Ikeja
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
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.
The Accident Investigation Bureau of the Nigerian government is headquartered in Ikeja.[1]
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[edit] History
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. 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).[2][3] 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.
Ikeja, like other Lagos municipalities, has suffered from neglect, a lack of planning and overconcentration of disorganized commercial activities (which include street trading).
[edit] Economy
Virgin Nigeria Airways's head office is located on the 9th Floor of Etiebets Place in Ikeja.[4]
[edit] Communities
Communities in the area include:
[edit] Computer Village
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
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 electricial 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[5].
[edit] References
- ^ "Contact Us." Accident Investigation Bureau. Retrieved on 9 June 2009.
- ^ Anger follows Lagos blasts, CNN News January 29, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Talking Point - Lagos Explosion, BBC News January 31, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ "VNA Registered Offices." Virgin Nigeria Airways. Retrieved on 20 January 2009.
- ^ Focus on the Ikeja Computer Village, Lagos, NigeriaBusinessInfo.com, September 2, 2002. Retrieved April 11, 2008
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 06°35′N 03°20′E / 6.583°N 3.333°E
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