Watersided Hill of Ikole Town, Ekiti State

Ikole is a

Local Government Area 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 (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti peo ...

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 ...

. Its headquarters are in the town of Ikole. The current Chairman of the Local Government is Prince Olominu Sola Ebenezer, who polled a total of 21,228 votes to defeat other candidates in the 2019 local government election in

that was organised by the state Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). He was sworn in alongside other newly elected chairpersons and vice chairpersons for the 16

by Dr.

Kayode Fayemi John Olukayode Fayemi (born 9 February 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as Governor of Ekiti State from 2018 to 2022. He previously served in office between 2010 and 2014 before losing re-election to Ayo Fayose, Ayodele Fayose. He was ...

, governor of the state on 31st December, 2019. The Local Government Chairman is the Head of the Local Government Council, as well as the approving officer for funds disbursement and the Chief Security Officer for the Ikole

. Prince Olominu Sola administration has prioritised infrastructural development in the area of boreholes rehabilitation, electricity reconnection of Ara Ekiti, construction of blocks of locks up shops, as well as investment in basic education and grassroots sports development, and urban renewal policies for improved trade and commerce. It has an area of and a population of 168,436 at the 2006 census. 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 370.

People

The Local Government is predominantly a homogenous society and carefully populated by Ekiti speaking people of the South West Zone of Nigeria. The Religious of the people are mainly Christian and Islamic religious while a percentage of the people are Traditional religion worshippers. Ikole LGA is named after the principal town of the area, Ikole Ekiti. The traditional ruler Ikole town is the Elekole of Ikole, who also doubles as the paramount ruler of Egbeoba (Literally meaning, Confederation of Obas) Kingdom alluding to Ikole LGA's make up of several other constituent towns with their own traditional rulers and Chiefs. There are 24 state level recognised Obas in Ikole LGA alone, a unique feature of this area contrasted with other areas of Ekiti. Each of these Obas are independent. History holds that between 1900 and 1920, active migration of far flung villages and towns deep in the forest were encouraged towards a new conurbation under the umbrella of Egbeoba leading up to the formation of modern Egbeoba Kingdom under the then Elekole Adeleye I, a retired school teacher. According to JET Babatola, "This community and others around Ikole resettled along the Ikole-Kabba road due to the influence of the late Elekole (an ex-policeman) who asked them to settle nearby to influence their trade and economic potentials prior to the 1920 Oke Eniju revolt and its consequences" The LGA comprises twenty-four towns and villages. Towns in the LGA are Ikole Ijesha Isu Oke Ayedun Ootunja Odo-Oro Ipao Itapaji Ara Isaba Usin Orin Odo Odo Ayedun Ayebode Oke Ako Irele Iyemero Ikosi Igbona Asin Esun Temidire Ikunri Ijebu-Agege Ilamo Among the villages in the LGA are Aba Dam Ita Gbangba Aba Audu Aba Fatunla Arinta Aba Ebira, Ayedun Aba oko Ijebu Iwetin Aba Oke Oko, Igbona

Economy

The thriving industries in the local government are Agriculture and Lumbering which include Timber/Saw mills which include Olo Sawmill, Okejebu, Eleyero Sawmill, Ilamo and Ara Sawmill, Ara; Pharmacies which include Chuks Pharmacy and Okoli Pharmacy both located at Ikole. Ikole's land are one of the most fertile, and with high degree of accessibility to water bodies. Itapaji dam with enormous mini-hydroelectric power potential, as well as water supply opportunities for irrigation and townships is located in Ikole. Even as Oye river nearby flows into River Ele and provides substantial alluvial deposits in the Ikole plains for year-round agriculture. Ero dam in Moba is also nearby. The first major cattle ranch in Nigeria, the Oke Ako Cattle Ranch established by the then Western Region Government is located in Ikole, as is the Agriculture Development Project of the state government. The place in the Ikole Local Government that attracts tourists from all over is the Itapaji Water Dam, Itapaji-Ekiti. Ikole is also home to several educational institutions including a campus of the Federal University, Oye and a Federal Government College.

Notable people

* Orlando Julius, Nigerian

afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...

musician born in Ikole in 1943 *

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in th ...

artist https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.M._News

References

OVERVIEW OF CONFLICT AND AGITATIONS FOR LOCAL AUTONOMIES IN EKITILAND (1900-2014) . Accessed on 24th Dec, 2017 http://ekitistate.gov.ng/administration/local-govt/ikole-lga/ {{LGAs and communities of Ekiti State Local Government Areas in Ekiti State