Abẹ́òkúta and the Ẹ̀gbá
The refugee city under Olúmọ rock, its four townships each with its own ọba, the Aláké, and the Ẹ̀gbá United Government, which was the only Yoruba state Britain recognised as sovereign.
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The refugee city under Olúmọ rock, its four townships each with its own ọba, the Aláké, and the Ẹ̀gbá United Government, which was the only Yoruba state Britain recognised as sovereign.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
Abẹ́òkúta na city of refugees wey keep di identity of di pipo wey run enter inside am. Dem establish am around 1830 under one granite rock wey dem dey call Olúmọ by Ẹ̀gbá wey war drive comot from dia town afta Ọ̀yọ́ collapse, but e no join dem together make dem turn one government. E keep four separate Ẹ̀gbá section, wey each get dia own ọba, inside one city, and till today e still dey like dat. Four crowned rulers dey sit down for Abẹ́òkúta today, wey make di structure different from any oda Yoruba town.
Di name na Abẹ́ Òkúta, under di rock or under di stone, and di rock na Olúmọ .
Before Abẹ́òkúta, wetin dey na Ẹ̀gbá Forest, wey some pipo dey call Ẹ̀gbá Àgbáyé, collection of towns inside forest under Ọ̀yọ́ control . Di Ẹ̀gbá tori of how dem comot under dat control depend on Lisabi, and na im be di main political foundation tori of di group.
Tradition talk say Lisabi, from Ìtokò for Gbágùrà, organise Ẹ̀gbá farmers into mutual-aid society wey dem dey call Arò, wey appear say na for cooperative farm work, and use am arrange attack wey happen at di same time across di Ẹ̀gbá towns, wey dem kill di Ọ̀yọ́ resident officials, di ìlàrí wey dem post to collect tribute, on di same day . Dem place di revolt for late eighteenth century, during di reign of Aláàfin Abíọ́dún or shortly after. Dem dey remember Lisabi as di father of di Ẹ̀gbá, and Lisabi Day na public holiday for Ògùn State.
Make una treat di details as tradition. Di fact say Ẹ̀gbá break comot from Ọ̀yọ́ for late eighteenth century match how Ọ̀yọ́ authority take weak generally during dat period and pipo accept am; di exact way e take happen, di Arò society and di coordinated killing, come from Ẹ̀gbá oral tradition wey Samuel Johnson and later Ẹ̀gbá writers preserve and spread well well, and e get di shape of foundation charter. Na wetin di Ẹ̀gbá talk about diasef, wey make sense to know exactly like dat.
Ẹ̀gbá independence no last long. Di nineteenth-century wars destroy di Ẹ̀gbá forest towns, and di pipo wey survive move go oda place.
Ẹ̀gbá groups wey war displace choose Ṣódẹkẹ́, of Ìpòrò, as dia leader and migrate go di hilly ground for Olúmọ rock, where dem establish Abẹ́òkúta around 1830 . Ṣódẹkẹ́ na di founder and di main early leader of di town; na di title of Ṣágbùà e hold instead of crown, and e die for 1845.
Dem choose di site for defense purpose. Olúmọ na granite inselberg wey get caves and spaces inside rock where pipo fit hide and where dem fit watch and defend di road wey dey enter di town, and tradition clearly talk say Ẹ̀gbá fugitives hide inside am before dem formally establish di town . Di threat wey make dem choose am na slave raiding, from Dahomey for west and from Ìbàdàn and di Ìjẹ̀bú for di interior .
Na dis part make Abẹ́òkúta stand out for terms of structure. Dem no join di town make e turn one single kingdom. Each Ẹ̀gbá section wey arrive keep dia own territory inside di new town, dia own chiefs and dia own ruler, and di arrangement still dey continue .
| Section | Ruler title | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Ẹ̀gbá Aké | Aláké of Ẹ̀gbáland | Aké |
| Ẹ̀gbá Òkè-Ọ̀nà | Òṣìlé of Òkè-Ọ̀nà Ẹ̀gbá | Oko |
| Ẹ̀gbá Gbágùrà | Àgùrà of Gbágùrà | Ìdó |
| Ọ̀wu | Olówu of Ọ̀wu | Ọ̀wu |
Di Aláké, wey dey based for Aké, na di paramount ruler of di Ẹ̀gbá . Di paramountcy dey real for current practice, but e good make person clear about di history: di Aláké na di senior figure among di four of dem, and British administration turn dat seniority into formal paramountcy over all Ẹ̀gbá territory because indirect rule need one single ruler wey dem go dey deal with . Di oda three na crowned ọba on dia own right, no be subordinate chiefs, and di relationship among di four of dem na about seniority order rather than say one dey under anoda. Palava about di exact level of Aláké paramountcy dey always come up again.
