Know Your Neighborhood-Surulere
On todays brief on KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, we will be looking at one of the most popular neighborhood in Nigeria and also referred to as the sports city of Lagos mainly because it houses two international sports venue ( Teslim Balogun Stadium and The National Stadium). It is no other neighborhood but Surulere.
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Surulere is a residential and commercial Local Government Area located on the mainland of Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of about 23 km2 (8.9 sq mi). Surulere is also referred to as the first major link between the island and the mainland before the construction of the 3rd Mainland Bridge and bordered mainly by Yaba, Mushin and Ebute-Metta.
During the rapid urbanization of Lagos, the city expanded to the west of its lagoon, 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. Aguda is also the name of one of the most popular part of Surulere.
Nigerians from the Northern region initially ended at Idi-Araba (Currently due to their numbers, they also have a northern community in 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(The royal family are still living in the Onitire Palace in Itire roundabout till date.)
From a commercial point of view, Surulere houses so many businesses, in all sorts of industries. From clothing stores to interior design boutiques to car dealers and privately owned businesses etc.
So if you are looking at living in Surulere, this is a brief historical review of the area.
