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Offa Olalomi | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 8°9′N4°43′E / 8.150°N 4.717°E | |
Country | Nigeria |
State | Kwara State |
LGA(s) | Offa |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 88,975 [1] |
Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
National language | Yorùbá |
Offa is a city in Kwara State of Nigeria, with a population of about 166,112 inhabitants. The town is noted for its weaving and dyeing trade, using vegetable dyes made from locally grown indigo and other plants. [2] Offa is well known for the cultivation of sweet potatoes and maize which also formed part of the favourite staple foods for the indigenes in the town. [3] [4] Cattle, goats and sheep are also raised there. The main religions practiced in the town are Islam, Christianity and traditional religions.
The ancient tradition for which the town is known for is wrestling. [5] Offatedo in Osun state, Iyana Offa in Oyo State, Offa in Côte d'Ivoire were established by the people of Offa.
Offa is centrally located. [6] There is a big market in the city centre, known as "Owode market", which serves both the members of the community and its neighboring towns. [7]
Oba Okunoye reigned for five years before he died in the war. His successor, Oba Adegboye, fought for four years before leaving town. Balogun Agidiako, who was appointed by Okunoye, became an instrument of treachery to the Offa people, leading to the Jalumi War. Oba Okunoye requested assistance from Ibadan, but died in 1882 before the war ended. Oba Adegboye succeeded him and continued the war for another five years. [8]
Oba Adegboye of Offa ruled for 25 years, including the years he spent in Offatedo. Emir Monmon and Sule pleaded with him to return home, but the offer was rejected. Captain Bower approached Oba Adegboye and he reconsidered and returned home. When he arrived in Offa, he found Otakogbaiye or Arookan on the throne, so he had to leave and settle in Okoku for a year. but after continuous plead, he reconsidered and returned home, with the promise from Ilorin that Offa people would no longer be disturbed. [9]
The supreme traditional ruler (king [10] ) of the town is the Olofa who is assisted by five High Chiefs namely Essa, Ojomu, Sawo, Asalofa and Balogun.
There are two hundred and five thousand traditional households. Since the founding of the town in late 14th century, twenty four Kings (Olofas) have ruled. [11] [12]
The umbrella of the socio-cultural organisation in Offa is Offa Descendants Union, which was founded in Lagos, Nigeria by Offa indigenes on 13 October 1935. [13] All other socio-cultural groups in the town are affiliates of ODU. The union has branches in all states of Nigeria and abroad. [14] [15] It has been involved in development efforts like the establishment of secondary schools, encouragement of investors, medical outreaches, supporting artisans, and other professional bodies. [16] [17] [18]
Offa indigenes are educated and the town has over one hundred professors in varied academic fields [19] with the Ijaiya family having 10 professors. [20] There are Primary Schools, secondary schools, [21] three polytechnics, and three universities. The first primary school is St. Mark's (Anglican) Primary School and was established in the year 1912, [22] by the Church Missionary Society [23] [24] [25] [22] and Offa Grammar School which is the first community secondary school in defunct Northern Nigeria was established in 1943. [26] The Federal Polytechnic, Offa was established in 1992. [27] Other tertiary institutions include The Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa was also established earlier in 1976. The Navy School of Health Sciences, Pan Africa College of Education [28] Graceland Polytechnic, [29] Lens Polytechnic [30] and Summit University, Offa (the University of Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria). The Summit University was established in 2015 and commenced academic activities in 2017. [31] University of Offa, (UNIOFFA) Offa, Kwara State, was founded in 2021, is a Tertiary Institution with some programs accredited by the National Universities Commission, (NUC) [32] and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Offa Study Centre.
Owode Market in Offa Kwara State, started over 40 years ago, it is held in every five days. It is a key driver of economic development for the neighborhood as well as the nearby towns and villages of Ijagbo, Erin-ile, Ojoku, Ikotun, Igosun, Ilemona, Irra, Inisha, and others. [33]
On the 5th of April 2018, The Offa robbery, occurred and claimed the lives of 18 people, including nine police officers and eight civilians, Owode Market was also a victim of this robbery. [34] [35]
Offa Descendants Union, the community’s leading social and cultural group prior to support from the state government, stepped in to help market customers, opening the way for the construction of the Owode Ultra Modern Market, which cost millions of Naira. This includes the market being rebuilt and renovated with the help of other well-wishers and donors from the neighborhood to match the national standards. The Owode market has changed significantly since then.
