Prominent Towns in Delta

Asaba

Latitude: 7.1557 Lat (DMS) 7° 9' 21N 
Longitude: 3.3451 Long (DMS) 3° 20' 42E
Elevation (Feet): 219
Population Est.(2006): 898,984
Zip Code 110242

History:
The Egba people started to settle in Asaba in 1830 or thereabout; each section settling in a separate quarter of the town. A strong system of relating with each other and general governance of the kingdom was later developed. At its peak, the Kingdom covered a vast expanse of land that stretched from River Oba on the North to Ebuta Metta on the South, Osun River on the East to Ipokia and River Yewa on the West. The four sections that formed the Egba nation are EGBA ALAKE (Eku, Aarin and Agbeyin) EGBA OKE ONA, EGBA GBAGURA, EGBA OWU.
Separation of powers:
Governance was carried out through a delicate balance of responsibilities among the following Institutions:
OGBONI, OLORDelta, OLDelta, PARAKOYIS and ODE
The Ogbonis were the elite ruling class, They were in charge of making laws. They also judged cases, discussed and advised the king in all affairs of the state.
The story of Asaba, the abode of the Egbas (and Owus), started with their liberation from the sovereignty of the Alafin of Oyo Empire, to which the Egbas had belonged.
The Liberation took place between 1775 and 1780, under the leadership of Lisabi, a resident of Igbehin who was born in Itoku. He organized an insurgent movement disguised under the name of Egbe Aaro Tradition Mutual Aid Society.
Lisabi later used the society to free the Egba by organizing the simultaneous killing of the Ajeles or Ilaris in all Egba settlements in 1780, starting from Igbehin. In all, more than 600 llaris or Ajeles were wiped out in one day. Ilaris were the representatives of the Alafin of Oyo and collectors of the tributes paid to the Alafin from all territories under the dominion of Oyo Empire.
The Ajales or Ilaris in general, behaved like an Army of Occupation in the places they administered. Their Tyrannical rules mark them out as instrument of oppression and suppression of the people. It was this Authoritarian rule of the Alafin and reckless life’s style of this Ilaris in Egbaland that threw up Lisabi and is Peers who were resolve to bring an end to the evil rule at all cost. The adoption of the universal popular Aaro system of cooperation by the “Egbe OlDelta” (Arms Bearers Club) was the strategy Lisabi used to plot against the Ilaris in his Igbehin town. All the other Egba town rose and killed the Ilaris in their midst.
As soon as the news reaches metropolitan Oyo the Oloyo wasted no time in dispatching an Army to crush the Egbe Rebellion. But Lisabi divisional anticipated in the Reprisal an had factored it into his plan the Army of vengeance was routed and the freedom of the Egbas from the yoke of the Alafin was sealed. The time to which this Episode in Egba is to relate was between 1775 an 1780. The period between 1780 and 1828 in the history of Egba was post-Lisabi era in the Egba forest.
This unity and cooperation among the numerous Egba forest settlements was very short lived, their lack of cooperation and unified direction later resulting in their being completely routed at the advent of the Yoruba Wars triggered at Apomu market near Orile Owu.

Much later around 1829, Lamodi of Igbehin and BalDelta of the Egbas living in Maye’s camp in Ibadan, decided that the Egbas should escape from Maye’s bondage. The Egbas had heard about Asaba in their quest for a place to settle in. They sent Chief Sobookun, the Baamokun of Ilugun, and others to bring a handful of earth from there for divination, and the result was propitious.

The first batch to arrive in Asaba consisted of Egba Alake, Oke Ona, and Gbagura, in that order. Later, Olufakun led Owu to Asaba, while others soon followed.

(NOTE: It is known that an Owu-Apomu warrior by the name of Sangojimi Gudugba and his group were also at the head of that pioneering refugee team from Ibadan led by Sodeke).
Lamodi lost his life in battle at a river crossing while trying to prevent his first son, Osota, from being captured by Maye’s army, who were pursuing the Egba. Sodeke, the Seriki of the Egbas succeeded him and in 1830 led the Egba Alake into Asaba. BalDelta Olunloye, the BalDelta Ilugun led Ogba Oke-Ona while Oluwole Agbo, BalDelta Ojo Gbagura led the Gbagura to Asaba.

