The Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan was Nigeria’s first housing estate. It came into being when the regional government decided to increase the number of modern houses available in the city. The estate was constructed in 1959.
Initially, the Bodija Housing was built on 400 acres of land in the Bodija area. At the time it was built, the area that is now Bodija was on the outskirts of the city of Ibadan.
All the houses in the Estate had all the basic amenities: light, water, garden, and gardens. The only difference in the houses were the architectural designs, the materials used, and the number of rooms in each structure.
Most of the houses in the area were then occupied by white-collar workers and professionals. Although some residents of Ibadan’s older and more congested areas took advantage of the opportunity to buy houses in the newly-developed Bodija area.
To date, the Bodija Estate is one of the best places to live in Ibadan. Recently it was divided into Old and New Bodija, housing hotels, lounges, restaurants, shopping malls, and modern houses. It remains Nigeria’s first housing estate.
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