Introduction to Lagos State Nigeria

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.

Geographically, Lagos State is dominated by bodies of water with nearly a quarter of the state’s area being bodies of water. 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. Offshore, the state is also biodiverse as there are large fish populations along with African manatees and crocodiles.

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) also forming a significant part of Lagos’ population along with recent immigrants from Benin, China, Ghana, India, Togo, and the United Kingdom. Religiously, the state is also diverse, as there is a sizable number of Christian, Muslim and traditional ethnic religions.

In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Lagos State was mainly fishing villages 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.

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 with a gross domestic product of $84 billion comparable with Ghana’s $75 billion, Angola’s $70 billion, and Ethiopia’s $93 billion.

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. Despite overcrowding and chronic debilitating traffic, Lagos State has the highest Human Development Index in Nigeria and numerous developmental projects.

Historical Background

Lagos is the largest city of the West-African country of Nigeria, and its former capital; it is the largest city in Africa in terms of population with about 15.3 million people. It is also the 4th largest economy in Africa.

Historical names

Lagos means “lakes” in Portuguese, the language of the first Europeans to arrive at the land already inhabited by the Awori who are a sub-ethnic group of the Yoruba people. The area which was under the administration of the Benin Kingdom was initially known as “Eko”. The Portuguese would refer to it as “Onim” and later “Lagos”.
To differentiate the modern settlement from the older kingdom in the area, the name “Onim” has been applied to the latter by some historians such as Toby Green.

Beginnings

Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people in the 15th century and Binis in the 16th century. The Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and then to the larger Lagos Island. Their ruler Olofin divided the island among his ten sons. One of them, Aromire, planted pepper on the nearby island of Lagos. The palace of the Oba (king) of the Yoruba, Iga Idunganran, which was later built on this site, is therefore literally translated as “pepper farm palace”.

During a dispute between Olofin and a wealthy woman named Aina, the Oba of Benin tried to mediate in these affairs of Iddo Island. The Oba sent envoys to comply with Aina’s request to investigate the dispute. The men, who arrived in a canoe, believed the fishing paraphernalia on the shore to be signs of readiness for war from a distance.

When they returned to the Oba, they told him of their findings and he sent them back to the battle with military support, accepting a challenge. Aseru, a war chief who was part of these reinforcements, stayed behind on the island of Iddo after the defeat and capture of Olofin. He went on to war against other neighbouring towns and got as far as Iseri, where he eventually died.

A certain Asipa then brought his body back to Benin. For his deed, the Oba rewarded him by appointing him ruler of Iddo Island. Asipa was also given the royal drum (Gbedu), which is beaten by the Obas of Lagos to this day. His son Ado became the first king of Lagos and his lineage continues the line of the Obas of Lagos to this day.

Arrival of Europeans

In 1472, Portuguese explorers arrived, and began to trade, eventually followed by other Europeans. Lagos (Portuguese for “lakes”) was a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese. Throughout history, it was home to a number of warring ethnic Yoruba groups who had settled in the area. Following its early settlement by the Awori nobility, the state first came to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.

Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited the area in 1472, naming the area around the city Lago de Curamo, which means Lake of Curamo. It’s also probable that the city was named after the homonymous coastal town of Lagos, Portugal, in the Algarve region, where sailors and settlers would have departed.

The area fell under the domain of Benin in the 16th century. By 1600, it served as a frontier town, and Benin limited its local presence to soldiers led by four military commanders. This military presence as well as the exchange with European traders resulted in economic growth, as locals would travel along the coast and from further inland to Lagos Island for trade; at this point, clothes were the main item sold at and exported from the island as well as Benin as a whole.

In the 17th century, the trade with the Portuguese also began to increase, as Onim became a center of the Atlantic slave trade. The local obas (kings) developed good relations with the Portuguese.

By the early 19th century, it was a small kingdom and a tributary to the Oyo Empire. Like many West African states, Onim developed strong diplomatic as well as economic links to South America. It sent embassies to the Portuguese colony of Brazil, and became one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Brazil in 1823.

Meanwhile, the Oyo Empire had begun to collapse. This allowed Lagos to assume the leading economic position regionally, becoming the most important market in the Yoruba territories as well as growing substantially.

