Lagos

For other uses, see Lagos (disambiguation).

Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos as seen from Ikoyi Harbor. Lagos as seen from Ikoyi Harbor.
Nickname:  Eko
Map of Metropolitan Lagos showing Lagos Island.
State	Lagos State
Government
• Governor	Babatunde Fashola
Area
• City	8.7 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
• Urban	999.6 km2 (385.9 sq mi)
Population  (2006 census, preliminary)
• City	209,437 (Lagos Island LGA)
• Density	24,182/km2 (62,631/sq mi)
• Urban	7,937,932 (Metropolitan Lagos)
• Urban density	7,941/km2 (20,568/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (CEST)
Website	http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/

Lagos (pron. IPA: [ˈleɪgɒs], or IPA: [ˈlɑːgəʊs] overseas) is the most populous city in Nigeria and the second most populated in Africa after Cairo. The Lagos metropolitan area is currently the 17th most populated in the world. Lagos is a huge metropolis with its population spread along the Nigerian coastline and upon the islands to the southwest that form an archipelago just off the mainland.

In terms of administration, Lagos is not a city (municipality) and has therefore no city administration. The Municipality of Lagos, which covered the islands of Lagos Island (locally known as Eko), Ikoyi and Victoria Island, as well as some mainland territory, was managed by the Lagos City Council (LCC), but it was disbanded in 1976 and divided into several Local Government Areas (most notably Lagos Island LGA, Lagos Mainland LGA and Eti-Osa LGA). The mainland beyond the Municipality of Lagos, on the other hand, comprised several separate towns and settlements such as Mushin, Ikeja and Agege. In the wake of the 1970s Nigerian oil boom, Lagos experienced a population explosion, untamed economic growth, and unmitigated rural migration. This caused the outlying towns and settlements to develop rapidly, thus forming the greater Lagos metropolis seen today. The history of Lagos is still evidenced in the layout of the LGAs which display the unique identities of the cultures that established them.

Today, the word Lagos most often refers to the urban area, called "Metropolitan Lagos" in Nigeria, which includes both the islands of the former Municipality of Lagos and the mainland suburbs. All of these are part of Lagos State, which is divided into 20 LGAs. Metropolitan Lagos (a statistical division, and not an administrative unit) extends over 16 of the 20 LGAs of Lagos State, and contains 88% of the population of Lagos State. According to the preliminary results of the 2006 census, there are 7,937,932 inhabitants in Metropolitan Lagos. This figure is lower than what had been anticipated and has created a controversy in Nigeria (see Demographics section below). Lagos Island, the central LGA and historic center of Metropolitan Lagos, had a population of 209,437 as of the 2006 Census.

Lagos was the former capital city of Nigeria but it has since been replaced by Abuja. Abuja officially gained its status as the capital of Nigeria on 12 December 1991, although the decision to move the federal capital had been made in decree no. 6 of 1976.

History

Main article: History of Lagos

Lagos was a Yoruba settlement of Awori people called Eko. The name is thought to stem from either Eko (Edo: "cassava farm") or Eko ("war camp"). The present day Lagos state has a higher percent of Awori, who migrated to the area from Isheri along the Ogun river. Throughout history, it was home to a number of warring tribes who had settled in the area. During its early history, it also saw periods of rule by the Kingdom of Benin.

Portuguese explorer Ruy de Sequeira visited the area in 1472, naming the area around the city Lago de Curamo; indeed the present name is Portuguese for "lakes". An alternate explanation is that Lagos was named for Lagos, Portugal - a maritime town which at the time was the main cneter of the Portuguese expeditions down the African coast and whose own name is derived from the Celtic word Lacobriga.

From 1704-1851 it served as a major center of the slave trade. In 1841 Oba Akitoye ascended to the throne of Lagos and tried to bring an end to slave trading by placing a ban on the act. Lagos merchants, most notably Madam Tinubu, resisted the ban, deposed the king and installed his brother Oba Kosoko.

While exiled, Oba Akitoye met with the British, who had banned slave trading in 1807, and got their support to regain his throne. In 1851 he was reinstalled as the Oba of Lagos.

Lagos was formally annexed as a British colony in 1861. This had the dual effect of crushing the slave trade and establishing British superiority over palm and other trades.

The remainder of modern-day Nigeria was seized in 1886, and when the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established in 1914, Lagos was declared its capital. It continued to be the capital when Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in 1960.

Lagos experienced rapid growth throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a result of Nigeria's economic boom prior to the Biafran War.

Lagos was the capital of Nigeria from 1914 - 1991; it was stripped of this title when the Federal Capital Territory was established at the purpose-built city of Abuja. However, most government functions (especially the head of state) stayed in Lagos for a time since Abuja was still under construction. In 1991, the head of state and other government functions finally moved to the newly built capital in a mass exodus.

