Inside Isale Eko: Discovering the Roots of Lagos

Before Lagos became a city of skyscrapers, expressways, shopping malls and sprawling neighbourhoods, there was Eko.

And deep within the historic heart of that old Lagos is Isale Eko—a place whose story is inseparable from the origins of Lagos Island and the evolution of the Lagos we know today.

For many people, Isale Eko is simply an old part of Lagos Island. But walk through its streets, family compounds and historic quarters, and another picture emerges: one of indigenous settlements, royal traditions, trade, migration, chieftaincy and generations of families whose histories stretch back centuries.

This is where the story becomes more interesting.

What Does Isale Eko Mean?

The name Isale Eko is generally understood to mean the “lower part” or “downtown” area of Eko. Historically, it referred to the southern or lower section of the settlement that developed on Lagos Island.

The area is particularly significant because traditions about its beginnings are connected to Aromire, one of the sons of Olofin, an important figure in Awori settlement history.

According to the Isale Eko Descendants Union, Aromire established a pepper farm on the island. That settlement eventually became associated with the area now known as Isale Eko, while the site of his farm became the location of Iga Idunganran, the palace of the Oba of Lagos.

In other words, the story of Isale Eko is not separate from the story of Lagos Island. It sits at its very centre.

Before the City, There Was the Lagoon

The Lagos of centuries ago looked nothing like the Lagos of today.

The area consisted largely of islands, creeks, swamps, lagoons and waterways. Fishing and farming were among the activities that supported early communities, while the waterways provided natural routes for movement and trade.

Historical accounts associate the earliest substantial settlement history of the Lagos area with the Awori, a Yoruba subgroup whose traditions trace their movement through places such as Isheri and Iddo before reaching Lagos Island.

The movement was not necessarily one dramatic migration into an empty island. Rather, Lagos developed through successive settlements and movements around the lagoon.

This is important because the origins of Lagos cannot accurately be reduced to a single person arriving one day and “founding” a city. Lagos emerged through generations of settlement, movement, landholding and political change.

Olofin, the Awori and the Idejo

At the heart of the traditional history is Olofin Ogunfunminire, remembered in Awori tradition as a major progenitor of the Awori people.

Traditions connect Olofin with settlements around Isheri and Iddo and subsequently with the development of Lagos Island. His descendants became associated with different settlements and, importantly, with the Idejo, the traditional landowning chiefs of Lagos.

Aromire occupies a particularly important place in this story.

Traditional accounts identify him as a son of Olofin who established a farm on Lagos Island. His association with the area is preserved in the history of Isale Eko and in the name and traditions surrounding Iga Idunganran.

The historical significance of the Idejo cannot be overstated. Their presence represents an indigenous system of land ownership that continued to matter even as Lagos later came under different political authorities.

Then Came the Benin Connection

One of the most fascinating parts of Lagos history is the relationship between the indigenous Awori communities and the Benin Kingdom.

Historical accounts describe military expansion from Benin into the Lagos area, eventually establishing a political presence on the island. The exact circumstances and chronology are preserved differently in various oral and written traditions, but the Benin connection profoundly influenced the political development of Lagos.

Rather than completely replacing the existing indigenous landholding structure, the emerging political arrangement left the Idejo chiefs with important relationships to the land while the institution of the Obaship developed around the Lagos royal lineage.

This produced a distinctive political history: Awori landholding traditions and Benin-influenced kingship became intertwined in the development of Lagos.

That layered history is one reason Lagos cannot be understood through a single ethnic or political narrative.

Iga Idunganran: Where Farm History Meets Royal History

Today, Oba of Lagos Palace, also known as Iga Idunganran, stands as one of the most recognisable historical landmarks connected to Isale Eko.

The name itself carries a memory of the area's agricultural past.

The traditional explanation connects “Idunganran” with Aromire's pepper farm, giving the palace a direct symbolic link to the period when the area was still characterised by farming rather than palatial architecture and urban commerce.

The palace later became associated with the Obas of Lagos and the political centre of the developing Lagos kingdom.

Historical accounts indicate that Oba Gabaro moved the seat of government from Iddo to Lagos Island, with the palace site at Isale Eko becoming central to royal authority.

That makes Iga Idunganran more than an old building.

It represents a transition—from farm settlement to royal centre, and eventually from indigenous kingdom to one of the most important urban centres in West Africa.