Ọ̀wu na special case wey person no suppose treat just as Ẹ̀gbá section. Ọ̀wu na separate and old Yoruba kingdom wey destroy for di Ọ̀wu war of di 1820s by joint force of Ifẹ̀, Ìjẹ̀bú and Ọ̀yọ́ people, and di pipo wey survive run go join di Ẹ̀gbá for Abẹ́òkúta. So di Olówu dey rule pipo wey dem bring join Abẹ́òkúta, no be original Ẹ̀gbá division, and Ọ̀wu identity still remain separate. Ọ̀wu towns still dey for oda places too, including Ọ̀wu-Ìpólé near Ilé-Ifẹ̀ and Ọ̀wu for Ọ̀ṣun State, and di question of which Ọ̀wu senior pass na wetin dem dey argue about among diasef.
Some accounts dey count five sections instead of four by treating Ìbàràpá or anoda grouping separately; four plus Ọ̀wu na di standard way wey dem dey formulate am .
Di internal structure under di ọba pass through di Ògbóni, di earth-cult society wey get judicial and legislative power inside Ẹ̀gbáland, di Ológun or war chiefs, and di Parákòyí, di trade chiefs. Real power for nineteenth-century Abẹ́òkúta dey with di Ògbóni and di Ológun instead of any single ruler, and dat one limit di authority of di Aláké.
Dahomey attack on di Ẹ̀gbá na di main external threat wey di town face during dia first fifty years. Abẹ́òkúta defeat di army of King Gezo for 1851 and push back second major attack for 1864 . Di 1851 victory come with British help, and na from here di relationship between Abẹ́òkúta's and Britain take start.
Dis connection pass through di people wey return. Sàró, Yoruba people wey dem free from slave ships come settle for Freetown for Sierra Leone, start to dey return go Abẹ́òkúta from di late 1830s, dey bring book learning, English, Christianity, and business contacts. Di Church Missionary Society settle for di town for 1846, with Henry Townsend as main person , and Samuel Ajayi Crowther, wey himself be Ẹ̀gbá recaptive, work for there. As a result, Abẹ́òkúta come turn to di Yoruba town wey get mission work pass and wey people sabi book pass for dat mid-century time, and British opinion treat am for one period like favourite partner and model of wetin Christian African state fit be.
Dat one produce clear things wey happen first. Ìwé Ìròyìn, wey Townsend start for Abẹ́òkúta for 1859, na di first newspaper wey dem publish for Nigerian language , and di Ẹ̀gbá na di first Nigerian government wey use national anthem .
Di returnee population for Abẹ́òkúta's produce di first attempt to set up modern administration state for di region. Dem establish di Ẹ̀gbá United Board of Management for 1865, mostly by Sàró and Brazilian returnees, with written records, treasury, post office arrangements, and customs work . E no tey for dat form, but di idea remain.
For 1893 dem formalise di Ẹ̀gbá United Government for Abẹ́òkúta, and di main thing be say United Kingdom recognise am . Dis na di fact wey make sense to hold: Britain recognise di Ẹ̀gbá United Government as sovereign state through treaty, and Abẹ́òkúta no come be part of di British protectorate while dem dey annex all di governments around am. Di EUG get secretary, departments, police force, courts, and printed gazette, and na mostly Western-educated Ẹ̀gbá dey work there.
E last for twenty-one years. For 1914, di year wey dem amalgamate Northern and Southern Nigeria, Britain cancel di agreement come join Ẹ̀gbá territory into di colony, with Abẹ́òkúta as di provincial capital .
Di Ẹ̀gbá case na di clearest example wey show wetin British recognition of African sovereignty really mean. Di answer be say e only last as long as e make administrative sense for dem.
Ògùn Adubi, wey dem also dey call di Ẹ̀gbá uprising, happen between June and July 1918, four years after dem cancel di agreement. Di immediate cause na di direct tax wey di colonial government force on people, join with forced labour on di railway and di closing of Ẹ̀gbá courts . Around thirty thousand people participate. Fighting continue for roughly three weeks for Otite, Tappona, Mokoloki, and Lalako, and by 10 July dem don stop am, as dem kill or arrest di leaders .
