Òkè-Ìlá

Òkè-Ìlá is a city in Ọṣun State, Nigeria.

Location and Physiography

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún (often abbreviated as Òkè-Ìlá) is an ancient city in southwestern Nigeria that was capital of an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state of the same name. Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is located at coord|7.955|N|4.986|E|region:NG_type:city(35000)|display=inline,title, at an elevation of convert|1863|ft|m|abbr=on, [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/NI/0/Oke_Ila.html FallingRain.com Gazeteer] . Retrieved February 18, 2007] on one of the several mountains adjoining the eastern flanks of the Oke-Ila Ridge, a part of the Yoruba Hills.

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún’s sister city (and sister kingdom) Ìlá Òràngún is located about 7.5 miles (12 km) to the northeast, separated by the north-trending ridges and gorges of the Oke-Ila Quartzites.

tatus as Local Government Capital

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is currently capital of Ifedayo Local Government Area of Ọsun State. The Ifedayo LGA (local government area) Secretariat is located on the northern outskirts of the town. The administration of the two major towns and the several smaller towns and villages is conducted from the Ifedayo LGA Secretariat.

Ancient history

Ila Yara: The Original Unified city-state

Before a dispute and split several centuries ago, the present Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún and Ìlá Òràngún constituted the original united kingdom centered around Ìlá-Yàrà, a city-state founded, according to legend, by Oduduwa's fourth son (according to legend), named Fagbamila and nicknamed Òràngún.

The dispute, said to be a succession dispute in one account, or a relocation site dispute by another account, centered around two brother-princes (Àpàkíìmò, the older and Arútú Olúòkun, the younger) and their supporters, and led to a split of the Ila-Yara city-state and the eventual emigration of both factions from the Ila-Yara site.

Factional histories

Oral history of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom claims (contrary to the version common in Ìlá), that the dispute arose from the selection of a new site to move the kingdom to. Unfortunately, the Ifa oracle acknowledged as suitable both soil samples from the site selected by the Ìlá-Yàrà kingdom's official delegates commissioned by Òràngún Àpàkíìmò, as well as the site selected by the unofficial delegates commissioned by the kingdom's youth led by Àpàkíìmò's younger brother, Prince Arútú Olúòkun.

The kingdom's royal council insisted on the site selected by the kingdom's official delegates while the young people argued the advantages of the site selected by the delegates they commissioned. The younger prince, Arútú Olúòkun's faction led a migration of his faction out of Ìlá-Yàrà and founded Ìlá-Magbon. Thereafter, (according to oral history of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom), the official Ìlá-Yàrà kingdom under the "de jure" Òràngún Àpàkíìmò, migrated to their preferred site. The faction of the older prince, Àpàkíìmò who was the last Òràngún at Ìlá-Yàrà, founded Igbóhùn, is the modern Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún.

Ora history states that when earthworm pests subsequently bothered Prince Arútú faction's settlement at Ila-Magbon, Prince Arútú Olúòkun elected to "sink into the ground", because he was no longer able to travel when told by the Ifa oracle that they had to move to the Ila-Odo site which is the location of the modern Ìlá Òràngún, where the "Òrèrè" staff was first stuck into the ground. Oral history of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom also claims (again contrary to the version common in Ìlá), that Òfínní, an Òràngún deposed from the (the older prince) Òràngún Àpàkíìmò;'s kingdom at Igbóhùn was the first Òràngún officially installed by the youth's faction after their exit from Ìlá-Yàrà.

The modern Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún founded by the reigning Òràngún and most senior prince is considered, according to Yoruba primogenotor, the "senior" kingdom to the now larger and more populous "junior" kingdom at Ìlá.

Migrations, Relocations, Settlements, Refugees

Since the migration from Ìlá-Yàrà, the Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom had settled at various locations, the most notable being Igbohun (the original name and site of the city-state), Okiri, Iladun, Omi-Ọsun (along the Omi-Ọsun river, a source of the Osun River), and the present site (Oke-Ila), which oral history claims is partly superimposed on, and contiguous with, the original Igbohun site, and reputedly has twice been previously occupied and abandoned.

