REVISITING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF IKORODU DIVISION IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the socio-economic and political development of Ikorodu Division in Lagos State within a long 
durée historical framework, with the aim of situating contemporary transformations within their deeper historical 
contexts. Drawing on a critical synthesis of secondary sources, including scholarly monographs, peer-reviewed 
journal articles, and official government reports, the study reconstructed the evolution of Ikorodu from a pre
colonial Yoruba settlement embedded in lagoon-based trade networks into a rapidly expanding peri-urban centre 
within the Lagos metropolitan region. The findings revealed that indigenous political institutions, particularly the 
Ayangburen chieftaincy and its council system, provided a durable foundation for governance, social cohesion, and 
economic organisation in the pre-colonial period. However, the advent of British colonial rule from the mid
nineteenth century fundamentally altered these structures through the imposition of indirect rule, which subordinated 
traditional authority while integrating Ikorodu into a colonial economy oriented towards export production. 
Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the post-independence period, especially following the creation of Lagos 
State in 1967, witnessed accelerated urbanisation, demographic expansion, and infrastructural development, 
although these processes were marked by uneven distribution and emerging socio-economic disparities. It was 
therefore argued that Ikorodu’s developmental trajectory reflected a complex interplay of continuity and 
transformation, in which historical legacies continued to shape present realities. The study concluded that a nuanced 
understanding of these layered historical processes is essential for addressing contemporary development challenges 
and informing sustainable policy interventions in Ikorodu Division.