Administration and Demographics
In terms of administration, Lagos is not a municipality and has therefore no overall city administration. The Municipality of Lagos, which covered Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island as well as some mainland territory, was managed by the Lagos City Council (LCC), but it was disbanded in 1976 and divided into several Local Government Areas (most notably Lagos Island LGA, Lagos Mainland LGA and Eti-Osa LGA). The mainland beyond the Municipality of Lagos, on the other hand, comprised several separate towns and settlements such as Mushin, Ikeja and Agege. In the wake of the 1970s Nigerian oil boom, Lagos experienced a population explosion, untamed economic growth, and unmitigated rural migration. This caused the outlying towns and settlements to develop rapidly, thus forming the Greater Lagos metropolis seen today. The history of Lagos is still evidenced in the layout of the LGAs which display the unique identities of the cultures that created them.
| Local Government Area | Land area (in km²) |
Population (2006 Census) |
Density (inh. per km²) |
| Agege | 11.2 | 459,939 | 41,071 |
| Ajeromi-Ifelodun | 12.3 | 684,105 | 55,474 |
| Alimosho | 185.2 | 1,277,714 | 6,899 |
| Amuwo-Odofin | 134.6 | 318,166 | 2,364 |
| Apapa |
26.7 | 217,362 | 8,153 |
| Eti-Osa |
192.3 | 287,785 | 1,496 |
| Ifako-Ijaiye | 26.6 | 427,878 | 16,078 |
| Ikeja | 46.2 | 313,196 | 6,785 |
| Kosofe | 81.4 | 665,393 | 8,174 |
| Lagos Island |
8.7 | 209,437 | 24,182 |
| Lagos Mainland | 19.5 | 317,720 | 16,322 |
| Mushin | 17.5 | 633,009 | 36,213 |
| Ojo | 158.2 | 598,071 | 3,781 |
| Oshodi-Isolo | 44.8 | 621,509 | 13,886 |
| Somolu | 11.6 | 402,673 | 34,862 |
| Surulere | 23.0 | 503,975 | 21,912 |
| Metropolitan Lagos | 999.6 | 7,937,932 | 7,941 |
Today, the word Lagos most often refers to the urban area, called "Metropolitan Lagos" in Nigeria, which includes both the islands of the former municipality of Lagos and the mainland suburbs. Lagos State government is responsible for some of the utilities including roads and transportation, power, water, health, and education. Metropolitan Lagos (a statistical division, and not an administrative unit) extends over 16 of the 20 LGAs of Lagos State, and contains 88% of the population of Lagos State, and includes semi-rural areas. Lagos City has a considerable number of high-rise buildings which dominate its skyline. Most of the tall buildings are located in the downtown Central Business District.
Lagos was the former capital city of Nigeria but it has since been replaced by Abuja. Abuja officially gained its status as the capital of Nigeria on 12 December 1991, although the decision to move the federal capital had been made in now Act no. 6 of 1976. Lagos is also home to the High Court of the Lagos State Judiciary, housed in an old colonial building on Lagos Island.
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