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Very interesting history about Obalende and the present site where Kings College is today sited:
In 1906, Obalende became a resettlement site for soldiers and the veterans of the Royal West Force (RWAFF). Hence, the name, Obalende was given by the natives of the land.
The Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) made up of predominantly Hausa men were initially camped on the land where King’s College, Lagos is situated.
Then, a need arose for the use of the land and the Oba of Lagos pressured the Governor of Lagos to resettle the RWAFF men, and sold virgin land in what is now Obalende to the British Colonial Government.
So they were somehow ‘chased’ to a new site at Obalende by the ‘Oba’.
Hence the name Obalende was coined:
The RWAFF men named the place Ibi ti Ọba lé wà dé, which translated from Yoruba means “the place where the king drove us to”.
Photo: Undated image of Adamu Sokoto when he joined the Royal West African Frontier Force.
Image sourced from IWM.
Source Greg Nwoko