Lagos State

Lagos State
  • Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó (Yoruba)
  • Ayìmátẹ̀n Awọnlìn tọ̀n (Gun)
State
Flag of Lagos State
Flag
Seal of Lagos State
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Las Gidi, Gidi
Motto: 
Centre of Excellence
Location of Lagos State in Nigeria
Location of Lagos State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°35′N 3°45′E / 6.583°N 3.750°E / 6.583; 3.750
Country Nigeria
Geopolitical ZoneSouth West
Date created27 May 1967
CapitalIkeja
Number of LGAs20
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Lagos State
 • Governor[1]Babajide Sanwo-Olu (APC)
 • Deputy GovernorFemi Hamzat (APC)
 • Speaker, House of AssemblyRt. Hon. Dr. Mudashiru Obasa
 • Chief JudgeKazeem Alogba
 • National Assembly delegationSenators:
Representatives: List
Area
 • Total3,577 km2 (1,381 sq mi)
Population
 (2006 census)[4][5]
 • Total9,113,605
 • Estimate 
(2019 by National Bureau of Statistics, 2020 by LASG)
 • Rank1st/2nd of 36
 • Density2,500/km2 (6,600/sq mi)
DemonymLagosian
GDP
 • Year2021
 • Total$102 billion (nominal)
$267 billion (PPP)[6]
1st of 36
 • Per capita$6,614 (nominal)
$17,282 (PPP)
1st of 36
Time zoneUTC+01 (WAT)
ISO 3166 codeNG-LA
HDI (2021)0.681[7]
medium · 1st of 37
Websitelagosstate.gov.ng

Lagos State (Yoruba: Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó, Gun: Ayìmátẹ̀n Awọnlìn tọ̀n) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 Nigerian states, it is the second most populous state but the smallest in area. Bounded to the south by the Bight of Benin and to the west by the international border with Benin for 10 km, Lagos State borders Ogun State to the north for about 283 km, making it the only Nigerian state to border only one other state. Named for the city of Lagos—the most populous city in Africa—the state was formed from the Western Region and the former Federal Capital Territory on 27 May 1967.[8][9]

Geographically, Lagos State is dominated by bodies of water with nearly a quarter of the state's area being bodies of water.[10] The largest of these bodies are the Lagos and Lekki lagoons in the state's interior with the Ogun and Osun rivers flowing into them. Many other rivers and creeks flow throughout the state and serve as vital means of transportation for people and goods. On land, non-urbanized areas are within the tropical Nigerian lowland forests ecoregion with natural areas containing threatened populations of mona monkey, tree pangolin, and hooded vulture along with a transitory population of African bush elephants.[11][12][13][14] Offshore, the state is also biodiverse as there are large fish populations along with African manatees and crocodiles.[15][16]

Lagos State has been inhabited for years by various indigenous ethnic groups, primarily the majority Yoruba people that live throughout the state but also the Ewe and Ogu peoples in the far west. As a result of migration since the nineteenth century, Lagos State also has large populations of non-native Nigerian ethnic groups with Edo, Fulani, Hausa, Igbo, Ijaw, Ibibio, Efik, and Nupe peoples among other Nigerian groups. There are also groups from outside of Nigeria's modern borders with the Saro (Sierra Leonean) and Amaro (Brazilian) groups being descendants of formerly enslaved people that returned to Africa in the 1800s with a longstanding Middle Eastern Nigerian community (mainly Syrian and Lebanese Nigerians)[17] also forming a significant part of Lagos' population along with recent immigrants from Benin, China, Ghana, India, Togo, and the United Kingdom.[18][19][20][21] Religiously, the state is also diverse, as there is a sizable number of Christian, Muslim and traditional ethnic religions.[22]

In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Lagos State was mainly fishing villages[23][24][25][26] and ports that at various points were controlled by states including the Oyo Empire and Benin Kingdom until the early 1800s when the city of Lagos had developed into a major kingdom of its own right. In 1850, the British successfully attacked the kingdom in the Bombardment of Lagos before installing an ally as Oba and signing a treaty that established Lagos as being under British protection. Ten years later, the forced Lagos Treaty of Cession led to the formal establishment of the Lagos Colony. In 1906, the colony was incorporated into the new Southern Nigeria Protectorate which merged into British Nigeria in 1914 with the city of Lagos as its capital. Upon independence in 1960, Lagos remained as the capital with much of the city forming the Federal Capital Territory while the rest of modern-day Lagos State was a part of the Western Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became Lagos State.[27]

