Agbowo Shopping Complex was the brainchild of the then military governor of the Western Region of Nigeria, General David Jemibewon, and constructed on over 30-plots of land in 1983 by the Bola Ige administration of the old Oyo State.
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At the time, it was the biggest shopping mall in Oyo State, equipped with a central air conditioner and had a cinema house attached to it.
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The shopping complex had over 100 shops, and a functional fire fighting office that served not only it but the entire Agbowo community and the environs. It is estimated that in its glory days, Agbowo Shopping complex was a beehive of activities, generating over 5000 direct jobs at the time.
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Through the years – especially over the last twenty years – the shopping complex fell from grace as the facility began to come apart and rot away. In 2012, the state Housing Corporation, removed electricity in the complex, and withdrew the security men, cleaners, gardeners and other service hands.
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The beauty of the shopping complex faded and the sprawling estate became a den of hoodlums. Beggars and mentally deranged people also made the complex their home.
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On the 23rd of September 2020, Engr. Seyi Makinde – the Governor of Oyo State – flagged off the renovation and remodeling Of Agbowo Shopping Complex. The erstwhile moribund facility is to be remodeled into a premium commercial real estate and a 4-star hotel.
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The facility when completed will have a time level car park that will double as drive-in Cinema in the evening; a 10-floor four-star hotel; 600 capacity 3D Cinema.
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We look forward to recreating this picture when the remodeling is completed.
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F U N – F A C T:
The Agbowo Shopping complex was commissioned in 1984 by the Military Head of State – general Muhammadu Buhari; the same man who is President of the country in 2021
