Abeokuta is the capital city of

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

in southwest

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 ...

. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

; north of

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 449,088.

Geography and economy

Abẹokuta lies in fertile country of wooded

, the surface of which is broken by masses of grey

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

. It spreads over an extensive area, being surrounded by mud walls 18 miles in extent.

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 ...

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

, natural rubber, yams,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

, other fruits, and

shea butter Shea butter (, , or ; ) is a fat extracted from yellow the nut of the African shea tree (''Vitellaria paradoxa''). It is ivory in color when raw and commonly dyed yellow with borututu root or palm oil. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moi ...

are the chief articles of trade. It is a key export location for

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 products, fruit, and

kola nut The term kola nut usually refers to the seeds of certain species of plant of the genus ''Cola'', placed formerly in the cocoa family Sterculiaceae and now usually subsumed in the mallow family Malvaceae (as subfamily Sterculioideae). These cola ...

s. Both rice and cotton were introduced by the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

in the 1850s and have become integral parts of the economy, along with the dye

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

. Abeokuta lies below the Olumo Rock, home to several caves and shrines. The town depends on the Oyan River Dam for its water supply, which is not always dependable. The dam is situated in the Abeokuta North local government area of

in the West of Nigeria, about 20 km northwest of the state capital Abeokuta. The dam crosses the Oyan River, a tributary of the Ogun River. Abeokuta is the headquarters of the federal Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority, which is responsible for development of land and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

resources for

, Ogun, and Oyo states. Included in this are

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

, food-processing, and

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...

. Local industries include but not limited to fruit

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

plants, plastics, breweries, sawmills, and an aluminum products factory. South of town are the Aro granite quarries.

Transportation

Abeokuta is connected to nearby

by a railway that was completed in 1899, with a length of . Since 2021 there is a standard gauge railway line Lagos-Ibadan, which stops at Abeokuta. For this a new railway building has been built in Abeokuta. Trains to Ibadan leave around 8:30 and 16:30 daily, trains to Lagos around 10:00 and 18:00. Tickets can be bought at the counter and with cash only. Abeokuta Taxi

Roads connect it to Lagos as well as

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

Ilaro Ilaro is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria. Ilaro town houses about 57,850 people. Ilaro is the headquarters of the Yewa South Local government, now known as YEWALAND which replaced the Egbado division of the former Western State, and later became a ...

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 ...

, Iseyin, Sango Ota, and Ketou.

History

In 1817, the

Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba language, ...

dissolved into civil war. Refugees displaced by the collapse of Oyo joined with the Ijebu in their war against the Owu in southern Yorubaland, which had broken out around the same time. Following the fall of Owu in around 1822, the leading Ife and Ijebu generals returned to their respective homes, but the rest of the armies that had allied with the Oyo refugees were invited by the Ijebus to Ipara, which they made their headquarters for further attacks against several towns in the region. This group then turned their attention to waging war with 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 ...

, a loose confederacy of towns that had been established by

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 ...

migrants in the 13th century and were spread throughout the forested land between Ipara and

. The group conquered and destroyed many of these towns, eventually settling in one of the villages that had not been completely destroyed,

, which they used as their headquarters for additional conquests. At least a handful of

groups had by this point joined the group of marauders, and they too were living at

. Conflict between the various groups arose, and in one incident, an Egba chief named Lamodi shot an Ife chief named Ege to death with a pistol at a public meeting before himself being killed in the ensuing commotion. Fearing Ife reprisal, most of the Egba population withdrew as a group to an encampment about 3 or 4 miles distant on the other side of the Ona River. Here they enlisted Sodeke to be their leader and migrated to a hilly area known as Olumo Rock, where they established the town of Abeokuta around 1830 at what was then a small farming village. By 1825, Olumo Rock was already a place of refuge from Ibadan and Dahomey slave hunters; people were scattered throughout the landscape, taking shelter among the rocks surrounding the settlement. The Egba who established Abeokuta were soon joined by other Egba refugees and a substantial number of Owu who had escaped their captors. It became a busy metropolis and home to the majority of the Egba. However, the various groups of Egba did not fuse into a single community; rather, Abeokuta functioned more as a "federation of communities within a town wall than a community in its own right". Because Abeokuta was in a key location for the palm oil trade and because it was the so-called capital of the Egbas,

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

soon became hostile. In the 1851 Battle of Abeokuta, the Egba defeated King Gezo and the Dahomey incursion. They again beat back the Dahomey military in 1864.Canby, Courtlandt. ''The Encyclopedia of Historic Places''. (New York: Facts on File Publications, 1984), p. 2.

