Ikare is a city in the northern senatorial part of

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

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 ...

. Ikare-Akoko (Ikare for short), city in southwestern Nigeria, is located in the Northern Senatorial District of

. Ikare is about 100km from

Akure Akure is a city in south-western Nigeria. It is the capital and largest city of Ondo State. The city had a population of 403,000 as at the 2006 population census. History Pre 1914 Rock engravings dating back to the Mesolithic period, hav ...

, the Ondo State capital. The city was the divisional headquarters of the old Akoko Division, comprising Oka-Akoko, Isua-Akoko, Okeagbe-Akoko Ugbe Akoko etc. Based on the Local Government System now practised in Nigeria, the city is currently the headquarters of Akoko North-East Local Government. The city is a trading area for farmers of Kolanut,Cocoa, and coffee. Ikare shares boundaries with

Arigidi North Akoko, usually abbreviated as Akoko and also known as Arigidi, is a dialect cluster spoken in Nigeria. It appears to form a branch of the "Yoruba–Edo–Akoko–Igbo" () group of Niger–Congo languages. It is spoken in the LGAs of Akoko N ...

Ugbe Akoko Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo (Ekoi language: ''leopard''; derived from the Ibibio term for the same), is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Efiks. It is also found among a number of other ethn ...

, Ogbagi, Oka, Akungba and Supare. Ikare consists of two first class kings: The Owa-Ale of Iyometa Oba Adeleke Adegbite-Adedoyin Adefemi and Oba Saliu Momoh Akadiri Olukare of Ikare-Akoko Osele market is the Ikare's biggest communal market where the city's ancient traditions are displayed, Ikare-Akoko. Oja Oba is situated in opposite old first Bank, garage Ikare akoko. The city is located in the Yoruba cultural region and has a substantial

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, Jehovah Witness and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

population with several Churches, worshiping halls and Mosques. The

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

of the city incorporates both

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

styles. The Portuguese style was introduced in the 16th century when Portugal began to export slaves from the region. Arabic influences were incorporated in the 19th century with the diffusion of Islamic culture

Southward South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

across the Sahara.Population as of 2006 was over 700,000. Ikare has been using electricity since the year 1956.

Education

Ikare is home to several educational institutions in Ondo State. Notable among which are; Agolo High School, Odo, Ikare, Mount Carmel Secondary School, Ondo State College of Art and Science ; Ansar Ud-Deen Grammar School (AUD) Ikare Akoko, Agbaode Orimolade Grammar school Ikare; Osele High School Ikare Akoko, Victory College Ikare; Lennon Jubilee High School Ikare; Ikare Grammar School Ikare Akoko, Everlasting Premier College Ikare Akoko, Citadel International College, Ikare; Comprehensive high School, Ikare; Greater Tomorrow Primary School and so many government and private-owned Primary and Secondary Schools. Ikare sons and daughters are well educated and are presently holding national and international positions.

Markets

Ikare is a chief commercial city in Ondo state with several industrial base and markets which include; Osele Market, Okore Market, Oja Owa, Oja Oba, Jubilee Market, Oja Kajola Oja Kowode and several other markets in adjoining Villages. It is a super city for successful transportation business especially by private individuals.

Inter ethnic relationships

Ikare though basically a Yoruba ethnic city, is also a place of convergence in Ondo State for many ethnic groups in Nigeria including the

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

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. ...

, and

Ijaw Ijaw may refer to: *Ijaw people The Izon people or Izon Otu, otherwise known as the Ijaw people due to the historic mispronunciation of the name ''Izon'', are an ethnic group majorly found in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, with significant populatio ...

. The friendly disposition of its natives to visitors and holiday makers, from time immemorial, is perhaps responsible for the growing number of settlers in the city.

References

{{Yoruba topics Populated places in Ondo State Towns in Yorubaland