Prominent Towns in Ogun

Ado-Odo Otta 
Latitude: 6.6887 Lat (DMS) 6° 41' 19N
Longitude: 3.2320 Long (DMS)3° 13' 55E
Elevation (Feet): 167
Population Est.(2006): 352360
Zip Code: 112212

History:
The origin of the Awori people could be traced to Ile-Ife. According to oral tradition, Olofin Ogunfunminire, a son of Oduduwa had some family problems which made him to consult Ifa oracle, who advised him to vacate Ile-Ife and settle in a distant land. The oracle said before Olofin left Ife, he was to dig a portion in his father’s house where he would find a sacred mud plate with a royal beaded crown and other paraphernalia of the Oba’s office. As instructed by the oracle, Ogunfunminire dug and found the items as predicted by Ifa.
Ifa told him that he should place the plate on the river and sail after it, wherever the plate sank finally, that’s where Olofin and his followers should settle. But, the oracle warned that before that was done, he should sacrifice a white ram to the river so as to overcome problems that may arise during the voyage.
Olofin Ogunfunminire searched in vain for a white ram but could not find any; it was a black ram, which was available to him, that he chose. When he was ready to sacrifice the ram to the river, he rubbed the black ram with his left hand and it became white; he then used it for the sacrifice before placing the sacred plate on the river, which he sailed after. Olofin had 32 children, 16 went on the voyage with him. This part of the story has been proven in modern times as all Ekiti Obas except the Oore (The Benefactor) of Otun claimed to be descendants of Oduduwa Olofin, the Oore traced his descent to the sea goddess “Olokun”.

Before Olofin and his followers reached their destination, many joined him on the voyage and they stopped in so many places while sailing after the floating plate. While on the voyage, there was a fierce storm between Iganhu and Iro (both in present day Ogun State), which took away their paddles; hence, they resorted to paddling the canoes with their bare hands until they arrived at Isheri, where the plate temporarily sank. They thought they had reached their destination; So, they settled there only for a while as the plate floated again after some time, Olofin and his crew started following it as Ifa had earlier directed. Though, some of his followers stayed back at the present day Isheri, but Olofin and majority of his followers, including his children, followed the plate to Ido, where the plate finally sank. Hence the name Awori “The plate sank!”
How could someone in his sane mind, call a place that has a very valuable historical background a “No Man’s Land”, it is disheartening.

Traditional Awori Yoruba folklore tells that Olofin’s children, Osolo and Eleidi Atalabi founded Ado-Odo/Ota after migrating south from Isheri. As the town developed, it eventually came to be locally ruled by a crowned oba, called the Olota, whose ruling privilege came from the Yoruba traditional home of Ile-Ife.

The industrial and socio-cultural civilisation within the state which sees large investments from both the Yoruba’s, Igbo, Hausas and othe ethnic groups in Nigeria. This, in the same vein, is beginning to transcend into the neighbouring town. Ota, which is regarded as the third largest industrial area in nigeria and has witnessed tremendous increase in population by most Lagos and Ogun state workers who seek to sojourn in ota because of the large land mass and its shared boundary with Lagos state. What triggered my observation is the increased number of Hausas, Igbos, Eguns, Ibiras et ‘al who has infiltrated the yorubas within the town. A mini statistical poll I conducted in some selected areas of the town has it that the ratio of non-indigenes to indigenous dwellers is 43:1, this will no doubt increase as more infrastructures comes in place as we are currently witnessing.