The original population of the Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom has over the centuries been joined by waves of migrations from other parts of Yorubaland, as well as refugees of various conflicts in the near and distant parts of Igbominaland. An example of additions to the original population are the Ọba'lúmọ̀ of Ìsèdó group who were also of the earlier Òbà diaspora. Oral history records examples of historical refugees that were hosted by the Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom, but have subsequently returned to their homelands, such as the Rore (or Irore), the Arandun and the Ora-Igbomina kingdoms [ Babalola, Olufemi Oladapo. “The Obaala Babalola Adekeye's History of Oke-Ila Orangun - Historical and Constitutional Development of The Ìgbómìnà-Yorùbá Kingdom of Oke-Ila Orangun from its Foundation to British Imperio-Colonialism”. "Butubutu Publishers". Austin, Texas. August 1984. ] .

It is conceivable that the Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom itself had similarly been temporary guests as war-refugees of their neighbouring kingdoms, just like their sister-kingdom Ìlá Òràngún were for 15 years refugees at Omupo during the 19th century wars with the Ibadan empire, in which Oke-Ila and other Igbomina kingdoms were part of the Ekiti Parapo alliance fighting off "tyranny" of Ibadan's "ajele" system.

The newer waves of migrations that stayed on in Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún can usually be identified from traditional orature which usually make nostalgic references to their original homeland. Apart from the Isedo township of Oke-Ila, the Iranyin township is also an identifiable immigrant group that consolidated with the Oke-Ila Orangun kingdom.

The People and the Place

Population and Culture

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún has a population estimated (2005) to be 35,000 (suspectedly an under-estimation).

The people of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún kingdom speak a distinctive dialect of the Yoruba language called Igbomina (or Ogbonna). The people are mostly agrarian but have a significant number of artisans, traders, hunters of wild game, school-teachers and other professionals.

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is famous for the energetic dancing and acrobatic skills of its Elewe, the region's primary Egungun, a dancing masqurade ensemble representing the ancestors during various traditional festivals. The Egungun Elewe is unique to the Igbomina Yoruba subgroup. There are other less popular but unique and peculiar Egungun in the kingdom.

Tourist Attractions

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is notable for the adventurous and breathtaking Ayikunugba Waterfalls situated in a cliffed gorge, and its associated caves with "mythical" underground passages. The Ayikunugba Waterfalls is located southwest of the town, along the north trending ridge-and-gorge series of the Oke-Ila Ridge complex. Another Tourist site is the Oke Lanfo Peak located southeast of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún, from the top of which a panoramic view of the surrounding towns within 50 kilometers can be seen. The ridges and gorges consist of the geologically defined Oke-Ila Quartzites, a series of metamorphic rocks of Pan-African age ( about 550 million years old).

The Paramount King, Orangun of Oke-Ila

His Royal Majesty, Oba Samuel Adeyemi, Arojojoye reigned as Orangun of Oke-Ila from 1969 until he "joined the ancestors" in November 2005. This ancient and historic Yoruba kingdom recorded several "firsts" during Orangun Adeyemi's reign, among which are the tarring of the link-road joining the city to the inter-state road at Asanlu junction, the inauguration of the premier community-sponsored secondary school which produced its first full professor in 2007, the establishment of pipe-borne water supply, the electrification of the city, the designation of the city as capital of the new local government, and the construction of the local government headquarters in the city.

The current Orangun of Oke-Ila Orangun in Ifedayo Local Government area of Osun State is His Royal Majesty, Oba Adedokun Abolarin. He was installed on December 8, 2006. He is from the Obasolo Ruling House, one of the ruling houses among which the title rotates in Oke-Ila Orangun.

