Cocoa House
{{Short description|Skyscraper in Nigeria}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2021}}
Cocoa House is a skyscraper in Nigeria. It was completed in July 1964 and commissioned in July 1965, by the government of Western Region, headed by Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.{{Cite web |last=KEHINDE |first=Fem |date=December 4, 2021 |title=Cocoa House Ibadan: Mansion in the sky, reminiscences and metaphors |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/12/cocoa-house-ibadan-mansion-in-the-sky-reminiscences-and-metaphors/ |website=Vanguard}} At a height of 105 metres,{{Cite web |last=Tabbey-Botchwey |first=Adom |date=2019-08-14 |title=Explore the history of Nigeria's Cocoa House, the first skyscraper in West Africa |url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/explore-the-history-of-nigerias-cocoa-house-the-first-skyscraper-in-west-africa |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=Face2Face Africa |language=en}} it was the first skyscraper in West Africa,{{Cite web |title=Ibadan travel guide |url=http://www.world66.com/africa/nigeria/ibadan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204123849/http://world66.com/africa/nigeria/ibadan |archive-date=2009-02-04 |access-date=2009-04-25}}{{Cite web |date=2011-12-23 |title=Cocoa House: Tropical Africa's first skyscraper (Includes first-hand account) |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/316622 |access-date=2020-12-27 |website=www.digitaljournal.com}} and was, from 1965 to 1979, the tallest building in Nigeria.{{Cite web |title=NECOM House, Lagos - SkyscraperPage.com |url=https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=31849 |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=skyscraperpage.com}}
It is located in Dugbe, a major commercial area in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. It was built from proceeds of agricultural commodities (e.g., Cocoa, Rubber, Timber) of the then Western State of Nigeria.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-04|title=Cocoa House: Nigeria's 1st skyscraper is decaying even though it rakes in millions of naira for 6 states [Special Report]|url=https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/cocoa-house-nigerias-1st-skyscraper-is-decaying-even-though-it-rakes-in-millions-of/ty8mjlv|access-date=2020-12-27|website=Pulse Nigeria|language=en-US}}
The building today houses offices for major firms and broadcasting companies. Odu’a Investment Company Limited occupies three floors of Cocoa House. The Odua Museum and Hall of Fame which was commissioned by Professor Wole Soyinka in 2013.{{Cite web |last=admin |title=ODU'A MUSEUM & HALL OF FAME |url=https://oduainvestment.com.ng/odua-museum-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |language=en-US}}
Name
The initial name given to the 26-storey building was 'Ile Awon Agbe', translating from Yoruba to 'House of Farmers' in English.{{Cite web|date=2018-04-06|title=Whither Odu's group: The rot in Cocoa House|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/04/whither-odus-group-rot-cocoa-house/|access-date=2020-12-27|website=Vanguard News|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://connectnigeria.com/articles/2016/08/4-things-not-know-cocoa-house/|title = Articles • Connect Nigeria}}
The name was later changed to Cocoa House because it was built with proceeds from cocoa exportation and also because there was a cocoa tree planted in front of the building just beside a water fountain.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-20 |title=Cocoa grown illegally in a Nigerian rainforest heads to companies that supply major chocolate makers |url=https://apnews.com/article/chocolate-deforestation-cocoa-farming-nigeria-8813c4656635a4ae8b49c6fd7ced6d28 |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=AP News |language=en}} The building, belonging to the Odua Investment Company Limited, became a source of joy and pride for the residents of Ibadan and Nigeria as a whole.{{Cite web|title=Explore the history of Nigeria's Cocoa House, the first skyscraper in West Africa|url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/explore-the-history-of-nigerias-cocoa-house-the-first-skyscraper-in-west-africa|access-date=2020-12-20|website=Face2Face Africa|date=14 August 2019|language=en-US}}
History
The 26-storey building was proposed by Obafemi Awolowo with allocations from the proceeds of cocoa exportation and commissioned by the National Investment and Property Company (NIPC), a property development company set up by the government.
The entire building was gutted by fire on January 9, 1985, which began in the top floors from malfunctioning electrical equipment. It was closed from public use until it was renovated in August 1992 and re-opened for commercial use.
The building is managed by Wemabod Estates Limited, a subsidiary of O'dua group of companies.L. Denzer, Folayegbe M. Akintunde-Ighodalo: a public life. Ibadan: Sam Bookman Publishers, 2001. It is the property of Odu'a Investment Company Limited.
References
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Category:Tourist attractions in Ibadan
Category:Buildings and structures in Ibadan
Category:Skyscrapers in Nigeria
Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1965
Category:Office buildings completed in 1965
Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Nigeria
Category:20th-century architecture in Nigeria
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