Cocoa House

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Cocoa House

Cocoa House, completed in 1965 at a height of 105 metres,^{[citation needed]} was once the tallest building in Nigeria and the first skyscraper in West Africa.^[1][2] 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.^[3]

Name[]

The initial name given to the 26-storey building was 'Ile Awon Agbe', translating from Yoruba to 'House of Farmers' in English.^[4][5] 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. 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.^[6]

History[]

The 26-storey building was proposed by Obafemi Awolowo with allocations from the proceeds of cocoa exportation. The contractors were Cappa and D’Alberto. It was commissioned use in August 1965 by the defunct Western Region government.

The entire building was gutted by fire on January 9, 1985, which began in the top floors from a malfunctioned electrical equipment. It was closed from public use until it was renovated in August 1992^[5] and opened for commercial use.

The building is managed by Wemabod Estates Limited, a subsidiary of O'dua group of companies.^[7] It is the property of Odu'a Investment Company Limited.

References[]

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