22 Interesting Facts About Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital and most populated city of Oyo state, Nigeria. The third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano.
Ibadan, coined from the phrase “Eba Odan”, which literally means ‘by the edge of the meadow’, came into existence in 1829. According to local historians, Lagelu founded the city.
Ibadan is located in south-western Nigeria, 128 kilometers inland northeast of Lagos and 530 kilometers southwest of Abuja, the federal capital.
At the time of Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Ibadan was the largest and most populated city in the country, and the second most populous in Africa behind Cairo.
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Here are 22 interesting facts about Ibadan:
- Ibadan operates the most orderly and peaceful monarchy system anywhere in the whole universe.
- Ibadan hosts the very first University in Nigeria and the first and the best Zoological Garden nationwide (in the University of Ibadan campus).
- Ibadan puts Oyo State as the 4th largest economy in Nigeria. Ibadan is Nigeria’s 3rd cheapest city to live.
- Ibadan hosted the first Housing Corporation in Nigeria that built the first housing estate in Nigeria, Bodija Housing Estate.
- Ibadan has the oldest surviving newspaper in Nigeria (Tribune Newspaper).
- Ibadan hosted the first TV station in the whole of Africa 1959 as WRBC, later WNTV/WNBS and now NTA Ibadan.
- Ibadan has 7 Television stations (Galaxy as the first private station in Nigeria 1996, NTA, AIT, MiTV, BCOS, Channels Ibadan and Silverbird Ibadan).
- Ibadan has a whopping 14 Radio stations operating in the same city; namely Fresh FM, Splash FM, Inspiration, Premier FM, Oluyole FM, Lagelu FM, Star FM, Space FM, Diamond/UI FM, Naija FM, Radio Nigeria, Amuludun FM etc.
- Ibadan hosts Mapo Hall, one of only 2 Town Halls in Africa of Greco-Roman architectural style.
- Ibadan’s house-numbering system for postal delivery using the cardinal points, N, S, E, W, SW,SE, NW, and NE is the only one of such postal codes in Africa, designed by the British.
- Ibadan has the Bower Tower, designed by British Colonial Officer Taffy (also designed the Mapo Hall) is the only structure of its kind in Nigeria and West Africa, located on top of the city in the Agala Forest.
- Ibadan hosted the first fruit canning factory in Nigeria, Lafia Canning Company, established and owned by the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, and supplied by the citrus and pineapple farm of Apoje, near Ijebu Igbo (in present day Ogun State).
- Ibadan is the only city in Nigeria that has over 15 Federal Tertiary Institutions.
- Ibadan has the first stadium and International Stadium in Nigeria (1945) the Liberty Stadium (now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium) with 35,846 capacity.
- Ibadan is the home of Book Publishers, having over major 20 printing companies i.e. Oxford University Press, Ibadan University Press, Heinemann, Evans, Spectrum, Bounty, Odua Press, Macmillan etc.
- Ibadan hosts the Regional Headquarter of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dugbe, under which states like Ondo,Delta, Ogun, Kogi,Edo Ekiti, Ilorin, and Oyo operate.
- Ibadan to Oyo is the first motorable road in Nigeria 1905 built by Sir Percy Girouard.
- The busiest road in Nigeria after Lagos-Abeokuta expressway is Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
- An Ibadan man, Mr Taiwo Akinkumi designed Nigeria Nation Flag (1959).
- Ibadan has the first tallest building in Africa, “Cocoa House” 1952.
- Ibadan hosts the first secondary school in Nigeria – Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, 1913.
- Ibadan is the city with the highest number of professors in the whole of Africa.
How many of these facts did you know? Share with us in the comments section.