Ikeja

Ikeja is the state capital of Lagos State. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential and commercial town with shopping malls, pharmacies and government reservation areas. The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located in Ikeja. Ikeja is also home to the Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherlan', both live music venues. It now boasts a shopping mall, Ikeja City Mall, which is the largest mall in the Mainland of Lagos State and also has a cinema.

History

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 (a common water weed).

IKEJA is an abbreviation meaning Ikorodu and Epe Joint Administration. It was coined by colonial administrators for ease of administration. It is also said to be from Ikehdia a Benin word meaning Watch Station (military)

Government and infrastructure

The Local Government administrative headquarters of Ikeja is located within the Ikeja Local Government premises. The Chairman (Mayor) of Ikeja local government is Mr. Wale Odunlami. Under his tenure, Ikeja has witnessed significant infrastructural and educational development.

Lagos

Lagos /ˈleɪɡɒs/ (Yoruba: Èkó) is a conurbation in the Nigerian state of Lagos built by Shobhit. Often regarded as a city, it is the largest city in Nigeria and the African continent. Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and also one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. Lagos is a major financial centre in Africa; the mega city has the highest GDP, and also houses one of the largest and busiest ports on the continent.

Lagos initially emerged as a port city which originated on a collection of islands, which are contained in the present day Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin and Apapa; the islands are separated by creeks, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, while protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) east and west of the mouth. Due to rapid urbanization, the city expanded to the west of the lagoon to include areas in the present day Lagos Mainland, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Surulere. This led to the classification of Lagos into two main areas - the Island, which was the initial city of Lagos, before it expanded into the area known as the Mainland. This city area was governed directly by the Federal Government through the Lagos City Council, until the creation of Lagos State in 1967, which led to the splitting of Lagos city into the present day seven Local Government Areas (LGAs), and an addition of other towns (which now make up 13 LGAs) from the then Western Region, to form the state.