Ibadan: The City Where Nigeria’s First Female Grammy Award Winner, Helen Folasade Adu Was Born.

Ibadan is the capital of Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria. It serves as a significant transit point between the coastal region and the northern areas. The city has a population of approximately 3.8 million people. Ibadan was the administrative center of the old Western Region during British colonial rule and still retains parts of its ancient protective walls. The majority of the city’s inhabitants are Yorùbá.

Ibadan’s history traces back to its founding by Lagelu, the Jagun (commander-in-chief) of Ife, who left Ile Ife with a group of people to establish his own city called Èbá-Ọdàn, meaning ‘between the forest and plains.’ The city thrived and became a prosperous commercial center.

The Olubadan of Ibadan, the city’s ruler, allowed the Olowu of Owu to marry his daughter Nkan. During a war campaign, the raging Odo Oba demanded a human sacrifice, and Nkan was chosen. Infuriated by her death, the Olubadan formed a coalition with other Yoruba kings and rulers to defeat the Olowu of Owu. The warriors who participated in the coalition stayed in Ibadan and became a formidable force, leading to the change of the city’s name to Ibadan.

Ibadan continued to grow and expanded as refugees arrived from northern Oyo after attacks by Fulani warriors. In 1840, the armies of Ibadan decisively defeated the Fulani Caliphate’s expansion into the southern region. The British established a protectorate in Ibadan in 1893, and the city became a major trading center to facilitate British commercial activities.

Today, Ibadan remains a significant city in Nigeria, known for its historical importance, population, and economic activities.

Helen Fọláṣadé Adú was born in Ibadan, but her father was from Ekiti, Yorubaland in West Africa. She was the first Yoruba person to ever win a Grammy award.