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History Of Otan Ayegbaju by duro4chang(m): 5:07pm On Oct 23, 2022 |
HISTORY OF OTAN AYEGBAJU Otan Ayegbaju' or Otan for short, is a small town in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Boluwaduro local government area. It is believed that Otan Ayegbaju was founded by some of the direct descendants of Oduduwa some five hundred years ago. Oduduwa is the mythical founding father of all Yorubaland. The founders left Ile-ife, the birthplace of the Yoruba people, to settle initially at Otan-ile in Ijesaland before migrating to present day Otan Ayegabaju. The Owa Of Otan Ayegbaju is the title given to the traditional paramount ruler or King. Today, that position is held by Oba Lukman Adesola Ojo Fadipe, Arenibiowo Owa Olatanka III. Otan is a culturally rich town whose population consists mainly of the Ijesas and Oyo tribal group. Otan is located in the northern area of Osun State, thirty-seven kilometers from Oshogbo the state capital. It covers a land mass of 100 sqkm2. Its terrain consists of hills, mountains, dense forest, vegetation and gullies caused by erosion. The climate is tropical with warm temperatures and low humidity. OKE MARIA Oke Maria, Otan Ayegbaju is held annually on the second Saturday and Sunday of February. During this period, Catholics go on an annual pilgrimage to Mary’s Mountain (Oke-Maria), Otan Ayegbaju. The mountain site purportedly started through God’s vision and the first pilgrimage there was in December of 1980 Otan Ayegbaju community in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of Osun State again becomes a beehive of activities every February. The many pilgrims, who throng the Oke Maria Prayer Ground starts arriving from different parts of the country from Saturday afternoon. Oke Maria pilgrimage is an annual event, which affords Christians of the Catholic faith and other denominations, the opportunity to meet, pray together, seek God’s intervention in their problems, with a view to finding solutions to it. The pilgrimage is described as a journey to a shrine, holy place or sanctuary, for a religious purpose. Such journeys are a common attribute of religious devotion and are not confined to any particular religious tradition. It is a place, where people go to meet God, experience His love and seek His face. It is a programme that has afforded Christians, especially of the Catholic faith, of knowing their faith and to pursue their salvation. In the previous years, Oke Maria pilgrimage has been witnessed by thousands of pilgrims. Strangely, some of these pilgrims bring food, mats, mattresses and pray together. It’s a two-day affair. On the Saturday, people throng the ancient town of Otan Ayegbaju, thereby kicking- off the programme till Sunday morning. To strengthen the bond of Christian brotherhood, most of the pilgrims come in groups. The programme kicks off at Saint John Catholic Church, Otan Ayegbaju, where the opening prayer is held and the procession starts from the church to the Marian ground at Otan Ayegbaju. On getting to the venue of the vigil, a pilgrim would not be surprised to see a lot of commercial activities going on around the area. Many faithful would display their goods, which include some religious sacramentum, others display bags, shoes, chains, restaurants and everything edible that would make the pilgrim’s stay at the prayer venue comfortable. There is no doubt that February in the State of Osun has come to represent something of unique importance. It is true that February is the aring and while the whole world is celebrating love, there is no better way to share this love than to be with God and to share it with fellow worshippers. This is what the pilgrims at Oke Maria do every year. During this period, commercial activities in Otan Ayegbaju town swell. Traders from different parts of the state troop to this hilly and quiet town to make brisk business. The sleepy nature of Otan Ayegbaju is temporarily disturbed for those two days. God descends on this town during these two days and miracles accompany with signs and wonders. If this has not been so, people would not look forward to going for another pilgrimage in the coming year. According to sources, during the Oke Maria pilgrimage, pilgrims who throng Otan Ayegbaju are more of Christians of other denominations than those of the Catholic faith. Motorists and commercial drivers also use this period to increase their transport fares. Though, this is part of extortion, but many of the pilgrims visiting Otan Ayegbaju don’t complain, as they gladly pay. Oke Maria is just one of the many prayer and spiritual retreat centres in the state. Others that are found in other towns in the state include; Ori Oke Ikoyi, Ikoyi in Isokan Local Government Council Area, Ori Oke Baba Abiye in Ede and Babalola International Miracle Camp at Ikeji Arakeji. Unlike the latter which belonged to the Christ Apostolic Church fold, the former is fully under the Catholic denomination. Since Oke Maria started about 32 years ago, the town of Otan Ayegbaju has fast assumed both national and international status. It is in this regard that a lot has to be done to uplift the status of this hilly town. The Otan Ayegbaju Progressive Union, the state government, religious bodies and associations, NGOs and other stakeholders should come together and propose a development plan on how to uplift the town. Due to the fact that the town is the headquarters of a local government council area in the state, it should have been included in the O’ Renewal plans. Maybe, another good fate awaits the town, but until then, there is need for a standard hotel to be built, so as to take care of the accommodation needs of pilgrims. Spacious pavilion or auditorium of worship needs to also be constructed by either government, the church or stakeholders, so that pilgrims would be shielded from the elements. There is need to a construct market stalls and a befitting motor park for the traders, artisans and commercial transporters, who would want to use that period to make sales. Since the annual pilgrimage is drawing international attention, adequate media coverage of the retreat needs to be embarked on and this is to remind the Osogbo Diocese of the Catholic Church to employ the aid of the different media on ground. |
Re: History Of Otan Ayegbaju by 66spirit(m): 5:40pm On Oct 24, 2022 |
I love this place. 1 Like |
Re: History Of Otan Ayegbaju by uzoyeka: 3:38pm On Oct 25, 2022 |
wow!!!! 1 Like |
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