Is It True That Lagos Island Used To Be Nigeria’s Capital?
Popular Nigerian newspaper, Nigeria Tribune, quoted a claim made on X by ex-presidential aide, Reno Omokri, stating that Lagos state was never the capital of Nigeria, rather, Lagos Island was. This was posted on July 29, 2025, with a picture of Omokri and captioned “Lagos state was never Nigeria’s capital — Reno Omokri “Lagos State was never Nigeria’s capital. Lagos Island was. The rest of the state was not… https://tribuneonlineng.com/lagos-state-was-never-nigerias-capital-reno-omokri/”
As of when this report was published, over 290,000 people have viewed it, generating over 3,000 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @lekky29 said “What he said is 100% true. It might sound strange to you, but that's the actual fact. There was a section in Lagos that was once designated as part of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and it was located within Lagos Island.” while @Mrczar_ wrote “it is like saying: Asokoro in Abuja is the capital of Nigeria, not the whole of Abuja”.
VERIFICATION
From 1914, when Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated, Lagos which centrally meant Lagos Island city at the time was designated the capital of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, and this went on till after Nigeria’s independence in 1960. So, Lagos Island, the core urban area, served as the administrative and commercial hub in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria.
However, Lagos State which was created on May 27, 1967, became an entity that included Lagos Island and surrounding mainland boroughs. The new state formally began operations on April 11, 1968, with Lagos Island serving as both State and Federal capital until 1976. Thus, from 1968 to 1976, Lagos Island was the de facto capital for both Lagos State and Nigeria.
In 1976, the Nigerian Federal Capital was officially moved out of Lagos in legal terms. Although full relocation happened later. Concurrently, the state capital of Lagos State was moved from Lagos Island to Ikeja. While the Federal Government officially moved its seat to Abuja on December 12, 1991.
CONCLUSION
The claim made by Reno Omokri that Lagos Island was the capital of Nigeria, not the entire Lagos state is PARTLY TRUE. At the time of Nigeria’s amalgamation, Lagos state did not exist and was not created until May 27, 1967. So, Lagos Island served as the designated capital of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.