Offa is also well known for the Owode market, the foremost market and pivot of economic activities not only for Offa and its environment but also for Kwara and neighboring states. [36]
There are different categories of hospital in offa both public owned by the state government and private hospital owned by either Community, Association and individual
Offa Specialist Hospital (General Hospital Offa)
Lamodi Basic Health Center
Abogunugun Basic Health Center
"Offa" means arrow in the Yoruba language, and the founder of the town was known as "Olofagangan" the warrior with a sharp arrow. Offa is the cultural headquarters of the Ibolo [37] people, which was regarded as an integral part of the old Oyo Empire. [38] The Ibolos are also found in the present Osun State. [37] [39] The major traditional ceremony is 'Onimoka', which is an annual event to celebrate the memory of Queen Moremi an Offa indigene who saved the Ile-Ife kingdom from invaders. [40] During the ceremony, wrestling contests are held in which the traditional Chiefs including the Olofa will engage in mock wrestling contests (Ijakadi). [40] [41] According to the Olofa, during the eight editions of the festival in December 2019, the festival demonstrates Offa people's "love for equity, justice, and fairness as well as the resilience and unity of the community. [40] [36]
Moremi Ajasoro, Princess of the Yoruba, was a figure of high significance in the history of the Yoruba peoples. She was a member-by-marriage of the royal family of Emperor Oduduwa and was the wife of King Oranmiyan of Ife. She was a brave and beautiful woman who offered anything she had to give in sacrifice to the Spirit of the river Esimirin to discover the strength of her nation's enemies. She was taken as booty to the Igbo King and soon won the trust and affection of the King and people in Igbo land. The Igbo people of Ife were freed from the terrors of these previously invincible warriors when Princess Oluorogbo escaped and returned to her first husband, King Oramiyan of Ife. [42]
She sacrificed her only son Oluorogbo to fulfill her promise to Esimirin and was held in the highest esteem of any women in the Kingdom.
The Edi Festival [43] was started to celebrate her sacrifice, and public places are named after her in contemporary Nigeria. [44]
The provincial figure for the population of Offa Local Government Area by the National population Commission (FRN official Gazette no24 of May, 2007 Government Notice) is 46,266 males and 43,428 females, altogether 89,674. [45] [46]
The rainy season in Offa is warm, oppressive, and cloudy, whereas the dry season is warm, muggy, and partially cloudy. The average annual temperature ranges from 63 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, with lows and highs of 57 and 97 degrees Fahrenheit being extremely rare. [47]
From January 23 to April 4, the hot season, with an average daily high temperature above 90 °F, lasts for 2.4 months. With an average high of 91 °F and low of 72 °F, March is the hottest month of the year in Offa. [48]
The 3.8-month chilly season, which runs from June 19 to October 11, has an average daily maximum temperature of less than 83 °F. With an average low of 69 °F and a high of 81 °F, August is the coldest month of the year in Offa. [49]
Offa’s transportation system allows easy movement of products and services across Offa and its environs, using the roads such as (Okada, Koropé, keke NAPEP and Taxi) and Rail such as train for transit modes. [50]
Offa railway station was constructed by the British colonial government in 1896 with an interstate train station. [51] Offa serves as the beginning point for train travel to Lagos and other regions of the nation as one of the major stations along the Lagos-Ibadan-Ilorin rail route. In contrast to Ibadan terminus, which the general people referred to as a district, Offa terminus was constructed as the first terminal following Ibadan. Subsequently, Offa served as the administrative center for Oshogbo and Ilorin, both of which are currently state capitals in Nigeria. Offa attracted a lot of experts from around the globe due to its administrative position in control of Osogbo, Insha, Okuku, Erin-Ile, Ijagbo and Ilorin. [52]
Offa offers a variety of sports, including football, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, basketball and many others. [53]
The town has numerous football clubs, including Offa football Club, Offa United, Abiola Babes Football Academy, Unity Soccer Football Academy, Asenal Fc, and others, Offa possesses Olofa Township Stadium to hold sporting events and activities within the town and its surroundings. [54]
Offa volleyball Club is one of the well-grounded volleyball Clubs in Nigeria it has won several awards and gain national recognition during the last Nigeria Volleyball Premier League 2022. [55]
Boxing is one of the most well-known sports in the world, and it has drawn the interest and resources of many people in Offa. There are already boxing clubs, including "Offa Golden Stars Boxing Club," which competes at the municipal and state levels. [56]
Wrestling is a sport that is well-known in the sporting world and is significant to the people of Offa since it is a part of their local culture and has been practiced up until this point in Offa and other parts of Nigeria, which the government can encourage [57]
Osogbo is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area and Olorunda Local Government Area. It is some 88 kilometers by road northeast of Ibadan. It is also 108 kilometres (67 mi) by road south of Ilorin and 108 kilometres (67 mi) northwest of Akure. Osogbo shares boundaries with Ikirun, Ilesa, Ede, Egbedore, Ogbomosho and Iragbiji and it is easily accessible from any part of the state because of its central nature. It is about 48 km from Ife, 32 km from Ilesa, 46 km from Iwo, 48 km from Ikire and 46 km from Ila-Orangun; the city had a population of about 200,000 people and an approximate land area of 126 km. The postal code of the area is 230.
Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the Western region of Nigeria. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the 7th largest city by population in Nigeria.
Kwara State is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger State, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the international border with Benin Republic. Its capital is the city of Ilorin and the state has 16 local government areas.
Osun State, occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states for 84 km and for 78 km respectively, to the north by Kwara State for 73 km, to the south by Ogun State for 84 km and to the west by Oyo State, mostly across the River Osun. Named for the River Osun—a vital river which flows through the state—the state was formed from the southeast of Oyo State on 27 August 1991 and has its capital as the city of Osogbo.
Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State for 337 km, to the east by Osun State for 187 km, partly across the River Osun, and to the south by Ogun State, and to the west by the Republic of Benin for 98 km. With a projected population of 7,976,100 in 2022, Oyo State is the sixth most populous in the Nigeria.
Moremi Ajasoro was a legendary Yoruba queen and folk heroine in the Yorubaland region of present-day southwestern Nigeria who assisted in the liberation of the Yoruba kingdom of Ife from the neighbouring Ugbo Kingdom.
The Ìgbómìnà are a subgroup of the Yoruba ethnic group, which originates from the north central and southwest Nigeria. They speak a dialect called Ìgbómìnà or Igbonna, classified among the Central Yoruba of the three major Yoruba dialectical areas. The Ìgbómìnà spread across what is now southern Kwara State and northern Osun State. Peripheral areas of the dialectical region have some similarities to the adjoining Ekiti, Ijesha and Oyo dialects.
Ejigbo is a prominent city in Yoruba Land and the headquarters of Ejigbo Local Government Area, one of the oldest local government areas of Osun State in Nigeria. Ejigbo is strategically placed in the middle of the region, as 35 kilometres (22 mi) north-east of Iwo, 30 km (19 mi) from Ogbomoso in the north and 24 km (15 mi) from Ede in the south-east. It is about 40 km (25 mi) north-west of Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, and about 95 km (59 mi) north-east of Ibadan. It is part of the Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo federal constituency. The population is 138,357 according to the GeoNames geographical database. The average elevation is 426 metres (1,398 ft).
Sepeteri is the biggest town in the Saki East Local Government Area of Oke-Ogun Oyo State, Nigeria. The Yoruba people of Sepeteri are related with fon (ruler) of Dahomey and Ifon in Osun State their crownship is Obatala, Obalufon lineage under Oyo Empire. Sepeteri is located between Igboho, Ago-amodu and Oje Owode to Shaki, Ago-Are and Iseyin.
Iree is a Yoruba town in the north-eastern part of Osun State, Nigeria, West Africa.
Omupo or Omu-ipo is an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba town situated in the southeastern part of Kwara State. It is one of the prominent towns in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State. It is the headquarters of 34 communities of Omupo District, the headquarters of Omupo/Idofian Area Council of Ifelodun Local Government. Omupo Constituency was also created in 1979 for a representative to the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Ajasse Ipo is an ancient town in Igbomina-Yoruba land of Kwara State. Ajasse Ipo is sometimes spelt as Ajase-Ipo and is also known as Ajasse or Ajasepo. It is one of the prominent towns in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. Ajasse Ipo is situated in the northeastern part of Yoruba land in northcentral Nigeria and consists of other different villages such as Eleyoka, Amberi, Falokun, Araromi etc. The present ruler of Ajasse Ipo also referred to as Olupo, is Oba Ismail Atoloye Alebiosu.
Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari ascended the throne as the 11th Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council since 1995 following the demise of his uncle, Mallam Aliyu AbdulKadir. He relinquished his position as the Presiding Justice of Court of Appeal, Lagos Division to become the Custodian of the Shehu Alimi dynasty. He is one of the 10 prominent traditional rulers in northern Nigeria.
Erin-Ile is an agrarian community in Kwara State, Nigeria. It's an ancient town with history dated back to 13th century. It was formerly the local government headquarters of Oyun local government before it got moved to Ilemona. Erin Ile was founded around 1225AD by prince Odumasa apayaan and other warriors such as olowe and others.
Omu-Aran the Head Post of Igbomina land, is a town in the Nigerian state of Kwara. It originated from Ife and currently the local government headquarters of Irepodun local government. Omu-Aran is 86.3km from Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, along Ilorin-Kabba Federal Highway.
Charles Oladele Akande Ibitoye, was the thirty third traditional ruler (king) or Olomu of Omu-Aran from 1993 until his death in the year 2017. He was born into the Ruling House of Ijawusi of Ikoja Compound. He took the regnal name Adogbajale-bi-ileke II. Omu-Aran, which is the Head Post of Igbomina land, a town in the Nigerian state of Kwara. It originated from Ile-Ife and is the local government headquarters of the Irepodun local government. He was appointed on the 1st February 1993, crowned on 19 February 1993 and was presented a first class Staff of Office on the 8 May 1993 by Mohammed Sha'aba Lafiagi, Executive Governor of Kwara State, in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from across the globe.
The 2023 Kwara State gubernatorial election will take place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Kwara State, concurrent with elections to the Kwara State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election—which was postponed from its original 11 March date—will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent APC Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has been renominated by his party.
Owode Market is a large market in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Amina Ahmed El-Imam is a Nigerian microbiologist, academic and politician who is Commissioner For Health in Kwara State. She is a Native of Offa, Kwara State and senior lecturer in microbiology at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II is a Nigerian monarch. He is the 25th Olofa Of Offa.
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