Ago-Iwoye is a city in
Ogun
Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and formerly of the now-defunct
Ijebu Kingdom
Ijebu (also known as Jebu or Geebu) is a Yoruba people, Yoruba kingdom in Nigeria. It was formed around the fifteenth century. According to legend, its ruling dynasty was founded by Obanta whose personal name was Ogborogan of Ile-Ife. Its con ...
.
It is located in the Ijebu North
Ijebu North is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ijebu Igbo at .
It has an area of 967 km² and a population of 284,336 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 120.
The local ...
Local Governmental Area and the main town comprises seven contiguous districts: Ibipe (considered the leading settlement), Isamuro, Idode, Odosinusi, Igan, Imosu, and Imere. The main campus of Olabisi Onabanjo University
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state owned and operated university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 2 ...
is located 7 km west of the city. In 1963, the town had a population of 14,718; by 2013, it was estimated to be about 190,000, with 40,000 of those being university students.[
]
History
Establishment
Iwoye was a settlement established in 1425 with 73 Imososi families and is considered "one of the ancient towns in Yorubaland
Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...
." Iwoye, also called Wojaiye, coexisted peacefully with surrounding areas for several centuries until the 1800s ushered in a 70-year period of fratricidal wars.[ The ]Egba Egba may refer to:
*Egba people, a clan of the Yoruba people living in western Nigeria
* EGBA, the European Gaming and Betting Association
*Egba United Government, a late 19th century political entity of the Egba people that was located in what is ...
were interested expanding into Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...
, inspiring violence between the two groups and "leding
Ding may refer to:
Bronze and ceramics
* Ding (vessel), a bronze or ceramic cauldron used in ancient and early imperial China
* Ding ware, ceramics produced in Dingzhou in medieval China
People
* Ding (surname) (丁), a Chinese surname and lis ...
to the desertion of many places."[ The original land on which Iwoye stood was not exempt. The brutal Gbedeke War of 1831 saw Iwoye moving southeast to seek out "a new War Camp" (Ago).][ The new settlement was called Ago Meleki, "Meleki's Camp," for the man who led the Iwoye retreat.][ The organisation Ago Iwoye Progressives Union is said to have inspired the village to merge Ago and Iwoye, thus commemorating their previous home and celebrating their new one.][ It was officially changed in 1946.][
]
Introduction of Islam
Islam trickled into town via soldiers, settlers, immigrants, traders, and enslaved Muslims.[ They had a sizeable presence by the end of the 19th century and occupied villages alongside ]Hausa
Hausa may refer to:
* Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa
* Hausa language, spoken in West Africa
* Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states
* Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse
See also
* ...
, Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...
, Tapa
Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to:
Media
*Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic
* ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film
* ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film
* ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...
, and Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
communities.[ Ago-Iwoye's leaders, the Osugbo, as well as other traditionalists were not welcoming and threatened them with death.][ Scholar Alfa 'Uthman Akeugberu knelt one day to pray in front of a non-Muslim friend, which was forbidden.][ The town Elders decided to sacrifice him and tied him to a tree; his friend later rescued him.][ Following this attempted assassination, the Muslim community in Ago-Iwoye fell apart and emigrated to the nearby villages of Difase and ]Eredo
Sungbo's Eredo is a system of defensive walls and ditches that is located to the southwest of the Yoruba town of Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria (). It was built in 800–1000 AD in honour of the Ijebu noblewoman Oloye Bilikisu Sungbo. ...
.[ By the 1890s, the religion had reemerged and were welcomed back by the town.][ One of the male members of the Osugbo fraternity witnessed what he believed was a family member recovering from illness at the verge of death; he subsequently converted to Islam, taking several of his group with him.][ Akeugberu eventually established the town's first Arabic and ]Qur'anic
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...
school.[
]
Colonisation and Christianity
British colonisation
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
began in the mid-19th century but became official in 1914, and Ijebu-Igbo
Ijebu Igbo (Yoruba: Ìjẹ̀bú-Igbó) is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria. It is approximately a 15-minute drive north of Ijebu Ode.
Ijebu Igbo, also written as Ijebu-Igbo, is the headquarters of Ijebu North Local Government Authority of Ogun State ...