British influence

In Britain’s early 19th-century fight against the transatlantic slave trade, its West Africa Squadron or Preventative Squadron as it was also known, continued to pursue Portuguese, American, French, and Cuban slave ships and to impose anti-slavery treaties with West African coastal chiefs with so much doggedness that they created a strong presence along the West African coast from Sierra Leone all the way to the Niger Delta (today’s Nigeria) and as far south as Congo.

From the crowning of Ado as its Oba, Lagos (then called Eko) had served as a major center for slave-trade, from which then Oba of Benin and all of his successors for over two centuries supported until 1841, when Oba Akitoye ascended to the throne of Lagos and attempted to ban slave trading. Local merchants strongly opposed the intended move, and deposed and exiled the king, and installed Akitoye’s brother Kosoko as Oba. Exiled to Europe, Akitoye met with British authorities, who had banned slave trading in 1807, and who therefore decided to support the deposed Oba to regain his throne.

In 1849, Britain appointed John Beecroft Consul of the Bights of Benin and Biafra, a position he held (along with his governorship of Fernando Po) until his death in 1854. John Duncan was appointed Vice Consul and was located at Whydah. At the time of Beecroft’s appointment, the Kingdom of Lagos (under Oba Kosoko) was in the western part of the Consulate of the Bights of Benin and Biafra and was a key slave trading port.

In 1851 and with pressure from liberated slaves who now wielded political and business influence, Britain intervened in Lagos in what is now known as the Bombardment of Lagos or Capture of Lagos resulting in the installation of Oba Akitoye and the ouster of Oba Kosoko. Oba Akitoye then signed the Treaty between Great Britain and Lagos abolishing slavery. The signing of the 1852 treaty ushered in the Consular Period in Lagos’s history wherein Britain provided military protection for Lagos.

The Royal Navy originally used the port of the Spanish island of Fernando Po (now Bioko, Equatorial Guinea) off Nigeria as an extraterritorial base of operations. In 1855, Spain claimed this port for itself. The Royal Navy therefore had to find another naval base. Lagos was the most attractive option.

Colonial of Lagos

Following threats from Kosoko and the French who were positioned at Whydah, a decision was made by Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister) who noted in 1861, “the expediency of losing no time in assuming the formal Protectorate of Lagos”. William McCoskry, the Acting Consul in Lagos with Commander Bedingfield convened a meeting with Oba Dosunmu on 30 July 1861 aboard HMS Prometheus where Britain’s intent was explained and a response to the terms were required by August 1861. Dosunmu resisted the terms of the treaty but under the threat to unleash a bombardment on Lagos by Commander Bedingfield, Dosunmu relented and signed the Lagos Treaty of Cession on 6 August 1861.

Lagos as colony

Lagos was declared a colony on 5 March 1862 but governed by the Gold Coast, modern day Ghana. In 1886, Lagos became a separate colony from the Gold Coast under Governor Cornelius Alfred Moloney. Navy port Lagos became an essential trading centre as traders realised they could count on the protection of the Royal Navy to protect them from pirates, for example.

Post-colonial era

Lagos State was created on 27 May 1967 according to the State Creation and Transitional Provisions Decree No. 14 of 1967, which restructured Nigeria into a federation of 12 states. Before the issuance of this Decree, Lagos city, which was the country’s capital had been administered directly by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Lagos Affairs.

However, Ikeja, Agege, Mushin, Ikorodu, Epe, Surulere, and Badagry were administered by the then Western Region Government. Lagos, the city, along with these other towns were captured to create the state of Lagos, with the state becoming fully recognized as a semi-autonomous administrative division on 11 April 1968. Lagos served the dual role of being the State and Federal Capital until 1976 when the capital of the state was moved to Ikeja.

After the full establishment of the Federal Capital Territory, based on the recommendation of the Akinola Àgùdà–led committee set up by General Murtala Muhammed to review the need for a new capital for Nigeria in 1975. The seat of the Federal Government was formally relocated to Abuja on 12 December 1991. Nevertheless, Lagos remains the financial centre of the country, and even grew to become the most populous city in the state and the country.

Cities and towns

Lagos

Lagos is the most populous city in Lagos State, Nigeria as a whole, and the continent of Africa. The conurbation is one of the most populous in the world. Lagos is a port which originated on islands separated by creeks, such as Lagos Island, 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 kilometres (62 miles) east and west of the mouth. The metropolitan area of Lagos includes Ikeja (which is the capital of Lagos State) and Agege and Mushin.

