Ibadan’s True Origin: Traditionalist Explains the Real Meaning Behind the City’s Name

A Yoruba traditional leader, Fayemi Fakayode, has corrected a long-standing belief about how the name of the ancient city of Ibadan was formed. 

He said the city’s name did not come from the words “Eba Odan” as many people think, but from “Iba Odan.”

Fakayode, who is the President of the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR), spoke during a presentation at the 2025 Osemeji Obamoro Conference held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State.

His paper was titled “A Sociocultural Relevance of Osemeji Festival in Modern Times.”

According to him, if the name Ibadan had truly come from “Eba Odan”, the correct transformation through the Yoruba language would have been “Ebadan” — not “Ibadan.” 

He explained that the combination of “Iba” (meaning pantry or resting place) and “Odan” (meaning meadow or open grassland) naturally gave birth to the name Ibadan.

He said, “Lagelu, the warrior from Ile-Ife, left his hometown after a disagreement with the Ooni of Ife. He and his followers settled in the open grassland between the forest and the Egba area. 

They were hunters who stored their game in a pantry, which in Yoruba we call ‘Ileba’ or ‘Iba’. Since the place was an open meadow (Odan), it was called Iba Odan, meaning ‘pantry in the meadow.’ Over time, this became Ibadan.”

The traditionalist dismissed claims that colonial settlers or English speakers mispronounced Ebadan as Ibadan. 

He argued that English already has words beginning with the “E” sound, such as Elephant and Egg, and therefore, the claim that the British could not pronounce “Eba” correctly is baseless.

Fakayode added that the story should be corrected in schools and public discussions so that young generations would know the real meaning of the name Ibadan. 

“We must tell our children the truth of where the name came from so that they can carry forward the right history,” he said.

At the same event, Dasola Fadiran, a former Secretary of the Oyo State Branch of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, presented a paper on “The Roles of Isese Practitioners in Economic Development.” 

He said that traditional festivals, artworks, and herbal products play important roles in tourism and the economic growth of Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.

Fadiran also explained that the popular but incorrect theory about Ibadan’s name being from “Eba Odan” was built around the city’s position between the forest and the open grassland. 

He said this geography made it a perfect spot for ancient warriors and traders, which eventually turned the area into a major power centre in the Yoruba kingdom.

However, Fakayode’s explanation has brought a new understanding to the story of Ibadan — showing that history, culture, and language are deeply connected in Yoruba tradition.