Top Ten Facts About Abeokuta

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    By Victor Olubiye



1. Abeokuta was initially known as Oko Adagba and founded in 1830. Its first leader was Sodeke.


2. It has the first church ever built in Nigeria, the St. Peters Anglican Church.


3. The first hospital in Nigeria, Sacred Heart Hospital, was built in Abeokuta and it is still functional.


4. The first bridge by a Nigerian engineer, Sokori Bridge, was built in Abeokuta in 1903.


5. Iwe Irohin, the first newspaper in Nigeria, was founded in the town.


6. The first Nigerian to become the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Adetokunbo Ademola, was an Egba man from Abeokuta.


7. The first woman to drive a car, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was from Egba, Abeokuta.


8. The first Baptist Church in West Africa was built in Abeokuta.


9. Egba King, Alake Gbadebo I, was the first traditional ruler in Nigeria to travel to England spending 20 days at sea between May 5 and May 25, 1904.


10. Since the discovery of Olumo Rock, nobody has fallen from it.

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