Lagos State<\/a> was created on May 27, 1967, and it is one of the known South West states in Nigeria. The state is located on the narrow plain of the Bight of Benin and is dominated by bodies of water, with nearly a quarter of the state’s area being bodies of water. Also marked as both the most populous and smallest state area in Nigeria, Lagos State borders Ogun State to the northeast, making it the only Nigerian state to border only one other state.<\/p>\nLagos State is inhabited by various indigenous ethnic groups. However, the majority of the people living in the area are Yorubas. There are also\u00a0the\u00a0Ewe\u00a0and\u00a0Ogu peoples in the far west. Other occupants of the land are non-native Nigerian ethnic groups like Edo,\u00a0Fulani,\u00a0Hausa,\u00a0Igbo,\u00a0Ijaw,\u00a0Ibibio, and\u00a0Nupe. Also forming a significant part of Lagos’ population are immigrants from Benin,\u00a0China,\u00a0Ghana,\u00a0India,\u00a0Togo, and the\u00a0United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Economically, Lagos State, the economic and financial hub of Nigeria, is the third most populous city in the world, having a massive retail market that encourages manufacturing sector activities. In addition to being the richest state in Nigeria, Lagos State is also the fifth largest economy in Africa. The state generates two-fifths of the country’s domestic income, and despite being the nation’s smallest in size, Lagos is the only state that independently produces half-year revenues in twelve figures.<\/p>\n
More than half of Nigeria’s industries, mainly agri-food and oil services, are concentrated in Lagos State, particularly in industrial zones (Ikeja, Ikorodu, and Surulere) and ports such as Apapa and TinCan Terminals. The state’s commercial port is the fourth biggest in Africa, and it handles over 1.2 million containers a year and three-quarters of Nigeria’s imported refined oil. Major cities of Lagos include Lagos, Ikeja, Lekki, Ikorodu, Eko Atlantic, Badagry, Epe, Ojo, and many others.<\/b><\/p>\n3. Ogun State<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- Capital: <\/strong>Abeokuta<\/li>\n
- Tribes: <\/strong>Yoruba, Ijebu, Awori<\/li>\n
- Languages: <\/strong>Yoruba, English<\/li>\n
- Economic Activities: <\/strong>Agriculture, Mining<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also among the South West states in Nigeria is Ogun state, which was created in 1976 with Abeokuta as the capital. Ogun state is known as the ‘gateway state’ because it is strategically positioned as the link by road, rail, air, and sea to the rest of the country. Some of the major towns of importance in the state are Sagamu, Nigeria’s leading kola nut grower, Ijebu Ode – the royal capital of the Ijebu Kingdom, and Ilaro, which served as markets during the mining industry day and still do today.<\/p>\n
Ogun State has twenty (20) local government areas, and it borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the west. The state is largely inhabited by the Yoruba ethnic group of southwest Nigeria and also by subgroups, namely the Ikale, Ilaje, Anago, Ketu, Ohori, Etc. Generally, it has six major ethnic groups: the Egba, the Ijebu, the Remo, the Egbado, the Awori, and the Egun. There are also significant numbers of Nigerians from other parts of the country and foreign nationals.<\/p>\n
Economic-wise, Ogun State has a large concentration of industrial districts, which has led to its status as the third-richest state in Nigeria. Among the major factories in the state are Dangote Cement<\/em> in Ibese, Nestl\u00e9, Lafarge Cement Factory in Ewekoro, Memmcol in Orimerunmu, Coleman Cables in Sagamu and Arepo, and Procter & Gamble<\/em> in Agbara. There are also breweries and plastic, rubber, aluminum, and paint manufacturing plants, which are some of the primary sectors contributing to Ogun State’s gross income.<\/p>\nOgun state is also home to some of the staple foods in the country. Rice, maize, cassava, yam, plantains, cocoa, palm oil, tobacco, and cotton are among the agricultural products that contribute more than 40 percent to Ogun State’s gross domestic product (GDP). Primary mineral resources present in the state include limestone, chalk, phosphate, and clay. The Aro granite quarry provides most of southern Nigeria with construction materials.<\/p>\n
4. Ondo State<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n- Capital: <\/strong>Akure<\/li>\n
- Tribes: <\/strong>Yoruba, Ijaw<\/li>\n
- Languages: <\/strong>Yoruba, Ijaw, English<\/li>\n
- Economic Activities: <\/strong>Oil&Gas, Agriculture, Mining<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Popularly referred to as the “Sunshine State,” Ondo State was created on February 3, 1976, from the former Western State of Nigeria. It has 19 local government areas and originally included what is now Ekiti state, which was founded in 1996 by General Sanni Abacha.<\/p>\n
Ondo State borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to the southeast, Ogun State to the southwest, Osun State to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Akure, the state capital, is rapidly developing into a commercial and industrial center and is the site of a federal university of technology.<\/p>\n
Ondo State is the 19th most populated state in the country\u00a0and the 25th-largest state by landmass. Its capital is Akure. The state consists of Yoruba subgroups of the Idanre, Akoko, Akure<\/span><\/span><\/span>, Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo, and Owo peoples. Ijaw people, such as the Apoi and Arogbo populations, are the inhabitants of the southeastern swamps that are close to the Edo state border. Meanwhile, Yoruba, Ijaw, and English are the official languages spoken by the people of Ondo state. There are, however, numerous dialects of Yoruba spoken in the state (Akoko, Akure, Apoi, Idanre, Ijaw, Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo, and the Owo).<\/p>\nThe economy of Ondo state is dominated by the petroleum industry. It is a 15% oil-based economy. The state also produces the most cocoa in the nation. Asphalt mining and activities related to the state’s extensive coastline also contribute to the state’s economy. It is the home to the Idanre inselberg hills, playing host to the highest geographical point in the western half of Nigeria at higher than 1,000 Meters in elevation.<\/p>\n
As the eighth-richest in Nigeria, agriculture is essential to Ondo State’s economy, with the primary crops being cotton, tobacco, cocoa, rubber, and lumber. The state cultivates palm oil and cereals for export, while its traditional industries include pottery manufacturing, textile weaving, tailoring, carpentry, and blacksmithing. Fish are also abundant in its many water bodies. Mineral resources you will find in the state are Bitumen, Dimension stones, Feldspar, Gemstones, Glass\/Granite, Gypsum, Kaolin, Limestone, and oil\/gas.<\/p>\n