Ikeja
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Ikeja is a suburb of the city of Lagos and the capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential environment with shopping malls, pharmacies and government reservation areas. Ikeja is also home to the Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherlan', both live music venues.
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[edit] History
Ikeja was founded by an Awori hunter named Akeja Onigorun, after whom the area is named. To this day, the majority of residents in Ikeja are Awori.
[edit] Communities
Communities in the area include:
- Oregun
- Ojodu
- Opebi
- Akiode
- Alausa
- Agidingbi
- Ikeja
- Ogba
[edit] Computer Village
Ikeja is home to a large computer market. Begun in 1997 as a small market of only 10 shops, the current market now has well over 800. 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.
As the market is unplanned, it has experienced growing pains. Some local residents are upset at the expanding market. Traffic around the area has become very congested, and it can be almost impossible to find a place to park. The electricial infrastructure, already overloaded and unreliable, has become highly stressed with the new market. Computer and electronics stores require power to work on computers and demonstrate their products to potential customers, and this added load has made the supply erratic[1].
[edit] Problems
An explosion in the Lagos Army Barracks on 27 January 2002 caused fires. Many fleeing people drowned in a canal when a bridge collapsed during the stampede.[2] [3] The official death toll was 600 people. Much of Ikeja was kept intact, however.
A disaster fund was created to provide for those displaced in the tragedy. The government provided food, clothing, shelter and health care. The official number of displaced people was put at 20,000.
Ikeja, like other Lagos municipalities, has suffered from neglect, a lack of planning and overconcentration of disorganized commercial activities (which include street trading).
[edit] References
- ^ Focus on the Ikeja Computer Village, Lagos, NigeriaBusinessInfo.com, September 2, 2002. Retrieved April 11, 2008
- ^ Anger follows Lagos blasts, CNN News January 29, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Talking Point - Lagos Explosion, BBC News January 31, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2007
[edit] External links
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