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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 at 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 by the Church Missionary Society and Offa Grammar School which is the first community secondary school in defunct Northern Nigeria established in 1943. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] The Federal Polytechnic, Offa was established in 1992. [27] Other tertiary institutions include Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa which was also established earlier in 1976; The Navy School of Health Sciences, Pan Africa College of Education, University of Offa (UNIOFFA) and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Offa Study Centre, Lens Polytechnic, Graceland Polytechnic and Summit University (the University of Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria). [28] [29] [30] [31]
There are different categories of hospital in offa both public owned by the state government and private hospital owned by either community, associations and individuals.
Owode Market in Offa started over 40 years ago, it opens 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. [32]
On 5 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. [33] [34] 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 included 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" 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 people, which was regarded as an integral part of the old Oyo Empire. [35] [36] The Ibolos are also found in the present Osun State. [35] [37] 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. [38] During the ceremony, wrestling contests are held in which the traditional Chiefs including the Olofa will engage in mock wrestling contests (Ijakadi). [38] [39] According to the Olofa during the eighth edition of the Ijakadi 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". [38] [40]
Queen Moremi , a princess in Yoruba folklore, 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 she escaped and returned to her first husband, King Oranmiyan of Ife. [41]
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 was started to celebrate her sacrifice, and public places are named after her in contemporary Nigeria. [42] [43]
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. [44] [45]
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. [46]
From 23 January to 4 April, 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. [47]
The 3.8-month chilly season, which runs from 19 June to 11 October, 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. [48]
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. [49]
Offa railway station was constructed by the British colonial government in 1896 with an interstate train station. [50] 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. [51]
Offa offers a variety of sports, including football, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, basketball and many others. [52]
Offa have been in several conflicts with neighboring town Erin-Ile. Despite located in different local government areas, disputes over land have continued for several years since 1973 when the Supreme Court first ruled on the issue.
In 2013, the federal polytechnic was closed down due to the riots with the Masjid Noor and the descendant union vandalised. Erin-Ile was under attack as well, which resulted in people living at the border relocating. [53]
Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the North-central region of Nigeria, although dominated by the Yorubas, it is classified as North-central state due to its emirate system of traditional rule. Ilorin is a Yoruba town by all historical and sociological standards. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the 7th largest city by population in Nigeria.
Iwo is a city in Osun State, Nigeria. The Iwo people, like all other people of the Yoruba kingdom, are said to have originated from Ile-Ife, where they migrated sometimes in the 11th century according to Alademomi kenyon and Prince Adelegan Adegbola (2009). The only predicted land with the symbol of the parrots is the Iwo kingdom. The city was formerly part of old Oyo state and was later separated and became one of the major townships in Osun State, Nigeria.
Ẹdẹ is a town in Osun State, southwestern Nigeria. It lies along the Osun River at a point on the railroad from Lagos, 180 kilometres (110 mi) southwest, and at the intersection of roads from Oshogbo, Ogbomosho, and Ile-Ife. The two (2) local government areas in Ẹdẹ are Ẹdẹ South and Ẹdẹ North. There are three (3) major tertiary institutions in Ẹdẹ, which makes the town one of the fastest growing towns in the south-west with an increasing literacy rate. The Federal Polytechnic Ẹdẹ, Adeleke University, and Redeemer's University are among the institutions.
Yorubaland is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 (54,871 sq mi). Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba.
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. 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 a 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 southeast 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).
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.
John Omoniyi Abiri is a Nigerian academic.
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Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is the 51st and current Ooni of Ife. He is a traditional ruler and monarch of a Yoruba people of Ile-Ife. He ascended to the throne after the passing of Oba Okunade Sijuwade in August 2015.
Erin-Ile is a town and agrarian community in the Oyun LGA of Kwara State, Nigeria. The town was formerly the local government headquarters of Oyun before it was moved to the town of 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 Ìgbómìnà land, is a town in the Nigerian state of Kwara. It originated from Ife and currently the local government headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area. 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.
Owode Market is a large market in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II is a Nigerian monarch. He is the 25th Olofa Of Offa.
Ijakadi is an annual cultural festival in Offa, Kwara state Nigeria it's aimed to promote Nigeria rich culture on international tourism map.
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