Olowogbowo
Encyclopedia
Olowogbowo is an area in the west of Lagos Island
in Lagos
, Nigeria
, also known as Apongbon. The area is in the central business district.
The community was founded after 1851, when freed Yoruba
captives and their descendants who had been set ashore in Sierra Leone
returned in successive waves to Lagos, and were granted land to settle in the Olowogbowo and Breadfruit areas of the island.
The name Apongbon is a garbled version of the Yoruba
"A l'agbon pipon" (man with the red beard), a name given to William McCoskry
, acting governor of the newly established Colony of Lagos in 1861.
Jùjú music
originated in the Olowogbowo area in the 1920s, when area boys used to gather in a motor mechanic workshop to drink and make music. Tunde King
was the leader of this group, generally considered the founder of the style.
Other well known people from the area include
Lagos Island
Lagos Island is the principal and central local government area of the Metropolitan Lagos in Nigeria. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 in an area of 8.7 km²...
in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, also known as Apongbon. The area is in the central business district.
The community was founded after 1851, when freed Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
captives and their descendants who had been set ashore in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
returned in successive waves to Lagos, and were granted land to settle in the Olowogbowo and Breadfruit areas of the island.
The name Apongbon is a garbled version of the Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
"A l'agbon pipon" (man with the red beard), a name given to William McCoskry
William McCoskry
William McCoskry was a British merchant who served as Consul at Lagos, then as acting Governor of Lagos Colony.-Lagos trader:McCoskry reached Lagos in early 1852, soon after the Oba Kosoko has been expelled. He had already represented the British firm of W.B...
, acting governor of the newly established Colony of Lagos in 1861.
Jùjú music
Jùjú music
Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or...
originated in the Olowogbowo area in the 1920s, when area boys used to gather in a motor mechanic workshop to drink and make music. Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
was the leader of this group, generally considered the founder of the style.
Other well known people from the area include
- H. O. DaviesH. O. DaviesOloye Hezekiah Oladipo Davies was a leading Nigerian nationalist, lawyer, journalist, trade unionist, thought leader, international statesman and politician during the nation's movement towards independence in 1960 and immediately afterwards.-Family History and Early Days:Chief Davies was born in...
, a leading Nigerian nationalist, lawyer, journalist, trade union organizer, thought leader, international statesman and politician during the nation's movement towards independence in 1960 and afterward. - Christopher Oluwole RotimiChristopher Oluwole RotimiChristopher Oluwole Rotimi is a Nigerian Army officer, diplomat and politician. A distinguished officer, he eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He served during the Biafran War,and was the Governor of Western State while Nigeria was under military rule from 1971 - 1975...
, a Nigerian Army officer, diplomat and politician - Musiliu SmithMusiliu SmithAlhaji Musiliu Adeola Kunbi Smith, was an Inspector General of Police of Nigeria appointed in May 1999, who retired in March 2002 following a police strike.-Background:Alhaji Musiliu Smith was born on April 17, 1946...
, an Inspector General of Police of Nigeria - Munirudeen Adekunle MuseMunirudeen Adekunle MuseMunirudeen Adekunle Muse is a Nigerian politician who is a member of the Senate for the Lagos Central constituency.-Background:Munirudeen Adekunle Muse was born on 17 May 1939 in Olowogbowo, Central Lagos. He joined the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1961 as a clerk, and was appointed to progressively...
, member of the Senate for Lagos Central