Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́: A Full History
A comprehensive historical examination of the founding, political development, military role, dynastic institutions, and colonial transformation of the Yoruba city of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ na major Yoruba city wey dey situated for the northern transitional zone of forest-savanna mosaic for modern Oyo State, Nigeria. Dem found am as confederacy of hunting and farming outposts for seventeenth century, and the settlement come gain ground well-well during nineteenth century as heavily fortified military stronghold after the Ọ̀yọ́ Empire collapse. Na one paramount monarch wey dem dey call the Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ dey rule am, and im dynastic lineage trace back go reach the legendary hunter and warrior Ogunlola.
The history of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ dey show how frontier urbanization, military confederations, and institutional adaptation take dey change inside the Yoruba world. Over four centuries, the town grow from allied league of different settlements turn into imperial military sanctuary, center for American Baptist missionary education, and the second-largest urban economy for Oyo State.
+-----------------------------+
| THE ALONGO LEAGUE |
| (Early 17th-C Confederacy) |
+--------------+--------------+
|
+------------+------------+------------+------------+
| | | | |
+-----+----+ +-----+----+ +-----+----+ +-----+----+ +-----+----+
| Okelerin | | Ijeru | | Orisatolu| | Akandie | | Ogunlola |
| (Aale) |(Ohunsile) | |Settlement| |Settlement| |(Ajagbon)|
+----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +-----+----+
|
Ogunlola defeats Elemoso
Receives title "Sohun"
|
+-----------------v------------+
| THE SOUN DYNASTIC MONARCHY |
| (Kumoyede Succession) |
+-----------------+------------+
|
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------+
| |
+------------v-----------+ +------------v-----------+
| 19th-Century Expansion | | 20th-Century Modernity |
| - Toyeje: Kakanfo | | - Baptist Mission 1898 |
| - Ilorin War Redoubt | | - 1952 Oba Status |
| - Influx: Onpetu/Igbon | | - LAUTECH Hub (1990) |
+------------------------+ +------------------------+
1. Founding Traditions and the Alongo League
The origin stories of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ center on two complementary frameworks: the individual heroism of Ogunlola and the collective security pact wey dem know as the Alongo League .
The Ogunlola Tradition
According to the main tradition wey Reverend Samuel Johnson and the historian Nathaniel David Oyerinde document, the foundational figure of the town na Ogunlola (wey local traditions also dey call Ogundiran) . Ogunlola na well-known archer, hunter, and warrior wey migrate enter the thick forest come set up im camp under one prominent ajàgbọn tree .
Traditions describe say Ogunlola enter one conflict wey lead to im confinement for the imperial court of the Alaafin of Oyo for Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé . During this confinement, the Ọ̀yọ́ kingdom dey under heavy military threat from one fierce warrior and rebel leader wey dem dey call Elemoso, whose attacks don terrorize the capital and the areas around am . Ogunlola volunteer to face Elemoso for one-on-one fight. Through im specialized archery skills and stealth, Ogunlola ambush, defeat, and cut off Elemoso head, come carry the severed head give the Alaafin .
Dis feat make Ogunlola get imperial praise and e bring about the name Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.
-
Original Yoruba Performance/Epithet: Ọlọ́gborí-Ẹlẹ́mọ̀ṣọ́
-
Literal Gloss: Ọlọ́-gbí-orí-Ẹlẹ́mọ̀ṣọ́ [Owner/person wey] [take/cut off] [head of] [Elemoso]
-
Idiomatic English: "The one who took the head of Elemoso" (transcribed by Samuel Johnson ; translated and glossed by author, confidence: high).
Notes on the translation: As time dey go, the short form of Ọlọ́gborí-Ẹlẹ́mọ̀ṣọ́ join together for everyday talk become Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, wey make the town stand strongly with this military victory .
The Alongo League and Early Settlement Structure
Before Ogunlola bring authority together under one central hand, independent groups bin dey live for the region and dem form mutual defense agreement wey dem know as the Alongo League . The league get five different settlements, and each one dey under im own leader:
+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
| Settlement | Leader / Founding Head| Historical Character |
+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
| Okelerin | Aale | Earliest agrarian settlement [S2] |
| Ijeru | Ohunsile | Autonomous hunter community [S2] |
| Orisatolu | Orisatolu | Frontier settlement enclave [S2] |
| Akandie | Akandie | Peripheral defensive post [S2] |
| Ogunlola Enclave | Ogunlola | Military camp at Ajagbon tree [S2] |
+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
Di Alongo League run like loose confederation wey no get one central hereditary head. Dem dey manage security through mutual help against slave raiders and bad neighbors . Because of di imperial support wey im get and di military victory against Elemoso, Ogunlola gain undisputed political and military power over di confederacy, and im establish central lineage of leadership wey take over di autonomy of di other four leaders .
