| Ijebu Ode | |
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| — LGA and city — | |
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Ijebu Ode
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| State | Ogun State |
| Area | |
| • Total | 192 km2 (74.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2006 Census) | |
| • Total | 154,032 |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
| 3-digit postal code prefix | 120 |
Ijebu Ode is a Local Government Area and city located in south-western Nigeria, close to the A121 highway. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos; it is within 100 km of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Ogun State and possesses a warm tropical climate.
With an estimated population of 222,653 (2007) [1] it is the second largest city in Ogun State after Abeokuta.
Since pre-colonial times it has been the capital of the Ijebu kingdom.
The LGA has an area of 192 km² and a population of 154,032 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 120.[2]
The largest city inhabited by the Ijebus, a sub-group of the Yoruba ethnic group who speak the Ijebu dialect of Yoruba, it is historically and culturally the headquarters of Ijebuland.
The ruler of Ijebu Kingdom, Oba S.K Sikiru Kayode Adetona is known as the Awujale of Ijebuland resides in Ijebu Ode.
Ijebu Ode has a local television station affiliated with the government's NTA network and is the trade center of a farming region where yam, cassava, grain, tobacco and cotton are grown.
Adjacent to Ijebu Ode are several smaller towns and villages. They are mostly referred to as Egure "this way to"; some of them include Odo-Agamegi, Ogbo, Italupe (a neighbourhood within Ijebu Ode), Ososa, Imomo, Imawen, Odo Ogbun, Apa(Mesan), Okelamuren, Abapawa, Erunwon, Isonyin, Oke-Eri, Imagbon, Ijebu-Isiwo, Odo-lewu, Odo-Arawa, Idowa, Iworo, Ala and Atiba amongst others. Ijebu Ode is made up of three parts - Iwade, Ijasi and Porogun. Italupe is a ward in Iwade, not an Egure of Ijebu Ode.
Agemo is the unity of Ijebus. There are 16 Agemos in various part of Ijebu. They come out every July and they all meet at Ijebu-Ode before moving to Imodi Mosan, where the Agemo Festival takes place. The Agemo of Ijebu-Isiwo is the leader of all Agemo in Ijebu land. Agemo is a fetish mat-dancer. Women are forbidden from seeing the Agemo on their way to Ijebu-Ode. A public announcement is made on radio and television to inform everyone the exact time Agemo will be moving. The Ojude Oba festival of Ijebu-Ode is usually held two days after the Ileya festival while the Ojude Oba festival of Ijebu-Isiwo is usually held three days after the Ileya. It is a festival whose main purpose is for the people of Ijebu to come together as one to honor their king and is regarded as one of the biggest in West Africa.
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