Ososo is a town situated in
Akoko-Edo
Akoko Edo is a Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Igarra. It has an area of 1,371 km and a population of 262,110 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 312.
As of 2016, its population ...
Local Government Area, in the north of
Edo State
Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...
, Nigeria. With an average altitude of 1236 feet above sea level, it has a very temperate climate similar to that of
Jos,
Plateau State
Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself.
Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...
. The highest peak is a very large
monolith
A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive rock (geology), stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological for ...
often called the ''Oruku rock''.
Description
The town is made up of four clans: Anni, Egbetua, Okhe and Ikpena. With an approximated population of 100,000 and a combined population density of 5,111 per 7 km radius, it is one of the largest towns in the Local Government Area.
Ososo has a unique dialect of the Ghotuo-Uneme-Yekhee branch of the
Edoid
The Edoid languages are a few dozen languages spoken in Southern Nigeria, predominantly in the former Bendel State. The name ''Edoid'' derives from its most widely spoken member, Edo, the language of Benin City, which has 25 million native and ...
linguistic lineage.
Ososo shares boundaries with
Okene
Okene is a town in the Nigerian state of Kogi. The town is based in a Local Government Area of the same name. Okene runs along the A2 highway. It had an area of 328 km² and a population of 320,260 at the 2006 census.
The predominant people ...
to the north,
Okpella
Okpella is a clan situated along Benin-Abuja federal high way. Going by the last National Census figures, it has the population of 500,000, and is one of the three main towns that make up Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. Okpella i ...
to the East,
Makeke to the west,
Ojah to the South and
Ogori to the north-west. It is a boundary town between Edo and
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 ...
s.
History
According to
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
, the people of Ososo migrated from "Ogbe" quarters in present-day
Benin City
Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...
in the 17th century during the era Oba
Ozolua
Ozolua, originally called Okpame and later called Ozolua n'Ibaromi (Ozolua the Conqueror), was an Oba of the Kingdom of Benin from 1483 until 1514. He greatly expanded the Kingdom through warfare and increased contact with the Portuguese Empire. ...
whose reign experienced of fierce and violent inter-tribal wars between
Benin kingdom
The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...
and its neighbours and due to general disenchantment with the harsh economic realities of their day. The migration took the people first to Idah in Kogi state. Not comfortable with the people there they moved on to Ajaokuta, there to Uname - Orugbe by the river Niger and finally to Idoani in Ososo from where they expanded down from the rocks to the present location. The early settlers were attracted to Ososo because of its rocks, caves, temperate climate, springs and fertile lands. We can not rule out an affiliation with Kogi state when you look at the traditional chiefs' mode of dressing with the long red cap called ''oji'' and the name Tokura which is a title in Igala. The expansion of descendant family lineage brought about the present four clans that now comprise the town. Although there are many common family names in Ososo, a few include Akpologun, Alabi, Buoro, Lawani, Ochedu, Ofekun, Otaru, Ogidan, Orifa, Okogbe, Okareh, Ogedengbe, Alao, Salami, Adacha, Aiyejina, Itomo, Ayedogbon, Osheku, Obaitan, Bodunde, Arokamoni (or Arokhamoni), Okpelle, Alabi, Agbaje, Ogboriefor, Okole, Ogbokhoyani, Olanrewaju, Anthony Omokhagbo and so on.
Mineral Resources
The town of Ososo is blessed with a commercial deposit of Limestone, and some other solid minerals such as Gold and Granite.
Tourism
![Migration of Ososo people in Edo state, Nigeria 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Migration_of_Ososo_people_in_Edo_state%2C_Nigeria_03.jpg)
Ososo town is of granitic nature, with some elevations of volcanic origin containing precious stones of varied descriptions. Located on a plateau of dispersed rocks and undulating hills, the town continues to be a haven for tourists. Because of its rocks and climate, some Europeans established a quarry company north of the town, known as BOK Quarry some years ago.
The rocks and hills of varied sizes and shapes occupy the plateau with the natural magical posture of a thousand models posing to nature's camera.
The colonial administrations as early as the 19th century recognised the tourist potential of Ososo and built the then Rest House which was a sought after holiday haven for most of the white people working in Nigeria at that time. The military administrator of Edo State
Mohammed Abul-Salam Onuka
Mohammed Abul-Salam Onuka was a Nigerian soldier who served as Military Administrator of Edo State between December 1993 and September 1994. He took over from the civilian governor, John Odigie Oyegun, at the start of the military administration o ...
(1993–1994) made some attempt to develop the tourist potential of Ososo. Some other governments have attempted to raise the status of the then rest house to Tourist Centre, but attempts have not yielded the expected results. However, the tourism potentials of Ososo received a boost recently as Nigerian Breweries PLC (makers of Gulder larger beer), relaunch their 2011 Gulder Ultimate Search Season 8, in Egbetua, Ososo.
Ososo town is on the boundary between Edo and Kogi States, and in a hilly and rocky area. It lies about 40 kilometres from Igarra and 200 kilometres from Benin city in Edo State. There is a non-catering Rest House on top of a hill at Ososo, which has views of parts of Kogi State to as far as the river Niger. An amusement park is being developed as part of the resort which has temperate weather for long periods in the year.
From the tourist centre, a rest house renovated by the Edo state government, there are views all the way to Kogi state.
Ososo carnival
The Ososo carnival is a notable event performed annually close to the end of the year. It involves rallies, dancing and a huge level of entertainment.
Guest Artists of notable fame are invited and the event is becoming fast famous around the country. Ososo has many good hotels to accommodate visitors with a good level of hospitality amongst the people.
Ososo is known to have beautiful girls and good social background amongst them.
References
* "Proudly Ososo" - Faraday John Ogidan (February 2008)
{{LGAs and communities of Edo State
Populated places in Edo State