AGEGE BREAD: HOW IT STARTED

Agege bread is a highly reverend street food enjoyed by many Nigerians.

However, despite the popularity of this bread, its history extends far beyond the borders of the nation.

Agege bread was introduced into Lagos by the Brazilians and West Indians, offsprings of freed slaves who moved to the port of Lagos to start a new life, bringing with them their bread-making skills. The first Agege bread bakery was set up by Jamaican immigrant Amos Shackleford right in the city of Ebute Metta.

Amos Shackleford moved to Nigeria from Jamaica in 1913, specifically Ebute Metta in lagos to join the railway industry but quit in 1921 and embarked on a new venture: bread making

Amos and his wife Catherine were one of the first people to set up a bakery in Nigeria specifically in Agege, Lagos.

Prior to this, bread was mostly imported from the West Indies.

He introduced the dough brake, a kneading device which gives the agege bread texture that we all know as Agege bread today.