There are some interesting developments common between New York State and Oyo State. New York City in New York State is the largest city of the United States of America while Ibadan City in Oyo State is used to be the largest city in Nigeria.

New York City is the cultural capital of the U.S. and Ibadan City used to be the cultural capital of Nigeria. New York City is the publishing capital of the U.S. and Ibadan the publishing capital of Nigeria.

In New York you have a well known monument to liberty – The Statue of Liberty. In Ibadan was also a well known monument to liberty – The Liberty Stadium (now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium).

New York State and Oyo State have the best places for agricultural research of their respective countries. In the U.S. it is the Cornell University, Ithaca, and in Oyo State it is the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

State University of New York, the largest in New York State, was founded in 1948, and 1948 also saw the founding of University of Ibadan, the largest university in Oyo State. In New York State and Oyo State we had Franklin Delano Roosevelt and James Ajibola Ige respectively. Rooosevelt was Governor of New York State and Ige was Governor of Old Oyo State. Both of them served as governor for four years.

Roosevelt became President of the United States while Ige was a presidential aspirant. Franklin Roosevelt’s father, James Roosevelt, invested in the railway business whereas Bola Ige’s father, Solomom Ige, was a Railway Officer.

Roosevelt and Ige both studied at the premier degree-awarding institutions of their respective countries: Harvard College Cambridge and University College, Ibadan, respectively. Roosevelt and Ige were both lawyers. They both have been described as orators. What is more, they both died in office.

The seat of the Office of the Governor of New York is at Albany whereas the seat of the Office of the Governor of Oyo State is at Agodi. Indeed, what interesting coincidences!

•COINCIDENCES is a weekly column that appears on Wednesdays. The columnist, Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth, is based in England, Britain, but can be reached via e-mail through atogonub@hotmail.co.uk or info@newsexpressngr.com

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