Lagos State was founded in the 15th century as a war camp for the Benin Empire during the reign of Oba Orhogbua. Oba Ashipa was later installed as the king of the Aworis, the original settlers who migrated from Ogun through the Isheri River to Iddo Island and eventually Lagos Island. In 1472, Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited the area and named it Lago de Curamo or Healing Lake, which later evolved into its present name, inspired by the port city of Lagos in Portugal. In the mid-19th century, the British took advantage of the Oba Kosoko deposition crisis and, under the pretext of abolishing the transatlantic slave trade, annexed Lagos in 1861. This period also saw an influx of freed Creole slaves from Freetown, Sierra Leone, Brazil, and Portugal, whose influence is still evident in the South American-style architecture and genealogies of families on Lagos Island. Lagos became Nigeria’s capital after the 1914 amalgamation and remained the socio-economic hub of the country even after the capital was moved to Abuja on December 12, 1991. Today, Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city, stretching inland from the Gulf of Guinea across Lagos Lagoon. Victoria Island, the city’s financial center, is known for its beach resorts, boutiques, and vibrant nightlife. To the north, Lagos Island houses the National Museum Lagos, showcasing cultural artifacts and crafts. Nearby, Freedom Park, once a colonial-era prison, now serves as a major venue for concerts and public events.
Lagos, which means “lakes,” was named by the Portuguese. The present-day Lagos State has a high percentage of Awori, who migrated from Isheri along the Ogun River. Historically, it was home to several warring ethnic groups. After its early settlement by Awori nobility and conquest by Bini warlords from Benin, Lagos first came to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.
Lagos initially emerged as a port city on a collection of islands, now part of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin, and Apapa Local Government Areas (LGAs). These islands are separated by creeks, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, and are protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits, such as Bar Beach, stretching up to 100 km (60 mi) east and west of the mouth. Due to rapid urbanization, the city expanded westward to include Lagos Mainland, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Surulere. This expansion led to the classification of Lagos into two main areas: the Island, the original city of Lagos, and the Mainland.
Originally, Lagos was governed directly by the Federal Government through the Lagos City Council. However, with the creation of Lagos State in 1967, Lagos City was split into seven LGAs, while additional towns from the Western Region were incorporated, forming what is now Lagos State with 20 LGAs.
Lagos was Nigeria’s capital from the 1914 amalgamation until its relocation to Abuja in 1991. The state capital moved to Ikeja in 1976. Today, Lagos is still widely referred to as a city, but it is officially an urban agglomeration known as “Metropolitan Lagos” or the “Lagos Metropolitan Area.” This conurbation consists of 16 LGAs, including Ikeja, the state capital. Despite covering only 37% of Lagos State’s total land area, it houses approximately 85% of the state’s population, with an estimated 20 million residents as of 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 Oloye Olofin, the Awori migrated first to an island now called Iddo, and later to the larger Lagos Island. In the 16th century, the settlement was conquered by the Benin Empire, becoming a Benin war camp named “Eko” under Oba Orhogbua, the Oba of Benin at the time. “Eko” remains the native name for Lagos today.
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