Agege is a suburb and local government area in the Ikeja Division of Lagos State, Nigeria. Etymology When the kolanut plantations in the Agege area started to flourish it attracted huge settlements. Agege experienced rapid development and became a powerful center of the kolanut trade. These settlements attracted different people of different backgrounds and interests such as laborers, and most of these were Hausa. Whenever the Yorubas needed labourers for jobs such as cutting of trees, they would engage the services of the Hausa people. Because of this work the immediate area where the Hausas lived was named ‘Ilu Awon Ageigi’ which translates as ‘Town (Ilu) of the tree cutters’. The name Agege was thus formed out of the word Ageigi. Geography The boundary of Agege from the Northern part of Lagos stretches from Dopemu road through Anu-oluwapo street to olukosi down Fagbola through Osobu street to Orile road down to Old Agege Motor Road opposite Nitel. From the Southern part of Lagos it stretches from Ashade retail market to Akilo street. From the Eastern part of Lagos it stretches from Oba ogunji road up to the by-pass to Agege Motor road by Nitel office. From the Western part of Lagos, the boundary of Agege stretches from Abeokuta express road from boundary with Ikeja Local government to Dopemu junction. History The foundation of Agege as a populated and commercial settlement began when a railway station was located close to Orile -Agege, an Awori settlement; the new railway linked Lagos with Abeokuta and was subsequently extended to Ibadan and to the Northern region. Prior to the construction of the station, Awori and Egba farmers cultivated food and cash crops such as Cocoa and Kola nut within the settlement. It is worthy of note that large scale cocoa plantations in Yorubaland started at Agege, before extending to many South Western Nigerian towns. Commercial activities sprang up around the station as collection, sorting and grading of Cocoa for transportation and export took place at Agege. The kolanut trade between Agege and the Northern region also expanded as a railway service was extended to the Northern regions. Small scale market activities also rose as market woman set up shop close to the railway station. The Agege Local Government was created in 1954 and was operative until 1967 after the first military takeover when it was merged with the Ikeja District council for a period