Ibadan or Ilu Eba Odan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area, by population, in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of over 3 million, and the largest metropolitan geographical area. At Nigerian independence, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg.
Ibadan is located in south-western Nigeria, 128 km inland northeast of Lagos and 530 km southwest of Abuja, the federal capital, and is a prominent transit point between the coastal region and the areas to the north. Ibadan had been the center of administration of the old Western Region since the days of the British
colonial rule, and parts of the city's ancient protective walls still
stand to this day. The principal inhabitants of the city are the
Yorubas.
Ibadan came into existence in 1829.
According to local historians,Lagelu, the
Jagun (commander-in-chief and generalissimo) of Oyo Empire, left the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo with some his best warriors from Oyo, Ogbomosho and Ilesha, to found their military outpost to prevent attack on Oyo kingdom from Ijebu and Egba and ado warriors and their allies in Eba Odan, which literally means 'between the forest and plains.' According to Sir Isaac Babalola Akinyele, the late Olubadan (king) of Ibadan (Olu Ibadan means 'Lord of Ibadan'), in his authoritative book on the history of Ibadan,
Iwe Itan Ibadan (1911), the first city was destroyed due to an incident at an Egungun(masquerade) festival when an Egungun was accidentally disrobed and
derisively mocked by women and children in an open marketplace full of
people. In Yoruba land,
it was an abomination for women to look an Egungun in the eye because
the Egunguns were considered to be the dead forefathers who returned to
the earth each year to bless their progeny. When the news reached the
then Alaafin (ruler) of Oyo, he commanded that Eba Odan be destroyed for committing such an abominable act.
Lagelu was by now an old, frail man; he could not stop the destruction of his
city, but he and some of his people survived the attack and fled to a
nearby hill for sanctuary. On the hill they survived by eating oro fruit
and snails; later, they cultivated the land and made corn and millets
into pap meals known as
oori or eko, which they ate with roasted snails. They improvised a bit by using the snail shells to drink the liquefied
eko. Ultimately,Lagelu and his people came down from the hill and founded another city, called Eba'dan.
Shortly afterwards,Lagelu died, leaving behind a politically savvy people and a very stable community. The newly enthroned Olubadan made a friendly gesture to the Olowu of Owu by allowing Olowu to marry his only daughter, Nkan. Coming from a war campaign one day, the raging Odo Oba(River Oba) would not allow Olowu and his army to cross until a human sacrifice was performed to appease the angry river
..
In 1840, the marauding fulanis tried to expand their caliphate deeper
into the southern part of Yorubaland, but was defeated by the strong
armies of Ibadan.
In 1893, Ibadan area became a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of Lagos Colony, George C. Denton on 15 August.
By then, the population had swelled to 120,000. The British developed the new colony to facilitate their commercial activities in the area, and Ibadan shortly grew into the major trading center that it is today.
Christianity is the dominant religion in Ibadan with the overwhelming
majority of the core Ibadan City Center inhabitants being Christian.
Islam is the 2nd most popular religion in the city. Next to the
Olubadan's palace is the gigantic mosque where the Chief Imam holds his
Friday jumu'ah service sermons.
The best method to move about the city is to use reference points and notable landmarks.
Dugbe district is the commercial nerve centre of Ibadan. This is
where many banks have one or more branches. The south west regional
office of the Central Bank of Nigeria is at Dugbe. Also at Dugbe is the Cocoa House,Nigeria
's first skyscraper.
It is one of the few skyscrapers in the city and is at the hub of
Ibadan's commercial centre. Cocoa house is the headquarters for the
Oodua investment company co-own by all south-western states.
The first university to be set up in Nigeria was the University of Ibadan. Established as a college of the University of London in 1948, and later converted into an autonomous university in 1962. It has the distinction of being one of the premier educational institutions in Africa.The Polytechnic,Ibadan is also located in the city.
With its strategic location on the railway line connecting Lagos to Kano,
the city is a major center for trade in cassava,cocoa,cotton,timber,rubber and palm oil.
The main industries in the area include the processing of agticultural products; Tobacco processing and Cigarette (Manufacture); flour-milling,leather-working and furniture -making.
There is abundance of clay,kaolin and aquamarine in its environs, and there are several cattle ranches,a dairy farm as well as a commercial abattoir in Ibadan.
Ibadan is a busy city but also accommodates an adequate amount of
entertainment and relaxation. There are numerous bars, lounges and night
clubs to enjoy, including the Lebanese owned "KOKO Dome" which is the
oldest night club in the city dating back to the mid 90s. These are the
clubs you get the nightlife, unwind moments, ladies nites, dancing,
sashaying, strippers, splurging on drinks and more. Clubs: GQ Lounge-
Old Bodija Ebevande- Challenge Bubbles-Challenge Spyda- Agbowo Coded
Lounge- Challenge Clique 69- Ring Road Koko Dome- Cocoa House, Dugbe
Options 24/7 (Formerly known as Yepaa)- Ikolaba, Agodi GRA Time
Out-Oluyole Chillarz-Oluyole Club Ace Olympus X-Queen Cinema, Dugbe 411-
Sango-Bodija Road Apollos- Ringroad Echo Blues - Ringroad Topside
Lounge - Ringroad/Oluyole E3- Ringroad Infinities- Ringroad
Compiled by Adeyomi Adegboye
