Ijebu-Ode

Ijebu-Ode, town, Ogun state, southwestern Nigeria. It is situated along the highway between Shagamu and Benin City. Ijebu-Ode was by the 16th century established as the chief town of the Ijebu people (a subdivision of the Yoruba). As the seat of the awujale, the Ijebu political and spiritual ruler, it served as the capital of the Ijebu kingdom, which for several centuries dominated the trade between the ports of the Lagos Lagoon (including Lagos, 44 miles [70 km] west-southwest) and the Yoruba hinterland (especially Ibadan, 38 miles [60 km] north). During the Yoruba civil wars of the late 19th century, Ijebu opposed Ibadan and closed the trade routes to the coast. By defeating the awujale at Ijebu-Ode in 1892 and thus destroying the Ijebu trade monopoly, the British convinced the rest of Yorubaland to come to terms under their protection.

Modern Ijebu-Ode is a major collecting station for kola nuts, which are purchased for trucking to the northern states. Ijebu-Ode also serves as a collecting point for cocoa and palm oil and kernels, which are exported from Lagos. The town’s industry includes a printing and publishing firm. Its artisans are known for their handiwork in iron. Local trade is primarily in yams, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), palm produce, and oranges; and rubber and timber have become important commercial products of the area.

The town, whose awujale retains a position as the traditional Ijebu leader, is also headquarters of a local government council. It is the site of the Ogun State College of Education, Muslim and Christian primary teacher-training colleges, and a government vocational school. There are also a hospital for infectious diseases and a leprosy settlement. Pop. (2006) local government area, 154,032.