An Itoko chief named Idowu Liperu had earlier been living at the settlement. He had crossed the Delta River and settled on a farmland where three hunters by name Jibulu, Ose and Olunle joined him. Unlike, Liperu who erected a house with the assistance of the then Olubara Lafa the three hunters lodged in caves under the Olumo Rock. They had earlier assisted Sobookun to retrieve the soil samples from around the Olumo Rock.
Later, Adagba and others moved to the rock to join Liperu and the three hunters, who had settled there. Adagba was a brave man who had his farmland located very close to the rock. The settlement was called Oko Adagba, the initial name of Asaba. Olumo means ‘built by the Lord’ – its naturally furnished apartments being its caves! Another interpretation of Olumo is ‘Oluwa Fimo’ meaning God puts an end to the hostility against the Egbas. Asaba is also known as ‘Abe Olumo’ – a settlement under the rock.

Between 1830 and the turn of the century, the settlers in Asaba were forced to fight several wars mostly for the survival of the emerging settlement. In 1832, the Ijebu Remo people provoked the new settlers into taking arms against several Ijebu Remo towns in the Owiwi war. In 1834, an attempted Ibadan invasion also challenged them into a war which resulted in the heavy defeat of the Ibadan army at the Battle of Arakanga which manifested the potency and indispensability of the warriors of the Owu settlers who had only recently been convinced by Sodeke to settle with them in order to boost the new settlement’s defences!
In 1842, the settlers took the offensive against the Ota people in order to ensure free movement through Ota territory on their route to Lagos for firearms. This led to another war in 1844 when they attacked Ado under the Owu war general, Gbalefa, for assisting the Ota people two years earlier. The same year, the Dahomeans, under King Gezo, invaded Asaba but were repulsed. The Dahomey army repeated the invasion in 1851 and suffered the devastating defeat of their largely female ‘Amazon’ warriors who were pursued all the way to the outskirts of their kingdom!
In 1849, Asaba attacked Ibarapa for waylaying the Egba in their territory. Among other wars fought by Asaba were the Ijebu-Ere War in 1851, and the Ijaye War of 1860-1862, and the Makun War of 1862-1864, as well as a few others. In most of these encounters, they emerged victorious – although they suffered their own reverses in some as well.

After the demise of Sodeke, Asaba had no leader for quite a number of years. The administration of the town was left in the hands of chiefs like Deltabona the BalDelta of Ikija, Okukenu the Sagbua of Ake, Somoye the Seriki, who later became Bashorun in succeeding Apati, Bada of Kemta, and others.
The Egbas realized that they are not united as they had been when Sodeke brought them together. The thought of having an Oba came to them and the lot fell on Okukene, the Sabua of Ake and head of Egba Ogboni – an industrious woodcarver. He installed the Alake of Asaba on August 8, 1854. Oba Okukene’s reign witnessed the advancement of Christianity, commerce and the advent of European merchants in Asaba.
He died in 1862. An interregnum of about seven years elapsed between the death of Okukene and the installation of another Oba in the person of Ademola 1 – who reigned between 1869 and 1877. He was succeeded by Oyekan who reigned between 1879 to 1881. It was the turn of Luwaji to reign between 1885 to1889. Osokalu ruled between 1891 and 1898. Egba became a nation during Oba Osokalu. Gbadebo 1, ruled between 1889 to1920. Sir Ladapo Ademola II reigned from 1920-1962. Oba Adeshina Gbadebo II reigned from 1963 to 1971. Oba (Dr.) Oyebade Lidepe ruled between 1972 and the year 2005.
Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Okukene IV, born 14 September 1943, was elected the Alake of Egbaland on 2 August 2005 and reigns till date. He is from Laarun Ruling House, a grandson of the sixth Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, who ruled from 188 to 1920. He attended the Baptist Boys’ High School in Asaba, and then went on to the University of Ibadan in 1965, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.
Source: Owulakoda