Stand on Obafemi Awolowo Way in the late afternoon and the shape of Ikeja becomes clear: office towers on one side, the Computer Village market spilling out of Otigba on the other, and traffic threading between them. This is Lagos State's capital city, and it works like one.
Ikeja suits travellers who are in Lagos for music, food and city life rather than beaches, and who are happy to move between a museum, a park and a market in a single day. It is also the practical base for anyone flying in or out of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which sits within the city.
This guide covers the sights and experiences in Ikeja that the source material supports, with a one-day plan that links them together.
Top things to do in Ikeja
1. Kalakuta Museum
The Kalakuta Museum, on 7 Gbemisola St in Allen, commemorates the musician Fela Kuti. The building was his second home in Lagos, built after soldiers burnt down his first home in Surulere in February 1977, and it was renovated as a museum in 2012. Inside, the walls are covered with historical photos, posters, paintings, murals, record covers and newspaper cuttings, and some of Fela's instruments are on display, including his colourfully painted tenor saxophone. His shoes and shirts are shown in rows, along with stage suits and the fur coat he wore on tour in Europe and the USA.
Kuti's grave is located next to the museum, and his mausoleum is right by the front gate. The museum is open Monday to Saturday, 10AM to 6PM, and closed on Sunday. There is a rooftop café, and visitors can stay overnight in one of several air-conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms.
2. New Afrika Shrine
Contrary to what the name suggests, the New Afrika Shrine is not a shrine but a music bar run by the descendants of Fela Kuti. It unfolds its special charm when live music is playing, and it is the only place in Lagos where you can legally smoke a joint. The Afrika Shrine was Fela's second home until a few weeks before his death in 1997, after which it fell into disrepair; the New Afrika Shrine, opened in 2000, was built by his family to honour and preserve the contribution Fela and the Shrine made to the local community and to the development of post-colonial Africa.
Most events are free of charge, and admission is usually 500 naira. The club is four times the size of the original Shrine and seats two and a half thousand people, with overheads covered by the sale of food, drinks and merchandise. It also has a small library, pool tables and chill-out areas, and organises educational and outreach activities.
3. Fela's Shrine
Fela's Shrine, at 12a Adeleke St, is listed as open Monday to Saturday, 24 hours. It is a live music venue associated with Fela Kuti's legacy in Ikeja, and the city is home to both Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherland, both venues for live music.
Pair a visit with the New Afrika Shrine if you are planning an evening of music, and check what is on before you go, since the experience depends on live music being played.
4. Computer Village (Otigba)
Ikeja is home to a large computer market popularly known as Otigba. It began in 1997 as a small market of only 10 shops; by 2019 the little shops had grown into multiple-storey shopping malls, and many single-floor buildings have been developed into larger buildings housing several shops that distribute and repair mobile phones, laptops, printers and other electronic devices. Most vendors provide computer sales and repair services, and it is also possible to find sales and repair services for various types of office equipment and electronic devices.
Nearly all the major Nigerian banks have branches around the market. Be prepared for congestion: traffic around the area has become very congested, and it can be almost impossible to find a place to park.
5. Johnson Jakande Tinubu Park (JJT)
The Johnson Jakande Tinubu Park (JJT) is a public park in Ikeja, beside Lagos State Secretariat Alausa, commissioned by the then Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in December 2017 as a recreational centre. The park was created in honour of three former governors of Lagos State: Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson (Rtd.), Alhaji Lateef Jakande, and Tola Ahmed Tinubu.
It is an ultra-modern park by the House of Assembly, and it makes a calm stop between the busier parts of the city.
6. Kanu Ndubuisi Park
Kanu Ndubuisi Park, on Mobolaji Johnson Ave in Oregun, is a public park and green space made for recreation and relaxation, created and managed by the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency. It has a Statue of Legends, a pergola, a waterfall, a children's playground, a lawn tennis court, a basketball court, seats and benches, patios and sheds, and a snack stand.
The park is open daily from 10AM to 8PM. It was named after a former Governor of Lagos State (1977–1978), Rear Admiral (Rtd) Ndubuisi Godwin.
7. Silverbird Cinema Ikeja
Silverbird Cinema Ikeja is a movie theatre in an ultramodern mall at 174/194 Obafemi Awolowo Way, with an array of shops and food and popcorn vendors. It is open from 10AM to 11PM.
The environment is safe and secure, and parking is metered. It is a straightforward option for an evening when you want to be indoors.