Ikeja

Ikeja is the state capital of Lagos State. Ikeja is a planned residential and commercial town with shopping malls, pharmacies and government reserved areas. The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is in Ikeja. Ikeja is also home to Fela Kuti’s African Shrine, Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi house and Lagbaja’s Motherland. It also has the largest shopping center on the mainland.

Lekki

Lekki is a city in the south eastern part of the state. It is a naturally formed peninsula, it is still largely under construction. As of 2015, only phase 1 of the project had been completed, with phase 2 nearing completion. The peninsula is approximately 70 to 80 km long, with an average width of 10 km. Lekki currently houses several estates, gated residential developments, agricultural farmlands, areas allocated for a Free Trade Zone, an airport, and a sea port under construction. The proposed land use master plan for the Lekki envisages the Peninsula as a “Blue-Green Environment City”, expected to accommodate over 3.4 million residential population and an additional non-residential population of at least 1.9 million.

Ikorodu

Ikorodu is a city located north-east of the state along the Lagos Lagoon. It shares a boundary with Ogun State. As of the 2006 Census, Ikorodu had a population of 535,619. It is the third largest city in the south-west after Ibadan and Lagos and the 12th largest city in Nigeria. In 2022, it had an estimated population of 1,041,066. The population of the city currently grows at 5.26% annually, and it is projected to reach 1.7 million by 2035.

Eko Atlantic

Eko Atlantic is a planned city being constructed on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. It is located on the former Lagos’ Bar Beach. Upon completion, the new island which is still under development is anticipating at least 250,000 residents and a daily flow of at least 150,000 commuters.

The development will also have a positive environmental impact; its purpose is to stop the erosion of the Lagos coastline. The Eko Atlantic City project received global recognition in 2009, as the Lagos State government and its private sector partners on the Project, South Energyx, received the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment Certificate.

Badagry

Badagry is a coastal town in the state. It is situated between Metropolitan Lagos, and the border of the Republic of Benin at Seme. As of the preliminary 2006 census results, the municipality had a population of 241,093. The area is led by a traditional king, Akran De Wheno Aholu Menu – Toyi 1, who is also the permanent vice-chairman of obas and chiefs in Lagos State. It is known to hold the country’s oldest storey building. Badagry is home to the Ewe and Egun people who are predominantly fishermen.

Epe

Epe is a town located on the north side of the Lekki Lagoon. It is popular for the fishing activities attributed to the city. Per the 2006 Census the population of Epe was 181,409.

Epe is widely regarded as Lagos’s fishing capital. Fishing is the main occupation of the people here, so it is no surprise that a sculpture of two giant fishes, erected at the Lekki-Epe T-Junction, welcomes you to Epe. The Epe Fish Market is regarded as Lagos’s largest seafood market.

Epe town is well-known for its tranquilly. Aside from the adventure, sightseeing, and serenity, you also have access to low-cost animal protein. Epe, like any other society, has special occasions and festivals where people come together to celebrate. Epe residents celebrate various festivals such as the Kayo-kayo festival, the Ebi bi festival, Ojude-Oba, and the Epe day

Some campuses of popular higher education institutions in Lagos can be found within Epe. Lagos State University (LASU), Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Yaba College of Technology, and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education are among them (MOCOPED).

Epe is also the birthplace of notable individuals such as former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola.

Ojo

Ojo is a town mainly occupied by the Aworis with a population of 507,693. Lagos State University is in this town.

Economy

Lagos State is a major economic centre of Nigeria. It would be the fifth largest economy in Africa if it were a country. Lagos State houses headquarters of most conglomerates and commercial banks in Nigeria. The state has the lowest incidence of extreme poverty (around 1.3% of the population against a national average of 31%) of all states in Nigeria, according to World Bank data from 2018. Despite that, slums and poverty are a major issue in the Lagos area.
Its total generated revenue in 2017 was around ₦334 billion (equivalent to US$920 million), growing by 10.43% compared to 2016. By the first half of 2021, the State’s internally generated revenue (IGR) alone stood at over ₦267 billion.

