Ota, Ogun
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Ota (alternatively spelled Otta) is a town in
Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
with an estimated 163,783 residents. Ota is the capital of the Ado–Odo/Ota
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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
. The traditional leader of Ota is the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi AbdulKabir Obalanlege. Historically, Ota is the capital of the
Awori Awori is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aggrey Awori (1939–2021), Ugandan economist and politician * Grace Awori, sister of Aggrey an Moody and mother of Susan Wakhungu, Susan and Judi Wakhungu *Jeremy Awori (born 1971), Ken ...
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 Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
. Otta is known as the home of some Yoruba ancient deities and festivals. Festivals usually celebrated in Otta includes Egungun festival, Iganmode Cultural Festival, Gelede Festival, etc.


History

Ota is an ancient Awori kingdom whose existence dated back several millenniums ago. The town is acknowledged to be the first kingdom in the entire Awori land, a sub- Yoruba ethnic group, known as the Awori Kingdom of "Ota" and equally ranks as one of the earliest or oldest kingdoms in Yoruba land. As an enviable and great kingdom of note, it has very strong, sacred, and, of course, fortress traditions of origin, custom, culture, history and anthropology spiced with ethnological settlements and certified prudence spanning several centuries. Ota's existence dates back to at least the period of  Orunmila (a contemporaneous with the Orunmila) as an established and organized human habitation or community with Obaship institution that no one could ascribe any specific date thus since the BC era. There were very few settlements then what is known as Yorubaland today. Apart from Ile-ife, the first place or source, Ota is a very, very ancient city ranking behind Ile-Ife only that Orunmila first visited. Other few places Orunmila visited after Ota, for one reason or the other, included Ado-Ekiti, Irun Akoko, Ilawe and Ifon. No doubt, Orunmila visited Ota at least on three occasions as confirmed by Ifa-Irete Olota (Owonrin) Corpus and Odu Osa Meji (Odu Eleye). There had been Awori before Awori, and Ota stands the first long before arrival or emergence of Ogunfunminire and his Group between 15th and 17th centuries. Aworis are many, not all  the Aworis are children or descendants of Ogunfunminire or Olofin of Iseri Olofin. We had Olofins in Ota whose periods of migrations to Ota from Ife predated Iseri Olofin and others. The earliest Ota people set a fetish bowl according to Ifa divination on then river or stream, and sank on a river at Ota when others had not existed including Ogunfunminire, the progenitor of Isheri people but not the entire Aworiland because some Aworis denied vehemently the suggestion that their ancestors got to Isheri before moving to their present settlements. Nonetheless, Aworis are culturally linked up despite the differences in their mode or waves of migratory movements to what is known as Aworiland, Apart from Ota, there are other Awori towns whose ancestors bear Olofin not of Isheri, such towns include; Iworo, Imeke, Ado-odo, etc. John Thabiti Willis in 2018 further adduced to the oral traditions known as Irete Olota (Owonrin) and Osa Meji in (Odu Eleye), IFA offers an alternative accounts of the originality and founding of Otta by the Terrestrial mothers commonly known as witches-Eleye or Iyami Osoronga; and have since domiciled Otta from antiquity offering strong support for the fact that a human community or existence preceded the migrations to Otta by Ife Oodaye and related people. These traditions, however chronicle the historical journey of Orunmila to Ota, the revered settlement of the renowned witches, Ilu Aje (or Ilu Olori Eleye Osoronga), typically translated as the city of "Terrestrial mothers". Furthermore, to corroborate the above assertion on the traditions origin and founding of Otta, “The Archive of sound and vision, institute of African studies, University of Ibadan, the guiding and preservation of Irete Olota (Owonrin) Ota today has grown from the ancient settlement founded by the Terrestrial mothers commonly known as witches-Eleye or Iyami Osoronga into a thriving economic hub in Ogun State and Nigeria. Ota began to grow into the industrial city it is today due to the
economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...
planning and
lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...
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 A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...
, and all were sponsored by various
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
religious organizations. The
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
community responded by forming a school operated by the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society.
State school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
s began to be formed in the late 1970s, and there are now several private schools in the area.
Iganmode Grammar School Iganmode Grammar School is a secondary school in Ota, Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and O ...
is the oldest, founded in 1960. Other notable schools include Ansar-Ud-deen Comprehensive College, Bells Comprehensive Secondary School and Faith Academy Secondary School. There are also two universities in Ota:
Covenant University Covenant University (CU) is a private Christian university in Ota, Nigeria, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is affiliated with Living Faith Church Worldwide and is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Un ...
and Bells University of Technology. And a private polytechnic, Allover Central Polytechnic. The
Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the Navy, naval branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian armed forces. With more than 70 warships, it is categorised as the fourth strongest navy in Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco). It is co ...
's School of Music is also located in Ota.