2. Historiographical Debate dem and Early Chronology
Di early history of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ get serious gaps for written record and sharp disagreement among modern academic historians.
Chronological Uncertainty
Written record from dat time about how dem take found Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ no dey before di nineteenth century. Wetin academic consensus agree on dey rely on oral genealogies wey dem calculate backward, wey put di foundation for mid-to-late seventeenth century . Historian Babatunde Agiri bring strong critique against these timelines . Agiri argue say di genealogical chronologies wey dem collect during di twentieth century go through retrospective adjustment, one process wey dem dey call historiographical feedback . Under feedback mechanisms, lineage elders and local chroniclers take nineteenth-century political realities, royal rights, and British colonial administrative recognitions carry dem go back into seventeenth century make dem fit legitimize dynastic claims .
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SCHOLARLY DEBATE: FOUNDING ERA |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Traditional Model (Oyerinde 1934) | Revisionist Model (Agiri 1975, 1976) |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| Mid-17th century foundation | 17th-century dates lack material proof; |
| by Ogunlola as a cohesive town. | town was an 18th-century outpost that |
| | expanded only in the 19th-century wars. |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
Agiri argue say Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ remain small northern provincial military outpost throughout most of di eighteenth century, and say im status as major urban power na strictly di product of geopolitical dislocations wey di collapse of Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé cause for di nineteenth century .
Settler Primacy: Ogunlola versus Aale
Scholars dey drag who be di first person to settle. As royal dynastic tradition dey put Ogunlola first, local social histories and historical analyses show say na Aale be di original settler and founder of Okelerin, di oldest quarter wey people don dey live . For this reading, Ogunlola na stranger warrior wey enter existing land framework come force military central leadership over farming people wey don already dey ground .
Di Ethnic Origin of Ogunlola
Traditions no agree concerning di ancestral origin of Ogunlola imself:
- Di Borgu (Ibariba) Thesis: One line of oral tradition identify Ogunlola as Ibariba (Borgu) hunter-warrior wey migrate go south from Borgu borderlands enter Oyo territory . This tradition point to im special archery and hunting techniques as evidence say im come from northern savanna .
- Di Ọ̀yọ́-Yoruba Thesis: Another tradition talk say Ogunlola na indigenous Oyo-Yoruba native wey work inside di administrative and military network of di Alaafin empire from im youth .
Di historical record keep di two claims without clear empirical resolution, wey dey reflect di historical porosity of di northern Yoruba-Borgu frontier zone.
3. Di Monarchical Institution: Di Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́
Di paramount ruler of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ dey carry di title Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.
[ Ogunlola Victory ]
|
Alaafin commands: "Ẹ̀jẹ́ kí n máa ṣe ọ̀hún"
|
+--------------v--------------+
| Historical Status: BAÁLÈ |
| (Provincial Viceroy under |
| Old Oyo Imperial System) |
+--------------+--------------+
|
Colonial Administrative Reform
(October 1952)
|
+--------------v--------------+
| Modern Status: ỌBA |
| (First-Class Paramount |
| Traditional Monarch) |
+-----------------------------+
Etymology of di Royal Title
According to tradition, di title Ṣọ̀ún come from one discussion between Ogunlola and di Alaafin after dem defeat Elemoso . When dem offer am permanent imperial post for Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé, Ogunlola beg make dem allow am go back to im settlement under di ajàgbọn tree .
-
Original Spoken Phrase: Ẹ̀jẹ́ kí n máa ṣe ọ̀hún
-
Literal Gloss: Ẹ̀-jẹ́ [permit/let] kí [that] n [I] máa [continue to] ṣe [manage/do/rule] ọ̀hún [yonder/there]
-
Idiomatic English: "Permit me to go manage yonder" (transcribed by N. D. Oyerinde ; translated by author, confidence: high).
Notes on di translation: Di phrase ṣe ọ̀hún ("manage yonder") short into Ṣóhún or Ṣọ̀ún, wey designate di ruler as di governor of dat frontier territory .
