NewStats: 3,265,518 , 8,187,060 topics. Date: Sunday, 15 June 2025 at 01:50 PM 5x1024

masseratti:
this is not about igbos abeg ...what's stopping them from building another one? much more modern,I don't think you have been to cocoa house before to understand the level of challenges that building face due to no usage that stem for loss of power to power the elevators,that was the major cause of non usage of the facility,they can just remodel it while the development commission build a new structure for ibadan skyline .. simple.. besides the commission has its board who will eventually take the final decision,not the Governors,I don't know why they are deliberating on. FG agency ..not their purview,they have DAWN,Odua investment,the kind of frauds that goes on in Odua investment will make you cry,they should focus on recovering it's assets, doing more business and investment with it .

I know the verminous character I responded to very well. It is about Igbos and their hateful and envious instincts towards Yorubas with that character and others like him.

Per the bolded in your post, why build a new structure at great cost when the current structure can be cost-effectively renovated and retrofitted to become more modern and functional? Especially if a building or skyscraper of historical significance and symbolism.

You can see a directly comparable example of a historic skyscraper in New York being sympathetically restored below. We should shun intellectual Laziness in Nigeria. It is killing us as one big reasons projects, regularly, are abandoned expensively to pursue new wasteful 'replacements'.

The black man, especially Africans, spends money wastefully simply because it is readily available instead of being prudent to then lean towards cost-effectiveness. Especially in relation to use of public funds.

mrvitalis:

Show me a screenshot of you condemning your Yoruba brothers doing same in Igbo thread or you are a hypocrite

My hypothesis is named after cocoa house because it was the first if such project in nigeria

Two wrong those not make right

LegendHero:

There is a saying in Yoruba “Eni ti o ni iru eni, ko le moyi eni”.
If you don’t have something like the Cocoa house, you won’t know the worth.

Very true, that building should be left in that dilapidated state to show that it's a very old building. In fact, they should collapse a part of it into rubble to further show that old is gold.
This is one of the backward reasonings that has made a state capital like Ibadan a sea of mud houses and rustic roofing.

UltraSolid:


Loser.

Zombified fossil

mrvitalis:
Cocoa House... That is a symbol of what I call cocoa house sickness...its my economy theory of what is wrong with Nigeria

Cocoa house sickness - when a country or state use huge chunk of money to build feel good or legacy project that is not economically viable just to show off

Especially when their re other economic pressing issues... And most times it's done with borrowed money

Hatred and bitterness are terrible diseases, and it may lead you to depression and kpai.

EmperorIsaac:
Good...But that house don old na....Let them bring it down and build a proper tower for the commission.

Which defeats the whole idea of history and tradition. They can give it a make over but never should they build a "befitting whatever"

Gboom:

Hatred and bitterness are terrible diseases, and it may lead you to depression and kpai.

Lol. Why do you think they have always lost and continue losing throughout the post-independent history of our nation?

BreconHills:


Which defeats the whole idea of history and tradition. They can give it a make over but never should they build a "befitting whatever"

That is the option they will settle on. Makes financial, historical and cultural sense.

The HQs of SW is Ibadan, Not Lagos, now they got it right.
They should develop Ibadan City to be like New York

Truthcat:
Show me a single ibos thread that has nothing to do with Yoruba, but Yoruba were there. You can't find any because Yoruba have emotional intelligence.

If I show u 10 what would u do to yourself

EmperorIsaac:
Good...But that house don old na....Let them bring it down and build a proper tower for the commission.

That house, like those built by Awolowo and co, are stronger than what all these politicians are stealing with these days.

mrvitalis:
Cocoa House... That is a symbol of what I call cocoa house sickness...its my economy theory of what is wrong with Nigeria

Cocoa house sickness - when a country or state use huge chunk of money to build feel good or legacy project that is not economically viable just to show off

Especially when their re other economic pressing issues... And most times it's done with borrowed money

If cocoa house cited in Ibadan Oyo state is not economically viable according to your Biafra theory, how come only Oyo state generate revenue that is more than all your five south east states that built legacy projects? How come with your legacy viable projects cited in the south east, more than half of your populations abandoned your legacy projects to come to south west states to share from the resources of those that built less viable economic projects based on your Biafran analysis?

