Ebute Metta, which translates to " The Three Harbours" in the Yoruba language, is one of the oldest and most culturally significant communities in Lagos. Its name refers to the three original harbours— Iddo, Otto, and Oyingbo— that once served as vital entry points for goods arriving in Lagos. These harbours were under the control of the Oba Oloto of Otto, who, in ancient times, deployed his agents to collect taxes from ships docking in the area, thus establishing Ebute Metta as a central node in Lagos' economic history.

The mid- 19th century marked a turning point in Ebute Metta' s development. In the 1850s, tensions flared between Christian converts and traditional religious adherents in Abeokuta. By 1867, fears of a full- blown sectarian crisis loomed. As European missionaries prepared to leave Abeokuta, their native Christian converts— terrified of being attacked by traditionalists in their absence— begged to be taken along to Lagos for safety.

Upon arrival in Lagos, the missionaries sought land from the King of Lagos for the Egba Christians. However, the king explained that Lagos Island was already congested and offered to refer them to his brother, the Oba Oloto, who ruled territory across the lagoon. Governor John Hawley Glover met with the Oloto, who generously allocated a large tract of land stretching from Oyingbo' s Coates Street to just before the beginning of Yaba (Glover Street, later home to the LSDPC Estate).