Brief History Of IGBAJO.

In Igbajoland,we don't boast,history especially distinguished us from other towns in Yorubaland.
A town whose history is specially connected with about 10 other Yoruba towns is Igbajo in Osun State.
Beyond its role in the historic Kiriji War that visibly rocked and shaped the history of the Yoruba nation in the 19th Century.
Igbajo provided the terrain and camp for the Latoosa-led Ibadan combatants against the allied forces of Ijesa and Ekiti in the decisive war which came to an end after the peace treaty signed on September 23, 1886.
Further findings revealed that Igbajo was the only town in history where ten kings had a stop-over on the top of a rock before they dispersed and went to establish their respective towns and communities. The kings included the Orangun of Ila; Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti; Alara of Aramoko; Owa of Otan Ayegbaju; Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti; Owalare of Ilare; Onire of Ire-Ekiti; Oloore of Otun-Ekiti and the Owa of Igbajo.
Till date, the site where the said royal fathers converged is preserved some metres away from the palace of the Owa of Igbajo, Oba Adeniyi Olufemi Fasade,Akeran IV,the Owa of Igbajoland.
Though the historic spot is kept under lock and key, it is open to tourism-inclined visitors to the town. The Osun State government has officially also categorised the site as one of tourists destinations in the state as evident in the signpost erected on top of the rock.
When the founder of Igbajo, known in history as Akeran, left Ile-Ife, he did not leave alone,he left with other sons of Oduduwa after Owa had gone in search of the Atlantic water prescribed to heal the blindness of Oduduwa, their father.
The site called Okuta Mewa (ten rocks) was the spot where those, who later founded different towns, paused during the journey from Ile-Ife.
“Each of them sat on one rock, hence the name ‘okuta mewa’ (ten rocks) to symbolise the event. They sat, discussed and later dispersed to different directions and locations where they are today. It can safely be said that Akeran was their host because of the fact that he settled where they converged. Let us now think of it. Do you think it is common to have the kind of privilege that we have?
How many towns in Yorubaland had the opportunity to host ten kings on their way to establishing their respective towns? What should this tell you about the importance and relevance of Igbajo to the Yoruba nation? That we are not known for showing off does not mean such significant piece of history can be written off by anybody and such history cannot be changed.
On account of its strategic location as regards to its accessibility, Igbajo became the meeting point and indeed safe haven for many Yoruba families who were victims of war or internal discontent in their respective towns and communities.
To this end, Igbajo, today, is an amalgam of sub-ethnic groups such as Ife, Ijesa, Igbomina, Oyo and Ekiti. This is also a peculiar feature from which the Owa of Igbajo takes pride, having seen its potential of making his town celebrated.
In terms of the administration of Igbajo, the kingmakers in charge of the selection of the Owa of Igbajo, are drawn from the five towns in a show of assimilation which has promoted peaceful coexistence among the people.
Evidence of this is seen in the strength of the Igbajo Development Association (IDA), a group of sons and daughters of Igbajo, which has since undertaken community development projects, including what can ‘arguably’ be referred to as the first private polytechnic in Nigeria.
An extensive tour of Igbajo revealed other places of interest, including the Oroke Shrine which hosts the annual Oroke Festival holding in May. The festival, it was learnt, brings together the ruling houses with a view to celebrating their progenitors by killing a cow which is shared among them under a lively atmosphere.
Members of the royal families are accompanied to the shrine by drummers who spice up the occasion with music and panegyrics in a spectacle that provokes nostalgia of Igbajo of old.
What we do here is to remember our forefathers who played a critical role in founding the town and made it what it is today. There is no today without yesterday. And tomorrow also lies in today because without today tomorrow will only exist in a dream.
What I am saying is that Oroke Festival, which is a major festival in the town that attracts crowds of people, is our heritage which we are doing our best to preserve. And we shall continue to preserve it for the future generation to see. It may interest you to know that somebody has done his doctorate thesis on this festival. This is to tell you about its place in our culture.
The Kiriji War theatre on the outskirts of Igbajo appears more or less a sacred entity in its entirety. It is now a farmland, but its hilly terrain.
The native power with which the warriors on both sides prosecuted the war. In the recent past, relics of war implements were still found in the axis.
The spots where major incidents occurred during the war still lay in the tropical forest. Faragbota tree, the thick said to have absorbed thousands of bullets, still stands erected on its spot. It was, however, clarified that the tree fell soon after the 100th year celebration of the peace treaty held in 1986.
The geography of Igbajo, characterised by hills, valleys and plains, makes a voyage to the ancient town an unusual excursion. Undertaking the trip to the historic town in plain language is not a task for the faint-hearted.
You have to be physically strong to climb, descend, climb and descend again until you are through with your assignment.
Endeavour to give yourself the rare opportunity of visiting the historic sites you had read about that seemed far beyond reality.