URBAN MIGRATION AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN LAGOS METROPOLIS, 1899-1999

Abstract

Lagos, since its annexation by the British in 1861, has remained Nigeria’s economic centre. Existing studies on Lagos have focused on its transformation and growth, particularly its economic prominence and political development, with little attention to the interplay of migration and infrastructural development particularly between 1899 when Lagos became a sanitary district and 1999 when a new democratic administration was inaugurated. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the role of population growth, occasioned by urban migration, in the development of Lagos metropolis, with a view to demonstrating its influence on infrastructural development. The study adopted the historical approach. The interpretive design was used. Primary data including archival materials and oral interviews were used. Archival materials including intelligence reports, Colonial Secretary’s Office papers, government gazettes, and speeches of key government functionaries were obtained from National Archives, Ibadan and Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau. Oral interviews were obtained from 44 selected informants aged between 37 and 96 years for their knowledge of the Lagos metropolis. Secondary data including journal articles, books, theses and periodicals were obtained from libraries in Lagos, Ibadan and Ago Iwoye. The data were subjected to historical analysis. The colonial apathy to the development of an area beyond the exploitation of its resources was demonstrated by Britain in the growth of Lagos. By the last decade of the 19th century, Lagos had developed cosmopolitan features, which attracted migrants. The increased commercial activities in the colony encouraged population growth. The passing of the Township Ordinance of 1917 that rated Lagos as first-class created a Town Council, which sought to enforce strict building regulations. This forced many residents to move away from the metropolis to the suburbs. The existence of suburban settlements increased the population and encouraged the expansion of Lagos metropolitan area. Following the outbreak of influenza and bubonic epidemics between 1924 and 1926, the government proposed to develop residential areas to reduce the congestion on the island. Urban infrastructural development, however, suffered neglect from the overlapping functions of agencies in Lagos before the state creation in 1967. From 1967, it became necessary to merge the existing planning authorities to address inadequate facilities in the metropolis. This led to the formation, in 1972, of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation. The agency developed about 1500 housing units between 1972 and 1979. This achievement however failed to ameliorate the acute housing deficit in Lagos. In 1980, the state government embarked on a mass housing programme to build 50,000 units annually. The plan was truncated by the military intervention of 1983. From the military era through the 1990s, access to land was eased to encourage citizens to build their own houses. Slums were also upgraded and abandoned housing projects were revived. The increasing wave of migration into Lagos gave rise to population growth and urban congestion. The absence of a comprehensive planning in the suburbs of Lagos created haphazard physical development within the metropolis.