Trans Wonderland (also known as the Trans Amusement Park) was an

amusement Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or animal actively maintains the experience, and is associated with enjoyment, happiness, laughter and pleasure. It is an emotion with pos ...

and

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

, Nigeria.

History

The Trans Wonderland project was initiated in 1987 by the incumbent military Governor at the time: colonel Adetunji Olurin, while construction of the park began in August 1988,following the financial support from the subsequent Governor, Colonel Sasaenia Adedeji Oresanya. The park opened to the public on November 29, 1989.

Attractions

Trans Wonderland is sometimes referred to as Nigeria's

Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

. The park covers a total area of 67 acres. Attractions included

roller coasters A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usually designed to produce a thrilling experience, though some r ...

, electronic bumper cars, panoramic wheels,

ferris wheels Ferris may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Ferris (name), a list of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Ferris MC, stage name of German rapper Sascha Reimann (born 1973) * Ferris Bueller, s ...

, merry-go-round horses, space station, flying chain chairs, dragon boats, funky basket circles and many others. Before its closure, the park was a shadow of its former self because many of the attractions had fallen into disrepair and were no longer in good working condition due to maintenance issues. In spite of this, the park had been a popular entertainment venue in Ibadan.

Closure

In an official newsletter on the 21st of September, 2023, the

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

Governor,

Seyi Makinde Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (; born 25 December 1967) is a Nigerian engineer, businessman, and politician who has served as the governor of Oyo State since 2019. He is an engineer and a subject matter expert on fluid and gas metering. He is the g ...

announced his plans to convert the amusement park into a housing project, citing a lack of interest from private sector collaborators due to obsolete equipment and problems with building a more modern park at the same location as reasons for the decision to utilise the land for a housing project. He also added that the revenue from the housing project would be used to develop the state further, and that a new modern amusement park would be constructed at the Ilutuntun Business District through a PPP collaboration. This announcement was met with displeasure from various sources, with some calling it an extinction and a coalition of child-focused NGOs stating that the demolition of the amusement park would deprive children of their rights to leisure and recreation.

In popular culture

The theme park is the eponymous title of the 2012 travel book by

Noo Saro-Wiwa Noo Saro-Wiwa is a British-Nigerian author, noted for her travel writing. She is the daughter of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Education Noo Saro-Wiwa was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and grew up in Ewell, Surrey in England. She attended ...

, ''

Looking for Transwonderland ''Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria'' is a 2012 non-fiction memoir and travelogue by Noo Saro-Wiwa. In it Saro-Wiwa travels across Nigeria, re-discovering the country of her birth. The book has been compared to those of many other ...

''.

References

{{reflist Amusement parks in Nigeria Tourist attractions in Ibadan 1988 establishments in Nigeria Buildings and structures in Ibadan Defunct amusement parks