Economy

Sections of the town are dominated by industries including Lagos - Abeokuta road and Idi-iroko road. 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 Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market and West Africa. History Early years The idea to establish a brewery in Lagos was first promoted by Frank Samuel of UAC before World War II. But ...
* De United Foods Industries Limited * Unique Pharmaceuticals * Intercontinental Distillers Limited. * Honda Manufacturing (Nigeria), Ltd * Veepee Industries Limited


Demographics

The indigenes are predominantly Yoruba of the
Awori Awori is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aggrey Awori (1939–2021), Ugandan economist and politician * Grace Awori, sister of Aggrey an Moody and mother of Susan Wakhungu, Susan and Judi Wakhungu *Jeremy Awori (born 1971), Ken ...
dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
group. They trace their ancestry down from Ile-Ife and consider Iganmode as their patriarch. Other Aworis are located in the neighboring
Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...
. The main occupation of Ota residents is trading and farming. The town's proximity to Lagos and proximity to the border town of
Idiroko Idiroko is a town in Ipokia local government of Ogun State, Nigeria. It is situated along the Nigeria-Benin border and has been an official border crossing point since at least the 1960s. The town is surrounded by many other towns and villages inc ...
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. There are a number of both Public and private healthcare centers in Ota. They include The Local Government Maternity, Sango Ota Primary Health Centre. Private medical centers include Ace Medicare , St Shiloh Medical Center , Central Specialist Hospital, Ojugbele Specialist Hospital etc


Tourist Attractions in Ota


Egungun Festival

Ota is referred to as the mecca of Egungun deity and festival in Yoruba land. The Egungun festival is part of the yoruba religious system sometimes referred to as Orisa. Egugun festival in Ota is usually ushered in ceremoniously, via a night before the d-day- tagged "Igbagan Day", meaning, a special night of blessing. The next day (Abode Oko) usually witnesses a jamboree of egungun with well over 178 notable family masquerades that will dance around the town under the leadership of the Ege- which is the head of the egunguns; and finally converged at the Oju Sango beside Enu-Owa in the evening. At this arena, the entire masquerade gave an insight into their acquired new skills and magical performances that were later displayed one after the other in a carnival-like environment. Notable masquerades in otta numbering about 178 were classified into about 6 categories; in line with their functions and performances, namely: the Ege - which appeared to be the most beautiful, being the head of the masquerades came out in a well knitted expensive, colourful attire and covering it up with a highly decorated crown as a symbol of its authority. But before proceeding to the square, the Ege, accompanied by the Egungun Alagbadas, would head to Iga Elerinko to pick the sere abalaye (ancestral bell charm) which will be used in making supplications for the city. Subsequently, it will return it and pick sere ide (decorative bell charm). With the sere ide, the Ege moves round the town along with other Egungun and participants, singing and dancing to the Bata drum. It must be reiterated at this point that the Ege only comes out on this day. This is because it has performed its leading role at the commencement of the festival. This is closely followed by about 26 Alagbadas- whose appearance is also very expensive, fascinating and artistically colorful along with peculiar dancing steps and a demonstration of some magical dexterity. They are: Ayoka- Ibile, Ariwoola, Afebioye, Ayelabola, Ibu- owo, Labo Idire, Oya-Ogba, Ajofoyinbo (Iyesi), Owolafe, Ajofoyinbo (Ota), Obalolaye and Ayoka-Ese. Others are: Owolani, Eiyeba, Lebe-Oke, Labo-Ilawe, Lebe-Itimoko, Oya–Ijemo and Oya–Ikotun, all of which are danced and performed satisfactorily in quick succession at the square (Okede). There are 38 other special masquerades called Olooguns. These sets of masquerades outfits are not really attractive. In fact, they are scary with sculpted artworks on their heads, but they are special in magical performances, thus cannot be easily ignored. There are also about 15, Baba-Mukomuko who are like prayer warriors and who also delivers messages from the dead to the living. The next in line are about 6 Alaredes - which specializes in dance and general entertainment of the people.


