Ikeja is a city that was once known as ‘Akeja’, named after a deity of the Awori people of Ota. It is now the capital of Lagos, one of Africa’s most industrious hubs. IKEJA is an acronym which stands for Ikorodu and Epe Joint Administration. Ikeja lies 10.5miles (17km) northwest of Lagos city and is surrounded by Bariga Shomolu LCDA, Ifako, Oshodi and Ijaiye LCDAs. This city is one with an interesting history, and we have done a deep dive into this.
Here is an interesting fact we bet you did not know – Did you know that in the mid-19th century, Ikeja was raided for slavery? The good thing is that it did not last so long. Slavery gradually began to fade away in the early part of the 20th century and Ikeja became popular for its agricultural strides. This allowed the area to experience its first bout of income generation, attract more development and flourish. Fast forward to 1901, the area welcomed the Lagos-Ibadan railway, giving room for more residential and industrial buildings. Finally, in 1976, Ikeja became the capital of Lagos State.
We found that when the Europeans first settled in Lagos, they occupied the Island and developed that part. This left a lot of other areas unattended, especially the mainland. Ikeja overtook these areas as it hosted all the government parastatals including the government house during the military era and post-military era.
Ikeja has expanded from a locality of indegenous Awori people to become a generous host for smaller communities like Anifowose, Oregun, Ojodu, Opebi, Akiode, Alausa, Agidingbi, Ogba, Magodo, Maryland, Onigbongbo and the famous Ikeja GRA (Government Residential Area). The local government area assigned to manage these various places is Ikeja LCDA.
This exciting city is home to various attractions like Nigeria’s first international airport – The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, built in 1978. It also features one of the largest technology retail markets in Nigeria called Computer Village. For entertainment and sightseeing purposes, Ikeja offers a ton of classy restaurants and hotels, like the Sheraton, Radisson Blu, Spurs, etc. There are local heritage sites like the New Afrika Shrine (aka Fela shrine) and Johnson Jakande Tinubu (JJT) Park.
Anyone visiting or living in Ikeja definitely has options to explore. Housing is fairly affordable, with decent road networks connecting major and inter areas. Need a place to stay for your next visit or thinking of moving or even owning your own property in this area, click here to see the hottest new properties or shortlet apartments and even compare prices.
Till our next historical background of yet another iconic location in Lagos-Nigeria, we do hope that you pay Ikeja a warm visit.