, Imusin, and Ago-Iwoye were, "for administrative convenience, turned into political units," each under a designated baale.[ In Ago-Iwoye, the title rotated between the villages.][
Christian missionaries first started to introduce western education and Christianity to the town in 1892 but were unsuccessful.][ They returned later that year to take advantage of the upset caused by the Magbo War of 1892, also known as the British-Ijebu War.][ With Britain occupying Ijebuland, the missionaries were accompanied by British soldiers as they spread the word of Christ.][ The ]Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
and the Wesleyan Methodist Church were at this time the largest presence in town.[ The Wesley School, the first Christian institution in Ago-Iwoye, began converting students from Arabic schools to give them a "new education."][ Conversion techniques included forcibly baptising Muslim children, indoctrinating them at schools where they were away from their parents, and giving them Christian names.][ As western education spread, the idea of literacy came under fire; Islamic scholars were now considered illiterate under "a new system of literacy."][ Further, Christianity was seen as a prerequisite for getting any sort of gainful employment throughout the 68 years of colonial rule.][
In the early 20th century, Ijebu-Igbo, Imusin, and Ago-Iwoye came together to " dvanceterritorial group interest under colonial dispensation" and formed advocate groups, respectively the Iejebu-Igbo Patriotic Society (1922), the Ago Progressive Union (1926), and the Ijebu-Imusin Progress Society (1932).][ Due to Britain's ]indirect rule
Indirect rule was a system of governance used by the British and others to control parts of their colonial empires, particularly in Africa and Asia, which was done through pre-existing indigenous power structures. Indirect rule was used by variou ...
, area customs were respected, but did not stop them from bringing capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
into Ogun and surrounding areas by establishing a market economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
and monetising political offices that had historically been hereditary.[
Tides turned for Muslims in the 1930s, when Muslim schools expanded, and non-Christians were given legal protection in the face of forced conversion under an education ordinate: "No child in a government school could receive religious instruction to which the parents or guardian has objected or could be forced to present when such instruction was given at such school."][ Whereas Christian missionaries weaponised Qur'an passages, Muslim scholars started finding commonality between the two holy books.][ Regardless, English and Yoruba became the languages of instruction rather than Arabic.][
Decolonisation began with earnest in 1957 and Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule on 1 October 1960.
]
Ebumawe/Leadership
By the end of the 1920s, not long into colonial rule, Ago-Iwoye locals began discussing the revival of their traditional hereditary titles, including the Ebumawe.[ This came to fruition in 1931 when the office was reinstated, and the first Ebumawe since the title's brief extinction, Oba Akadi Alonge Adenugba, was crowned.] The current Ebumawe is Oba Abdul Rasaq Adesina Adunugbe, the grandson of the Akadi Alonge, who ruled 1932–1944.[ Adunugbe took the throne on 8 May 2004 and shortly thereafter was named a "first-class Oba" by the Ogun state government.][
Oba Adunugbe attempts to honor both traditionalism and modernization, particularly with the university nearby; traditionally, men were not allowed to plait their hair and women were not allowed to wear trousers, and the Oba is aware he can only control so much.][ He also makes himself, a Muslim, available to non-Muslims and welcomes people of all religions to celebrate their traditions at his palace.][ In his first 15 years as Ebumawe, he established a ]prison farm
A prison farm (also known as a penal farm) is a large correctional facility where penal labor convicts are forced to work on a farm legally and illegally (in the wide sense of a productive unit), usually for manual labor, largely in the open air ...
, Federal Safety Corps Divisional offices, a five-day marketplace, and a Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
to "boost social activities in the town."[ In 2017, he received an "Ambassador of Peace" award for his commitment to the town and its people, particularly the university community, from the National Association of Nigeria Students.] Annual festivals, such as the Agemo
In mathematics, or more specifically group theory, the omega and agemo subgroups described the so-called "power structure" of a finite ''p''-group. They were introduced in where they were used to describe a class of finite ''p''-groups whose str ...
, Egungun
Egungun, (''egúngún'' with Yorùbá language tone marks) in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ancestors themselves as a collectiv ...
, Ogun
Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...
, and Olokun
Olokun (Yoruba: Olókun) is an orisha spirit in Yoruba religion. Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth and of the bottom of the ocean. Olokun is revered as the ruler of all bodies of water and for the authority ov ...
festivals, are celebrated; the Oba makes sure the traditional elements, such as not eating yams before the Iri ji festival, are kept alive.[
Oba Adunugbe has also revived the traditional practice of age groups, called regberegbes, which ties together people born within a three-year period.][ Historically, the regberegbes have strengthened community ties.] Adunugbe holds "Oba-in-council" forums, where people of any class, age, religion, age group, etc., can bring forward concerns or ideas.[
]
Infrastructure
Ago-Iwoye is steadily growing and urbanising; there is a central business district that has highlighted the lack of city planning that went into building up the city.[ As of 2013, there were no known existing traffic plans and "required pedestrian facilities were virtually absent."][ Oba Adunugbe has expressed interest in building factories in the area to usher in more commercialism, but said that the government would have to make those financial decisions.][
Ago-Iwoye has been tapped as one of 15 major communities that will benefit from the state's Urban Water Resuscitation projects. ]Dapo Abiodun
Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun (born 29 May 1960) is a Nigerian businessman and politician, who has served as Governor of Ogun State since 2019. He won the 2019 general elections under the platform of the All Progressive Congress. He was the board Chai ...