Lekki Free Trade Zone

Lekki Free Trade Zone (Lekki FTZ) is a free zone situated at the eastern part of Lekki, which covers a total area of about 155 square kilometres. The first phase of the zone has an area of 30 square kilometres, with about 27 square kilometres for urban construction purposes, which would accommodate a total resident population of 120,000. According to the Master Plan, the free zone will be developed into a new modern city within a city with integration of industries, commerce and business, real estate development, warehousing and logistics, tourism, and entertainment.

Mineral resources

The following mineral resources are found in Lagos State:

  • Clay
  • Bitumen
  • Glass Sand
  • Crude Oil

Geography

Climate

Lagos has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate. The city’s yearly temperature is 28.67 °C (83.61 °F) and it is -0.79% lower than Nigeria’s averages. Lagos typically receives about 132.01 millimeters (5.2 inches) of precipitation and has 193.63 rainy days (53.05% of the time) annually.

Environmental issues

Water Pollution In Lagos, water contamination is a significant issue. Serious health concerns have been raised as a result of the unchecked discharge of raw sewage, sediment-carrying runoff, and effluents into the Lagoon system. People are suffering from deadly waterborne illnesses like cholera and diarrhea as a result. The number of Lagos inhabitants who have access to formal clean water is pitifully small, with most of them reliant on the unofficial sector made up of wells. Lagos has a tropical environment with over 2,000 millimeters of annual rainfall, is surrounded by water, however much of the water is unsafe to drink. The bulk of Lagos inhabitants rely on the unofficial sector, which consists of wells, boreholes, rivers, and rains, as there is very little access to formal clean water. The state’s daily demand in 2016 was

  • Air pollution
  • Waste
  • Traffic congestion
  • Noise pollution

Infrastructure

The Fourth Mainland Bridge is a 38 km long bridge project by the Lagos State Government, connecting Lagos Island by way of Langbasa(Lekki) and Baiyeku(Ikorodu) across the Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga, in Ikorodu. The bridge is a 2 x 4 lane carriageway cross-sectional road with permission for BRT Lane and future road contraction.

It is expected to become the second longest bridge in Africa, featuring 3 toll plazas, 9 interchanges, 4.5 km Lagoon Bridge and an eco-friendly environment amongst other added features. In April 2021 there were 6 bidders for the US$2.5 billion project. By December the preferred bidder would be known.

In January 2022 the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reiterated the plan by the state government to commence the construction on the Opebi-Mende link bridge and the 38-kilometre 4th mainland bridge: “Construction work on the 38km 4th Mainland Bridge — which will be the longest in Africa — and the Opebi-Mende link bridge will commence this year.

Lagos quickly became a destination for immigration. Along with migrants from all over Nigeria and other West African nations were the returnee ex-slaves known as Creoles, who came from Freetown, Sierra Leone, Brazil, and the West Indies to Lagos. The Creoles contributed to Lagos’s modernization and their knowledge of Portuguese architecture can still be seen from the architecture on Lagos Island. Since the 19th century, Lagos gradually transformed into a melting pot of Africans and Europeans.

In 1869, the Cathedral Church of Christ was established in Lagos. Five years earlier, Samuel Ajayi Crowther had become the first African bishop of the Anglican Church.

Lagos as capital

The central importance of Lagos for Nigeria can be traced back to General Lugard, who advanced far north with British troops after 1900 and, as governor, made Lagos the capital of the south and later of the entire country.

In 1906, Lagos was merged with the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and became its capital. In Lekki, near Lagos, the Nigerian Bitumen Corporation under businessman John Simon Bergheim found oil during test drilling in 1908.

On January 1, 1914, Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were united into a single state, the “Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria”; Lagos became the capital. However, the British ruled northern and southern Nigeria in different ways, which continues to have an impact to the present day. In the north, “indirect rule” was practised, which left the traditional, partly centuries-old ruling structures largely intact.

In the south, like Lagos, the British ruled directly and tried to impart European achievements to the local inhabitants. This includes the “Nigerian Council” of the Clifford Constitution of 1922, a kind of parliament with 46 representatives among which four locals, including three from Lagos. Northern Nigerians were not represented.