Economically, Lagos State is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the world. It contains the most populous city in Nigeria and one of the most important states in the country, a major financial centre and has one of the largest economies in Africa[28] with a gross domestic product of $84 billion comparable with Ghana's $75 billion, Angola's $70 billion, and Ethiopia's $93 billion.[29] Lagos State is also a key culture, education, and transportation hub for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the state also has the highest literacy rate in Nigeria. It is known for its vibrant culture, bustling markets, and significant economic activities.[30] Despite overcrowding and chronic debilitating traffic, Lagos State has the highest Human Development Index in Nigeria and numerous developmental projects.[31][32]

  1. ^ See List of governors of Lagos State for a list of prior governors
  2. ^ "Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020". National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Lagos State Population". Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  4. ^ "FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA : 2006 Population Census" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. ^ "2006 PHC Priority Tables – NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION". population.gov.ng. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  6. ^ Okeowo, Gabriel; Fatoba, Iyanuoluwa, eds. (13 October 2022). "State of States 2022 Edition" (PDF). Budgit.org. BudgIT. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  8. ^ Onyeakagbu, Adaobi. "See how all the 36 Nigerian states got their names". Pulse.ng. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  9. ^ "This is how the 36 states were created". Pulse.ng. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Lagos | Nigeria Education". nigeria-education.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. ^ Talabi, Kolawole (5 July 2016). "Can public-private partnerships preserve the dwindling biodiversity of Lagos?". Mongabay. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  12. ^ Excellence, Akeredolu O.; Routh, Andrew; Temitope, Odeniyi. "Trade and the decline of the African tree pangolin in Lagos State, Nigeria". Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  13. ^ Owolabi, Bibitayo Ayobami; Odewumi, Sunday Olayinka; Agbelusi, Ebenezer Abayomi (2021). "Perceptions on population decline and ethno-cultural knowledge of Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) in southwest States of Nigeria". Vulture News. 78: 11–19. doi:10.4314/vulnew.v78i1.2. S2CID 233966006. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  14. ^ "'Save Nigeria's largest herd of elephants from extinction', group urges Lagos, Ogun state". The Guardian. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  15. ^ Amao, J. O.; Oluwatayo, I. B.; Osuntope, F. K. (24 October 2017). "Economics of Fish Demands in Lagos State, Nigeria". Journal of Human Ecology. 19 (1): 25–30. doi:10.1080/09709274.2006.11905853. S2CID 73599147. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  16. ^ Olufowobi, Sesan (10 September 2018). "Sea cow rescued in Lagos". The Punch. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Lagos Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  18. ^ Adeshokan, Oluwatosin (10 January 2020). "The last French speakers in Lagos". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  19. ^ "In Nigeria, Chinatown Vendors Struggle For Profits". NPR. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  20. ^ Fawehinmi, Yolanthe (26 October 2021). "Meet the British-Nigerians swapping London for 'Africa's Silicon Valley'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  21. ^ Ndukwe, Ijeoma. "'Everyone is hustling here': The Lebanese of Nigeria". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Lagos, Nigeria's mega city where shrines compete with churches, mosques". Punch Newspapers. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Makoko Fishing Village, Lagos, Nigeria | Fishing villages, Unusual buildings, Village". Pinterest. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Ilaje Fishing Village Gberefu Badagry - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (With Photos)". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Orimedu: Small Lagos Island where fishing unites two countries". Punch Newspapers. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  26. ^ "News Archives - Page 2922 of 16125". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Lagos: From British Colony to Federating State - THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  28. ^ John M. O. Ekundayo (2013). Out of Africa: Fashola: Reinventing Servant Leadership to Engender Nigeria's Transformation. AuthorHouse. p. 135. ISBN 9781481790406.
  29. ^ Munshi, Neil (February 2021). "How Lagos loses out in battle for investors". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  30. ^ Ajose, Farook. "Lagos is Nigeria's leading state, which other states come close?". Our Red Eagle. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  31. ^ Bearak, Max; Moriarty, Dylan; Ledur, Júlia. "How Africa will become the center of the world's urban future". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Human Development Indices". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 15 December 2021.