₦airaland Forum

oluxmondd2:
How can our throwback be better than our present? Naija which way?

we said we wanted independence from the whites.... Sometimes I jst imagine what d whites would have done with all d oil money we've squandered since 1970....

bazoodo:
How many people here remember Amosun Stores in Ilorin?? Was the biggest then right??

Which one be Amosun? Ibikunle nko? We are talking of Fas and Midland Stores in Ilorin those days!

nairalanda1:
Last time i entered a Kingsway was in 1989. Good old days when we had UTC, leventis and chellerams. All gone now.

The SAP really sapped us.

You didn't lie
SAP really sapped us and lead us here. That image of Murray Bruce really got to me.

free2ryhme:
Masco and leventis

if you watch shoppers guide on Saturdays in the late 80s and early 90s you can relate

I did watch the show. It was a hour show showcasing the latest shopping centres to visit at the time.

ClassicEvilSpir:
I always liked the vibe of Lagos/Nigeria back in those vintage days. it seemed so organised, more sophisticated. society seemed more high trust than what is now the reality.

Know why?
The mind of the average Nigerian of that era was to be a brother's keeper so the trust level was high. It showed in everything we had and did. The quality of products back then was very good including the locally produced ones. I still had plastic plates and bowls my mum bought for us in the 80s when we were kids and it's still usable without a fault.

aov80:
If your papa buy u shoes here that means he is a big boy then . Na wao ! See how everywhere neat

The street in that pic is Itire road abi? I used to live at Aborishade street and pass that way to my Primary School which was Adeniji Primary school. Bata Shoes were made to last. My mum bought shoes for us that was worn by five generations. I wore and outgrew it and pass it to my brother who passed it to our little brother then who passed it to one of our cousins who also passed to another cousin. Thode pair of shoes ended up with my Mum's baby sister's children who are now teens. A shoe that lasted more than 20 years without a tear or cut and very little wear

Vacora:
Yep. Nostalgia. I wonder who the kid is sitting on Santa’s lap in the advert. Looks like Ben Bruce or someone from his family? Quite interested to find who that is as a grown up now.

That's Ben Bruce

kunyeo:
Which one be Amosun? Ibikunle nko? We are talking of Fas and Midland Stores in Ilorin those days!

what a joke. Add to the list. Yes. But amosun was the biggest. 🤣

Mariangeles:
I just love reading these stories.

I'm grinning ear to ear for reading this. It means I made your day

AngelahFlo:
I'm grinning ear to ear for reading this. It means I made your day

The thread was interesting, with good vibes.
I could sense excitement mixed with nostalgia in some of the comments.

Kudos.👍🏼

nairalanda1:
Kingsway was an indigenous founded store

Leventis was founded by a Greek guy of the same name who naturalized as a Nigerian in 1960.

Chellerams was founded by Indians.

Very correct.

AngelahFlo:
Know why?
The mind of the average Nigerian of that era was to be a brother's keeper so the trust level was high. It showed in everything we had and did. The quality of products back then was very good including the locally produced ones. I still had plastic plates and bowls my mum bought for us in the 80s when we were kids and it's still usable without a fault.

you got it right.
everything changed, negatively.
very bad.

Interesting...

Most of those who stole and degraded Nigeria are long dead. I hope they carried their stolen money with them to the grave.

I wonder if the guy called IBB who stole so much is presently happy?

Wonder if their offspring are that happy with the stolen money from their parents.

I visited shoprite- it was ok but many empty stores. Hope they don't close it down due to low customers.

southsouthking:
That comes about the slangs which says "This your price na kinsway o" when the price of a commodity is on the high side.

No that's not the meaning. Kingsway price means fixed price.
When someone is trying to sell a good or service for a fixed amount. You will ask "shey your market na kingsway"

bazoodo:
How many people here remember Amosun Stores in Ilorin?? Was the biggest then right??

@Unity road, that compound beside Kasmag, midland-the compound behind Gtbank @ unity, Fas supermarket along muritala road n there was also jabel supermarket at taiwo, the tall building beside wema bank.

richeeyo:
I do go there daily after school then, i attend Olumawu

That means ur parent rich in those days o, cos that Olumawu is one of the best sch in Ilorin in those days together with Trinity. I was living at A' division barrack then.

JohnBullMySon:
Large scale demand for expensive import goods is a sign of a strong internal economy.

It’s not about foreign businesses and what not. Generally the living standards of the middle class has significantly declined from what it was back then. To deny this is just lying to yourself.

Back then you could fly from Port harcourt to Kano, Enugu to PH. No airline can try such now due to poor load factor. Graduate trainees then could buy new cars on loan. It doesn’t happen anymore.

