Epe LGA — Lagoon Town, Artisanal Fishing, and Future Development

Overview

Epe sits at the eastern end of the Lagos Lagoon. Traditionally known for artisanal fishing and a slower pace of life, Epe is today the stage for major road and industrial development projects reshaping the eastern edge of the state.

Origins and Settlement

Epe is a traditional Ijebu settlement, a Yoruba subgroup, founded in the mid-18th century as the chief trading port for Ijebu-Ode, the capital of the Ijebu kingdom, dealing in cloth, agricultural produce, and, in that era, enslaved people. Local tradition holds that Uraka, a hunter from Ile-Ife, was the town's first settler, arriving on a hunting expedition to a forest he named "Oko-Epe," a name that eventually became Epe. The Awori people, skilled fishermen and traders, later turned Epe into a strategic port for the Ijebu kingdom, drawing on the lagoon for fishing and salt production traded with the Yoruba hinterland. In the 19th century the town became caught up in major political upheavals: occupied by Kosoko, the exiled ruler of Lagos, it later served in 1892 as the embarkation point for Governor Gilbert Carter's military expedition against the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode.

The Oluwo Fish Market

Today Epe remains an essential collection point for produce bound for Lagos, including fish, cassava, corn, vegetables, coconuts, cocoa, palm produce, and firewood. The Oluwo fish market, said to be as old as the town itself, is the living symbol of that trade: it is the largest fresh fish market in all of Lagos State and continues to supply the metropolis with lagoon produce, cementing Epe's status as the region's true fishing capital.

Major Points of Interest

• Epe Fish Market (Oluwo Market): The area's most famous market for fresh fish and aquatic produce.
• University Campuses: Home to the engineering and agriculture campus of Lagos State University (LASU), located on the Lekki–Epe road.
• Alaro City: A new planned industrial and residential city integrated into the Ibeju-Lekki free trade zone.

Future Developments

The planned Epe–Ibeju international airport and the widening of the Lekki–Epe Expressway are positioning Epe as Lagos State's next strategic growth hub, drawing new investment into logistics, tourism, and light industry along a corridor that was, until recently, one of the quietest stretches of the entire state.

Key figures for the LGA

• Area: 1,315 km²
• 2022 estimate: 269,000 inhabitants

These figures come from the Wikipedia page for Epe (infobox). For Epe, the page gives 269,000 inhabitants (2022) in its infobox and "approximately 181,409" at the 2006 census, without saying whether the second figure is for the town or the LGA. The 2006 census is disputed: treat these values as orders of magnitude.