Past Oba (or Yoruba Kings) of Lagos

Main article: Oba of Lagos

Climate

Lagos
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     13     32 22     41     33 24     84     33 24     146     32 24     202     31 23     316     29 22     243     28 22     122     28 22     160     29 22     125     30 22     40     31 23     15     32 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: [2]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.5     90 72     1.6     91 75     3.3     91 75     5.7     90 75     8     88 73     12     84 72     9.6     82 72     4.8     82 72     6.3     84 72     4.9     86 72     1.6     88 73     0.6     90 73 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

The climate in Lagos is similar to that of the rest of southern Nigeria. There are two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March. Monthly rainfall between May and July averages over 300 mm (12 in), while in August and September it is down to 75 mm (3 inches) and in January as low as 35 mm (1.5 inches). The main dry season is accompanied by harmattan winds from the Sahara Desert, which between December and early February can be quite strong. According to BBC Weather, the average temperature in January is 27°C (79°F) and for July it is 25°C (77°F). On average the hottest month is March; with a mean temperature of 29°C (84°F); while July is the coolest month.

Geography

File:Mapoflagos.jpg

Map of the Lagos Area

Lagos Metropolitan Area

Lagos consists of a large lagoon (hence its name) and an archipelago of large islands in the lagoon. The three major islands are Lagos Island, Ikoyi, and Victoria. The commercial centre remains Lagos Island, which is connected to the mainland by three large bridges: Eko Bridge, Carter Bridge, and Third Mainland Bridge. Ikoyi and Victoria island are closely connected to Lagos Island. The main docks are in Apapa directly opposite Lagos Island. The rest of the city is built on the African mainland. Districts on the mainland include Ebute-Meta, Surulere, Yaba (Lagos) (site of the University of Lagos), Mushin, Maryland, Isolo, Ikotun and Ikeja, site of Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

Law and government

Like many African and developing country cities, Lagos does not have its own mayor or council (the Lagos City Council was disbanded in 1976 when the Municipality of Lagos was split into several Local Government Areas), but is instead governed as part of a regular Nigerian state. Since 1967, Lagos has been part of Lagos State. The former Municipality of Lagos was the headquarters of Lagos State until 1976, when this was moved to Ikeja.

Lagos State covers some of the area beyond the urban area of Lagos proper, such as Badagri, but its primary focus is on Lagos proper. Lagos State is split into 20 Local Government Areas. The state is responsible for utilities including roads and transportation, power, water, health, and education.

Lagos is also home to the High Court of the Lagos State Judiciary, housed in an old colonial building on Lagos Island.

Economy

File:Lag1.jpg

Lagos Business District

Lagos is Nigeria's most prosperous city, and most of the nation's wealth and economic activity are concentrated there. The standard of living is higher in Lagos than in the rest of Nigeria, as residents have considerably greater access to food, fresh water, indoor plumbing, and modern technology.

Lagos is Nigeria's leading port. The Port of Lagos, operated by the Nigerian Port Authority is split into three main sections: Lagos port, Apapa Port and Tin Can Port, all located on the Gulf of Guinea. The port features a railhead.

The port handles imports of consumer goods, foodstuffs, motor vehicles, machinery, and industrial raw materials. Its export trade in timber and agricultural products such as cacao and groundnuts has declined since the early 1970s, although the port has seen growing amounts of crude oil exported, with export figures rising between 1997 and 2000. Oil and petroleum products provide 20% of GDP and 95% of foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria as a whole.

Lagos is also Nigeria's commercial centre. Many of the country's largest banks and financial institutions are located here. More than half of Nigeria's industrial capacity is located in Lagos's mainland suburbs, particularly in the Ikeja industrial estate. A wide range of manufactured goods are produced in the city, including machinery, motor vehicles, electronic equipment, chemicals, beer, processed food, and textiles.

419 advance fee fraud

Many 419 advance fee fraud scams are based out of Lagos. Several neighborhoods, such as Festac Town, are main operation areas of scammers, who use shady cybercafes to implement scams. Six areas, including Oluwole, contain many businesses that produce false documents used in scams [3] [4].

The EFCC was established in 2003 to eradicate scamming networks [5].

Transport

Third Mainland Bridge

Ferries and highways link the parts of the city together. However, transport links within Lagos are congested, due in part to the geography of the city, as well as its explosive population growth.

Local roads in Lagos vary in quality from well-maintained to pothole-ridden.The freeways were built by German contractors, most notably Julius Berger PLC, and the steady climate in Lagos keeps the freeways from cracking. Most freeways are currently in working shape.

