Ijebu Ode
Encyclopedia
Ijebu Ode is a Local Government Area and city located in south-western Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, close to the A121 highway
A121 highway (Nigeria)
The A121 highway is a highway in Nigeria. It is one of the east-west roads linking the main south-north roads. ....

. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

; it is within 100 km of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 in the eastern part of Ogun State and possesses a warm tropical climate.

With an estimated population of 222,653 (2007)

it is the second largest city in Ogun State
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...

 after Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....

.

Since pre-colonial times it has been the capital of the Ijebu kingdom
Ijebu
Ijebu was a Yoruba kingdom in pre-colonial Nigeria. It formed around the fifteenth century. According to legend, its ruling dynasty was founded by Obanta of Ile-Ife...

.

The LGA has an area of 192 km² and a population of 154,032 at the 2006 census.

The postal code
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...

 of the area is 120.

The largest city inhabited by the Ijebu
Ijebu
Ijebu was a Yoruba kingdom in pre-colonial Nigeria. It formed around the fifteenth century. According to legend, its ruling dynasty was founded by Obanta of Ile-Ife...

s, a sub-group of the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

 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
Nigerian Television Authority
The Nigerian Television Authority - also known as NTA - was inaugurated in 1977 and is the government-owned body in charge of television broadcasting in the country. The NTA claims to run the biggest television network in Africa with stations in several parts of Nigeria...

 network and is the trade center of a farming region where yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...

, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...

, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 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
Isonyin
Isonyin is a small town in Ogun State, Nigeria located about 8 kilometers from Ijebu Ode. Its inhabitants speak the Ijebu dialect of the Yoruba language. The king, Oba Funso Omo-Ogunkoya is known as the Saderiren of 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.

Notable People

  • Professor Adebayo Adedeji, CFR
    Adebayo Adedeji
    Adebayo Adedeji is a Nigerian politician. He was Executive Secretary to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1975 to 1978, and UN Under-Secretary-General from 1978 until 1991...

    , Nigerian politician.
  • Chief (Mrs) Bola Kuforiji-Olubi
    Kuforiji Olubi
    Bola Kuforiji Olubi is a Nigerian noblewoman, banker and former federal minister of commerce. She is a former Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank of Africa, UBA. Kuforiji Olubi was one of the few high profile and successful women leaders when she became the secretary for commerce in 1993...

    , Nigerian noblewoman and banker.
  • Kola Onadipe
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    Nathaniel Kolawole Onadipe most commonly known as Kola Onadipe, was a Nigerian author best known for his children's books.-Biography:...

     (1922–1988), Nigerian children's author.
  • Sunday Adelaja
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    Sunday Adelaja is the founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of God, an evangelical-charismatic megachurch in Kiev, Ukraine. He immigrated to the USSR and Belarus as a scholarship student from Nigeria in 1986 to study journalism...

    , the founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of God
    Embassy of God
    Embassy of God is a Charismatic Protestant church and parachurch organization in Kiev, Ukraine. It was founded and is led by pastor Sunday Adelaja, who is an immigrant from Nigeria...

     church in Kiev
    Kiev
    Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

    , Ukraine
    Ukraine
    Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

    .
  • Dele Okenla, writer, poet, and jurist. Vice-President, University of East London.
  • Harold Olusegun Demuren
    Harold Demuren
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    , Aeronautical Engineer, Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
    Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Nigeria. It has its head office on the grounds of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and its Lagos office is in Aviation House on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.The current Director...

    .
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