History, like science, is not set in stone. It evolves as new discoveries come to light. Just because something has been widely accepted for years doesn’t mean it cannot change when fresh evidence emerges.

For a long time, the two-story building in Badagry, Lagos, built between 1845 and 1856, was believed to be the oldest upstairs in Nigeria. This was based on the best available information at the time. However, a recent discovery has changed that.

In Ukehe, Nsukka, Enugu State, a much older upstairs has been found—built in 1758 by Portuguese merchants. This means the Badagry building is no longer the oldest. The moment this discovery was made, history had to be updated. That’s how history works!

Yet, some people insist that the Badagry building remains the oldest simply because that’s what they’ve always read online. But history isn’t about stubbornly holding onto old information; it’s about acknowledging new facts. The same way science updates its theories when new evidence appears, history, too, must be corrected when older records are discovered.

This doesn’t mean there couldn’t be an even older upstairs somewhere in Nigeria, yet to be found. But for now, the 1758 upstairs in Ukehe holds the record.

At the end of the day, history is about truth, not personal bias. When new facts emerge, we should embrace them, not resist them.