Ota, Nigeria

Ota (alternatively spelled Otta') is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria with an estimated 163,783 residents. Ota is the capital of the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area. The traditional leader of Ota is the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi AbdulKabir Obalanlege. Historically, Ota is the capital of the Awori Yoruba tribe.

As of 1999, Ota has the third largest concentration of industries in Nigeria. It also possesses a large market and an important road junction, found just north of the tollgate on the Lagos - Abeokuta Expressway. Ota is well known because it is home to Obasanjo Farms Nigeria Limited belonging to the former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Ota is also the location of Canaanland which is the campus of the megachurch Winners' Chapel, as well as home to the Africa Leadership Forum.

History

Traditional Awori Yoruba folklore tells that Olofin's children, Osolo and Eleidi Atalabi founded Ota after migrating south from Isheri. As the town developed, it eventually came to be locally ruled by a crowned oba, called the Olota, whose ruling privilege came from the Yoruba traditional home of Ile-Ife. Ota soon became important in the production and sale of cocoa.

In the early part of the 1900s, governance and administration of justice were kept by members of the Ogboni secret society, a traditional group that made and enforced the laws. In 1903, modern police crews were introduced and had almost completely supplanted the traditional enforcement roles of the Ogboni by the 1950s.

In 1954, the introduction of a new Federal Government taxation system led to riots in Ota. On February 4, the new tax code was announced. The Aiyepeju Society and the Ota Taxpayers Association began protesting almost immediately. The protests turned violent as aggressive crowds began destroying property. The riots, which came to be known as the "Ponpo Aiyepeju", were eventually put down by the Nigerian police. In the aftermath of the disturbances, Oba Timothy Fadina was removed by the element of Awori Unity on May 11, 1954.

Ota began to grow into the industrial city it is today due to the economic development planning and lobbying by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Chief Bisi Onabanjo, former governor of Ogun State. This led to the official designation of Ota as an industrial town, and the state government began to encourage industries to locate in and around the city.

Education

Traditionally, Ota only had a few schools, and all were sponsored by various Christian religious organizations. The Muslim community responded by forming a school operated by the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society. State schools began to be formed in the late 1970s, and there are now several private schools in the area. Iganmode Grammar School is the oldest, founded in 1960. Other notable schools include Ansar-Ud-deen Comprehensive College, Bells Comprehensive Secondary School.

There are also two universities in Ota: Covenant University and Bells University of Technology. And a private polytechnic, Allover Central Polytechnic.

The Nigerian Navy's School of Music is also located in Ota.

Economy

Sections of the town are dominated by industries including Lagos - Abeokuta rd and Idi-Oroko rd. Beginning in the early 1970s, many businesses began building factories in Ota partly because it was less congested than the industrial estates in Lagos. Businesses with facilities in Ota include:
* Farmex Meyer Limited
* Nigerian Breweries
* De United Foods Industries Limited
* Unique Pharmaceuticals
* Intercontinental Distillers Limited.
* Honda Manufacturing (Nigeria),Ltd

Demographics

The indigenes are predominantly Yoruba of the Awori dialect group. They trace their ancestry down from Ile-Ife and consider Iganmode as their patriarch. Other Aworis are located in the neighboring Lagos State.

The main occupation of Ota residents is trading and farming. The town's proximity to Lagos and proximity to the border town of Idiroko have led to the creation of two large markets: Kayero Market in Sango and Oba T.T. Dada Market along Idiroko Road. These markets are each so large that they blend together and are more commonly just referred to as Sango-Ota Market.

Conflict between Awori and Owu residents

There have been several confrontations between Owu and Awori residents of the area. In April 2008, violent clashes left at least six people died when Awori and Owu fought over the Olowu of Owu's installation of an Oba in Awori land. The governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the Ado-Odo/Ota Ota local government area.

See also

* Ota Traditional Chiefs

References

{{Coord, 07, 57, N, 04, 47, E, region:NG_type:city(37783), display=title

Populated places in Ogun State
Yoruba history
Towns in Yorubaland