How come more than 70% of your student south east population after graduation must step their feet in south west states before they can get good jobs where you believe is less economically viable with show off projects? You better keep your Biafran analysis to yourself. Money generated from cocoa house alone is nearly equivalent to what your two of the states generate in all your so called international market that can be termed local government market if they were to be cited in south west in of revenue generation

UltraSolid:


"Cocoa House sickness"? Can't you Igbos ever just read and waka on Yoruba matter? You must alway comment pettily and bitchily like pre-menstrual women. Bruv, get the eff out of this thread.

Whilst you have a point, you are also at fault. If you had ignored the Obidient poster, they will soon learn that their ridiculously immature opinions on such matters have no gravitas and stop regaling us with them.

The entire regions now have development commission except south-south,they are all forming development commissions without no single source of self funding from their respective region's,they all want to fund the commissions with oil revenues,the NDDC that we have today always had their funding from the oil wealth,but the new commissions that they are creating up and down can't come out openly to state where their funding will be from. And the funny thing is that the NDDC still have states from the East (IMO,ABIA) and state from the west (ondo) included in them, HAHAHAHAHA,this country and the open tribalism being practiced by the three major tribe's (Yoruba igbo and hausa) is really pathetic.
I don't have time with all their rubbish commissions o,all I want is that only the funds gotten from the states in each commission should be sent to their development commissions,no other states wealth needs to be given to another region to develop their regions,if you want a development commission,then source for your funds by yourself shikenna. Who want to vex can vex o,I nor send anybody papa and Mama.

sreamsense:

If cocoa house cited in Ibadan Oyo state is not economically viable according to your Biafra theory, how come only Oyo state generate revenue that is more than all your five south east states that built legacy projects? How come with your legacy viable projects cited in the south east, more than half of your populations abandoned your legacy projects to come to south west states to share from the resources of those that built less viable economic projects based on your Biafran analysis?

How come more than 70% of your student south east population after graduation must step their feet in south west states before they can get good jobs where you believe is less economically viable with show off projects? You better keep your Biafran analysis to yourself. Money generated from cocoa house alone is nearly equivalent to what your two of the states generate in all your so called international market that can be termed local government market if they were to be cited in south west in of revenue generation

Lmao which school did you go to please

UltraSolid:


I know the verminous character I responded to very well. It is about Igbos and their hateful and envious instincts towards Yorubas with that character and others like him.

Per the bolded in your post, why build a new structure at great cost when the current structure can be cost-effectively renovated and retrofitted to become more modern and functional? Especially if a building or skyscraper of historical significance and symbolism.

You can see a directly comparable example of a historic skyscraper in New York being sympathetically restored below. We should shun intellectual Laziness in Nigeria. It is killing us as one big reasons projects, regularly, are abandoned expensively to pursue new wasteful 'replacements'.

The black man, especially Africans, spends money wastefully simply because it is readily available instead of being prudent to then lean towards cost-effectiveness. Especially in relation to use of public funds.

it will çost way less to build a new building for the commission than to renovate cocoa house,the istrative building might not even need more than just 4 floors ...a ten floors new skyscraper can suffice ,then we raise money among ourselves to refurbished cocoa house ..those historical buildings you posted most were renovated with endowment funds, contribution..etc..my point is the commission should jusg face what the Manda is South west development...if Odua investment issues and ipo for the renovation of cocoa house .it will be over subscribe by Yorubas immediately..but when you put people who are not competent in such investment company with a very high turnover of management every four or eight years ..what we have now is what you get .. massive corruption is going on there..if you know the kind of assets those investment company sits on...some state budget can not even go near them in figures ..but still mismanagement.

anonimi:


How many times have the Brits brought down the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and other significant buildings to build a proper tower? Maybe the Americans have done that to the White House, Congress buildings etc? Do you have any clue about the words- ICONIC & MAINTENANCE

Is this lousy mindset part of the reason we are so poor and will forever remain so, happy to voluntarily make ourselves slaves to whites and Arabs, bragging about japa? Voluntarily unlike when we captured and sold some of our brethren as slaves for alcohol, tobacco, umbrellas etc.

