Did you know that Ikeja means “Ikorodu And Epe Joint Administration”? Check out some other popular places in Lagos and the origin/meaning of their names.

We move around places a lot but do not know their origin. How they came to be or what their names really mean.
How naive we can be most times, when we just visit the streets, touching some places for the first time, even finding it hard to locate them because they are in the interior, obscure or confusing part of town, but then the names of these important places hold significant meanings to the people who reside there and or maybe their ancestry.

So then I took time out to surf the internet for some popular places in Lagos and find out a brief history about them that harbours the mystery in their names.

Brief history of some names in Lagos

1. Ojota

Ojota used to be a military settlement in the late 18th century and soldiers practised their shooting there. The area had several gun firing spots and became known as “Oju Ota” in Yoruba
which means “Bullet spots”. It later metamorphosed into Ojota which it is called now.

2.Abule Egba

This area is on the outskirts of Lagos and got its name from the early settlers who were Egba people from Abeokuta. The area was first called “Abule awon egba” in Yoruba, which means “Village of Egba people”. It later became “Abule Egba”.

3.Apongbon

Apongbon is one of Lagos’ most popular markets, and it’s also quite close to the popular Oke-Arin market. It got its name from the then acting governor of the Lagos colony, William McCoskry, who had a Red Beard. The Yorubas who couldn’t pronounce the colonial governor’s name decided to describe him by his red beard and started calling him “Oyinbo to pon ni igbon” meaning a red-bearded man. It later became Apongbon.

4.Magodo

Magodo is now a posh area, but in the past, it used to be sacred land. The residents had a lot of taboos and one of them was to avoid using mortars and pestles, “Ma gun odo” which means “Don’t pound it”. It later became ‘Magodo

5.Epetedo

Epe is named after the early settlers who were Epe traders. The area became dominated by the Epes and they still trade there until today.

6.Ebute-Metta

Ebute-Metta is one of the earliest harbour docks where British ships berthed at. It was a hub for trade and commerce in colonial times. Ebute-Metta is a fusion of the words “Ebute” which means the seaside in Yoruba, and “Metta” which means three. The three shores are Iddo, Otto and Oko baba.

7.Broad street

Broad street used to be one of the longest and widest streets in the city. It got its name from its broadness.

8.Agidingbi

The British Naval forces invaded Lagos in 1885 under the pretext of stopping slavery and human sacrifice. The noise their canon made was really loud, and the sound was heard round the streets of Lagos Island. The people described the sound as “A gbi din gbinnn”. Which means a loud groundbreaking noise. The name Agidingbi was borne out of this.

9.Victoria Island

Victoria Island was also a major hub for commerce and British ships berthed there often. It’s named after Queen Victoria of England who was Queen from 1837-1901.

10.Ikeja

Ikeja, the capital of Lagos, is actually an abbreviation for “Ikorodu And Epe Joint Administration”. It was coined by the colonial masters for ease of administration.”

Feel free to add yours. In the meantime I'll extend my research and find out some more.

Feel free to comment also.