Of Chicago and Ibadan

Sir: There are interesting coincidences between Chicago in the U.S. and Ibadan City in Nigeria. Chicago and Ibadan were both founded in the 19th century and they are both the third largest cities in the U.S. and Nigeria. Chicago is the capital of mid west United States and Ibadan is regarded as the political Capital of South West Nigeria.

Chicago is the printing capital of the U.S. and relatedly Ibadan is the publishing capital of Nigeria. Chicago was crucial to the development of Jazz music in the U.S. and Ibadan, Highlife music in Nigeria.

Interestingly one of the Highlife greats in Ibadan was named Roy Chicago. Chicago is the home of the world’s first skyscraper and Ibadan is the location of the first skyscraper in Nigeria.

James Abram Garfield, a lawyer and classicist, who got his nomination for U.S. Presidency in Chicago, was assassinated, whereas James Ajibola Ige, a lawyer and classicist, who lost his nomination as a presidential candidate in Ibadan, was also assassinated.

In Chicago and Ibadan, we had Frank Lloyd Wright and Demas Nwoko, both described as evolving an entirely new architectural identity for the U.S. and Nigeria respectively.

In Chicago we had Oprah Winfrey, media proprietor, broadcaster and talk-show host once described as America’s most powerful woman for, among other reasons, the number of viewers of her TV programme whereas in Ibadan we have Folake Solamke first Woman Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), former chairperson of the Western Nigeria Television Broadcasting Corporation and described as Nigeria’s most powerful woman on account of being the first Non-Caucasian President of Zonta International Worldwide, a professional and business women organisation which incidentally had its first world headquarters in Chicago.
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth wrote from London, England.