, the Ogun state governor, shared plans in 2022 to "introduce a community-based water supply scheme called ' water kiosking'. Abiodun also promised that roads that were torn up for construction more than a decade ago "would receive priority attention."[ The Ikenne-Ilishan-Ago-Iwoye Road was among the roads listed.
]
Agriculture
Ago-Iwoye's economy is primarily agricultural; in 1963, twenty years before the university was established, it was estimated that 80-90% of the population worked on farms.[ Among the goods produced are yams, ]cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
, cocoyam
Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family (also known as Aroids and by the family name ''Araceae'') and may refer to:
* Taro (''Colocasia esculenta'') - old cocoyam
* Malanga ('' ...
s, maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
, melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
s, egusi
Egusi (Yoruba: '' ẹ̀gúsí,'' Igbo: ègwusi), also known as, agusi, ohue, Ikpan, Ikon, or agushi) is the name for the protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants (squash, melon, gourd), which, after being dried and ground, are used ...
, kolanuts, cocoa
Cocoa may refer to:
Chocolate
* Chocolate
* ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree
* Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao''
* Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
, palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
, garri
In West Africa, ''garri (also known as gari, galli'', or ''gali)'' is the flour of the fresh starchy cassava root.
In the Hausa language, ''garri'' can also refer to the flour of guinea corn, maize, rice, yam, plantain and millet. For ...
, bananas
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
, and rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
.[
]
University
Olabisi Onabanjo University
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state owned and operated university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 2 ...
(OOU) was opened in January 1983 as the state-owned Ogun State University. The main campus is in Ago-Iwoye, while other campuses are in the nearby towns of Ayetoro
Ayetoro lies on the latitude 70 12’N and longitude 30 3’ E in a deciduous- derived savannah zone of Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders ...
, Ibogun, and Shagamu
Sagamu or Ishagamu is a conglomeration of thirteen towns located in Ogun State along the Ibu River and Eruwuru Stream between Lagos and Ibadan, founded in the mid 19th century by members of the Remo branch of the Yoruba people in south-weste ...
.[
OOU Ago-Iwoye has 6 faculties and a number of departments:]
* Faculty of Arts: English, Performing Arts, History and Diplomatic Studies, Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, Foreign Languages, Philosophy, Religious Studies
* Faculty of Science: Plant Science, Zoology and Environmental Biology, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, Microbiology
* Faculty of Social Science: Geography and Regional Planning, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Mass Communication
* Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences: Accounting, Banking and Finance, Transport Management, Public Administration, Cooperative and Rural Development, Business Administration, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management
* Faculty of Education: Educational Management and Business Studies, Educational Foundations and Counselling, Curriculum Studies and Instructional Technology, Human Kinetics and Health Education, Arts and Social Science Education
* Faculty of Law: Private Law, Business and Industrial Law, Public Law, Jurisprudence and International Law
The university, according to Oba Adunugbe, is the backbone of the community's commercialism. "Before, on ordinary days," he said, "when you went to a house, you only saw goats and fowls at the doors steps because people would have all gone to farm."[ At times, there were more OOU students than locals living in Ago-Iwoye.][ The university students are keen protestors, which has made the police wary of them.] Oba Adunugbe "formed a committee" with the university to better relations between the OOU and the town and to handle mutual issues.[ During a 2014 protest over increased fees, the university shut down until the anger receded, which was another controversial decision.]
Crime
Like many parts of Africa, Ago-Iwoye has an active Black Axe presence. The Aiye cult group, as they are also known, started as a Nigerian crime syndicate that eventually made its way into the highest societal positions and is now international. Black Axe began as a student cofraternity at the University of Benin and primarily recruits males ages 16–23, specifically targeting university students.
On 16 June 2005, a boy walking home from Wesley High School at night with a friend was shot dead by "the Vigilante Group." The next morning, angry OOU students stormed the king's palace and burned it down.[ The fighting—at this point between townspeople and students—was only stopped when police from ]Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...
arrived.[ The university closed for a while afterwards.] Security in Ago-Iwoye has increased since then, with more volunteers working with police to keep the peace.[ Oba Adunugbe believe that "hired hoodlums" were pretending to be protesting OOU students.][ In 2013, due to the university being the main target for crime and violence, Ogun State brought in APCs to "monitor and curtail the nefarious activities of the hoodlums who used to terrorise the university community.][
]
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Ogun State
Cities in Yorubaland
Cities in Nigeria