Transportation

Transportation by air
  • Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja is one of Nigeria’s five major international airports. It was built in 1978 and named after the former military head of state Late General Murtala Mohammed
  • Lagos has also has the Lekki-Epe International Airport which is a proposed airport in Lekki, Nigeria, designed for a capacity of 5 million passengers annually.
Transportation by land
  • People can commute using by bus using the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System, also known as Lagos BRT which is regulated by LAMATA.
Transportation by rail
  • The Lagos State Rail Mass Transit is an urban rail system which started operation on the 4th of September 2023.

Government

Since its creation in 1967, the state has been administered either by a governor and a House of Assembly in civilian or quasi-civilian (under Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s administration) federal administrations, or by Sole-Administrators or Military Administrators in military dispensations.

Since December 2007, Yoruba has been the second official language of debate and discussion for the House of Assembly after English. The House of Assembly is headed by the Speaker, an elected position which is currently held by Mudashiru Obasa, who has also won his party’s ticket to run for a 6th term in the upcoming 2023 elections.

Politics

The State government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state’s house of assembly. The Capital city of the State is Ikeja.

Electoral System

The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.

Educational institutions

Universities
  • Anchor University
  • Augustine University Ilara, Epe
  • Caleb University
  • CETEP City University
  • Lagos State University (including Lagos State University College of Medicine)
  • Lagos State University of Education
  • Lagos State University of Science and Technology
  • National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos study centres
  • Pan Atlantic University (includung Lagos Business School)

University of Lagos

Polytechinics & Monotechnics
  • Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology
  • Lagos City Polytechnic
  • Lagos State College of Health Technology
  • Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba
  • Yaba College of Technology
  • Colleges of Education
  • Federal College of Education, Akoka
  • Michael Otedola College of Primary Education
  • Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education upgraded in 2022 now Lagos State University of Education

Tourism

Lagos State has over 700 km of Atlantic sandy beaches with about 20 between the west of Badagry and east of Lekki. Along with these, there are several

Tourist attractions. They include:
  • Atlas Cove, Apapa
  • Bar Beach, Victoria Island
  • Elegushi Beach
  • Tarkwa Bay Beach
  • Topo Island, Badagry.
  • King Ado statue, Lagos Island
  • Tafawa Balewa Square
  • Giwa Gardens in the Sangotedo district is a water park that claims to be the largest in West Africa.

Demographics

While the state is essentially a Yoruba-speaking environment, it is a socio-cultural melting pot, attracting both Nigerians and foreigners alike.
Indigenous inhabitants include the Awori and Ogu a.k.a. Egun in the Ikeja and Badagry Divisions respectively, with the Egun being found mainly in

Badagry.

There is also an admixture of other pioneer settlers collectively known as the Eko.
The indigenous people of the Ikorodu and Epe Divisions are mainly the Ijebu, with pockets of Eko-Awori settlers along the coastland and riverine areas.

Religion

The dominant religions in Lagos State are Christianity and Islam although a certain amount of traditional religion is still practiced. Churches represented include Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, 25.6% Roman Catholic, and many local and spiritual churches. Islam and traditional Yoruba spiritism are also practised.
The Anglican Province of Lagos (2002) within the Church of Nigeria includes the four Dioceses of Lagos (1919) led by Bishop Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye until he died 2022, Badagry led by Bishop Babatunde Joseph Adeyemi (2005), Lagos Mainland led by Bishop Akinpelu Johnson (2014) and Lagos West (1999) with 275 parishes led by Bishop James Olusola Odedeji (2013).
343,675 Catholics (2021) in Archdiocese of Lagos (1860 as the Vicariate Apostolic of Dahomey) with 184 parishes under Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins (2012).

Conclusion

Lagos State, the smallest yet most economically significant state in Nigeria, stands as a testament to the dynamic interplay of history, culture, and urbanization. As the second most populous state in Nigeria and the most populous city in Africa, Lagos State is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities, religions, and cultures, making it a microcosm of Nigeria’s rich diversity. Its strategic location along the Bight of Benin and its extensive network of lagoons, rivers, and creeks have historically positioned it as a vital hub for trade, commerce, and cultural exchange.

Lagos State is more than just a geographical entity; it is a symbol of Nigeria’s aspirations and potential. Its resilience, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit have made it a beacon of hope and progress in Africa. As the state continues to evolve, it must balance its rapid growth with sustainable development, ensuring that its benefits are shared equitably among its residents. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and dynamic economy, Lagos State is poised to remain a leading force in Nigeria and Africa for generations to come.