Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria

🇳🇬 Ikeja is the capital of Lagos State in south-western Nigeria. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential and commercial town with shopping malls, pharmacies and government reservation areas. It lies 10.5 miles north-west of Lagos city. The Murtala Muhammed International Airport is located in the city. Ikeja is also home to Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherland, both venues for live music. Its Ikeja City Mall is the largest mall on the Lagos State mainland. Ikeja also has its own radio station, broadcasting both in English and in Yoruba.

History Ikeja, which was formally called "Akeja", was named after a deity of the Awori people of Ota. It was originally settled by the Awori people, and the area was raided for slaves until the mid-19th century. Early in the 20th century, it became an agricultural hinterland for Lagos. The opening of the Lagos-Ibadan railway in 1901 and the growth of Lagos as a port transformed Ikeja into a residential and industrial suburb of that city. In the mid-1960s an industrial estate was established, and in 1976 Ikeja became the capital of Lagos state.

Government and Infrastructure The local government administrative headquarters of Ikeja is located within the Ikeja Local Government premises. As of June 2019, the Chairman (Mayor) of Ikeja's local government is Engr. Mojeed Balogun.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has its headquarters in Ikeja on the grounds of Murtala Muhammad Airport. The Accident Investigation Bureau of the Nigerian government has its headquarter in Ikeja. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has its head office in Aviation House on the grounds of the airport; this was formerly just the Lagos office.

Economy Several airlines have their head offices located in Ikeja. Arik Air's head office is in the Arik Air Aviation Centre on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed Airport. Aero Contractors has its head office on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed Airport. Other airlines with Ikeja head offices include Overland Airways, Air Peace, Associated Aviation, and Dana Air. In addition, Virgin Atlantic has its Nigerian office in "The Place" in Ikeja.

At one point, Nigeria Airways had its head office in Airways House. Before it was dissolved, Afrijet Airlines had its head office in the NAHCO Building on the grounds of the airport. Bellview Airlines had its headquarters in the Bellview Plaza. Other now-defunct airlines with head offices in Ikeja include Air Nigeria (formerly Nigerian Eagle and Virgin Nigeria Airways), on the 9th Floor of Etiebets Place, Sosoliso Airlines, and ADC Airlines.

Television studios Ikeja is home to Nigeria's most important television studios, such as Channels TV and African Independent TV, as well as associated advertising agencies.

Computer Village Ikeja is home to a large computer market, popularly known as Otigba. Begun in 1997 as a small market of only 10 shops, the current market now has well over 3000. While most vendors provide the expected computer sales and repair services, it is also possible to find sales and repair services for various types of office equipment and electronic devices.

By 2019, the little shops at Computer Village had grown to multiple-storey shopping malls. Many of the single-floor buildings have been developed into larger buildings, housing several shops that distribute and repair mobile phones, laptops, printers and other electronic devices. Nearly all the major Nigerian banks have branches around the market.

As the market is unplanned, it has experienced difficulties in its growth, with some local residents expressing frustration at the market's expansion. Traffic around the area has become very congested, and it can be almost impossible to find a place to park. Furthermore, the electrical infrastructure, which was already unreliable, has become overloaded by the new market, which requires significant amounts of electricity to demonstrate working computer products to potential customers.

Brewery The Guinness brewery produces its famous beer in Ikeja. Apparently, the average Nigerian drinks larger quantities of this beverage than the average Irishman. The brewery also produces non-alcoholic and halal malt beer, which is part of the "Lagos' way of life".

Pharmaceutical industry 60% of West Africa's pharmaceutical production takes place in Nigeria. The majority of Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers have their main production site in Ikeja. This includes May & Baker, one of the three largest manufacturers of medicines.

Diverse A slum in Ikeja was selected by C. J. Obasi as a production location for the 2014 Nollywood thriller, Ojuju.

Ikeja also has a main market area called Oba Momodu Illo (Obada) market in Ipodo. This market contains many shops and makeshift stalls where merchants display and sell produce, meat, fish, grains, and other groceries.

Culture: Museums The Kalakuta Museum commemorates the late musician Fela Kuti, who probably had a formative role in Nigeria's music world comparable to that of Bob Marley in Jamaica. The building was the musician's second home in Lagos after soldiers burnt down his first home in Surulere in February 1977, raped female family members and injured Kuti's mother, a respected trade union leader, so badly that she died as a result. Kuti built a new house in Ikeja, but it fell into disrepair after his death and had to be renovated as a museum in 2012. Kuti's grave is located next to the museum. Inside the museum, the walls are covered with historical photos, posters, paintings, murals, record covers and newspaper cuttings. Some of Fela's musical instruments are on display, including his colourfully painted, distinctive tenor saxophone. Fela's shoes and shirts are on display in rows, as are stage suits and the fur coat he wore on tour in Europe and the USA. There is a rooftop café, and visitors can stay overnight in one of several air-conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms.

Parks and squares Jhalobia Recreation Park and Gardens is owned by a certain Mrs Veronica Adepoju and her two daughters - three trained landscape designers who display everything their art has to offer on just under one hectare. The place is very photogenic and is therefore regularly booked for weddings and other festivities. In between such events, Jhalobia is praised as an island of tranquillity in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Lagos.

Music pub Contrary to what the name suggests, the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja is not a shrine, but a music bar run by the descendants of Fela Kuti. It unfolds its special charm when live music is playing; it is also the only place in Lagos where you can legally smoke a joint. The Afrika Shrine was Fela's second home until a few weeks before his death in 1997, after which it fell into disrepair. The New Afrika Shrine, opened in 2000, was built by his family under the direction of his eldest daughter Yeni and eldest son Femi. Their main concern was to honour and preserve the contribution Fela and the Shrine have made to the local community and the overall development of post-colonial Africa. Most events at the New Afrika Shrine are free of charge. Femi performs with his band The Positive Force every Thursday and Sunday when he is not on tour. His younger brother Seun performs with Egypt 80 every last Saturday of the month. The new club is four times the size of the original Shrine and seats two and a half thousand people. Overheads are covered by the sale of food, drinks and merchandise. Admission is usually 500 naira, half a US dollar. The club has a small library, pool tables and chill-out areas and organises educational and outreach activities.

Communities Districts in the city include: • Anifowose; • Oregun; • Ojodu; • Opebi; • Akiode; • Alausa; • Agidingbi; • Ogba; • Magodo; • Maryland; • Onigbongbo; • Government Reserved Area (GRA) Ikeja.

Tourist centres • Isheri/River Ogun – Cradle of Awori and Lagos indigenous population • Lagos State Government Secretariat Ikeja House, Alausa, Ikeja • Lagos State House of Assembly Complex [Parliament Building], Alausa, Ikeja • Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau, PSSDC Road, Magodo, Kosofe • Lagos Television and Radio Lagos/Eko F.M, Agidingbi, Ikeja • LASU Ethnography Museum, Oba Ogunji Road, Ogba, Agege • Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja [Hub of aviation in West Africa] • Statue of Lagos Idejo Chiefs – megacity’s traditional land gentry • Third Mainland Bridge/Outer Ring Road Complex.