Ejigbo is a prominent city in
Yoruba Land
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 ...
and the headquarters of Ejigbo Local Government Area, one of the oldest
local government areas
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory.
The phrase i ...
of
Osun State
Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Ogun S ...
in
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 ...
. Ejigbo is strategically placed in the middle of the region, as north-east of Iwo, from Ogbomoso in the north and from Ede in the south-east. It is about north-west of
Osogbo
Osogbo (also ''Oṣogbo'', rarely ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorund ...
, the capital of Osun State, and about north-east of
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 ...
. It is part of the
Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo is a National Assembly constituency in Osun State. The constituency is represented by Bamidele Salam.
It covers the Local Government Areas of Ede South, Ede North, Egbedore and Ejigbo
Ejigbo is a promin ...
federal constituency. The population is 138,357 according to the GeoNames geographical database. The average elevation is .
It has an area of and had a population of 132,641 at the 2006 census. The average annual rainfall is , though there are great deviations from this mean value from year to year. Usually, the rainy season lasts from April to October.
The
postal code
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...
of the area is 232.
Ile Ilupeju, Ejigbo, Osun state.
Brief history of Ejigbo
Ejigbo is a major Yoruba city in Osun State of Nigeria. It is about to Oshogbo, the capital of Osun State.
According to oral history, Ejigbo is an ancient settlement. It was founded by Akinjole Ogiyan (abbreviation of "Ogiriniyan"), right after the old
Oyo. Ogiyan has a rich pedigree, as a descendant of
Oduduwa
Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king. According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the ''Olofin'' of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynasties ...
and the ruling family of
Ile-Ife. Together with his brothers, particularly the Akire, the founder of Ikire-Ile, left Ile Ife with Oranya (
Oranmiyan) – the founder of old Oyo, to establish their own town. The fact that the Ogiyan is from Ile-Ife, is confirmed by "Ejigbo Mekun" the name of a market in Ile-Ife. Akinjole settled many other villages spread around
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 ...
. He was the paramount ruler and prescribed authority over many if not all of them. The following towns and villages, among others, were under him: Ika, Igbon, Olosinmo, Ologede, Inisa, Aato, Ijimoba, Afake, Ilawo, Inisa Edoro, Isundunrin, Olla, Ado Ori-Oke, Ayegunle, Idigba, Ibogunde, Songbe, Olorin, Osuntedo and Iwata.
Around 1835, Ejigbo came under Ibadan, when the Ibadan army moved to protect Osogbo from
Ilorin
Ilorin is the List of capitals of states of Nigeria, capital city of Kwara State in Western Nigeria.. Retrieved 18 February 2007 As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the List of Nigerian cities by population, 7th ...
invaders. In fact, detachments from Ejigbo assisted the Ibadan army in the Osogbo, Ijaye,
Jalumi, Off, and Kiriji wars between 1840 and 1866
Ajayi Ogboriefon Balogun and leader of the Ibadan army in the Jalumi war circa 1860 and 1878 was native of Ejigbo from the Akala compound. His mother, Alagbabi, was the daughter of an
Ogiyan of Ejigbo. In 1934, when the then government returned to the terms of the 1893 Treaty, which recognized Ibadan's independence and gazettes of the Baale and Divisional Council of Ibadan as an Independent Native Authority, five district
obas, including the Ogiyan, were made members of the divisional Council.
The Ogiyan and council were also gazetted as subordinated to Native Authority under
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 ...
for Ejigbo District Council. Although changes were made enlarging the membership of the Council between 1937 and 1938, the five districts Obas that included the Ogiyan retained their membership of the said Divisional Native Authority.
Ejigbo people
Travelling
Ejigbo indigenes are well traveled. They have long history of international emigration, predominantly
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, formerly known as Côte d'Ivoire, and have created border-less
ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
. Out of about a million and two hundred thousand Nigerians residing in Côte d'Ivoire since the 1900s till present, indigenes of the Ejigbo local government area made up of more than 50% of that population. This has been drastically affecting the population of Ejigbo city, Nigeria, due to continuous migration of her people to some neighbouring West African countries, notably:
Benin Republic
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
,
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
, Côte d'Ivoire,
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
,
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
,
Niger Republic, and
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
. The international exposure of Ejigbo people is evident in Ejigbo city.
Wherever Ejigbo people are found, they live a communal lifestyle. This is done in order to maintain the unity and cordial relationship they enjoy before travelling out of the country. They are believed to be so established and organized in each big city and town in which they find themselves. For example, in Côte d'Ivoire, the Ejigbo people have a community leader they refer to as "Oba" of that area, such as 'Oba Bouake', 'Oba Abobo', 'Oba Dabou', 'Oba Grand Bassam', 'Oba Treichville' (etc.), while the 'Oba' who resides in Adjame, suburb of Abidjan, is called the "''Oba
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
''". He is regarded as the paramount Ejigbo community leader of Côte d'Ivoire. These ‘Oba’ performs an intermediary role between the government and his subjects. He is deemed to be the custodian of the migrants who fall within their jurisdiction. The 'Obas' also help new migrant, once they could speak a native language, to process the Ivorian permanent residence permit (card identete). All those so-designated Ejigbo community leaders are all recognized back at home by HRM, the Ogiyan of Ejigbo.
Languages
Apart from Ejigbo peoples' mother tongue (
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...
