Ibadan: The Ancient City

Allow me to digress a bit. For some reason, I had been stuck trying to write this piece. I wouldn’t necessarily call it writer’s block because my problem was not what to write. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, the problem was not knowing how exactly to write it. I wanted to write in a more “sophisticated or professional” manner. Now, that I reflect on that, it kind of resonates as dumb. A friend once said, “Writing is all about the feeling.” I didn’t fully grasp that or I simply didn’t know how to apply it to myself. The article by  Webraintalk also helped in erasing that erroneous notion of a supposed sophistication in writing.

Now, I write about Ibadan. Ibadan is a city with many hills and in a state with its Yoruba culture so strong that it is acclaimed to almost rival that of the Yoruba ancestral home, Ile Ife. To many, this city represents the whole Oyo State because its population and geographical spread is not one to be trifled with. It houses over 3 million people making it the 3rd most populous city in the country right behind Lagos and Kano and the largest city in Nigeria by geographical space. However, contrary to popular belief, Ibadan is simply just a city among many other places in Oyo state like, Iseyin, Igboho, Shaki, Ogbomosho and some others with distances as long as 4, 3 and 5 hours separating Ibadan from some of these other locations.
The beauty of the city rests in the number of notable landmarks like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the IITA Forest Reserve, Mapo Hall, Bower’s Tower, Cocoa House and more as well as the title of “the city of many firsts”. Here are some of its many firsts. The first University in Nigeria – (University of Ibadan), The first Private TV Station in Nigeria, (GALAXY) Ibadan, The first Television Station in Africa – NTA, The first stadium in Africa – Liberty Stadium, The First Sky scraper in Africa – the Cocoa House, The First dualised road in Nigeria – named The Queen Elizabeth road, from Mokola to Agodi Secretariat, The first teaching hospital in Nigeria – UCH, The first Modern Parliament in Nigeria – Agodi that housed the Regional House of Assembly and the House of Chiefs, The First Government Secretariat in Nigeria, The first Housing Estate in Nigeria- the Bodija Housing Estate, The first and oldest surviving Newspaper in Nigeria – the Nigerian Tribune, The first zoological garden in Nigeria – University of Ibadan Zoo, The first city in Nigeria to have more than 17 radio stations within the same city, The first city to have an international research institute. It is also home to the first set of Research and Training Institutes in Nigeria. The pride of the city resides in some of these notable landmarks being the first of their kind not only in the state, or the country but even on the west side of the continent or the whole African continent itself. So, what it may lack in modernity or advancement, it makes up for in a very rich and valuable history and a delightful scenery worth touring. Another exciting thing about the city is its structure and buildings. Buildings in Ibadan stand out with roofs made of rusted zinc and built like houses on hills – as some ascend, some others descend. As the city attempts to grow and develop, it still tries to maintain that ancient touch in certain areas. This alone makes the city truly unique.
The people who reside in this city are quite a unique bunch. However, it prides itself in having a lot of artisans. This is as a result of the adaptive nature of its residents. Unlike, its neighbouring state, Lagos, Ibadan is not a city blessed with many white collar job opportunities and the modern day benefits of the labour market. Hence, to make a living, the residents resort to being business women and men and artisans and have survived on this for decades. In almost every corner, there is either a cobbler’s shop or a tailor’s shop or a retailer’s store. This is basically the culture of the people who live in the great city. The people are not totally dependent on white collar jobs which is actually a development if you look at it. I had always questioned why statistics said Islam is the most practised religion in Africa. At least, from my limited perspective, that seemed wrong. In Lagos, it was almost like In every corner, there was some church or chapel. So, I just assumed other places were like that. In Ibadan, most of its people practice Islam and it is not even an Islamic state which is quite interesting.
Unlike the trials of having to live and survive in Lagos, Ibadan is not burdened with such difficulties. However, what flows into my mind each time I think of the city is that, it takes pride in the titles of “Ancient City” and “City of Many Firsts”, does it really just depend on these titles and make no attempt to develop and become better? A city with so much historical significance should not be as it is. Many of the notable landmarks I spoke of have just remained the only ones of their kind. Efforts haven’t been made to create more of them or efficiently equip and renovate some of these places and bring significant development to the city and even the state in general. One thing for sure is that if enough resources are pumped into this city, it is sure to rival many of the great cities of the world in terms of rich diversity in culture, land mass and development.