The 1860s also saw problems arise with the Europeans, namely the British in Lagos, which led to the Egba first closing trade routes, followed by the expulsion of missionaries and traders in 1867. Between 1877 and 1893 the Yoruba Civil Wars occurred, and Abeokuta opposed

, which led the king or ''alake'' of the Egba to sign an alliance with the British governor, Sir Gilbert Carter. This occurred in 1893, which formalized the Egba United Government based in Abẹokuta which became recognized by the United Kingdom. In 1914, the Egba lands were incorporated into the colony of Nigeria by the British, with Abeokuta as the provincial capital. In 1918, an uprising took place, the

Adubi War The Adubi War (known locally as Ogun Adubi or Egba Uprising) was a conflict in June and July 1918 in the British Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria ostensibly because of the imposition of colonial taxation. Direct taxes were introduced by the col ...

, which was related to the levying of taxes and the policy of indirect rule by

Sir Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

, the British Governor-General. This was the only internal threat to British control of Nigeria during the course of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

Abeokuta Women's Revolt The Abeokuta Women's Revolt (also called the Egba Women's Tax Riot) was a resistance movement led by the Abeokuta Women's Union (AWU) in the late 1940s against the imposition of unfair taxation by the Nigerian colonial government. The women of ...

, led by the Abeokuta Women's Union (AWU), took place in the 1940s. It was a resistance movement against the imposition of unfair taxation by the Nigerian colonial government. In 1976, Abeokuta became the capital of the newly created

Notable buildings

Abeokuta was once surrounded by 18 miles of wall, and remnants of the historic wall still exist today. Ake, the traditional residence of the Alake, along with Centenary Hall (1930), are both in the

Egba Alake Egba Ake, otherwise known as Egba Alake, is one of the five sections of Egbaland, the others being Oke-Ona, Gbagura, the Owu and Ibara (historically, Ibara is part of Yewa, not Egba, although it is located in the present day Abeokuta geographic ...

's territory. There are secondary and primary schools and the University of Lagos Abeokuta Campus opened in 1984. This campus specializes in science, agriculture, and technology. This has since been changed to an independent full-fledged tertiary institution,

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta is one of the higher institutions of learning owned and run by the Federal government of Nigeria. History The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, or FUNAAB, was estab ...

(FUNAAB) in 1988. The Green Legacy Resort is a large resort/hotel built by former president

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

and investors. The

Presidential Library (OOPL) is also located within the grounds of the resort The Governor's office located at Oke-Mosan is also a notable building. The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) located at Alabata road in Abeokuta is also one of the notable buildings in Abeokuta and one of the most beautiful public University campus in Nigeria.

Notable people

* Chief

Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , also known as M. K. O. Abiola (24 August 1937 – 7 July 1998) was a Nigerian businessman, publisher, and politician. He was the Aare Ona Kankafo XIV of Yorubaland and an aristocrat of the Egba clan. M.K.O ...

, businessman, politician and presidential candidate. * Chief

Simeon Adebo Chief Simeon Olaosebikan Adebo (October 4, 1913 - September 30, 1994) was a Nigerian administrator, lawyer and diplomat who served as a United Nations Under-Secretary General. He was the former head of the civil service in Nigeria's old Weste ...

, a Nigerian administrator, lawyer and diplomat. *

Odunlade Adekola Odunlade Adekola , (born 31 December 1976) is a Nigerian actor, singer, film-maker, film producer and film director. He gained popularity and was widely known for his lead role in Ishola Durojaye's 2003 movie, ''Asiri Gomina Wa'', and has acted i ...

: Nollywood Actor * Prince

Bola Ajibola Bolasodun Adesumbo "Bola" Ajibola, KBE (born March 22, 1934)Mielle K. Bulterman, Martin KuijeCompliance with judgments of international courts/ref> was Attorney General and the Minister of Justice of Nigeria from 1985 to 1991 and a Judge of the ...

, former World Court judge. * Dr.

