Introduction

This section is the city profile for Lagos. The profile attempts to present the most important information about Lagos and the ASToN project, drawing on information gathered through a questionnaire, a 2-day city visit, and supplementary interviews and online exchanges. Over the course of the city visit, the ASToN team facilitated workshops with Lagos State (LASG) to understand their ambitions and concerns for the project.

About the city

The former capital city of Nigeria, Lagos; is situated to the southwest of the country, next to a large lagoon which intersects the city and flows south into the Atlantic Ocean, which has given it a strong tradition as a significant shipping port. Lagos is the economic and cultural centre of Nigeria, a megacity of more than 20 million inhabitants with a population that grows approximately 3-4% a year. The city also attracts numerous workers everyday, who generate economic activity but put significant constraints on the city due to congestion. There are 17 million trips daily within the city, of which 97% are by road.

About the ASToN member

The ASToN member Lagos State (LASG) – one of the 36 States of Nigeria – and is composed of five Districts- Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe. The State of Lagos is headed by the Governor and Deputy Governor who are responsible for over 120 Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The legislature is composed of 40 members who represent the 20 Local Government Areas of the State of Lagos. The Legislative arm of the government has pre- dominant power to make decisions, and engage the general public before passing any bills. Nevertheless, the executive arm makes some decisions, especially on policies and programmes. Lagos State is generally autonomous from the national government in decision making and decides its own budget.