Alake of Egba leases land for Aro–Abeokuta railway to British (1899–1901)

On 21 February 1899, the Alake of Egba signed an agreement with the British Governor of Lagos Colony to lease lands for a railway from Aro to Abeokuta. The Alake was Gbadebo I, not Gbadebo II, and Abeokuta is in southwest Nigeria, not southeast. The railway opened in December 1901.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Lagos Colony was a British possession in southern Nigeria. In August 1896, merchants petitioned for a railway extension to Abeokuta. The colony established a protectorate over Yorubaland between 1890 and 1897. During the Yoruba Civil Wars of 1877 to 1893, Abeokuta opposed Ibadan, and the Alake of the Egba signed an alliance with the British governor, Sir Gilbert Carter.

The 1899 Agreement. On 21 February 1899, the Alake of Egba signed an agreement opening the way for railway construction through Egba territory. This agreement facilitated the construction of a new railway from Aro to Abeokuta. The Alake was Gbadebo I, correcting the legacy error of 'Gdadebo II'. Abeokuta is located in southwestern Nigeria, correcting the legacy error of 'southeast Nigeria'.

Construction and Opening. The new railway from Aro to Abeokuta was opened by the Governor in December 1901, in the presence of the Alake. Separately, a railway connecting Abeokuta to nearby Lagos, with a length of 77 kilometres, had been completed in 1899.

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Sources

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