THE ORIGIN OF AGEGE BREAD

 You would agree with me that nothing beats some fresh and succulent Agege bread with a sweating bottle of coke, on a sunny day. Much to the chagrin of some culprits though, who would rather have it with Èwà Agọyin. But then, ‘we listen we don’t judge’  right?

Anyway, that’s not the point. Have you ever wondered how the infamous Agege bread came to be in Nigeria and how it got its name?

Well, follow me:

One of the most available and accessible food commodity in the Nigerian markets and on the streets today is bread. But this was not the case in the 19th and early 20th century. The ones that were available were imported into the country from the West Indies and so that would mean that it was a “big man’s food”.

Amos Shackleford

The man in the picture above is Amos Stanley Wynter Shackleford, nicknamed The Bread King of Lagos. He was born in 1887 in Jamaica, but he relocated to Nigeria, in his early 20’s, where he worked as a railway officer In 1913. In 1921, Amos Shackleford and his wife, Catherine decided to begin bread production in the country.

This led to the establishment of the first bread factory in Nigeria at Agege, Lagos State. The quality of the bread and its texture was different from the imported ones. For that reason, people referred to any bread of such texture as Agege Bread even to this day.

a typical example of what agege bread looks like

In the 1960’s, after Amos Shackleford and his wife closed their bakery, Alhaji Ayokunnu set up his own bakery in Agege, to cater to the city’s growing appetite for bread. The texture and flavor remained authentic. He strategically named the bread after its location, and this further fostered its connection to the community. He also hired local residents as workers and to hawk the bread.

Now, my friend, there is how the legendary Agege bread came to Nigeria and got its name.

 You’re welcome!