POLITICAL HISTORY

Lagos State was created on May 27, 1967 under the State Creation and Transitional Provisions Decree No. 14 which broke the then existing four regions in the country into 12 States. The State which comprises the city of Lagos and the four administrative divisions of the then colony province of Ikeja, Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry, took off as an administrative entity on May 1, 1968 following the enactment of the Administrative Divisions (Establishment) edict No. 3 of April 1968.

GEOGRAPHY

With an area of just 3, 577 square kilometres representing 0.4 percent of Nigeria's land mass, Lagos State is the smallest state in the federation. The State is drained by a network of lagoons, rivers, creeks and swamps which account for 22 percent or 787 square kilometres of its total land mass. Hence, Lagos is most often referred to as a wetland state by geographers.

Lagos is located in the South-West of Nigeria on the narrow coastal plain of the Bight of Benin. It is bounded in the north and east by Ogun State, in the west by the Republic of Benin and in the South; it stretches 180 kilometres along the Guinea coast of the Bight of Benin in the Atlantic Ocean. Although Lagos State has the smallest land area in Nigeria. it has a population of more than 12 million thus qualifying to be classified as one of the ten mega-cities in the world.

In tourism circle, Lagos State is the indisputable pioneer in the industry. It is one of the few states which recognised tourism as a potential source of foreign exchange earning and consequently designed a policy to tap the frill potentials of this sector. The policy thrust centred on the provision of extensive infrastructural facilities and technical base for tourism development in the State. In line with this policy thrust, the State Government has worked out plans for the development of some of the tourist attractions and historical monuments located in its territory.

More detailed background on Lagos State