Na dis be di only serious internal challenge to British control anywhere for Nigeria during di First World War . Dem no dey write plenty about am for general history of Nigerian resistance, and e belong alongside di 1929 Aba women's war as one of di two big anti-tax risings for di colonial period.
Di second Abẹ́òkúta tax revolt succeed, and na women lead am.
Di Abẹ́òkúta Ladies' Club, wey Fúnmiláyọ̀ Ransome-Kuti start, dem change di name to Abẹ́òkúta Women's Union for 1946 and open am to market women, wey make am grow into big mass organisation with tens of thousands of members . Wetin vex dem na di flat tax wey dem put on women, wey di Sole Native Authority under di Aláké dey collect, plus di way tax collectors dey treat people as dem like and di fact say women no get any representation.
For November 1947 crowd wey reach like ten thousand women, under di leadership of Ransome-Kuti, match go di palace of di Aláké, dey sing and dance for protest and dey demand say make tax without representation stop . More matches continue reach April 1948 wey make dem suspend direct tax on women and tentatively increase women representation . Di campaign continue, and on 3 January 1949 di Aláké, Ládapọ̀ Adémọlá II, step down from throne . Dem cancel di tax on women and appoint four women, including Ransome-Kuti, into one new interim council .
Adémọlá II return to di throne for 1950 and reign reach 1962, so di stepping down no be forever. Wetin di campaign change permanently na di belief say Sole Native Authority wey colonial power dey back fit tax people without answering to di people wey dey pay di tax. Di way AWU take work, to mobilise market women in mass through di market structure wey already dey, na di direct foundation for women political organisation for southwestern Nigeria.
Di songs wey AWU use for di matches dey recorded for di campaign literature and dem dey in Yoruba, dey use di kind insult and public shaming wey Yoruba women collective action traditionally dey use against man wey fail for office. Full three-layer analysis of those texts belong to di oral-literature section, where dem fit handle di genre well.
Olúmọ rock na di defence origin of di town and e main heritage site, with di shrine of Olúmọ, di caves wey di original refugees use, and di resident priestesses. Now dem don develop am for visitors with lift to di upper level, and e still remain active ritual site as well as tourist site.
Di palace of di Aláké for Aké na di ceremonial centre. Wọlé Ṣóyínká's Aké: The Years of Childhood set for di parsonage wey dey next to am and na di best account wey dey of how di town be for di 1930s and 1940s, including first-hand child view of di women movement.
Centenary Hall, di Ẹ̀gbá United Government buildings, and di early CMS churches still dey in different conditions. Di Adire market for Itoku na di centre of di Abẹ́òkúta indigo-resist cloth trade, and Abẹ́òkúta na di main historic centre of àdìrẹ production, wey dem treat for di textiles section.
Abẹ́òkúta come turn capital of Ògùn State wen dem create the state for 1976, and dem estimate say im population dey around 735,000 for 2022 . E dey about eighty kilometres north of Lagos for Ògùn river side, and e dey function well-well as outside part of Lagos economy even though e still keep im own separate civic identity.
The way e take produce plenty national figures pass normal: Ọlúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ and Bọ́lá Tinubu, Wọlé Ṣóyínká, Fúnmiláyọ̀ Ransome-Kuti and Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, M. K. O. Abíọ́lá, Ernest Shonekan . The common explanation na the missionary schools for mid-nineteenth century, wey give Abẹ́òkúta two-generation head start for Western education pass most part of the region, and na reasonable explanation.
Guide to the gazetteer, what each file covers, the argument that runs through the section, and how to read it in order or by interest.
How a nineteenth-century military camp grew into the largest indigenous city in tropical Africa, and how the Olúbàdàn rotational ladder works, which is the most unusual succession system in Yorubaland.
The kingdom whose courts outranked its king, the Awùjalẹ̀ and the Ọ̀ṣùgbó, Sungbo's Eredo, the trade monopoly that provoked the 1892 British expedition, and Ojúde Ọba.
The Ìjẹ̀bú-derived towns of the northwest and the lagoon, the 1872 assembly that made Ṣàgámù out of thirteen towns, and Badagry's slave-trade and mission history.
Three Yoruba groupings that standard accounts leave out, the Àwórì who own the ground under Lagos, the Ẹ̀gbádò who renamed themselves Yewa in 1995, and the Ìbàràpá seven towns.
The CMS mission and Crowther, how and why Yoruba people converted to two world religions, the British annexation, indirect rule and what it did to kingship, and the making of "Yoruba" as one identity.