Ijebu Ode

Ijebu-Ode
Ajebu Olode
LGA and city
Ijebu-Ode
Coordinates: 6°49′15″N 3°55′15″E / 6.82083°N 3.92083°E
Country  Nigeria
State Ogun State
Government
 • Awujale Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona
Area
 • Total 192 km2 (74 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-West 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), Ijebu-Ode has 39 Public Primary Schools, 14 Public Junior Secondary school, 13 public Senior Secondary Schools, 110 approved Private Nursery and Prymary Schools and 22 approved Private Secondary Schools. [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. Today, however, due to migration, civilisation and intertribal marriage, Ijebu-Ode is now composed of a mixed people who majorly speak the general Yoruba language, as opposed to the local dialect.

The ruler of Ijebu Kingdom, Oba S.K. Sikiru Kayode Adetona is known as the Awujale of Ijebuland resides in Ijebu-Ode.[3] He is regarded as the paramount ruler of Ijebu land, encompassing every town that is originally an Ijebu domain, including Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu-Igbo, Oru, Awa, Remo, Ijebu-Isiwo, Epe, and other Ijebu territories. The Awujale is highly revered by natives and residents of these towns.

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, Apunren, Isonyin, Imoru, 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 festival has masquerades and is a performing art of the Yoruba religion. 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.

Notable People

References

  1. ↑ "The World Gazetteer". Archived from the original on 9 Feb 2013. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  2. ↑ "Post Offices- with map of LGA". NIPOST. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  3. ↑ Jimilehin, Dipo (15 May 2010). "Celebrating 50 Years Reign Of Oba Adetona". Ibadan, Nigeria: Nigerian Tribune. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.

Coordinates: 6°49′15″N 3°55′15″E / 6.82083°N 3.92083°E