Ibadan; A place where the past lives with the present

“Ibadan,
running splash of rust
and gold-flung and scattered
among seven hills like broken
china in the sun.” J.P Clark

So I came across a question on twitter the other day by Hotels.ng; what’s the most underrated city in Nigeria? and I didn’t have to think long about it to settle for Ibadan. Ibadan is city from a time older than the country itself, the origin of the land like major cities in the world has been characterised wars and bloodshed. Ibadan historically has always been seen as a safe haven and center of excellence in terms of security, protection and technological innovation.

At this junction, I would like to notify you that this post is meant to justify my decision of choosing Ibadan as the most underrated city in Nigeria. Any other issues raised is a story for another day

Ibadan is a magnificent city with a natural setting so puzzling and beautiful that it looks like a set from the 1800s. The amalgamation of red brick homes with brown roofs, the 1900 architectural sites that reek of a glorious history, the massive hills, great food and awesome people make Ibadan an experience of a lifetime. It is but natural that Ibadan has inspired many over the ages including philosophers and poets like J.P Clark and Prof. Wole Soyinka.

So let yourself go travel if you can; here on time’s curve within the city that touched the horizon. A city that has fought so many wars but refuses to lose the battle of it’s soul to the modern ways. In Ibadan, you don’t need a time capsule or machine to go to the past, all you need do is take a taxi from Mobil to Oja - Oba/Bere or make a 10 minutes trip to Ojoo from the University of Ibadan.

Ibadan; a place where the past lives with the present. You don’t believe me? Head for Agbowo where the past lives with present and future just at it’s doorstep. Within the past two decades the world has taken giant strides infrastructurally but the soul of Ibadan still fights for relevance, so with all the brown roofs, colonial style designs and the savage ways of the people the city became a major centre of national trade, a military sanctuary for ancient traditional soldiers and has stood the test of time, rising into prominence while its peer ancient cities have disappeared into oblivion. Visiting the city’s museums and tourist centres, viewing its centuries-old ancient artefacts and absorbing its rich history, somehow you become guilty of love at first sight and gifted with a surge of reverential wonder that leaves you awestruck.

Ibadan; a city where time and self goes to sleep.

I started this post with a legendary poem from the great poet J.P Clark. It’s only academic if I end it with wolfwords.

Bright brown really makes them smile;
its essence reeks of earth fertile.
Its golden rust has its own style,
Like sweet fragrance from a vial.

Reflecting on those cliffs of brown,
they see historic tales unfold
and ancient mysteries of old,
that they behold, that they behold.

The gleam of aerugo has its allure,
for those who would take the grand tour.
For search of riches, there’s no cure,
of that I’m sure.