- The Ijebu People inhabit the South-Central part of Yoruba land – a territory that is bounded in the North by Ibadan, in the East by Ondo,
Okitipupa and the West by Egbaland. The southern borders of Ijebuland are defined by the lagoon waters of Epe, Ejinrin, Ikorodu, and Ogun Waterside. - The ancestors of the Ijebus who now inhabit Ijebu-Ode and districts came into Nigeria from the ancient Kingdom of Owodaiye of Ethiopia which came to an end as a result of Arab supremacy in Middle East and the Sudan where Owodaiye was situated. The Kingdom of Owodaiye was bounded in the North by Nubia; in the East by Tigre and the Kingdom of Axum; in the West there was no clear boundary, while along its South-Eastern border, it was bounded by the land of Punt.
- There is a lot of evidence in support of the fact that the Ijebus migrated into Nigeria from Sudan (Owodaiye now Waddai).
The most obvious is the Sudanese tribal mark which, though varied, is duplicated all over Yoruba land. In particular, the three vertical marks on both cheeks are the national marks in Ijebu. - Ethiopian History’ by Hailemariam at the beginning of this essay shows that Negede Orit which entered Ethiopia several cen-turies before King Solomon and the famous Makida, Queen of Sheba (about 900 B.C.) met the Ijebus on the east Coast of Southern Sudan.
- The Ijebus origins have also been linked to the biblical Jebusites and Noah (hence “Omoluwabi – omo ti Noah bi – the children of Noah)
- The Ijebu Kingdom was conquered by the British Lagos government under Governor Gilbert Carter in May 1892.
When in 1914 the Protectorates of Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria were amalgamated by the British, an administrative distinction was made between the colony and protectorate. The colony areas were coastal settlements comprising Lagos and neighbouring communities which had been ceded to the British Crown by previous treaty agreements. The first was Lagos Island in 1861, and which was subsequently extended to its immediate mainland. The
second was Badagry and its environs in 1863. The territorial acquisitions of 1892 and 1894 in Ijebu formed the third group of British Crown land. In the 1930s the colony lands became the Colony Province. It was converted into Lagos State in 1967. - The original language spoken in the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia (before the Arabic language) is very similar to Ijebu dialect.
Names of people such as Saba, Esiwu, Meleki (corruption of Menelik) and many others are still common in Ijebu and the South of Sudan. - A kind of flute which was formerly used during the coronation ceremony of the Awujale is still used in Ethiopia and South of Sudan.
- The Ijebus differ from the Yoruba in many respects. For example, while the main Yoruba group practice circumcision on both male and female members of the family, the Ijebus never practice it on the female members; the Yorubas used to bore the lower part of the ear in both male and female while the male never bore in Ijebu.
- The Ijebus are united under the leadership of the Awujale of Ijebuland and this unity is the strength of the people as exhibited by their achievements in the past 48 years of the reign of Oba Sikiru Adetona, Ogbagba II.
- The Ijebus have always been known for their business acumen since the early nineteenth century. It was even observed that a child was expected to have the skills of a trader and know the value of money by the age of twelve.
- The greatest economic asset of Ijebuland throughout the nineteenth century and far into the present century was timber which was their premier source of wealth.
It was also on record back then that the houses and streets of ijebu people were superior to those of the surrounding people and communities. They also excelled in farming with well-bred farm animals.
Photo-Credit: abclassic photography
References:
IJEBU ORIGIN & HISTORY: By National Organization of Ijebu Descendants (USA), Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, The ijebus of the Yorubaland; 1850-1950. Politics, Economy & society, Prof. F.A Ayandele, 1992)