8. Viva Cinema
Viva Cinema, at 22 Simbiat Abiola Way, is a movie theatre that is not overcrowded and is spacious, with a spacious sitting area so people do not have to stand while waiting to see a movie.
Popcorn is available, and there is the option of small chops.
9. Archbishop Vining Memorial Church
Archbishop Vining Memorial Church is at 9 Oba Akinjobi Way. It is one of the named sights in Ikeja and can be visited as part of a route through the city centre.
Combine it with a stop at the Computer Village or the Oba Momodu Illo (Obada) market in Ipodo if you are already in the area.
10. Oba Momodu Illo (Obada) market
Ikeja has a main market area called Oba Momodu Illo (Obada) market in Ipodo. It contains many shops and makeshift stalls where merchants display and sell produce, meat, fish, grains and other groceries.
Go earlier in the day if you want to see the market at its busiest and to move through the stalls with less heat.
11. Foot Statue
The Foot Statue at Berger is a statue of a large foot, erected on a roundabout in 2017. It is a quick stop rather than a long visit.
Look out for it as you pass through Berger, and treat it as a landmark on the way to somewhere else rather than a destination in itself.
12. Dr Oluyomi Abayomi Finnih Recreational Park
Dr Oluyomi Abayomi Finnih Recreational Park is at 3 Opebi Link Rd, Allen, Ikeja. It is one of the public parks and recreational spaces in the city.
It sits near Allen, which also puts it within reach of the Kalakuta Museum on Gbemisola St.
13. Abiola Garden Ojota
Abiola Garden Ojota is listed among Ikeja's parks and squares. It is a green space rather than a built attraction.
Pair it with the Kanu Ndubuisi Park if you are spending an afternoon moving between Ikeja's outdoor spaces.
14. Ikeja City Mall
Ikeja City Mall is the largest shopping mall on the Lagos State mainland. It is a practical stop for shopping and for food, and the Silverbird Cinema Ikeja is located in a mall on Obafemi Awolowo Way.
Use it as a base for an hour or two when you want air conditioning and a range of shops in one place.
15. Guinness brewery
The Guinness brewery produces its beer in Ikeja. The brewery also produces non-alcoholic and halal malt beer, which is described as part of the Lagos way of life.
Note that the source material does not list tours or visitor access, so treat this as context for the city rather than an attraction you can plan around.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Kalakuta Museum on Gbemisola St in Allen, which opens at 10AM and is closed on Sunday. Give yourself time for the photos, posters, record covers and Fela's instruments, and see the grave next to the museum and the mausoleum by the front gate. If you are there on a day when the market is your priority, move on to the Oba Momodu Illo (Obada) market in Ipodo, or walk through the Computer Village (Otigba) if you want to see phones, laptops and repairs being traded.
Afternoon. Move to the Johnson Jakande Tinubu Park (JJT) beside Lagos State Secretariat Alausa, then continue to Kanu Ndubuisi Park on Mobolaji Johnson Ave in Oregun, which is open until 8PM and has a playground, courts and a snack stand. If you have time left, add Dr Oluyomi Abayomi Finnih Recreational Park in Allen or Abiola Garden Ojota.
Evening. End at the New Afrika Shrine, where the experience depends on live music being played, or at Fela's Shrine on Adeleke St. If you would rather stay indoors, take in a film at Silverbird Cinema Ikeja on Obafemi Awolowo Way or Viva Cinema on Simbiat Abiola Way.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Ikeja?
Ikeja has a tropical monsoon climate, with heavy rainfall in most months and a brief dry season that has very little impact on the climate as a whole. The source material notes that visitation is most often in January, July, August, September, October, November and December.
Is Ikeja a good base if I am flying into Lagos?
Murtala Muhammed International Airport is located in Ikeja, so the city works as a base for arrivals and departures. Several airlines have their head offices on the grounds of the airport.
Where can I hear live music in Ikeja?
Ikeja is home to Femi Kuti's Africa Shrine and Lagbaja's Motherland, both venues for live music. The New Afrika Shrine is a music bar run by Fela Kuti's descendants and unfolds its special charm when live music is playing, and Fela's Shrine on Adeleke St is listed as open Monday to Saturday, 24 hours.
What should I expect at the Computer Village?
Expect a large, unplanned market that began in 1997 as a small market of only 10 shops and now fills multiple-storey buildings. Traffic around the area has become very congested, and it can be almost impossible to find a place to park, so plan your transport before you arrive.
Start with the Kalakuta Museum and the New Afrika Shrine, then build the rest of your Ikeja days around the parks, the market and the cinema.