Ibadan
Ibadan gave me space to dream. It was in Ibadan that I decided the kind of life I wanted to live, the kind of career I wanted to pursue, and the kind of impact I wanted to leave behind.
The City That Held Me
Eight years ago, Ibadan welcomed me in a way I will never forget, not because it was all warmth and kindness. I had come to the city for my Post-UTME at the University of Ibadan. That morning, I wrote my exam, went back to where I was lodged, and slept off from the exhaustion. By evening, I had a craving for Suya. Around 8 pm, I stepped out towards the University gate, crossed into Agbowo Shopping Complex, and was heading for the Suya stand when I felt someone tapping me from behind. I turned around and saw a man who looked worried.
He said his phone had just spoiled and that some guys nearby were selling phones at a cheap price. He wanted to buy one, but needed someone who knew about phones so he wouldn’t get cheated. Then he added, “You look smart. Can you help me?”
In my mind, I was already side-eyeing the situation, which kind wahala be this one? But before I could think it through, he was gently steering me towards “the stand.”
As a supposed good Samaritan, I followed. The moment we got there and I asked to see the phone, the story changed: suddenly, there was a “game” we had to play. My instincts screamed that something was off. I tried to leave, then one guy shouted, “Haaaaa! They just stole a memory card here now! Everybody bring out everything in your pocket!”
I froze. The “troubled man” who had begged me to help him now turned on me, insisting I comply “to avoid trouble.” Fear gripped me, but my stubborn agidi Ijebu refused to let me hand over my things.
It was me against everyone, and my resolve was starting to crack… until, like a scene from a film, a UI staylite walked up. They tried to grab him, but he brushed them off sharply. He looked at me and said in Yoruba, “Omo Ogbon, shey iwo lo n duro ni?” (“Smart boy, are you still standing there?”). That was my lifeline. I followed him out without looking back, flagged down a bike and said, “Ade Love Junction!” I didn’t breathe easy until we were far away.
That terrifying night was my first lesson in Ibadan: the city will teach you street wisdom whether you came for it or not. I didn’t know it then, but the same city that tested me on my first evening would later become my home, the place where I learned, worked, failed, loved, fought, dreamed, and slowly became the person I am today.
The People
If Ibadan is the soil, then its people are the seeds that sprout kindness, belief, and unexpected opportunities. Over the years, I’ve met people whose impact on my life goes beyond friendship or acquaintance, people who believed in my dreams as much as I did, sometimes even more.
These are the ones who looked at me and didn’t just see who I was, but who I could become. They gave advice when I didn’t know which way to turn, corrected me when I was about to make costly mistakes, and celebrated me when I achieved milestones, even the small ones. Some of them have quietly made my life one of their personal projects, checking in on my progress, introducing me to opportunities, and ensuring that I keep moving toward the future I’ve envisioned.
There were mentors who invested their time, wisdom, and sometimes even their resources into my growth. Friends who became my extended family, willing to stand in my corner when things got hard. Strangers who, after one conversation, became allies in my journey.
From these people, I learnt that support is not just about words, it’s about actions. Ibadan taught me that when someone truly believes in you, they don’t just cheer from the sidelines; they roll up their sleeves and walk the road with you.
Food
Now, amala and gbegiri with ewedu and ogunfe is not just food to me, it’s a drug, it’s therapy, it’s happiness served on a plate. Each time I eat it, I taste not just flavors, but memories, laughter, and the unspoken language of this city.fed my heart with memories of late-night meals with friends after long study hours, and Sunday afternoons when food tasted like home even far away from my family.
The Transition
When I first came to Ibadan, I was just a boy full of dreams, armed with ambition, but carrying more questions than answers. Life here didn’t hand me those answers on a silver plate; it taught me how to go out and find them myself.
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It was in this city that I paid my first rent, felt the weight of a key to my own space in my palm, and realized that independence isn’t as glamorous as it looks from the outside. I learned to stretch money until the end of the month, to make decisions without running to call home for every little challenge, and to stand my ground when life tested my resolve.
Ibadan became my classroom for adulthood. Every delayed project, every burst of unexpected success, every silent night wondering how things would turn out, all of it was part of the shaping. And yes, in Ibadan, I cried. I cried from frustration, from loneliness, from moments when things seemed too heavy to bear. But I also cried tears of joy, when breakthroughs came, when doors opened, when the same city that tested me also embraced me.
I discovered that manhood isn’t a sudden leap; it’s a slow, steady molding of character. It’s forged in the heat of hardship, polished by small victories, deepened by failures, and strengthened by the quiet growth no one claps for.
Ibadan didn’t just age me, it matured me. It stripped away the boy who arrived and sent out a man who understands that resilience is built one day, one choice, and one challenge at a time.
Career Beginnings
Life has a poetic way of completing its circles. After graduation, as I thought about where to begin my engineering career, I had a conversation with my boss and mentor, Engr. Fausat, an Associate Partner at Etteh Aro & Partners, where I had interned as an undergraduate. I shared with her my passion for Water and Environmental Engineering, and she encouraged me to consider Konsadem Associates Ltd, one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous water and environmental engineering consulting firms. While Etteh Aro & Partners is renowned for its excellence in structural engineering and highway engineering, she believed Konsadem would be the right place for me to grow in the area I was most passionate about.
That recommendation became a turning point. Konsadem Associates Ltd became not just my workplace but my training ground in the real world of engineering. During my NYSC year, I continued my work within the same organization, deepening my skills, building relationships, and contributing to projects that mattered. As a water and environmental engineer, I was part of designs and solutions that directly improved communities, mainly water supply systems, wastewater management, environmental protection initiatives.
Ibadan didn’t just educate me; it employed me, challenged me, and gave me a platform to make real impact.
The Visions
Ibadan gave me space to dream, and not just safe, comfortable dreams, but the kind that scare you a little because they’re so big. The city’s calm pace allowed my thoughts to grow roots and spread wide. Here, I had my share of crazy ideas, business concepts scribbled in notebooks at midnight, engineering solutions sketched on scraps of paper, bold plans to solve problems bigger than myself.
I found inspiration in the most unexpected places: in the patience of a market woman waiting for customers, in the determination of students chasing degrees against all odds, in the resilience of a community that keeps moving no matter the challenges.
From those moments, I found direction, a clearer understanding of who I am, what I stand for, and where I want my life to go. Ibadan didn’t just feed my imagination; it disciplined it, shaping my visions into plans, and my plans into actions.
The Balancing Act
Eight years in one city is enough time to experience both mountaintops and valleys. I have had my share of wins here, academic achievements, professional breakthroughs, long-lasting friendships, and moments when life exceeded my expectations.
But there were also the losses: plans that didn’t work out, opportunities that slipped away, relationships that faded, and seasons of uncertainty that tested my resolve. In Ibadan, I learnt life. I saw betrayal for what it is, it is a painful teacher that strips away illusions and sharpens discernment. Ibadan taught me that both the wins and the losses are part of the same journey, and sometimes the loss is just a disguised win, shaping you for something greater.
What else?
Now, as I prepare to leave, I realize Ibadan is more than a city to me, it’s home. The place where my roots grew deep, where my dreams found structure, and where my heart feels anchored.
I know life will take me to different parts of the world, but Ibadan will always be my compass. Wherever I go, I will always find my way back here, because this city has given me so much, and I owe it.
Ibadan gave me so many things — lessons, scars, victories, and memories I’ll carry for a lifetime. It molded me, tested me, and reshaped me in ways I never expected.
Maybe I have more to say, yeah! I can’t put eight years to words in a single writeup but I can just hint about it. Ibadan gave me many things, including something special, Love.
