“Aye le”(life is hard) is now one cliche statement that has been overused by Nigerians like a Ibadan danfo bus getting slapped ruthlessly by the conductor and other impatient road users.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm in love with IB. It's a complete juxtaposition of the hullabaloo of Lagos. I'm in love with the quiet and the slow, the archaic and the history laden, the unfolding and the slowly emerging.
However, my relationship with Ibadan, the 3rd largest city after Lagos and Kano is a carrot and stick one - like the ups and downs of the seven hills that surrounds the city - Oke mapo, oke ado, oke bola, oke oluokun, oke are, oke sapati, oke mokola.
Running splash of rust
And gold- flung and scattered
Among seven hills like broken
China in the sun.
Ibadan - J.P Clark
I've lived in Ibadan all my life and witnessed the slowly evolving and stagnant nature of some parts. Someone once said that if being capital was the key to development, then Ibadan state would be the most developed. Many have argued that IB is not buzzing, not lit, not there yet however, its residents have counter argued that calmness is sometimes what you need. That and the affordable cost of living too.
Here in IB for short, all tribes are represented well. With Yoruba people as the main residents, we have Sabo for the Hausas, Aba boys and Igbo men in dugbe and aleshinloye markets. In their full glory saying the same old phrases, same old advertising tactics “ I get your size” even if I'm a size 50. It may shock you to know that even the Lebanese have created a place for themselves in onireke.
I live in Ologuneru, New eleyele, where traffic( go slow type) is a norm. Once I eagerly followed my friend to get baptized in the eleyele lake expecting to have the look of a beach. I was shocked as I wasn't informed of the state I met it in.
Another thing that is a regular is the tanker sized vehicles majestically obstructing the entire sloppy hill that there has to be a u turn to pass an alternative route- Nihort.
There's the dusty streets of Ido and Akobo that'll perfectly coat your eyelashes and front hair when there's no attempt to be a ojuju(masquerade).
Then there's the Harvard of Nigeria- University of Ibadan where I study presently. Same old place I dreamt of going, influenced by my dad who was then a lecturer of Federal cooperative college.
I always enjoyed the trip to distribute unmarked scripts to lecturers. “Fine girl, take this small money eh” was what I enjoyed most, not the trips. However, those trips have modeled my educational journey.
Dugbe, the commercial nerve center of the city as described by Wikipedia is a house to the koko of Ibadan. The structures and buildings that have contributed greatly to the history of Ibadan.
Femi Johnson glass house, Cocoa house(first skyscraper), University college hospital, Bower's tower, Zoological garden,CBN building, Mapo hall and others.
They say wisdom is like a goatskin bag and every man carries his own. Knowledge of a land is like that. A goatskin bag a man carries wherever he goes.
Places worthy of recognition in Ibadan are Bodija, Dugbe, Roundabout, Eleyele, Ologuneru, Oluyole, Aleshinloye, Ogunpa, Bere, Ringroad, Molete, Akobo and others I'm yet to explore.
“Aye le”is now one cliche statement overused by IB residents complaining about the hike in prices of virtually everything but don't get me wrong. I'm still in love with IB.
This is so beautifully written. Well done, Flourish!
Flourishhhh... I'm serious, I need to enter your head and see for myself how you create and write so well 🥺.
I Stan for IB anytime. Ibadan is home, Ibadan is peace. Your descriptions are on point. I could imagine the places🤣😂😂. Thank you so much ❤️. Keep writing!