Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. As a Nigerian state, Ogun is the second most industrialised state after Lagos, with a focus on metal processing. It has good road and rail connections to the harbours in Lagos and Lekki. Wole Soyinka, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 1986, lives in Ogun.
Abeokuta is both Ogun State's capital and most populous city and the capital of Egba Kingdom; other important cities in the state include Ijebu-Ode, the capital of the Ijebu Kingdom, and Sagamu, the capital of the Remo Kingdom and Nigeria's leading Kola nut grower. Ilaro, the capital of Yewa(Egbado Kingdom).[4] Ogun state is covered predominantly by rain forest and has wooden savanna in the northwest.[5] Ogun State had a total population of 3,751,140 residents as of 2006,[6] making Ogun State the 16th most populated state in Nigeria.[7] In terms of landmass, Ogun State is the 24th largest State in Nigeria with land area of 16,762 kilometer square.[8]
Ogun State is predominantly Yoruba,[9] with the Yoruba language serving as the lingua franca of the state. The dominant religions in Ogun State are majority Islam and minority Christianity although a certain amount of traditional religion is still practiced.[10] Ogun State is noted for being the almost exclusive site of Ofada rice production. Ogun is also home to many icons in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.[citation needed]
The State government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state's house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Abeokuta.[13]
Geography
Ogun State borders the Republic of Benin to the west for about 185km, Oyo State and Osun State (for 84km) to the north, Ondo State to the east, Lagos State to the south for about 283km, and has 31.6km of coastline on the Bight of Benin to the south, Araromi beach belongs to Irokun land in Ogun Waterside (Ijebu province) local government but insistently claimed by Ondo state due to the influx of Ilaje migrants from neighbouring communities and due to no attention given to this area by the Ogun state government.
Climate
Ogun has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate. The city's yearly average temperature is 29.34°C (84.81°F) and it is -0.12% lower than Nigeria's averages. Ogun typically receives about 141.58 millimeters (5.57 inches) of precipitation and has 224.18 rainy days (61.42% of the time) annually.[14]
The governor of the state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government Areas.[15]
The main ethnic groups in Ogun State are the Ẹgba, Ijebu, Remo, Egbado, Awori and a minority Egun people. There are also sub groups like the Ikale, the Ketu, the Ohori and the Anago.[16]
Ogun State is divided into three senatorial districts: Ogun Central, Ogun East and Ogun West.
Ogun Central consists mostly of the Egba that occupies six local governments: Abeokuta North (Akomoje), Abeokuta south (Ake), Ewekoro (Itori), Ifo (Ifo), Obafemi owode (Owode ẹgba) and Odeda (Odeda).
Ogun East consists mostly of the Ijebu and the Remo that occupies 9 local governments: Ijebu East (Ogbẹrẹ), Ijebu North (Ijebu Igbo), Ijebu North East (Attan), Ijebu ode (Ijebu ode), Ikenne (Ikenne remo), Odogbolu (Odogbolu), Ogun waterside (Abigi), Remo North (Ilisan Remo) and Sagamu (Sagamu).
Ogun West consists mostly of the Yewa (formerly Egbado) that occupies 5 local governments: Ado odo Ota (Otta), Imeko Afon (Imeko), Ipokia (Ipokia), Yewa North (Ayetoro) and Yewa South (Ilaro).
History
In pre-colonial times, today's Ogun western portion which is now inhabited by the Egba and Yewa people belonged to the kingdom of Oyo, which sank into civil war mid 1800s. South of Ogun, on the tiny island of Lagos, the British had a naval base near which the town of the same name grew rapidly.
Until the Berlin Congo Conference in 1885, Great Britain had focussed on a few strategically placed bases for its merchant fleet and navy, such as Lagos and Calabar, and was not interested in the communities developing there.
After the European colonial powers had staked out their spheres of interest 1885 in Berlin (these were only valid if another power had not previously brought the area in question under its control) the United Kingdom quickly expanded thusly its territory in the assigned Niger region. Today's Ogun became part of the "Protectorate of Lagos" (as opposed to the Colony of Lagos; the border between these two is identical to the modern border between Lagos State and Ogun State - inhabitants of a colony were treated as fully entitled subjects of the British crown, those in protectorates not) in 1893 and later of the "Protectorate of Yorubaland", in 1906 of the "Protectorate of Southern Nigeria" and in 1914 of the whole of Nigeria. In 1899, it received a railway connection to Lagos, the "Boat Express" ran through Ogun to Apapa and thus connected the region with the wider world. In 1899, it was several years earlier in this than other regions in West and Central Africa that were not connected to the coast.
In the 1930s, Ogun was a centre of the Nigerian women's movement under the leadership of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (Fela Kuti's mother). Democracy in colonial Nigeria after 1922 only existed in Lagos and Calabar; Nigerians could not participate politically elsewhere (see here).
