Ikeja
About
Ikeja is the capital city of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria, and also functions as a local government area. It is part of Metropolitan Lagos and lies about 17 km northwest of Lagos city proper. The city is home to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the Guinness brewery, a large computer market known as Computer Village, and several major airline and television headquarters. The local government administrative headquarters of Ikeja is located within the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat. As of January 2026, the Chairman of Ikeja Local Government is Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda.
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. The first king of Ikeja was His Royal Majesty Oba Momodu Illo, whom was a descendant of Akeja Oniyanrun and ruled Ikeja from 1957 till 1997.
Source: Wikipedia: Ikeja
Key Facts
State
Lagos State
Headquarters
Ikeja Local Government Secretariat
Chairman
Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda
Area
49.92 km²
Population
470,200