The new Òràngún of Òkè-Ìlá, Oba Adedokun Abolarin is a highly educated professional, holding a law degree, after a master’s degree in International Relations, following a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, all from Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife). Until his installation, the new Òràngún of Òkè-Ìlá, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, a professional lawyer licensed to practice law in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, was the principal partner of Dokun Abolarin & Co., a firm of Solicitors and Legal Consultants, which had served as Company Secretary to various corporations among whom are Tell Publications (Publishers of Tell Magazine), Pacific Holdings, Peachtree Communications Ltd, Sportsmark International and Springtime Development Foundation.

Oba Adedokun Abolarin is an academic authority on Nigerian Government and Politics having researched and written on the period from the 1914 amalgamation to recent times, in which he evaluated component elements of Federal, Regional/State, and Local Government administration, analyzed Nigerian Foreign Policy as well as Political Parties and Pressure groups.

As is traditional among the Yoruba for a new king or monarch, Oba Adedokun Abolarin chose at his installation the “reign name” Aroyinkeye I, translating as “one who finds honey to tend the title”. Citizens of this ancient Igbomina-Yoruba kingdom across Nigeria, and especially Europe and the Americas often express their thrill and excitement at the prospect of the development which the well-educated king promises for the city and its satellite towns.

Township Kings

Oke-Ila Orangun has a couple of historical minor kings (or royals) under the Orangun. These are kings of communities that consolidated as immigrant townships (or sub-towns) of Oke-Ila over the last five centuries of her history after Ila Yara. The "Township King" of the Ìsèdó-Oke group is titled Ọba'lúmọ. The Ìsèdó-Oke group was the earliest to consolidate with the then Orangun Apakiimo to found Oke-Ila about the end of the 15th century. The "Township royal" of the Iranyin group is titled Obajoko. The Iranyin group are a more recent "consolidant" with with Oke-Ila. In the traditional royal council of Oke-Ila, both "township kings" are constituted with other "crowned heads" clans ("ori ade") into a royal caucus of the "senate".

The current Ọba'lúmọ̀ of Ìsèdó-Oke township is His Royal Highness, Dr. Olúfẹ́mi Ọládàpọ̀ Babalọlá, while the current Obajoko of Iranyin township is The Obajoko: Adekola Abiola.

Educational & Religious institutions

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún has several primary and secondary schools most of which are privately owned. The premier secondary institution is the Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún Grammar School. The first primary schools are the Seventh-day Adventist Day School situated at the foot of a peak on the west edge of the city, and the Baptist Day School situated at the foot of the mountain on which the old city is located.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church of Nigeria and the Baptist Church (Nigerian Baptist Convention) were the first churches to be established in the city. Both denominations now have multiple churches in the city. Other churches include the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Apostolic Church, the Christ Apostolic Church, the Cherubim & Seraphim Church, the Aladura Church of the Lord, and many others. The city has a central masjid and other minor mosques where Muslims worship. The percentage of adherents of traditional religions is decreasing but there are worshipers of the major Yoruba traditional religions like Sango, Ogun, and Egungun.

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún's town hall adjoins the palace of the Òràngún, the paramount king of the kingdom. It is named Apakimo Town Hall, in honor of the king that led a rival exodus from Ila-Yara, the original unified kingdom that became the sister kingdoms of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún and Ìlá Òràngún.

Position relative to other cities and towns

Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is about 120 miles (190 km) directly west of the confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue at Lokoja and about 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Osogbo the capital of Osun State. It is about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Lagos with Ibadan at about midway between. It is about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of the ancient city of Oyo (Oyo-Ile or Old Oyo) and about 80 miles (130 km) east of modern Oyo (Ago d'Oyo). It is 40 miles (65km) northeast of the ancient city of Ile-Ife, about 60 miles (95km) southeast of the ancient Yoruba city of Ilorin and about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Benin City (more correctly Bini or Ibini) capital of the Benin/Edo Empire.

References