) and Nigeria's official language (English), some of the other foreign languages spoken today in Ejigbo include: French (second to Yoruba),
Dioula (Mali), Eve (Togo), and Asante (Ghana). In Ejigbo today, along the street, few people have been speaking English. They speak and transact in French instead, because they are part and parcel of the
Francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
world. The Ejigbo people are found in both West African and European Francophone cities.
International personalities
Descendants of Ejigbo people have the opportunity of having dual-nationality in every Francophone country where they dwell. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, they are found in local and national administrative positions, such as inspector of education, health administration and local government councils. The case of Togo is unique. Ejigbo descendants born in Togo before 1991 are fully integrated and have full citizenship. Among them are the twin brothers Tidjani; while one was the Chief of Army Staff of late General Ghansimgbe Eyadema (former Togolese President who ruled for up to 40 years), the second brother was the rector of the only federal university. He is currently an economic adviser to the government of Togo (the twin brothers have Ejigbo royal family tribal marks). The parents of the Togolese international footballer, Adebayor and that of the Ivorian No.1 featherweight boxer as at 1986/87, Wahabi Spider, are from Ejigbo.
Cultural heritage
Ogiyan Festival
The festival of Orisa Ogiyan is still the most spectacular annual event in the city. During the festival, the Ogiyan, the ruler of the city is confined to his home for three months. The Orisa Ogiyan festival is held at the beginning of the harvest of new yams, usually in the rainy season. The Orisa is fed with new yam and epo pupa (
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 ...
). An important aspect of the festival is Ewo, the practice in which the people of the city divide themselves into two groups: the Isale Osolo and the Oke Mapo. They face each other in daylong whipping fights, as though in real battle.
The origin of this tradition centers on a medicine-man, or an Ifa Priest, who, in Owonri Elejigbo and Ifa
divination
Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...
verse, is known as "Sawoleje". The man helped the town in time of crisis. He was caught sleeping with the wife of an Ogiyan, and was severely beaten almost to death. He then cursed the town's people, saying that unless they regularly beat themselves as they had beaten him, the city would face some calamity. The tradition goes that there must be fights in every festival, otherwise, the city would not be at peace, and the health of its people would be endangered. Ejigbo in recent times, now remains one of the most peaceful of Yoruba towns; tradition says Ejigbo is never overtaken by war. The festival has now turned into an annual carnival.
Farming
Farming is the traditional source of economy in Ejigbo. It is based on production of food crops, such as tubers (yam,
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,
potato, etc.), grains (maize, guinea corn), and cowpea; cash crops like
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,
kola-nut, coconut and varieties of fruits which include large production of pineapple.
In the ancient times, the women helped in harvesting and selling of farm produce in the local markets. In some cases, such as palm oil, they engage in processing by extracting oil and the kernels from their shells. The land on which they farm is tropical dry forest and
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 ...
, which has not been very much useful in the cultivation of cash crops, like cocoa and others in large quantities, as compared to other forested parts of Yoruba land. Kolanut is grown, but not in any large quantity. The farmlands are not very far from the town; therefore the people have always been urban dwellers.
Modernization has taken farming activities in Ejigbo to a world level. There are large
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...
, fisheries and
animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...
farms (Ogidiolu Farms, Worgor Farms, etc.) in Ejigbo. In 2008, Ejigbo was ranked highest producer of life
cat fish in Osun State. Mechanized palm-oil processing plants has taken the place of the manual methods, and land cultivation has been greatly improved.
Economic activities
The central traditional market, popularly known as "''Oja Ejigbo"'', is located at the center of the city, in the front of palace. The market is fixed for every Saturday(occasionally on thursday), as is the case in many Yoruba towns, and attracts merchants from all over Ejigbo city. There are also a handful of other such markets. Due to the commercial/agrarian nature of the town, the market is also the most favored for night shopping and other social activities. In the past, it was used as recreational center for the town, and therefore was attended by many who even had nothing to buy or sell.
More so, modern commercial banks and micro-finance banks have become available in the town.
Religion activities
Ejigbo did not escape the influence, especially in the nineteenth century, of events that permeated Nigeria. Its people and culture change with the flow. For example, many people have been converted to Christianity and Islam. The Baptist, being the dominant Christian mission in the town, now has a number of churches, and it was through its efforts that the people of the town established the first full-fledged secondary Grammar School, the Ejigbo Baptist High School, followed by the Ansar Ud Deen Grammar School. Ejigbo is tolerant of its diverse faiths. This is demonstrated in the joint celebration of the annual Orisa Ogiyan festival and other inter-religious and inter-denominational programs.
Educational facilities
The readily available and affordable educational facilities have placed Ejigbo and her inhabitants among the well-educated in the country. All levels of Nigerian educational facilities have been available in Ejigbo. These have ranged from well-equipped kindergartens, nursery schools, primary schools, secondary and grammar schools and tertiary institutions.
Osun State University
Osun State University (UNIOSUN) is a multi-campus university established by the Osun State Government under the administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. The university currently operates six campuses distributed across the six administra ...
College of
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
is located at Ejigbo.
[
] A lot of other tertiary institutions in the southwest operate distance learning centers at Ejigbo.
References
External links
*
{{LGAs and communities of Osun State
Local Government Areas in Osun State
Towns in Yorubaland