Tunde Bakare Tunde Bakare, born 11 November 1954, is a Nigerian Prophetic-Apostolic pastor. He originally studied and practiced law, eventually opening his own firm, before leaving the field to work in ministry. He was a member and legal adviser at the Deep ...

, pastor. * Oladimeji Bankole, politician and businessman. * Princess

Sara Forbes Bonetta Sara Forbes Bonetta, otherwise known as Sarah Forbes Bonetta, (born Aina or Ina; 1843 – 15 August 1880), was ward and goddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was believed to have been a titled member of the Egbado clan of the Yoruba people in West ...

, Egbado princess of the Yoruba people, goddaughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. * Jean-Marie Coquard, French Christian medical missionary * Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III, monarch and businessman. * Abimbola Jayeola, Nigeria first female helicopter pilot *

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

, musician and political activist. *

Mudashiru Lawal Mudashiru Babatunde "Muda" Lawal (8 June 1954 – 6 July 1991) was a Nigerian footballer who played as a midfielder for both club and country. Club career He worked as an automobile mechanic before his football talents were discovered, and made ...

, footballer and sports analyst. *

Shane Lawal Olaseni Abdul-Jelili "Shane" Lawal (born October 8, 1986) is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He played the center position. College career Lawal played college basketball for three years at Oakland University, with the ...

, basketball player. * Lijadu Sisters, identical twin sisters that were an iconic music pair in Africa between the 1960s and 1980s. * Chief

, President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. * Ebenezer Obey, juju musician and evangelist. * Segun Odegbami, footballer and sports analyst. * Akin Ogungbe, film actor, film maker, producer and director. * Princess

Kuforiji Olubi Chief Bola Kuforiji-Olubi (September 28, 1936 – December 3, 2016) was a Nigerian traditional aristocrat, banker and federal minister of commerce. In addition to a variety of other chieftaincy titles, she held that of the Otunba Ayora of Ijebu- ...

, former federal minister. * Chief Olusegun Osoba, politician and businessman. *

Tunji Oyelana Tunji Oyelana (born 4 October 1939) is a multi-award-winning Nigerian musician, actor, folk singer, composer and once a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Tunji Oyelana is of the Yoruba ethnic group and is a native of Nigeria. Mos ...

, musician, actor, folk singer and composer. * Sir

Shina Peters Sir Shina Peters (born 30 May 1958) is a Nigerian Jùjú musician. Life Born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters in Ogun State, Peters' career in music began at a young age when he played with friends under the handle Olushina and His Twelve Fantastic Bro ...

, musician and businessman. * Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, women's rights activist. * Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, professor of pediatrics, former Minister of Health. * Chief

Ernest Shonekan Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan (9 May 1936 – 11 January 2022) was a Nigerian lawyer and statesman who served as the interim Head of State of Nigeria from 26 August 1993 to 17 November 1993. He was titled Abese of Egbaland from ...

, businessman and former head of the defunct interim government of Nigeria. *

Ike Shorunmu Ike Ibrahim Shorunmu (born 16 October 1967) is a former Nigerian football goalkeeper. Career Shorunmu was born in Lagos. After a few years in Nigeria he moved to play in Switzerland, and made his mark there. He was bought by Turkish club B ...

, footballer and coach. * Jimi Solanke, actor, musician, storyteller and playwright. * Professor

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

, Nobel Prize-winning author. * Oba

Adedapo Tejuoso Oba Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso is the Osile of Oke Ona Egbaland. He is the father of Senator Lanre Tejuoso. Oba Tejuoso was born to Joseph Somoye Tejuoso and Esther Bisoye Tejuoso Chieftain, Chief Esther Bisoye Tejuoso (1916 – 19 September 19 ...

, monarch and businessman. * Chief

Bisoye Tejuoso Chieftain, Chief Esther Bisoye Tejuoso (1916 – 19 September 1996) was a Nigerian businesswoman from Abeokuta. She was born into the family of an Egba people, Egba farmer who was also a Tribal chief, chief in Abeokuta. She herself held the chieft ...

, businesswoman and titled aristocrat. * Madam Tinubu, titled aristocrat. * Chief

Akintola Williams Chief Akintola Williams (born 9 August 1919) is a Nigerian accountant. He was the first Nigerian to qualify as a chartered accountant. He began his education at Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Bankole street, Apongbon, Lagos Island, Lag ...

