Ijebu Ode
Ijebu Ode is a city located in south-western
Nigeria at (). With over 100,000 residents it is the second largest city in
Ogun State after
Abeokuta. In pre-colonial times it was the capital of the
Ijebu kingdom.
It is the largest city inhabited by the Ijebus, a sub-group of the
Yoruba ethnic group who speak the Ijebu dialect of Yoruba. It is historically and culturally the headquaters of Ijebuland.
However history and legend has it that Ijebu's are actually distinct from the Yorubas because they are believed to have migrated to the present Ijebuland from an acient region called 'Ouwodaiye' or 'Waddai' in nothern Sudan, which shared common border with the acient Abbysinia. It is also believed to be a 'Cushite' or Nubian town. The ruler of Ijebu Ode, Oba Sikiru Adetona is known as the
Awujale of Ijebuland. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of
Lagos; it is within 100 km of the
Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Ogun State and possesses a warm tropical climate.
Ijebu Ode has a local television station affiliated with the government's
NTA network and is the trade center of a farming region where
yams,
cassava,
grain,
tobacco and
cotton are grown.
Adjacent to Ijebu Ode are several smaller towns and villages. They are mostly referred to as "this way to"; some of them include
Odo-Agamegi, Ogbo, Italupe (a neighbourhood within Ijebu Ode), Ososa, Imawen, Odo Ogbun, Apa(Mesan), Okelamuren, Abapawa, Erunwon,
Isonyin, Oke-Eri,Imagbon,Isiwo,Odo-lewu,Odo-Arawa, Idowa, Ala and Atiba amongst others.