Iganmode Cultural Festival

Iganmode
Cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
(also known as Odun Omo Iganmode) is an annual
festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
celebrated by the
Awori Awori is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aggrey Awori (1939–2021), Ugandan economist and politician * Grace Awori, sister of Aggrey an Moody and mother of Susan Wakhungu, Susan and Judi Wakhungu *Jeremy Awori (born 1971), Ken ...
Yoruba people of the ancient city of Ota in
Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. The week long annual festival usually takes place in December of every year, to showcase the cultural, spiritual and mystical heritage of the Ota Awori people. The festival is also a spiritual bugle , a home coming call for a cultural renaissance and re awakening call to all sons and daughters of Awori sub-nationality, in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
,
Ogun Ogun or Ogoun ( Yoruba: Ògún, Edo: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a Yoruba Orisha that is adopted in several African religions. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spi ...
,
Osun Osun (; ), is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti State, Ekiti and Ondo State, Ondo states for 84 km and for 78 km respectively, to the north by Kwara State for 73&nb ...
,
Republic of Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
,
diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...
and wherever they be may be on the face of earth.


History

The first edition of the
festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
was held in 1992 when the festival was then referred to as Iganmode Day. Over the years, the festival has hosted many prominent Nigerians and dignitaries, such as former
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
, former
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
Attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
and minister of
justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
the late Chief
Bola Ige Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige ( ; 13 September 1930 – 23 December 2001), popularly known as Bola Ige, was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He served as Federal Minister of Justice of Nigeria from January 2000 until his assassination in De ...
. others include former
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
s of
Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...
Chief Olusegun Osoba, Otunba
Gbenga Daniel Gbenga Daniel (born 6 April 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as Senator for Ogun East since 2023. He previously served as governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011. He is the owner of Kresta Laurel, an Electro-mechanical Engineerin ...
,
Ibikunle Amosun Ibikunle Amosun (; born 25 January 1958) is a Nigerian politician, former governor of Ogun State and two-term senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He first served as an elected senator for Ogun Central district of Ogun State, Nigeria from ...
and the present
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
and Deputy Governor Prince
Dapo Abiodun Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun CON (; born 29 May 1960) is a Nigerian businessman and politician, who has served as Governor of Ogun State since May 2019. Currently a member of the All Progressive Congress, Abiodun first entered politics during the ab ...
and Engr. Noimot Salako Oyedele (a native of Ota). Taiwo Ajayi Lycett amongst others. The festival has also been chaired by a number of eminent personalities such as Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu (born 29 March 1952) is a Nigerian politician serving as the 16th and current president of Nigeria since 2023. He previously served as the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, and senator for Lagos ...
, Sir Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu and Senator
Musiliu Obanikoro Musiliu Babatunde Obanikoro (popularly known as Koro) is a Nigerian politician. He served as Senator for Lagos Central from 2003 to 2007, and was later appointed High Commissioner to Ghana. He briefly served as minister of State for Defence ...


Key Highlights

One of the major highlights of the festival is the display by
Egungun Egungun, Yoruba language: Egúngún, also known as Ará Ọ̀run (The collective dead) in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ances ...
Masquerades in Ota Masquerade traditions are very sacred to the awori yoruba people of Ota


Tourism

The festival is supported by the Ogun State Government. The events of the festival are done with the spiritual and traditional blessings of the Olota of Ota. The festival also seeks to promote the
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
potentials of Ota, Ogun State and Nigeria It allows people to see different cultural displays and visits to tourist locations like the second storey building in Nigeria


Other

* Ota Traditional Chiefs


References

{{Coord, 06, 41, N, 03, 14, E, region:NG_type:city(37783), display=title Populated places in Ogun State History of the Yoruba people Towns in Yorubaland