, accountant, founder of ICAN. Oba Oyebade Lipede. Professor Jide Dasaolu * Chief

Frederick Rotimi Williams Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, QC, SAN (16 December 1920 – 26 March 2005) was a prominent Nigerian lawyer who was the first Nigerian to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the 1950s, he was a member of the Action Group and subseq ...

, legal scholar.

Photo gallery

File:Akin Olugbade Social Centre, Owu, Abeokuta, Ogun state.jpg, Akin Olugbade Social Centre, Owu, Abeokuta, Ogun state File:Abeokuta Girls Grammer School, Onikolobo, Abeokuta, Ogun state.jpg, Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, Onikolobo, Abeokuta, Ogun state File:Entrance of Olumo Rock.jpg, Entrance of Olumo Rock File:Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Main Entrance.jpg, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Main Entrance File:Owu entrance, abeokua, ogun state.jpg, Owu entrance to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo family house File:Ministry of works vehicle inspection station sign-post, Abeokuta, Ogun state.jpg, Ministry of works vehicle inspection station sign-post, Abeokuta, Ogun state File:Kutoroad.jpg, Kuto Road in Abeokuta. File:Rock of Abeokuta.jpg, The "Rock of Abeokuta", as drawn c.1892 File:Abeokuta, 1929.png, Aerial view of Abeokuta, 1929 File:Diocese of Egba (Anglican Communion).jpg, Diocese of Egba (Anglican Communion) File:Alaba Lawson School, Abeokuta.jpg, Alaba Lawson School, Abeokuta File:Anglican church, Abeokuta.jpg, Anglican church, Abeokuta File:Bola Ajibola House, Asero, Abeokuta.jpg, Alhaji M.A. Tijanni (Baba MAT), Asero, Abeokuta File:Cathedral of St. Peter Anglican church, Abeokuta10.jpg, Cathedral of St. Peter Anglican church, Abeokuta File:Cathedral of St. Peter Anglican church, Abeokuta2.jpg, Cathedral of St. Peter Anglican church, Abeokuta File:Church Cathedral, Ibara, Abeokuta2.jpg, Church Cathedral, Ibara, Abeokuta File:Cinema at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.jpg, Cinema at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.jpg File:Central Bank of Nigeria, Abeokuta.jpg, Central Bank of Nigeria, Abeokuta File:Conference Hotel, Abeokuta.jpg, Conference Hotel, Abeokuta File:Egba High School, ABeokuta.jpg, Egba High School, ABeokuta File:General Post Office, Sapon, Abeokuta.jpg, General Post Office, Sapon, Abeokuta.jpg File:Green Legacy Resort, Abeokuta.4.jpg, Green Legacy Resort, Abeokuta File:High Court building, Abeokuta.jpg, High Court building, Abeokuta.jpg File:Ibara Market mall, Abeokuta.jpg, Ibara Market mall, Abeokuta.jpg File:Ibara Market mall, Abeokuta2.jpg, Ibara Market mall, Abeokuta.jpg File:Ogun Government House, Abeokuta.jpg, Ogun Government House, Abeokuta File:Ogun Tech-Hub building, Abeokuta.jpg, Ogun Tech-Hub building, Abeokuta File:Olubara of Ibara palace, Abeokuta2.jpg, Olubara of Ibara palace, Abeokuta File:Olusegun Obasanjo hilltop G.R.A, Abeokuta.jpg, Olusegun Obasanjo hilltop G.R.A, Abeokuta File:OPIC building, Abeokuta.jpg, OPIC building, Abeokuta.jpg File:Osile of Egba land palace, Abeokuta2.jpg, Osile of Egba land palace, Abeokuta2.jpg File:Salawu Abiola Comprehensive School, Abeokuta2.jpg, Salawu Abiola Comprehensive School, Abeokuta2.jpg File:St. Centenary hall, Abeokuta6.jpg, St. Centenary hall, Abeokuta File:St. John church, Sagamu.jpg, St. John church, Sagamu File:Central_Mosque_Abeokuta.jpg, Abeokuta Central Mosque

References

External links

"Abẹ́òkuta's Living History"
{{Authority control Populated places in Ogun State State capitals in Nigeria Cities in Yorubaland Cities in Nigeria 1830 establishments in Africa Populated places established in 1830