THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF O̩TA, THE COMMERCIAL CITY OF OGUN STATE.
O̩ta is a city in Ogun State, Nigeria, and has an estimated 526,565 population at the 2006 census, residents living in or around it. O̩ta is the capital of the Ado-Odo/O̩ta Local Government Area.
The traditional leader of O̩ta is the O̩lo̩ta of O̩ta, O̩ba Adeye̩mi AbdulKabir Obalanle̩ge̩.
Historically, O̩ta is the commercial city of the Awori Yoruba Ethnic Group.
O̩ta people, like all the Aworis are very friendly, loving and accommodating. This makes the city a cosmopolitan city, where you have all Nigeria ethnicity and multinational residing and working in the city.
Today, O̩ta has the third largest concentration of industries in Nigeria. It also has the largest industrial areas and the highest number of industries in Ogun state.
In fact, the Local Government generates the highest Internal Generated Revenue {IGR} for Ogun state. It also possesses a large market and an important road junction, found just north of the tollgate on the Lagos - Abe̩okuta Expressway.
O̩ta is also well known as the home of former Nigerian President Oluse̩gun O̩basanjo̩'s Farm, The Canaanland compound of the megachurch Winners' Chapel, The BELL University, The Covenant University and the Africa Leadership Forum.
HISTORY:
Traditional Awori Yoruba folklore tells that O̩lo̩fin's children, O̩so̩lo̩ and Atalabi founded O̩ta after migrating south from Ishe̩ri, in Lagos state. The indigines are predominantly Yoruba of the Awori dialect group. They trace their ancestry down from Ile-Ife̩ and consider IGANMO̩DE as their patriarch. Other Aworis are located in the neighboring Lagos State.
In fact, the Aworis towns and villages takes 80% of demographic Lagos state including Lagos Island.
As the city developed, it eventually came to be locally ruled by a crowned O̩ba, called the O̩lo̩ta, whose ruling privilege came from the Yoruba traditional home of Ile-Ife̩.
O̩ta soon became important in the production and sale of cocoa. In 1842, the expansion of the E̩gba Province brought O̩ta under the control of Abe̩okuta by the British, in the precolonial era, for administrative convenience.
However, after Nigeria independence in 1960. O̩ta held an independent status within the Western Region and remained the commercial city of the Awori people.
In the early part of the 1900s, governance and administration of justice were kept by members of the Ogboni secret society, a traditional group that made and enforced the laws. In 1903, modern police crews were introduced, and had almost completely supplanted the traditional enforcement roles of the Ogboni by the 1950s.
In 1954, the introduction of a new Western Region Government taxation system led to riots in O̩ta. On February 4th, 1954, the new tax code was announced.
The Aiyepeju Society and the O̩ta Tax Payers Association began protesting almost immediately. The protests turned violent as aggressive crowds began destroying properties.
The riots, which came to be known as the "Ponpo Aiyepeju", were eventually put down by the Nigerian Police. In the aftermath of the disturbances, O̩ba Timothy Fadina, The O̩lo̩ta of O̩ta was deposed and exiled to E̩pe̩ by the government of the Action Group led by Chief O̩bafe̩mi Awolo̩wo̩ on May 11, 1954, being a sympathizer of the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon {NCNC}, a major opposition party in the region.
OCCUPATION:
O̩ta, being primarily agrarian in nature, the area produces cash and food crops especially cocoa, kola nut, palm oil, coffee, cassava, timber, maize, and vegetables. Mineral resources include kaolin, silica sand, gypsum, and glass sand.
Other occupation of O̩ta natives and residents are majorly trading. The town's proximity to Lagos and proximity to the border town of Idiroko to Benin Republic, have made it a trading hub and this led to the creation of two international markets in the metropolitan city.
O̩ta began to grow into the industrial city it is today due to the economic development planning and lobbying by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Chief Bisi Onabanjo̩, the former governor of Ogun State in the 70's.
This led to the official designation of O̩ta as an industrial city, and the state government began to encourage industries to locate in and around the city.
EDUCATION:
Traditionally, O̩ta only had few schools in the pre- colonial era of the British.The town embraced western education fairly late, unlike other ancient towns in the region. The few schools available then, were all sponsored by various religious organizations in the 50's.
The Muslim community responded by establishing a school operated by the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society. The Ansar-Ud-Deen Teacher's Training College. The Anglican do the same. The Anglican Grammar School.
State schools began to be formed in the late 1970's, There are now several private schools in the area and adjoining communities.
Iganmo̩de Grammar School is the oldest, founded in 1960. Other notable schools include Ansar-Ud-deen Comprehensive College, Bells Comprehensive Secondary School and Faith Academy Secondary School.
There are also two universities in O̩ta: Covenant University and Bells University of Technology. And a private polytechnic, The Allover Central Polytechnic.
The Nigerian Navy's School of Music is also located in O̩ta.
ECONOMY:
Most sections of the city are dominated by industrial estates with over four hundred industries in O̩ta and its environs.
Beginning in the early 1970's, many businesses began building factories in O̩ta partly because it was less congested than the industrial estates in Lagos.
Businesses with facilities in O̩ta to mention few including:
Nigeria Distilleries Limited
Federated Steel Mills Limited
Farmex Meyer Limited
Nigerian Breweries Plc
De United Foods Industries Limited
Unique Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Intercontinental Distillers Limited.
Honda Manufacturing (Nigeria),Ltd
Geepee Industries Limited
Dee United Food Industries Ltd
Veepee Industries Limited
Avon Crowncaps & Containers Ltd
Nigeria-German Chemicals Plc
Shongai Packaging Company Ltd
TOURIST ATTRACTION:
O̩ta boasts a range of cultural, traditional, and historic attractions. One of the most popular is the Egungun (Masquerade) Festival in O̩ta alongside the Oduduwa (Odu'a) Festival. There are also shrines such as Ijamido and Ogbodo Shrines.
The second oldest storey building in the West Africa region can be found in O̩ta, the Vicarage of the St. James Anglican Church built in 1842.
List of Past and Present O̩lo̩tas of O̩ta
O̩ba Akinse̩wa Ogbolu (1621-1680)
O̩ba Morolugbe (O̩ba Moro) (1701-1725)
O̩ba Oromolu (1725-1768)
O̩ba Olagoroye (1768-1786)
O̩ba Adelu (1794-1821)
O̩ba Olukori (1821-1853)
O̩ba Oyede I (1853-1882)
O̩ba Isiye̩mi (1882-1901)
O̩ba Aina Ako (1902-1927)
O̩ba Salami Oyelusi Oyede (1927-1947)
O̩ba Timothy Fadina (1949-1954)
O̩ba Timothy Talabi Dada (1954-1992)
O̩ba Moshood Adetoro Alani Oyede (1997–2016)
O̩ba Adeye̩mi Abdulkabir O̩balanle̩ge̩ {Lanle̩ge̩ E̩kun II,
Arole Iganmo̩de} (2018 - To Date