Any idea of any scientific or religious proof of the intellectual inferiority of blacks to other races

The problem we have in Nigrria is comprehension, unfortunately. Just last month, we were moved to a new building, because the tallest building we hitherto occupy has lasted for about 50 years! They say its structural integrity is in doubt and they are about to bring it down. All the places you mentioned have undergone serious makeover in millions of pounds and dollars, respectively! So, learn to sieve out intents and don't lord your opinion on others. You don't have all the details; and even if you do, everyone's reasoning cannot be like yours. Don't quote me again as I will not dignify you with a response.

PeachtreeReside:



I SENTENCE YOU TO 50M YEARS OF BLESSINGS, JOY UNLIMITED, WEALTH, GREAT HEALTH AND EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES.

Thank you 🙏. I wish you the same too.

EmperorIsaac:

The problem we have in Nigrria is comprehension, unfortunately. Just last month, we were moved to a new building, because the tallest building we hitherto occupy has lasted for about 50 years! They say its structural integrity is in doubt and they are about to bring it down. All the places you mentioned have undergone serious makeover in millions of pounds and dollars, respectively! So, learn to sieve out intents and don't lord your opinion on others. You don't have all the details; and even if you do, everyone's reasoning cannot be like yours. Don't quote me again as I will not dignify you with a response.

Your hypocritical attempt at cyber bullying has failed before arrival.

If it is not cyber bullying, then point out where I tried to lord my opinion on others and asked everyone to reason like me

ElSudani:


He built hospitals, textiles, universities, radio and TV stations, industrial estates, schools and several manufacturing companies, some of which are still operating today. The Cocoa house was just an icing on the cake.
I think he was just getting started before everything was truncated.
Yorubaland would have developed at least to the level of south Korea by now.

Precisely why they had to strike, they don't want to be left behind.
They just don't get it, " won o to eye ri, iye ni won a ma wo l'eyin eye ".

mrvitalis:

Lmao which school did you go to please

If I went to the same unrated school (in Nigeria talkless of africa) that produced you, I will disgrace myself like you just did with your poor analysis. We saw what your best lawyers (that never lost cases according to Biafra rating ) that your schools produced performed poorly like they were just 200-level law students in the south west. Is that your same unrated school you went that you want me to mention or what?

TossTos:

You've spoken well and I respect you.. Exactly what PBAT said in the past. He never believed in one Nigeria but he knew pursuing that might ruin the plan and strategically he's breaking the power off and splitting it to the regions. FG allocation will now be split to regions. It will be more of competition like the good old Awolowo days.

For the sake of clarity...

What the then Senator Bola Tinubu (now President of Nigeria) meant in that two-page interview he granted to Ayo Arowolo who was then a member of staff of "ThisDay" newspapers back in the late 1990s is that "he didn't believe in the way the entirety of Nigeria was inefficiently constituted at that time" which coincided with the pro-democracy struggles by students, lawyers, journalists, and other activists with international to restore democracy in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections and the brutal assassinations of several well-known people (such as the car bombing of the Chief Security Officer of Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Chief Alfred Rewane, gun attacks on the vehicles of Chief Abraham Adesanya, Chief Alex Ibru was severely wounded but survived, etc) by the military hit-squads led by Al-Mustapha working for the criminal military dictatorship of Sani Abacha.

The headline of that original This Day newspaper article was sensationalized by the ThisDay Editor (like newspapers still love to do) in the late 1990s to generate a larger readership (and to give the impression that Bola Tinubu did NOT want to have anything to do with Nigeria again as of when he granted the interview to Ayo Arowolo). Now, you have an insidious gang of young, headless chickens sharing just the screenshots of ONLY the first page of that article WITHOUT reading the second page which most of those trolls have definitely never read to get a better understanding of what the article entailed.

UltraSolid:


Cocoa House is still an architecturally stunning building that symbolises the essence of progressive Yoruba leadership the "Sage" , Awolowo, and other Yorubas exemplified.

It is an inspired and iconic choice that simply needs modernisation and sympathetic restoration. It can be retrofitted to look even better than FAMFA tower in Ikoyi owned by Folorunsho Alakija.