Isale Eko Was Also a Commercial Centre

Lagos did not become commercially important simply because of colonial rule.

Long before British colonial administration, the lagoon location gave the settlement enormous economic possibilities.

Fishing, farming, salt production, boat building, palm-wine tapping, carving and other forms of production supported local life. As trade expanded, Lagos became increasingly connected to regional and international commercial networks.

By the nineteenth century, Lagos had become a major Atlantic trading centre.

The commercial history was not always admirable. The transatlantic slave trade and later forms of commerce brought wealth and power to some while producing enormous human suffering.

Yet trade also transformed the physical and social character of Lagos.

Merchants, migrants and returnees arrived. Different communities established themselves. New religions, languages, architectural styles and commercial practices entered the city.

Isale Eko stood within this transformation.

A City Built by Many Histories

One of the mistakes people make when discussing old Lagos is imagining that its history belongs to only one group.

It does not.

The indigenous Awori history is fundamental. The Benin connection is fundamental. Later migrations and the arrival of communities from different parts of West Africa also shaped the city.

By the nineteenth century, Lagos had become a remarkably diverse commercial society, with indigenous families living alongside migrants, traders and returnees from places including Brazil and Sierra Leone.

This diversity left its mark on Lagos architecture, religion, food, language, commerce and family life.

The result was a city whose identity became increasingly complex without completely erasing its older foundations.

The Colonial Turning Point

Then came 1861.

Britain formally annexed Lagos, beginning a new chapter in the city's history.

Colonial rule transformed Lagos's administration, economy, physical infrastructure and relationship with the wider world. The city expanded beyond its older indigenous quarters, while roads, administrative buildings, commercial districts and new neighbourhoods developed.

But Isale Eko retained much of its historic character.

A study of Lagos's urban development notes that Isale Eko was among the earliest identifiable quarters of Lagos and remained a distinct area even as the city expanded around it.

This helps explain something visitors notice today.

Modern Lagos may surround Isale Eko, but the area still feels different.

Its dense network of streets and compounds reflects an older urban Lagos—one that developed before today's modern planning systems.

The Streets Are Part of the History

In Isale Eko, history is not confined to museums.

It exists in family houses, traditional compounds, palaces, street names and old quarters.

Academic research into the development of Lagos identifies early quarters such as Iga, Idunmota, Olowogbowo, Offin, Faji and Ereko. These neighbourhoods reveal how Lagos grew as a collection of interconnected communities rather than as one uniformly planned city.

That is why walking through old Lagos can feel like moving through different periods of history within a few minutes.

One street may evoke indigenous Lagos.

Another may reflect the colonial era.

A nearby building may reveal the influence of Brazilian or other returnee communities.

And around the corner, modern commerce takes over.

The layers sit beside one another.

Why Isale Eko Still Matters

Isale Eko matters because Lagos is increasingly defined by what is new.

New buildings rise.

Old neighbourhoods disappear.

Historic structures are replaced.

Family compounds become commercial properties.

And younger generations can easily grow up without knowing the stories attached to the streets they pass every day.

But losing Isale Eko's history would mean losing part of the memory of Lagos itself.

The area's history helps explain the development of the Obaship, the Idejo institution, Lagos's early economy, its indigenous settlement patterns and the complicated relationships that shaped the city before colonial rule.

Organisations such as the Isale Eko Descendants Union and initiatives such as Isale Eko Day continue to promote awareness of the area's history and cultural heritage. Their activities include historical walks, exhibitions, community programmes and discussions about Isale Eko's future.

Beyond the Skyscrapers

When people think about Lagos today, they often picture Lekki's new developments, Victoria Island's skyline, Ikoyi's high-rises or the traffic-filled bridges connecting the metropolis.

But Lagos existed long before those landmarks.

Its story began around water.

It grew through fishing, farming and trade.

It was shaped by Awori settlement, influenced by Benin political power, transformed by Atlantic commerce and later reshaped by colonialism and migration.

And within that long story sits Isale Eko.

So the next time you hear someone call Lagos simply Eko, remember that the name carries centuries of history.

And if you want to understand the Lagos beneath the modern city, start where some of its oldest stories remain visible.

Start in Isale Eko.

Because before Lagos became a megacity, it was a settlement.

Before it became a commercial capital, it was a community.

And before the skyscrapers came, there was Eko.