During the 1940s, food was strictly rationed in Nigeria. The transport of food from the more agrarian Ogun to the hungry metropolis of Lagos was severely penalised (Pullen Scheme, see here).
In the first elections in Ogun, 1954, the semi-socialist "Action Group" (AG) under Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ became the strongest party in the Western Region, to which Ogun also belonged.
After independence in 1960, the Yoruba region, and Ogun in particular, was engulfed in conflict between the Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ and Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá fractions of the AG party ("Operation Wetie", see here). In July 1966, the then ruler of Nigeria, Johnson Agulyi-Ironsi, was assassinated in Abeokuta in the second coup of the year, which was the prelude to the Biafra War.
The state was formed on 3 February 1976 from part of the former "Western" state.
Educational facilities
Ogun state has three federal secondary schools; Federal Government Girls' College, Sagamu [17] and Federal Government College, Odogbolu[18] and Federal Science and Technical College, Ijebu-Imushin.[19]
Ogun state has one Federal University; the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB[20]) and one Federal college of education, FCE Osiele (both at Odeda Local government area), one state government college of education, named after the late Nigerian educationist of international repute Augustus Taiwo Solarin in 1994 as Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE[21]), (formerly known as Ogun State College of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, one Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro). One is named after late Nigerian business mogul and winner of 12 June 1993 election, Basorun Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY[22]), formerly known as Ogun State Polytechnic, Ojere, Abeokuta, Another Gateway Polytechnic Saapade,[23] Remo (GAPOSA), Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic[23] Ijebu-Igbo (Aapoly) (formerly known as 'The Polytechnic Ijebu-Igbo) it was name after Chief Abraham Aderibigbe Adesanya who was a Nigerian politician, lawyer and activist.
The state has a very high concentration of industries (the second most industrialized after Lagos State) and has one of the lowest incidences of extreme poverty (around 5% of the population against a national average of 31%) according to World Bank data from 2018.[31]
Ogún is also the name of the god (Orisha) for metalworking in the local Yoruba nature religion, similar to the Greek Hephaestus or the Roman god Vulcan (since the ancient world had trade relations with present-day Nigeria, this may not be entirely coincidental). The state lives up to this name by being the Nigerian centre for metalworking. Here are two examples:
Proforce manufactures armoured vehicles in Ode-Remo (25km from Lagos), which are also sold to Europe.[38] Since 2008, the company has expanded its product range and also produces drones for the security sector.[39]
The wagon assembly plant in Kajola is the only plant in West Africa that manufactures, maintains and repairs railway vehicles.[40][41]
Ogun also produces timber, ceramic products, bicycle tyres, carpets, adhesives and other products.
Transportation
Ogun benefits from its proximity to the metropolis of Lagos and the new deep-sea harbour and the new Dangote refinery in Lekki (as of 2024). The planned airport Lagos-Epe will be located next to the border to the state of Ogun.
Railways
Nigerian Railway Company
Ogun benefits from the Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan standard rail link since 2021.
The planned Apapa-Kajola Express will connect the centre of the state with the Lagos port.[42]
Abeokuta also is connected with Lagos by 77km of the Western Railway (built in 1899), which still is used for freight trains.
Lagos Mass Transit (Lamata)
The terminus of the "Red Line" of the Lagos suburban railway is located in Agbado, which is part of the Lagos agglomeration but belongs to the state of Ogun in administrative terms. This is why the trains and carriages of Lagos State will be parked, cleaned and maintained in Ogun.[43]
A5 north from Lagos via Abeokuta and east to Oyo State at Omin Adio,
A121 east from A1 in Sagamu as the Benin-Sagamu Expressway via Ijebu-Ode to Ondo State at Kajola as part of the Trans-African 8 (TAH 8) Lagos-Mombasa Highway.
Sagamu or Ishagamu is an agglomeration of thirteen towns in southwestern Nigeria. It is located in Ogun State along the Ibu River and Eruwuru Stream between Lagos and Ibadan. It was founded in the mid 19th century by members of the Remo branch of the Yoruba people. The 13 towns are: Makun, Offin, Sonyindo, Epe, Ibido, Igbepa, Ado, Oko, Ipoji, Batoro, Ijoku, Ijagba and Latawa. It is the capital of Remo Kingdom, and the paramount ruler of the kingdom, the Akarigbo of Remo, has his palace is in the town of Offin.
Ilaro is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria. Ilaro town houses about 57,850 people. Ilaro is the headquarters of the Yewa South Local government, now known as YEWALAND which replaced the Egbado division of the former Western State, and later became a part of Ogun State of Nigeria. Ilaro town is about 50 km from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, and about 100 km from Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos State.
