Surulere is a local government area located on the mainland in

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

, Nigeria. It has an area of . At the 2006 census, there were 503,975 inhabitants, with a population density of 21,864 inhabitants per square kilometer. The local government area is bordered by Yaba, Mushin, and Ebute-Metta.

History

During the rapid urbanization of Lagos, the city expanded to the west of its

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

, which included present-day Surulere. Families from different regions of the country have historically settled in Surulere. In addition to the local settlers of Lagos, during the nineteenth century, various emancipated African Brazilians and Cubans, who were referred to as ''Aguda'' or ''Saros'', settled in Surulere. Nigerians from the Northern region initially ended at Idi-Araba, while many people from the eastern part were in various quarters but predominantly at Obele, Ikate, and Aguda areas. Residents of Lagos Island who bought or leased land from the government and Aworis settled in New Lagos. In contrast, others lived in the neighborhoods of Itire, Lawanson, Ojuelegba, Animashaun, and Shitta. The New Lagos neighborhood, also known as the Surulere Re-Housing Estate, is among the first public housing projects in Nigeria. Itire, one of the quarters in Surulere, has a recognized traditional authority in the Onitire of Itire.

Industry

Emergence

In 1977, Surulere was the host location of a cultural festival,

FESTAC 77 Festac '77, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (the first festival took place in Dakar, 1966, the second in Algiers in July 1969) was a major international festival held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 15 Januar ...

, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. The event held between 15 January 1977 and 12 February 1977. Surulere is home to the 55,000-spectator capacity

Lagos National Stadium The Lagos National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria. It comprises an Olympic-size swimming arena and a multipurpose arena used for athletics, rugby union, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling and b ...

built in 1972 for the 1973

All-Africa Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the ...

, now abandoned and dilapidated.. However, in preparation for the 2009 Under 17 FIFA World Cup the facilities were improved, and the event kicked off successfully in October 2009. Surulere also houses the

Teslim Balogun Stadium The Teslim Balogun Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and serves as a home ground of First Bank FC. The Nigeria national rugby league team also uses the venue. ...

, a multi-use stadium with capacity in excess of 24,000 where mainly football matches are staged. The main commercial streets in Surulere are Western Avenue, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Adelabu, Ogunalana Drive, and Aguda, while various open markets are dispersed in different neighborhoods. Industrial establishments are predominantly located at Iponri, Coker, and Iganmu.

Landmarks and places

Notable people

References

External links

''Surulere Now!''
{{Coord, 6, 30, N, 3, 21, E, region:NG-LA_type:city(462261), display=title Local Government Areas in Lagos State