Ever wondered how some street names in Benin were formed? There are a few way street names get made. In this article, we take a dive at some popular streets in the ancient city and how they got named.
Sakponba Road
The road we now refer to as Sakponba Road used to be named Utantan High Street. It was given that name in honor of Chief Asoro, a courageous and gallant man who died while defending his people against British invaders during the invasion of 1897.
Chief Asoro is credited with successfully defending the area where the statue now stands during the siege on Benin. He declared, “No other person dare pass this road unless the Oba” (So kpon Oba). This utterance is what has been corrupted to Sakponba. His statue, which honors patriotism and loyalty, is situated in King’s Square near the start of Sokponba Road, close to where Chief Asoro lost his life after a valiant battle.
Sapele Road
You do not need anyone to tell you why Sapele Road is named like that. It is short for Benin-Sapele Road, which basically indicates that it is the road leading from Benin City, Edo State to Sapele town, Delta State.
Interestingly, the name “Sapele” is a British corruption of the word “Urhiakpele”, which is a combination of two Urhobo words, “Urhie” (river or stream) and Apele (a name of a Juju).
Dawson Road, Cooke Road, and James Watts Road
Obviously, these are the names of British colonial officials whom these streets were named after. It is important to note that “Dawson Road” has been corrupted in pronunciation. And today, most people understand and pronounce it as Dancing Road.
While we couldn’t find the full names of Dawson and Cooke, we can confirm that James Watt was a British Colonial Resident of Benin Province during the time of Oba Ewuakpe in 1700AD to 1712AD.
Country Home Road and Golf Course Road
These streets are named after very popular landmarks. Country Home Road got its name from the defunct Country Home Hotel, it’s large abandon property can still be seen along that road. Golf Course Road follows a similar pattern, as it is named after the Benin Gold Course.
We know there a a million and one street we couldn’t cover. Tell us how your streets got it’s name in the comments.
Leave a Comment