"Şe b'o ti mọ, Ẹlẹwa Şapọn"
Şapọn was extracted and renamed from Şapọnloore..... Şe Apọn loore (Meaning: Help the bachelors)
Sapọn was the meeting place where people, especially men who had not marry wives used to go to eat delicious foods and drink in those days.
This historic area is still the popular and Commercial center of Abeokuta. Sapon connects Ijaiye, Ago-Oba, Itoku, Lafenwa, Isale Igbein and Ake roads, being at the centre and presently, it has an over-head bridge that linked those roads. The market is now dominated by the Igbos from the Eastern part of the Country and mostly the Yoruba women who are selling stationery.
Many People are unaware of what led to the popular slang that is being used as proverb in the whole Yorubaland, "Şe b'o ti mọ, Ẹlẹwa Şapọn" is not realy a Yoruba Proverb but just like Nigeria variation of English idioms, "Cut your coat according to your Clothes."
There was actually a woman called Madam Janet Ewusi Odesola who was selling the Beans at Sapon, the important personalities, Kings, Government Officials, men, women and Children loved her sumptuous and delicious cooked beans with stew, Ẹwa Pẹkulẹ.
Madam Janet Ewusi Odesola was
born in 1925 and went to Methodist Primary
School, Ijoko Abeokuta, Odesola also known as "Şe b'o ti mọ, Ẹlẹwa Şapọn" finished the then Standard 6 before she started trading.
She was initially hawking dry
fishes, before she forayed into selling cooked beans
in 1951 when she was 26 years old.
In those days, before her Shop was demolished to pave way for the new road Construction, the over-head bridge, and modern Shopping complex built by the Governor Ibikunle Amosun's regime, Şe b'o ti mọ Shop was almost directly opposite of Osile of Oke Ona palace. The Shop was later managed by the Odesola's Children for many years. This was the business that earned her famous name across the Country and She was also rich.
The demand for Odesola's beans by her Customers was so high that she could not always meet it daily, despite the fact we were told She used to cook a bag of beans daily. She had numerous customers as well as female servers who attended to the customers. While some would park their cars or came with plates to buy the beans, Some would sit inside her Shop and eat.
Whenever the customers came late in the evening for the beans, She would reply them that the food had finished. "Mo "Se bi mo ti mọ, I couldn't cook more". Odesola, most of the time, advised her Customers to eat according to the amount of money in their pockets, as well as advising them that, even they had more money in their pockets, they should eat what their stomachs could contain.
Madam Janet Odesola sold the cooked beans till 90's When she had family problem, she quitted the business after 45 years of selling the cooked beans.
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