Absolutely well said.

What you wrote above was on my mind until I saw your post which succinctly captured my thoughts.

The iconic "Cocoa House" located in the Central Business District (CBD) area of Ibadan can undergo gentrification into a modern masterpiece. Unknown to the younger generation, that building was the FIRST EVER skyscraper in Nigeria, and the famous "Western House" on Lagos Island was ALSO built by the government of the Old Western Region led by Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, GCFR, SAN, and his dynamic team of strategists, making the "Western House" the tallest skyscraper as of the time of construction on Lagos Island.

Second, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo's thinking was clearly light years ahead in the 1950s with the construction of the first ever modern TV station in Nigeria, first modern stadia, several Industrial Estates in the Old Western Region (Oluyole Industrial Estate in Ibadan, Ikeja Industrial Estate, Ilupeju, Iganmu and Isolo Industrial Estates, etc, which other regions scrambled to ALSO copy in Kaduna, Trans-Amadi in Port Harcourt and in Aba) and the current team of political and business leaders in the Western States of Nigeria have to be "disruptively innovative" and think light years ahead as well, just like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore transformed an underdeveloped city-state into a modern, technologically advanced country. I have a copy of Lee Kuan Yew's over 800-page book (which I first bought and read n the early 2000s) in my home library, entitled: "From Third World to First: The Singapore Story" and the book literally shows how countries can be transformed with innovative leaders who have a sense of urgency.

LegendHero:

The South West Governors’ Forum, comprising the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo States, held its meeting on Thursday, 13th February 2025, at the Governor’s Office, Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State. After extensive deliberations on key issues affecting the South West region.


Part of the communique:
—South West Development Commission (SWDC)
The Forum commends the Federal Government and the Senate for establishing the South West Development Commission (SWDC) and collectively agreed to situate its headquarters at Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State.

—Odu’a Investment Company Limited
The Forum acknowledges the efforts of Odu’a Investment Company Ltd. in efficiently managing t assets of the South West region over the past five years. It also commends the company’s Board and Management for the ongoing redevelopment of Premier Hotel in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the proposed redevelopment of the Lagos Airport Hotel in Lagos State. Furthermore, the Forum applauds Odu’a Investment Company’s proposed investments in other key sectors of the economy, aimed at driving sustainable economic growth and development across the South West region.

—Commendation of DAWN Commission
The Forum commends the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission for its improved performance over the past twelve months and encourages it to continue working diligently with South West Commissioners for Agriculture on industrialization and infrastructural development across the region.

Stop deceiving yourself before you run away with it that Tinubu has restructured Nigeria.

This is not restructuring but creating looting avenues

dealslip:

By now you should know this is restructuring through the back door, since you people up north will not allow restructuring through legislation, it will brought in through executive initiatives

Konquest:

Absolutely well said.

What you wrote above was on my mind until I saw your post which succinctly captured my thoughts.

The iconic "Cocoa House" located in the Central Business District (CBD) area of Ibadan can undergo gentrification into a modern masterpiece. Unknown to the younger generation, that building was the FIRST EVER skyscraper in Nigeria, and the famous "Western House" on Lagos Island was ALSO built by the government of the Old Western Region led by Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, GCFR, SAN, and his dynamic team of strategists, making the "Western House" the tallest skyscraper as of the time of construction on Lagos Island.

Second, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo's thinking was clearly light years ahead in the 1950s with the construction of modern stadia, several Industrial Estates in the Old Western Region (Oluyole Industrial Estate in Ibadan, Ikeja Industrial Estate, Ilupeju, Iganmu and Isolo Industrial Estates, etc) and the current team of political and business leaders in the Western States of Nigeria have to be disruptively innovative and think light years ahead as well, just like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore transformed an underdeveloped city-state into a modern, technologically advanced country. I have a copy of Lee Kuan Yew's over 800-page book (which I first bought and read n the early 2000s) in my home library, entitled: "From Third World to First: The Singapore Story" and the book literally shows how countries can be transformed with innovative leaders who have a sense of urgency.