It is exaggerated lies. Most people could still not afford a car then. Teachers and many civil servants could hardly pay rent, and landlords even had a description that teachers were out of bound from renting their homes.

Graduate trainees were an exception because they were just few in numbers s Nigeria barely had 10 universities as of 1979. A graduate as of then had much value than a PhD now as they were notably few, and jobs will struggle to employ one. I agree there were more industries per capita then, but it was mostly cheap labour with pay that could hardly take them home. Most railway workers of those times died in penury. More people were also in largely undeveloped rural areas then, and literacy rate was lower. Nostalgia brings self deceit.

AngelahFlo:
Hello Guys,
For our Retro walk I wanna take those of us Gen X into a time in our childhood when innocence was real and true. Kingsway Stores which was the first indegenous departmental stores that first opened to the public in 1948 alongside Leventis Stores. It was unique in every way by bringing a feel of London's West End to Nigeria.

At the store you can buy imported items at affordable prices and there're so many fond memories of that era. My fondest memories was of my dad coming home with goodies for us like toy cars and water balls. It was the Shop rite and Ebeano Stores of the time.

What led to its decline was the oil price of the mid 80s and the SAP sanction of '86 which led to a ban on imported goods. It's really a sad story filled with nostalgia. Let the images below speak for themselves and you'll see Future CO of Silverbird empire as a 7 year old kid on the lap of Santa Claus in Kingsway Store.

Train ride to the grotto of Father Christmas was a must.
I miss my dad and mom.
Shopping at Kingsway was exciting.

emiye:
It is exaggerated lies. Most people could still not afford a car then. Teachers and many civil servants could hardly pay rent, and landlords even had a description that teachers were out of bound from renting their homes.

Graduate trainees were an exception because they were just few in numbers s Nigeria barely had 10 universities as of 1979. A graduate as of then had much value than a PhD now as they were notably few, and jobs will struggle to employ one. I agree there were more industries per capita then, but it was mostly cheap labour with pay that could hardly take them home. Most railway workers of those times died in penury. More people were also in largely undeveloped rural areas then, and literacy rate was lower. Nostalgia brings self deceit.

Salary had more value then.
Minimum wage was about N100 monthly.
Flight ticket to the United States of America was $300 and $1 exchanged for N1.

[quote author=twilliamx post=136916768][/quote]It seems you and I share similar childhood experiences. My late dad was stores manager of Leventis stores in Enugu. We enjoyed life at its fullest then, he bought goodies steadily for us, we ate meat every blessed day. The good and find memories still linger till date.

Life would have been better if Nigeria got independence in early 2000, at least we go don get better sense of doing things. now looting public funds and major things of life like shelter, good road and stable light would have been a thing of the past.. wether we like it or not Nigeria is not different from the past..if I'm lying ask Flourish

nairalanda1:
Kingsway was an indigenous founded store

Leventis was founded by a Greek guy of the same name who naturalized as a Nigerian in 1960.

Chellerams was founded by Indians.

Please what's the name of the Nigerian and did you read that it was "bringing London to Nigeria" ?

nairalanda1:
Last time i entered a Kingsway was in 1989. Good old days when we had UTC, leventis and chellerams. All gone now.

The SAP really sapped us.

Those days along Ahmed Bello way in Kaduna, thee was Lennards, Leventis etc. The Bata shoe then was irreplaceable

Samade7:
That means ur parent rich in those days o, cos that Olumawu is one of the best sch in Ilorin in those days together with Trinity. I was living at A' division barrack then.

Rich😂😂No o
Just okay
Olumawu get name though
Funny enough we shared same fence with proprietress resident
Good old days, We never knew we would have it this worse

richeeyo:
Rich😂😂No o
Just okay
Olumawu get name though
Funny enough we shared same fence with proprietress resident
Good old days, We never knew we would have it this worse

Yes, I know the proprietress house. They have plenty Ghanaian teachers then.

Boku & Naijabet kiosk don replace them.

Makes me remember the sweetest bottled orange juice ever.... Tree Top!

Mariangeles:
The thread was interesting, with good vibes.
I could sense excitement mixed with nostalgia in some of the comments.

Kudos.👍🏼

God bless you

IMPARTIAL:
If you say ShopRite, OK! But certainly, you cannot compare Ebeano with Kingsway back then.

Very true
From the ambience to the after shopping experience.
And the fact that Kingsway dealt in high quality imported products

CJStarz:
Makes me remember the sweetest bottled orange juice ever.... Tree Top!

As kids we had access to its powdered form which we normally indulge in.