Ijero Ekiti is a town in
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 ...
of
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 ...
in
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 ...
. Ijero Ekiti is situated in the northwest part of Ekiti State. Ijero Ekiti is the Local Government Headcount. The main language spoken by the indigenes of Ijero Ekiti is Ekiti dialect and the
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...
.
Ijero Ekiti
is about Six (6) hours drive to
Abuja
Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
, The Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, also about five (5) hours drive to
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
City Metropoly and about one hour (1) hour drive to
Ado Ekiti
Ado Ekiti is the capital city of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Ekiti central senatorial district, southwest, Nigeria.
History
Ado Ewi is an ancient city, founded by Ewi Awamaro the son of Biritikolu. Awamaro (the restles ...
, the Capital of Ekiti State.
Population and economy
With a population of 5,230 people as it was shown with the 2007 population census. The Ijero people are
agrarian society producing food crops such as
yam,
cocoyam
Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family (also known as Aroids and by the family name ''Araceae'') and may refer to:
* Taro (''Colocasia esculenta'') - old cocoyam
* Malanga ('' ...
,
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 ...
,
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
,
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es, and
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
. and all crops mentioned above are produced with good qualities.
Ijero Ekiti has the presence of both federal and state in the town such as
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
s (primary and secondary),
Federal Road Safety Corps and
Primary Health Care
Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...
, etc.
Cultural attire
Ijero Ekiti is the home of culture and tradition of which our dressing has traditional value. Male dress in Buba and Sokoto with fitted cap while the female dress in Iro and Buba with Gele (head tie), the chief dresses in traditional attire and put on beads on their neck and wrist both male and female chief. chief Eyegun of Ijero Ekiti is the head of female in the kingdom.
The king always dress in big attire called
Agbada with crown and beads on his neck and on his wrists. The queens (
Olori
Olori, otherwise appearing as Oloorì, is a title of honour within the chieftaincy system of the Yorubas of West Africa. It is typically translated from the Yoruba language as either queen consort or, more correctly, princess consort.
Usage
Olor ...
) always dress decently with
bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...
s on their wrists and neck. They do not wear headgear instead beads are used to design headgear and this is what they wear on their head.
Religion
Before the introduction of foreign religion,
Ifa
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
,
Osun
Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated ...
, Imole,
Orisa nla and
Ogun
Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...
are the gods which our fore fathers worships in those days. Chief Esinkin and others are the custodian of cultural heritage in Ijero Ekiti. The chief mentioned are directly involved in the cultural festival activities which normally takes place in the Kingdom.
Ijero contains several churches including Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a Catholic church, Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Apostolic Church, Redeemed Christian Church of God and Winner's Chapel.
Further reading
*''Ijero Kingdom in Yoruba History'' by J. Wellington Alufa
*''Tell Ijeroism'' by Femi Alufa (2003)
*''Ajero Oyiyosoye and the Ekitiparapo War'' by Leke Oyebade
References
{{LGAs and communities of Ekiti State
Towns in Yorubaland
Local Government Areas in Ekiti State