A highway in Lagos

The city is teeming with poor quality transit buses known to locals as Danfos or Molues, as well as taxi motorcycles known as Okadas. Both means of transport are a vital part of Lagos' Transport Network, however, they are notorious for vehicle collisions and robberies. Many foreign tourists avoid travelling on them.

An agency called Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) has been created to solve the transportation problems in Lagos. A chain of salt-water lagoons run west to Badagry and also east toward Ogun State. The Bus Rapid Transit scheme is set to be launched on the 4th of June 2006. The Lagos - Ibadan expressway and the Lagos - Abeokuta expressway are the major arterial routes in the city and serve as an inter-state highway to Ibadan, Oyo state and Abeokuta, Ogun State respectively. The Lagos - Ibadan expressway also links over 500,000 Lagosians with the kilometer 42 Redeemed Christian Church Prayer City, historically referred to as "camp."

Air Travel

Murtala Mohammed International Airport (IATA: LOS, ICAO: DNMM) serves the city from Ikeja Lagos.

Demographics

Map showing the 16 LGAs making up Metropolitan Lagos. Note that Metropolitan Lagos is a statistical area and not an administrative entity unlike Lagos State. Lagos State is made up of these 16 LGAs and 4 other larger LGAs not shown on the map.

The urban area of Lagos, called "Metropolitan Lagos" in Nigeria, extends over 16 of the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State, and contains 88% of the population of Lagos State. According to the preliminary results of the 2006 census, there are 7,937,932 inhabitants in "Metropolitan Lagos".

This figure is lower than what had been anticipated and has created a controversy in Nigeria. Authorities of Lagos State have attacked the results of the 2006 census, accusing the National Population Commission of having undercounted the population of Lagos State, an accusation strongly denied by the National Population Commission.

Lagos is, by most estimates, one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Lagos State is currently experiencing a population increase of about 275,000 persons per annum. In 1999 the United Nations predicted that the city's metropolitan area, which had only about 290,000 inhabitants in 1950, would exceed 20 million by 2010 and thus become one of the ten most populated cities in the world. This projection, however, must now be revised downward due to the results of the 2006 census.

The 16 LGAs of Metropolitan Lagos

Local Government Area	Land area (in km²)	Population (2006 Census)	Density (inh. per km²)
Agege	11.2	459,939	41,071
Ajeromi-Ifelodun	12.3	684,105	55,474
Alimosho	185.2	1,277,714	6,899
Amuwo-Odofin	134.6	318,166	2,364
Apapa (home of the main port of Lagos)	26.7	217,362	8,153
Eti-Osa (home of one of Lagos's largest business centres and of the upscale communities of Victoria Island and Ikoyi, formerly the residence of the Nigerian federal government)	192.3	287,785	1,496
Ifako-Ijaiye	26.6	427,878	16,078
Ikeja	46.2	313,196	6,785
Kosofe	81.4	665,393	8,174
Lagos Island (the historical centre and commercial core of the Lagos agglomeration)	8.7	209,437	24,182
Lagos Mainland	19.5	317,720	16,322
Mushin	17,5	633,009	36,213
Ojo	158.2	598,071	3,781
Oshodi-Isolo	44.8	621,509	13,886
Somolu (aka Shomolu)	11.6	402,673	34,862
Surulere	23.0	503,975	21,912
Metropolitan Lagos	999.6	7,937,932	7,941

Neighborhoods

The Lagos Mainland is the center of most of the population that commute to work on Lagos Island, in some respects the economic center of Nigeria. The area is also particularly famous for its music and nightlife, notably in areas around Yaba and Surulere, as well as the National Stadium Complex. Lagos Island contains many of the largest markets in Lagos, its central business district, the central mosque, and the oba's palace. Though largely derelict, Tinubu Square on Lagos Island is a site of historical importance; it was here that the Amalgamation ceremony that unified the North and South took place in 1914.

Other areas of the mainland include the middle class, slums, and suburbs of Ebute-Meta, Surulere, Yaba (site of the University of Lagos), Akowonjo, Mushin, and Ikeja.

Ikoyi island, situated to the east of Lagos Island, houses the headquarters of the state government and all other government buildings. It also has many hotels, and one of Africa's largest golf courses. Originally a middle class neighborhood, in recent years, it has become a fashionable enclave for the upper middle class to the upper class.

A neighborhood in Victoria Island

Victoria Island, situated to the south of Lagos Island, is a wealthy enclave that is one of the homes to Nigeria's ruling elite and the country's wealthiest. It also boasts a sizable commercial district including Nigeria's largest malls and movie theatres. A large number of Nigeria's foreign expatriate community lives there.

Culture

Music & film industry

Lagos is famous throughout West Africa for its music scene. Lagos has given birth to a variety of styles such as highlife, juju, fuji, and Afrobeat. In recent years Lagos has been the fore-runner with African styled hip-hop branded Afrohip-hop.