God bless you. Demolish Cocoa House, a fantastic part of the history of the SW, and put what in it's place? Cocoa house is an architectural museum-standard monument and not just a building.

Great post Sir. Below are examples of UK grade 2 listed buildings warranting preservation protection while some want the demolition of one of the most iconically important and symbolic building in Nigeria ever. A historic skyscraper for that matter.

ValarDoharis:
What's the meaning of these commissions? Nigeria will not run a proper federal system of government where states control their resources 100% and pay like 15% to the central govt.

This is not a country!

The federal govt is shying away from real restructuring and resources control that's why they are creating regional commissions in its place.

UltraSolid:

God bless you. Demolish Cocoa House, a fantastic part of the history of the SW, and put what in it's place? Cocoa house is an architectural museum-standard monument and not just a building.

Great post Sir. Below are examples of UK grade 2 listed buildings warranting preservation protection while some want the demolition of one of the most iconically important and symbolic building in Nigeria ever. A historic skyscraper for that matter.

@UltraSolid,

Succinctly stated.

It's good to know that folks like you have a great sense of history. Those preserved UK homes in the attached images further emphasize what we are saying here.

However, back in the 2000s, I visited the "Western House" skyscraper built in the 1950s by the Old Western Region on Lagos Island before it underwent gentrification years later by Wemabod which is the property division of the Old Western Region and now Odua Investment. (Some elevators were down and repaintings of some sections were needed at that time but some sections that were already occupied by various business offices of Chambers of Commerce and more were okay). So, a structural integrity has to be conducted on the "Cocoa House" as well to ensure that it can withstand future earth tremors (and even earthquakes) because Ibadan and Abeokuta have historically experienced earth tremors (not earthquake scenarios) in the decades past due to the FACT that there's an earthquake fault line running from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. A top Nigerian geologist, Prof. Odeyemi had since the 1980s talked and warned about that fault line which es through the Western parts of Nigeria moving up North, (hence the Abeokuta, Ibadan, Saki in Oyo State earth tremors). Even Abuja and Bayelsa experienced earth tremors in the 2010s. With early warning systems in place though, people can be alerted to potential plate tectonic activities though.

That said, I was unhappy with the demolition of some iconic Brazilian-styled buildings built on Lagos Island in the late 1800s and just after 1900 by some wealthy Yoruba returnees from Bahia in Brazil. Those buildings should have been restored to generate income from foreign and Nigeria-based tourists. Fortunately the mansion (Water House or Agua d'Casa) built by Candido da Rocha, (the first ever Nigerian to become a millionaire in British Pounds is still standing. His father was an Ijesa-Yoruba returnee from Bahia, Brazil, and Candido also returned with him in the 1850s). With the rise of ancestry DNA tests by DNA testing companies, more Diasporan African descendants from the unfortunate plantation slavery years are visiting Africa (especially West Africa, Angola, and Congo) more and more to connect with their roots. Just last month (January 2025), A delegation of tourists led by Gina Paige of African Ancestry visited Lagos with her entourage (who had taken DNA tests linking them to specific West African ethnic groups either on the paternal or maternal sides) and the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu welcomed them in his office. They later visited the J.K. Randle Yoruba Cultural Center on Lagos Island and a few places outside Lagos. That's the cultural and income-generation cashflow from international tourism we are talking about.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

In all that will happen in 2027, may we not elect wrongly with the Pandoran trickster as well.
May Nigeria be great again.

ValarDoharis:
Lagos-Ibadan expressway propaganda trying to create achievements when there nothing tangible.

2027 and the incompetent Tinubu will be shown the exit

The children from the region of hate cannot fathom anything like this in their region. I doubt they have historical buildings and as well know their significance to the identity of the people, history and culture. Sadly, development came too late into that part of the country because they have always been filled with hate and envy from creation.
Anyway, they can make Okija shrine the headquarters of the SEDC. The shrine is a monumental and historical location for their history and identity. Awon weyrey

They do not have the political will to put Nigeria in the path of greatness. Perhaps,
we lack the ability to govern ourselves

Mrexcell:




The federal govt is shying away from real restructuring and resources control that's why they are creating regional commissions in its place.