27/11/2025
Nigeria's first-ever housing estate was built in 1959 is in Ibadan
Named the Bodija Housing Estate, what is now popularly called Old Bodija, it was constructed in 1959 by the Western Nigeria Housing Corporation (now Oyo State Housing Corporation).
The estate was designed with modern amenities of the time: electricity, water, and green spaces In the 1970s, a โNew Bodijaโ was developed to expand the estate.
The original estate features a mix of bungalows and detached houses and was planned with wide, tree-lined streets and had about 1,208 houses.
Initially, many of the residents were white-collar workers, civil servants, judges, professors, and expatriates.
Photo: A recent image of Bodija, Ibadan.
Credit: Ethnic African Stories.
