-13) (aged 37) Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian
Political party	(None)
Spouse(s)	Ajoke Mohammed
Religion	Muslim

General Murtala Ramat Mohammed (November 8, 1938–February 13, 1976) was a military ruler (Head of the Federal Military Government) of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. He is one of the only three recognized national heroes of the Nigerian Nation.^{[citation needed]}

Role during 1960s coups[link]

Mohammed opposed the regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi which took power after a coup d'etat on January 15, 1966 carried out mainly by Christian Igbo from the south, in which several northern Nigerian leaders had been killed under gruesome circumstances. Aguiyi-Ironsi, as GOC of the Nigerian Army, brought normality back to the nation by imprisoning the coup makers and intimidating the federal cabinet into handing over the helms of government to him. However, Many northerners saw this and the reluctance of Ironsi to prosecute the coupist and the fact that the army was giving exceptional privileges to the coupist as an indication of Ironsi's support for the killings. Consequently northern politicians and civil servants mounted pressure upon northern officers such as Mohammed to avenge the coup. In the face of provocation from the southern dominated media which repeatedly showed humiliating posters and cartoons of the slain northern politicians, on the night of July 29, 1966, northern soldiers at Abeokuta barracks mutinied, thus precipitating a counter-coup, which may very well have been in the planning stages. The counter-coup led to the installation of Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon as Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces, despite the intransigence of Mohammed who wanted the role of Supreme Commander for himself. However, as Gowon was militarily his senior, and finding a lack of support from the British and American advisors, he caved in. Gowon rewarded him by confirming his ranking (he had been an acting Lt. Colonel till then) and his appointment (Inspector of Signals).

Nigerian civil war[link]

During the Nigerian Civil War, Mohammed was General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army's 2nd Division. This division was responsible for the legendary beating back of the Biafran Army from the midwestern region, as well as crossing the River Niger and linking up with the 1st Division, which was marching down from Nsukka and Enugu.

Mohammed's encounter with disaster during the war happened shortly after, as he attempted to cross the River Niger to Biafra. Despite the recommendation of his superiors at Army Headquarters in Lagos that he wait for the bridge, which had been blown up by the retreating Biafran forces, to be rebuilt, he insisted on a riverine crossing. Twice he was beaten back, but he steadfastly kept resolve and finally made it through on his third attempt. Shortly after this, Mohammed fed up with reprimands from Army HQ, decided to quit his command and left for an extended holiday in the United Kingdom, but not before threatening to resign his commission. His historic military fits during the war won him National acclaim and respect even from his adversaries.

Role after the civil war[link]

On his return to Nigeria after the war, he was given back his old position of Army Signals Inspector and it seemed the last chapter had been written in his army career. However, with the declining popularity of the Gowon government, which had been characterized by excesses and corruption, some Army officers, acting in what they claimed to be patriotic interests, approached Brigadier Mohammed and two other wartime colleagues. It has been speculated that the real reason for the coup was the frustration on the part of wartime commanders, who felt that despite their efforts to win Nigeria the war, their army colleagues who had remained at Army HQ, away from the frontlines, were reaping the benefits amidst an atmosphere of corruption. The coupists identified with the now popular Muhammad as the one who would lead after deposing the Gowon government.

Head of state[link]

Murtala Mohammed on a 20 Naira bank note

On July 29, 1975, Brigadier (later General) Mohammed was made head of state, when General Gowon was overthrown while at an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala, Uganda. Brigadiers Obasanjo (later Lt.General) and Danjuma (later Lt.General) were appointed as Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ and Chief of Army Staff, respectively.In the coup d'état that brought him to power he introduced the phrases with "Fellow Nigerians" and "with immediate effect"to the national lexicon.^[1] In a short time, Murtala Mohammed's policies won him broad popular support, and his decisiveness elevated him to the status of a folk hero.^[2]

One of his first acts was to scrap the 1973 census, which was weighted in favor of the north, and to revert to the 1963 count for official purposes. Murtala Mohammad removed top federal and state officials to break links with the Gowon regime and to restore public confidence in the federal government. More than 10,000 public officials and employees were dismissed without benefits, on account of age, health, incompetence, or malpractice. The purge affected the civil service, judiciary, police and armed forces, diplomatic service, public corporations, and universities. Some officials were brought to trial on charges of corruption. He also began the demobilization of 100,000 troops from the swollen ranks of the armed forces.

Twelve of the twenty-five ministerial posts on the new Federal Executive Council went to civilians, but the cabinet was secondary to the executive Supreme Military Council. Muhammad imposed the authority of the federal government in areas formerly reserved for the states, restricting the latitude exercised by state governments and their governors in determining and executing policy. Newly appointed military governors of the states were not given seats on the Supreme Military Council, but instead were expected to administer federal policies handed down by Muhammad through the military council. The federal government took over the operation of the country's two largest newspapers, made broadcasting a federal monopoly, and brought remaining state-run universities under federal control.

Murtala Muhammad initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan. Singling out inflation as the greatest danger to the economy, he was determined to reduce the money supply that had been swollen by government expenditures on public works. Muhammad also announced that his government would encourage the rapid expansion of the private sector into areas dominated by public corporations. He reappraised foreign policy, stressing a "Nigeria first" orientation in line with OPEC price guidelines that was to the disadvantage of other African countries. Nigeria became "neutral" rather than "nonaligned" in international affairs. The shift in orientation became apparent with respect to Angola. Nigeria had worked with the OAU to bring about a negotiated reconciliation of the warring factions in the former Portuguese colony, but late in 1975 Murtala Muhammad announced Nigeria's support for the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, citing South Africa's armed intervention on the side of the rival National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola). The realignment strained relations with the United States, which argued for the withdrawal of Cuban troops and Soviet advisers from Angola. In October the Nigerian Air Force took delivery of Soviet-built aircraft that had been ordered under Gowon.

