Lagos state was founded in the 15th century as a war camp for the Benin Empire in the reign of Oba Orhogba. Oba Ashipa was then installed as king of the Aworis, the original settlers, who had immigrated from Ogun via the Isheri River to Iddo Island and finally Lagos Island.In 1472 Rui de Sequira, a Portuguese explorer visited the area and christened it Lago de Curamo or Healing Lake. It later took on its present name after the port of Lagos in Portugal. Taking advantage of the Oba Kosoko deposition crisis that rocked the kingdom in the middle of the 19th century and using the intended abolition of the slave trade as a pretext, the British annexed Lagos in 1861. This period also saw the influx of freed Creole slaves from Freetown, Sierra Leone, Brazil, and Portugal. The legacy of the immigration period is seen today in the South American architectural building styles and genealogy of families in Lagos Island. Lagos became the capital of Nigeria after the amalgamation of 1914; it retained its status as the socio-economic capital of Nigeria with the advent of independence and even after it ceased being the Federal Capital on December 12, 1991. Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, sprawls inland from the Gulf of Guinea across Lagos Lagoon. Victoria Island, the financial center of the metropolis, is known for its beach resorts, boutiques and nightlife. To the north, Lagos Island is home to the National Museum Lagos, displaying cultural artifacts and craftworks. Nearby is Freedom Park, once a colonial-era prison and now a major venue for concerts and public events.
Lagos, which means “lakes”, was a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese. The present-day Lagos state has a high percentage of Awori, who migrated to the area from Isheri along the Ogun river. Throughout history, it was home to a number of warring ethnic groups who had settled in the area. Following its early settlement by the Awori nobility, and its conquest by the Bini warlords of Benin, the state first came
to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.
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 km (60 mi) 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.
Lagos which was the capital of Nigeria since its amalgamation in 1914, went on to become the capital of Lagos State, after its creation. However, the state capital was later moved to Ikeja in 1976, while the federal capital also moved to Abuja in 1991. Even though Lagos is still widely referred to as a city, the present day Lagos, also known as “Metropolitan Lagos”, and officially as “Lagos Metropolitan Area” is an urban agglomeration
or conurbation, consisting of 16 LGAs, including Ikeja, the state capital of Lagos State. This conurbation makes up 37% of Lagos State’s total land area, but houses about 85% of the state’s total population. The population of Metropolitan Lagos is approximately 20 million as at 2015.
Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people in the 15th century, who called it “Oko”. Under the leadership of the Oloye Olofin, the Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and then to the larger Lagos Island. In the 16th century, the Awori settlement was conquered by the Benin Empire and the island became a Benin war-camp called “Eko” under Oba Orhogba, the Oba of Benin at the time. Eko is still the native name for Lagos.
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