Places In Lagos: Any Historians

3 Weeks and running, I'm the latest JJC in Lagos,

Does anyone have info on history behind the different locs in lagos? i mean the names of most places usually have something connotation like this:

Ojuelegba - the eye of the cain?
Onipanu - something to do with metal/steel
Ikeja,
Mushin,
Obanikoro - the king of
Ilupeju,
Apapa,
Mile 2,
Yaba,
Opebi,

these are the few places ive passed across/heard about,

i will really like to know/read about the history of these places and many more in Lagos, as in what brought about the names, events/past history, or can anyone help out? historians, please speak up,

Is there some kind of public library i could get such infos? please where

how about :

onigbo,
onigbomgbom,
Mile 12,

anyone with infos

hunnie trust me, you don't need to know the meaning of these places. Infact you don't even need to know how the names were derived. What you should know is the NAMES of the places you are going, and how to Leave the place you are.

YOu also need to know, what area is dangerous, and which area you should be in, Plus, how to pronounce those places, cos if you will going to places through public transportation, u are gonna have to be able to pronounce where u r going, and also be able to know wat those conductors are saying, so u won't jump in a car that isnt going where u are heading.

that sure doesn't answer ur question, but i hope it helps. history abt those places? i know that oshodi is a very busy place.

Kimba,

While I'm no history fanatic, I share your curiosity about the places I live in, so I'm sympathetic to you in your search for the origin of place names in Lagos.

I think some of the names are related to families that used to own the land, e.g. Oshodi I think was named after Tapa Oshodi. I also think that Ikoyi had a similar origin, but I'm not sure.

Some of them are probably named for some event or other, e.g. Obalende - the king has returned home

Some from what they used to be used for, e.g. Apapa - field

Some have colonial origins, e.g. Victoria Island

Not sure of the rest, but perhaps other people can chip in.

Ka

You can try this link.

http://www.enownow.com/Lagos%20now%20then/index.htm

actually ka
im pretty sure obalende doesnt mean the king has come home
it means the king chased us here, i heard the story of how a certain king did chase some ppl from his kingdom away and they came to obalende and named it that, oba le wa de bii

surulere is basically have patience etc etc, dont know how that came about

lagos, aka eko, iko, ikko is named after a place in portugal and means lagoon

san'field lol is named after sandfilling on the island

ketu is one of the children of oduduwa that formed towns

thts all i know!

@ka, @omon @gigitte

hey thanks, for all your replies, i appreciate them, truly some info,

wow, really, obalende, i never heard of such, nice stories behind them. I think this must be some good research topic, huh

pls can any other lagosians help,
others ive heard
mile 12,
iyano ipaja,
anthony,
palmgrove,
mafoluku,
orile,

once i hear more, ill post

i dont know oh! but i think anthony village abi? is named after the bank anthony family or sumn

WOW! This would have been an interesting thread. I love History and it is a shame that a lot of African history today still remains unwritten. I would love to read the history and real life personal stories of Lagos pre-colonial times and other cities in Nigeria but there appears to be very little literature dedicated to that genre.