Assassination[link]

Car in which Murtala Mohammed was assassinated.

Murtala Mohammed was killed on February 13, 1976 in an abortive coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka, when his car was ambushed while en route to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. Several top officers and foreign intelligence agencies, including his predecessor and at the time, graduate student in Warwick University, England, Yakubu Gowon, the CIA and the MOSSAD were accused of either planning, sponsoring or aiding the coup attempt. He was succeeded by the Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ Olusegun Obasanjo, who completed his plan of an orderly transfer to civilian rule by handing power to Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979. Today, his portrait adorns the 20 Naira Note and he stands one of the only three national heroes of the Nigerian Republic. Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos is named in his honor.

See also[link]

	Nigeria portal
	Biography portal
	Politics portal

• Nigerian Second Republic

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

v t e Presidents of Nigeria (List) First Republic Azikiwe Military regime Aguiyi-Ironsi Gowon Mohammed Obasanjo Second Republic Shagari Military regime Buhari Babangida Shonekan (interim)* Abacha Abubakar Fourth Republic Obasanjo Yar'Adua Jonathan * civilian; headed transition to abortive Third Republic

Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun,^[1] also known as Dagrin (21 October 1987 – 22 April 2010), was an award winning Nigerian rapper from Ogun, Nigeria.^[2] A film of his life entitled Ghetto Dreamz was released in April 2011.

Biography[link]

Dagrin's home was in Meiran, Alagbado, Lagos. His style of rapping incorporated Yoruba, English and Pidgin English. In 2010 he was nominated for the Nigerian Entertainment Awards for Best Album (C.E.O.), Hottest Single "Kondo", Best Rap Act and Best Collaboration with vocals.^[3] His album C.E.O. (Chief executive Omota English: Chief Executive Gangster) won the Hip hop World Award 2010 for best rap album.^[4] From it came the singles "Pon Pon Pon", and "Kondo". Dagrin worked with other Nigerian artists such as Y.Q, 9ice, M.I, Iceberg Slim, Bigiano and Konga. He associated with music producers like Sossick, Dr Frabz, Sheyman, and Frenzy.

He died at the age of 22 on 22 April 2010 after a vehicle accident in Lagos, Nigeria.^[1]

Work[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Dagrin's single "Pon Pon Pon" has some cultural significance, it talks about the life style in Lagos, Agege, Mushin, Ikeja, Surulere, Isale Eko, and many other parts of south western Nigeria where life in the slums mixes up with life in the affluent cities and parts of Lagos Nigeria. His songs touch upon ethnicity, pride, while surviving the streets of Lagos and a hint of criticism elderly people hurls against bad behaviour.

The music video proudly displays young people in their twenties and early thirties proudly displaying their tribal marks in retrospect of the old Yoruba empire of Ile-Ife.

[edit] Ghetto Dreamz

A film of his life Ghetto Dreamz, starring Trybson Dudukoko and Doris Simeon-Ademinokan as his girlfriend has been made and was due for release in April 2011.^[5]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "A shining star dimmed too soon – Rising Nigerian Musician DaGrin has passed away". Bella Naija. 2010-04-22. http://www.bellanaija.com/2010/04/22/a-shining-star-dimmed-too-soon-rising-nigerian-musician-da-grin-has-passed-away/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
2. ^ "Dagrin: The Life of an Artiste". Nationaldailyngr.com. 2011-04-30. http://nationaldailyngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1302:dagrin-the-life-of-an-artiste&catid=45:shop&Itemid=404. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
3. ^ "NEA Awards 2010 Nominees – Da Grin & Omawumi Shine". Jaguda.com. http://www.jaguda.com/2010/07/09/nea-awards-2010-nominees-da-grin-omawumi-shine/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
4. ^ "Hip-Hop World Awards 2010 Winners". Jaguda.com. http://www.jaguda.com/2010/05/30/hip-hop-world-awards-2010-winners/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
5. ^ "BN Bytes: Trailer & Posters for "Ghetto Dreamz" – The Da Grin Biopic". Bella Naija. 2011-03-09. http://www.bellanaija.com/2011/03/09/bn-bytes-trailer-posters-for-ghetto-dreamz-the-da-grin-biopic/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 

External links[link]

• Interview about album
• Album review
• Biography
• News article after his death
• Ghetto Dreamz Trailer

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This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (October 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

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Baba Suwe is a Yoruba actor in Nollywood, known for his comedy roles in Yoruba movies. Alhaji King Babatunde Ayinla Nurudeen Olasunkanmi Omidina, aka Baba Suwe. He was married to an actress Late Monsurat Omidina, a.k.a. Omoladun Kenkelewu. He is fluent in English and Yoruba

The 53-year-old Omidina who lost his wife Monsura, on September 3, 2009 was born on August 22, 1958. Little is known about his education but he began plying his comic trade late in the 1980s and has succeeded in establishing himself as one of the leading Yoruba comedians, for this he has won many laurels.^[1]

In January 2005, he received an award from the African Artists and Entertainers Afro-Hollywood Award in New York; it is like the African Grammy.

He was arrested on October 12, 2011 on suspicion of cocaine trafficking in a case that drew a lot of media attention worldwide. He was however released after 25 days in detention as a court ordered Nigeria's narcotic agency to release him after nothing suspicious was found in him.

External link/reference[link]

Babatunde Omidina at IMDB
Baba Suwe, a Nigerian-Yoruba Comedian Actor on NigeriaTrends
Ascology News - Baba Suwe arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking
Ascology News - Baba Suwe released from detention

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