Ibadan

Federal State

Ibadan is a city in Nigeria. It is the capital of Oyo State and with its 5,881,345 inhabitants ( calculated as of 2012) next to Lagos and Kano, one of the largest cities in the country. The majority of the population are the Yoruba.

Geography

Ibadan is located in the southwest of the country, north of the city of Lagos and east of the border with Benin. About ten kilometers to the east is the Asejire reservoir. In the north of the city lies the smaller Eleyele Reservoir, which is fed from the river Alaputa. The river and its tributary Ona Ogunpa spring near the city and flow south. In the field of Ibadan are several hill, in the city center such as the Mapo.

History

Ibadan was probably founded in 1829 as a military camp. At the end of the 19th century Ibadan had about 150,000 inhabitants and was reputed to be the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa. 1893 Ibadan came under British rule. The introduction of cocoa production by the British brought growing prosperity. From 1946 to 1960 Ibadan was the capital of the British protectorate of Southern Nigeria and after independence two years the capital of the Western Region. In 1959, the first Nigerian television station was built in Ibadan. The city also became a literary metropolis. In the recent past there have been repeated ethnic clashes and there are reports of human rights violations. The hygienic conditions are poor.

On December 23, 2001 Justice Minister Bola Ige was killed in his home in Ibadan, who spoke out against the introduction of Sharia law in Nigerian states and for the democratization of the country.

Attractions

There is a known market and a zoo. The cityscape is dominated by two main landmark: Through the Cocoa House, the first skyscraper in Africa and by the Bower 's Tower, an observation tower built by the British on Oke Aare (the hill of the Aare ). Additional points of interest include University of Ibadan and the Mapo Hall, The colonial-style town hall.

Economy

Ibadan is one of the economic centers of the country. There are for example food, cigarettes and printing industry. The University of Ibadan ( established in 1948 ) is the oldest in the country. In addition, there is another University and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture.

Personalities

Sons and daughters of the town

• Sade Adu ( born 1959 ), Nigerian- British soul and R & B singer
• Hugo Weaving ( born 1960 ), British- Australian actor
• Mutiu Adepoju (born 1970 ), Nigerian footballer
• Seyi Olajengbesi ( b. 1980 ), Nigerian footballer
• Sarah Michael (* 1990), Nigerian soccer player