The Ẹgbado, now Yewa, are a subgroup of the Yoruba people and mostly inhabit the eastern area of Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State, in south-west Nigeria, Africa. In 1995, the group's name was changed to Yewa after the Yewa River, the river (odo) they foraged towards. The name of this river is derived from the Yoruba goddess Yewa. Yewa/Ẹgbado mainly occupy four Local Government Areas in Ogun State, Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon, and Ipokia, while the Ado-Odo/Ota LGA forms the fifth Awori part of the senatorial district. Other Yewa/Ẹgbado are located in Lagos West, Lagos East, Oyo North, and Oyo South senatorial zones.
Gbenga Daniel 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.
The Egba people are a subgroup of the Yoruba people, an ethnic group of western Nigeria, a majority of whom are from the central part of Ogun State, that is Ogun Central Senatorial District.
The Nigerian National Assembly delegation from Ogun comprises three Senators, representing Ogun East, Ogun Central, and Ogun West, and nine Representatives, representing Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North East, Ijebu-North/Waterside/Ijebu East,Remo,Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Egbado South and Ipokia, Ogun East, Imeko Afon/Yewa North, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo/Em
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta is a diocese located in the city of Abeokuta in the ecclesiastical province of Lagos in Nigeria.
The Akarigbo of Remoland is the royal title of the paramount ruler of the thirty three (33) towns that makes up the Remo kingdom in Ogun state in Nigeria The capital of the kingdom is Sagamu or Shagamu also known as Ishagamu and it is made up of thirteen (13) of the thirty three towns that make up the Remo Kingdom. The thirteen towns that makes up Sagamu that congregated there in 1872 for greater security are : Offin, Makun, Sonyindo, Epe, Ibido, Igbepa, Ado, Oko, Ipoji, Batoro, Ijoku, Latawa and Ijagba. The other twenty (20) are: Ipara, Ikenne, Ogere, Okun-owa, Ilisan, Ibese, Ode Remo, Ilara, Isara, Irolu, Akaka, Ikorodu, Odogbolu, Emuren, Imota, Ijede, Gbogbo, Ikosi, and Ijesa-Ijebu.
Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of Lagos by railway, or 130 kilometres (81 mi) by water. As of 2006, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 449,088.
Ado-Odo is the metropolitan headquarters of the ancient kingdom of Ado, renowned for its Oduduwa/Obatala temple, the ancient fortress of the traditional practice of Ifá. Oodu'a is also regarded by traditionalists as the mother of all other deities. All of these made Ado an inviolate territory in western Yorubaland—the same "father-figure" status accorded to Ile-Ife. Unlike the other kingdoms, which had at one time or the other engaged in the internecine wars that ravaged Yorubaland in the nineteenth century, Ado stood out as an unconquered sanctuary city-state throughout the period.
Egba Ake, otherwise known as Egba Alake, is one of the four sections of Egbaland, the others being Oke-Ona, Gbagura, and the Owu.
Iperu or Iperu Akesan Bale Oja is a town near the Ibu River in Ogun State in the southwestern region of Nigeria. It is the most populous town in the Remo Region of the Ikenne Local Government Area. The entire LGA has an area of 137.13 km² and a population of 178,412 at the 2006 census.
The Ibarapa are a Yoruba people group located in the Southwestern corner of Oyo State. The name of the group is derived from a local cultivar of the melon plant, known locally as Egusi Ibara, which was historically acknowledged by neighboring peoples such as the Egbas, Ibadans and Oyos to be extensively cultivated in the area.
Surajudeen Ishola Adekunbi is a Nigerian businessman and member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, where he is its incumbent Speaker.
Iju also known as Iju Oloko [idʒou ɔ:lɔkɔ], is a Nigerian town located in southern Ogun state and about 18 kilometers from Lagos state, a major commercial hub in West Africa. The town is inhabited mostly by Egba/Owu natives whose ancestors settled there between 1842 and 1845.
Egba Gbagura is one of the five sections of Egbaland, the others being Ake, Oke-Ona, the Owu and Ibara. It is a traditional state which joins with its bordering sections to form something of a high kingship.
The 2023 Nigerian presidential election in Ogun State was held on 25 February 2023 as part of the nationwide 2023 Nigerian presidential election to elect the president and vice president of Nigeria. Other federal elections, including elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate, will also be held on the same date while state elections will be held two weeks afterward on 11 March.
The 2023 Nigerian Senate elections in Ogun State was held on 25 February 2023, to elect the 3 federal Senators from Ogun State, one from each of the state's three senatorial districts. The elections coincided with the 2023 presidential election, as well as other elections to the Senate and elections to the House of Representatives; with state elections being held two weeks later. Primaries were held between 4 April and 9 June 2022.
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