๐ฃ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐บ๐๐๐บ
Over the years for one reason or the other I have traveled almost all round Ogun State mostly for academic purposes. my first time vising Ogun State was when I attended a boarding school named Remo divisional high school in Sagamu, though my state of origin is Ogun State but I have never been there till I had to school in Sagamu. my dad told us about a lot of amazing stories about Ogun State but it never really felt like Lagos where we have lived all our lives. I guess in one way or the other my dad wanted us to experience what it feels like to school in our state of origin because there where some added benefits being an indigene of Ogun State.
My brother was the first to attend the boarding school but I eventually I followed, the environment was a very toxic to me at first because one thing you should know about Sagamu Ogun State is that it is very dusty. probably because it is more desert like compared to Lagos. Living in a boarding school and all, I began to enjoy living in Ogun State not because it was more fancy than Lagos State but it was less crowded and things were a lot cheaper compared to Lagos State.
Gradually I began to navigate my life academically through the cities in Ogun State, from Sagamu, I eventually went to ijebu ode for a NECO exam, from there I landed at saapade where gateway polytechnic is located. an institution where I acquired my national diploma in mass communication. during my stay there I lived in Iperu/Ishara and I also visited iIlisan, Ikene and Ode Remo. staying in those cities was amazing but I have always wanted to visit the capital of Ogun State which is Abeokuta. I have heard about a lot of stories, especially stories about tourist attractions in Abeokuta but I never had a reason to visit the city, moreover I wasn't the type to travel without a reason.
while I was processing the admission for my higher national diploma, I chose moshood Abiola polytechnic which is located in ojere Abeokuta, luckily for me I was admitted and finally I had a justification to visit the great city of Abeokuta. truth be told I was amazed by the city because the feeling I got from there was just different and it was less dusty compared to other parts of Ogun State.
| ABEOKUTA | CITY |
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Apart from that Abeokuta has the weirdest transportation system, we all know that currently in Nigeria some of our currency has gradually becomes extinct, for instance what could you possibly purchase with {โฆ5, โฆ10} and in the world of transportation there are some currency you won't be able to board a bus with. getting to Abeokuta I got the greatest surprise of my life, when I took a cab on a trip for โฆ20 {0.025$}. on a normal day in Lagos and some parts of Ogun State the trip would have cost me around โฆ300 {0.38$}. though the cost for transportation has increased all over the country but I can still attest to the fact that you can still take a cab for โฆ50 {0.063$} or โฆ100 {0.13$}, isn't that amazing.
there is more to Abeokuta than just the cheap stuff, during this festive period there are a lot of amazing things around you would love to witness. there is something Abeokuta is known to have abundance of, which is club houses an eateries. the eateries are known to serve the most popular delicacy in Abeokuta which is Amala, a product of cassava yam and also ofada rice a local proteinaceous delicacy.
There are few hot spot if you want to have the best of this local dishes, a place popularly known as Hallaga Located at paseke in Abeokuta
| HALLAGA | EATERY |
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When I first came across this place I had no idea of what I was getting myself into till I had a taste of their meals, damn!!! it took me to the next level and I kept on visiting the place till I eventually graduated, I came back to Abeokuta for my clearance and my first stop was at Hallaga, I just couldn't afford to come to Abeokuta without visiting this eatery. One of the things I love about this eatery is their neatness and economised cost of dishes, even for an average Nigerian you will still get a good meal for as low as โฆ700 {0.89$}. so it is not the kind of place that exhaust all your savings all in the sake of searching for a good meal.
Whenever my friends come around Abeokuta to visit, I always ensure to take them to Hallaga just to make sure they have a taste of what ABK has to offer, believe me some of them had to come back to visit not because they missed me but because they just want to have a taste of the meal again. if I were to entertain a guest this December, I would definitely take them Hallaga just to have a taste of what a good meal feels like๐ .
I mentioned earlier about the abundance of clubs in Abeokuta, for people like me who usually stay indoors on Fridays the noise pollution from the club houses is always so tormenting. in the midst of all the gigantic and luxurious clubs in Abeokuta there is a particular club that is entirely distinctive in setting because of its traditional making and structure.
| CHOPLIFE | VILLA |
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it is known as "CHOPLIFE VILLA the first time I went there I thought it was some sort of open art gallery ๐ but it actually a club, it was established about a year and few months ago and since then it has become popular hotspot in Abeokuta for entertainment. I have visited this place about four times with friends especially on Friday nights. for someone like me that doesn't really cherish outdoor activities to rate a place like this, believe me it is worth it.
They have this mixture of apala songs that transcends a persons soul, not to talk of their Asun meat and palm wine though it is alcoholic but you wouldn't mind having a taste ๐ .
| MOVIE | CINEMA |
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Apart from all these places, there is also a popular movie cinema called Aje place.* Though I have only visited this place during my HND 2 first semester but I can testify to the fact that it was an amazing experience.
There are more places like this in Abeokuta but this three places are more closer to me and easy to get to and I also want to stick to the areas I have visited. so if you wanna visit Abeokuta to vibe for December this are places you should check out
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled "Round your city" in hive learners community.
All images used are mine, captured with my smartphone.