Ikeja is the capital city of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria.[2] Its population, as of the 2006 census, is 313,196. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s,[3]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 (17 km) northwest of Lagos city.[4] 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.[5] Its Ikeja City Mall is the largest mall on the Lagos State mainland. Ikeja also has its own radio station, broadcasting both in English (Eko FM) and in Yoruba (Radio Lagos).[6]
History
Ikeja, which was formally called "Akeja", was named after a deity of the Awori people of Ota.[7] It was originally settled by the Awori people, and the area was raided for slaves until the mid-19th century.[8] 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.[9] In the mid-1960s an industrial estate was established, and in 1976 Ikeja became the capital of Lagos state.[10]
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.[11]
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.[32]
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.[citation needed]
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.[33]
Brewery
"Malt-based soft drink" from Ikeja
The Guinness brewery produces its famous beer in Ikeja. Apparently, the average Nigerian drinks larger quantities of this beverage than the average Irishman.[34] The brewery also produces non-alcoholic and halal malt beer, which is part of the "Lagos' way of life".[35]
Pharmaceutical industry
60% of West Africa's pharmaceutical production takes place in Nigeria.[36] 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.
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.[38]
Tourism
Museums
Kalakuta Museum
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.[39]
Parks and squares
Jhalobia Recreation Park
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.[40] 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.[41]
Music pub
New Afrika Shrine
Contrary to what the name suggests, the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja is not a shrine,[42] 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.[43] 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.[42]
Climate
It has a tropical monsoon climate. The majority of the year's months get heavy rainfall. The brief dry season has very little impact on the climate as a whole. The Köppen-Geiger scale rates this area's climate as Am. Ikeja's typical temperature is 26.4 °C (79.5 °F). About 1645 mm (64.8 inches) of precipitation falls here each year.
The summers in Ikeja are ill-defined because of the city's proximity to the equator. Visitation is most often in January, July, August, September, October, November, and December.[44][45][46]
With an average daily high temperature above 90°F, the hot season lasts for 4.4 months, from December 12 to April 25. Ikeja experiences its warmest month of the year in March, with an average high of 91°F and low of 78°F.
With an average daily maximum temperature below 84°F, the chilly season lasts 3.2 months, from June 23 to September 30. In Ikeja, August is the coldest month of the year, with an average low of 74°F and high of 82°F.[45]
Cloudy
In Ikeja, there is a substantial seasonal change in the average proportion of the sky that is covered with clouds throughout the year.
In Ikeja, the clearer season starts around November 8 and lasts for 3.2 months, finishing around February 13.
The sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly overcast 51% of the time on average in December, the clearest month of the year in Ikeja.
Around February 13 the year's cloudier period starts, lasting for 8.8 months, and ends around November 8.
In Ikeja, April is the month with the most clouds, with the sky being overcast or mostly cloudy 87% of the time.[45]
Pollution
Premium Times’ Oladeinde Olawoyin, who investigated the matter, reports the dangers that residents face due to the exposure and continuous use of polluted water. Residents of St. Finbarr’s College road in Akoka have been exposed to hazards arising from water pollution caused by a fuel leakage in the community.[48]
^The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (14 January 2015). "Ikeja". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 10 January 2018. ((cite web)): |last= has generic name (help)
^"Privacy PolicyArchived 11 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Aero Contractors. Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited, (Private Terminal), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria."
^"Ticket OutletsArchived 15 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Overland Airways. Retrieved on 27 November 2010. "Lagos (Head Office) Travel Centre Shop 17, Simbiat Abiola Road Off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way Ikeja."
^"About Us". Air Peace. Retrieved 20 March 2021. Head Office: 25, Sobo Arobiodu Street GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
^"Contact UsArchived 25 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Associated Aviation. Retrieved on 3 December 2010. "Associated Aviation’s headquarters is located at: 56 MKO Abiola Crescent off Toyin Street. Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria."
^"Contacts." Bellview Airlines. 21 April 2008. Retrieved on 27 November 2010. "CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE Bellview Plaza 66b, Opebi Road, Ikeja P.M.B 21766, Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria"
Nigeria
