Egbe Mekun, popularly called Egbe, is a historic town located in the

Yagba West Yagba West is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria, in the west of the state adjoining Kwara State. Its headquarters is in the town of Odo Ere. It has an area of 1,276 km and a population of 149,023 at the 2006 census. By 2016, the ...

local government area of

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

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 ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

History

This town is an ancient town bordering

Kogi Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

and

Kwara State Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

s. It is surrounded by some undulating and luxuriant hills of savannah vegetation which are visible as you move around the town; this explained why it is sometimes referred to as "Jerusalem in Nigeria". The dialect spoken by these people is called Yagba, they have ancestry root linked to the

Yorubas 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 ...

as they speak

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 ...

. Their alphabet are similar to that of Yorubas. The town is known for its hospitality and the fact that it is located on the federal road axis, it serves as a central location to access other communities. It is one of the biggest towns found in Yagba land with long history of commercial activities; People come from far and near for trading purposes. Egbe town is blessed with fertile land for agriculture activities. The crops grown in this area include: yam,

corn 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 ...

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

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 ...

beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

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 ...

, ( groundnuts) and

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 ...

. Traditionally, they go into clothes woven which are used during wedding ceremonies especially for the brides. The characteristic of the town include being quiet and having a natural environment which is most conducive for learning. No wonder in Egbe and indeed the entire region of Yagba in Kogi State, it is hard to cover a 500 metres radius without coming across an educational institution. Again it is not surprising that some of the best brains in

are products of educational institutions in this impressive region.

Cassiterite Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains t ...

columbite Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate [], is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic Lustre (mineralogy), luster and a high density and is a niobate of iron and manganese. This mineral group w ...

, and

tantalite The mineral group tantalite Fe,_manganese.html"_;"title="iron.html"_;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese">Mn)Tantalum">Ta2oxygen.html" ;"title="manganese">Mn)Tantalum.html" ;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese.html" ;"title="iron.html" ;"title="iron">Fe, manga ...

are some of the mineral resources found in Egbe. The family unit is an integral part of this community, as marriage is encouraged within the younger populace by the elderly. The existence of the extended family is still being practiced; where the younger ones care for the elderly by living together as a family unit. Respect for the elderly is of great importance to the younger ones and is encouraged. The presence of missionary activities in this town dates back to the early twentieth century when Rev. Tommy Titcombe (a British-born Canadian missionary) and his wife a missionary with SIM (

Sudan Interior Mission SIM is an international, interdenominational Evangelical Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States. The initials originally ...

; now

Serving In Mission SIM is an international, interdenominational Evangelical Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States. The initials originally ...

) came to Egbe in 1908. Against all the odds of the language barrier (they would later learn both Yoruba and the Yagba dialect) and West Africa being referred to as the "White man’s grave" (due to malaria caused by mosquito bites killing so many missionaries) they came into the community, becoming the pioneers of Christianity in the area; they preached the gospel of Christ to the people of Egbe and Yagba and were able to lay the foundation for a hospital which was started by newer missionaries in 1952. Known today as

ECWA Hospital Egbe ECWA Hospital Egbe is a Christian hospital located in Egbe, Kogi State, Nigeria. It is a 121-bed hospital which became SIM's first training hospital. Background There was missionary activity in Egbe so many years ago particularly through Rev. ...

, the hospital, founded by Canadian missionaries Dr. George and Esther Campion has become one of the biggest, most popular and most successful Christian hospitals in Kogi State and Nigeria at large.Sophie De La Haye, ''Tread Upon the Lion'' (SIM, 1995). A college of excellence was also established called Titcombe College, (named after Titcombe) and many churches were also planted. Egbe still has traditional Nigerian leadership positions, such as "Oba" "Baale" "Bashorun", which are king, chief (king's deputy) and prime minister. The Bashorun of Egbe is Chief Olayinka Simoyan, (former Nigerian diplomat). The former Oba of Egbe, who was a paramount ruler, Oba S. K. Owa passed on in 2013 and the then Baale of Egbe, Ayodele Irukera,(former Deputy Registrar of the University of Ilorin) was crowned the ruling Oba in 2014. Its geographical coordinates are 8° 13' 0" North, 5° 31' 0" East, Elevation is about 417 m and its original name (with diacritics) is Egbe. Population of approximately 20,000

References

External links

ECWA Hospital Egbe.

Followers of Ifa Traditions
*

br>"Egbe Hospital Revitalization Project".

"Egbe Òrúnmìlà Ayala - Traditional Ifa Consecrations in Cuba".
{{Authority control Populated places in Kogi State Towns in Yorubaland