Lagos is the centre of the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as 'Nollywood.' Many of the large film producers have offices in Surulere, Lagos, though there aren't any film studios in Nollywood, in the Hollywood sense. Idumota market on Lagos Island is the primary distribution center. Also many films are shot in the Festac area of Lagos.

The cinemas are gradually losing their supporters to the movie industry. Yoruba films happen to be the most watched in the cinemas, followed by Indian films. Films are not premiered for a long period of time in the western sense, especially with Yoruba films. The English spoken films move directly from the studios to the market.

Iganmu, Lagos is home to the National Arts Theater — the primary center for the performing arts in Nigeria.

Sports and tourism

As in the rest of Nigeria, football is the most popular sport. The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and the Lagos State Football Association (LAFA) are both based in Lagos. A prominent Lagos soccer club Julius Berger FC, members of the Nigerian Premier League; the team, owned by the Julius Berger Construction Company, is set to close in 2008, potentially leaving Lagos without a Premier League team.

The Nigerian national football team, also known as the Super Eagles, used to play almost all of their home games in Lagos; however, games are now split between the Surelere Stadium in Lagos and the larger, newer Abuja Stadium in Abuja, which may soon become the default home of the Super Eagles.

The Lagos State government features the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Social Development.

Lagos is not a common tourist destination, as it is primarily business-oriented and has a reputation for danger and squalor amongst many foreigners. However, some tourist attractions do exist, such as Oba's Palace. There are also several shopping malls, including the Falomo Shopping Centre. Visitors are also drawn to the musical heritage of Lagos, such as fuji music (see Music section).

Poverty

Many residents of Lagos are poor, and live in slums such as Ajegunle, whilst there are districts of considerable wealth. Lagos, like many cities in developing countries, has attracted many young entrepreneurs and families seeking a better life from throughout Nigeria and beyond.

Education

The Lagos State Government operates state schools. The education system is the 6-3-3-4 system, which is practised throughout the country (as well as by many other ECOWAS states). The levels are Primary, Junior Secondary School (JSS), Senior Secondary School (SSS), and university. All children are offered basic education, with special focus on the first six years. Their family's finances may determine how far the child will go after this.

Colleges and universities

Lagos is home to four universities, several colleges and other centers of learning:

Colleges

• Igbobi College established by the Methodist and Anglican Churches in 1932, in the Yaba suburb of Lagos.

• King's College, Lagos was founded in 1909 on Lagos Island.

• Methodist Boy's High School, Lagos was founded in 1878 on Lagos Island.

• Nigerian Institute of Medical Research

• Queen's College, Lagos was founded in 1927 while Nigeria was still a British colony. It is a government-owned girl's secondary (high) school with boarding facilities located in the Yaba suburb.

• The Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls founded in 1991, is a six year prepatory college to help girls to prepare for Univerisity. It is located in the Ikeja suburb.

Universities

• Cetep University

• Lagos City University (formerly Yaba College of Technology) was the first higher institution in the country, and one of the first in Africa.

• The Pan-African University is primarily a business school, offering two MBA programs. Founded in 1996 and awarded University status in 2002, it consists of the Lagos Business School and of Enterprise Development Services. The University also places some emphasis on the study of art.

• The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a large institution dating from 1962, with over 35,000 students. It comprises 13 faculties, run by over 4,000 staff.

Lagos and Koolhaas

Lagos has received increasing attention since the 1990s due to architect Rem Koolhaas' study of the city. His observations have challenged previous assertions in the urban theory literature about what it means to be a modern city. Recently Koolhaas became interested in the infrastructure built during the 1970s in Lagos, designed and executed by Yugoslav engineering company Energoprojekt, based in Belgrade.

See also

• Lagos State
• Lagos Island
• Treaty of Lagos

External links

Government and commerce

• Lagos State Government Official Site
• Lagos Chamber of Commerce
• Lagos State House of Assembly
• Lagos State Judiciary Board
• History

News

• Nigerian Tribune daily newspaper
• Vanguard daily newspaper
• The Guardian daily newspaper
• This Day daily newspaper
• Daily Sun Entertainment-oriented Newspaper
• Punch daily Newspaper
• Daily Trust Abuja-based daily newspaper
• BusinessDay Lagos-based business newspaper
• MyNaijaNews Lagos-based Online news portal. Published exclusively online

Education

• University of Lagos
• Lagos Business School - Pan-African University

Other

• The Guardian Christmas appeal 2005: Aids in Africa Flash movie on AIDS in the city, consisting of a photo story of 66 pictures alongside an 11-minute audio report by Jonathan Steele of The Guardian