Evolution from Baálẹ̀ to Ọba
For history, di ruler of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ hold di status of Baálẹ̀ (provincial lord or viceroy) inside di imperial administrative system of di Old Oyo Empire . Because Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ na frontier military post instead of ancient royal capital wey dey wear crown wit direct mythological lineage from Odùduwà, di ruler no wear beaded crown (adé) .
During di nineteenth century, as di town take in millions of refugees and build independent military power, di de facto authority of di Soun reach di same level wit major crowned monarchs . But di formal administrative change of di title from Baale go Soun happen for 1952 under British colonial local government reforms, wey upgrade di ruler to first-class crown-wearing Ọba status .
4. Dynastic Succession and di King List
Dynastic succession for Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ dey organized through di descendants of Kumoyede, di grandson of Ogunlola . Kumoyede arrange di succession across five recognized royal lineages (idílè):
+------------------------+
| OGUNLOLA (Ogundiran) |
| (c. mid-17th C.) |
+-----------+------------+
|
+-----------v------------+
| ERINSABA JOGIORO |
+-----------+------------+
|
+-----------v------------+
| KUMOYEDE |
| (Dynastic Ancestor) |
+-----------+------------+
|
+------------+--------+----+------------+------------+
| | | | |
+-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+
| Toyeje | | Oluwusi | |Baiyewuwon| | Bolanta | | Odunaro |
| Lineage | | Lineage | | Lineage | | Lineage | | Lineage |
+----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +----------+
Di Chronological King List
Di traditional dynastic succession record twenty-one rulers from di time dem found di settlement reach di present period :
- Ogunlola (Ogundiran) (c. mid-17th century) - Founder and leader of di settlement .
- Erinsaba Jogioro - Son of Ogunlola; consolidate di internal settlement organization .
- Kumoyede - Grandson of Ogunlola; father of di five ruling houses .
- Toyeje - Son of Kumoyede; dem appoint am as Ààrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakaǹfò of di Yoruba; commander of imperial resistance against Ilorin .
- Oluwusi - Ruler from di Oluwusi royal house .
- Baiyewuwon - Ruler from di Baiyewuwon royal house .
- Bolanta - Ruler from di Bolanta royal house .
- Odunaro - Ruler from di Odunaro royal house .
- Ojo Aburumaku - Ruler and Ààrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakaǹfò; prominent nineteenth-century military leader .
- Gbagungboye (Ajagungbade I) - Reign during di late nineteenth-century British protectorate treaties .
- Laoye (Orumogege I) - Early colonial period ruler .
- Majengbasan (Elepo I) - Consolidate town boundaries under colonial surveys .
- Adegoke (Layode I) - Reign during di early Western educational expansion .
- Itabiyi - Mid-colonial ruler .
- Bello Oyewumi (Ajagungbade II) - Reign during administrative reorganization .
- Lawani Oke Lanipekun - Colonial era ruler .
- Olatunji Elepo II - Overseer during early municipal modernization .
- Olajide Olayode II - Modern administrative transition .
- Salami Ajiboye Itabiyi II - Immediate predecessor to di modern era .
- Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi (Ajagungbade III) (1973–2021) - Di longest-reigning modern Ṣọ̀ún; oversee major commercial and educational expansion .
- Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye (Orumogege III) (dem install for 2023) - Contemporary monarch .
Methodological Gaps for di King List
Di exact dates for rulers before di nineteenth century no dey recorded inside contemporary written texts . Historians dey warn say reigns before Toyeje na approximate generational reconstructions instead of fixed calendar spans .
5. Traditional Governance and Civic Institutions
Di traditional constitution of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ balance monarchical authority wit advisory council and hereditary kingmakers .
+---------------------------------+
| ṢỌ̀ÚN OF ÒGBÓMỌ̀ṢỌ́ |
| (Paramount Monarch / Oba) |
+----------------+----------------+
|
Consults / Governs in Council
|
+----------------v----------------+
| ṢỌ̀ÚN-IN-COUNCIL |
| (Executive Judicial Authority) |
+----------------+----------------+
|
Supervised and Appointed By
|
+----------------v----------------+
| THE KINGMAKERS |
| (Afọba) |
+----------------+----------------+
|
+------------+----------+----+------------+------------+
| | | | |
+-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+ +-----v----+
| Aare Ago | | Balogun | | Ikolaba | | Abese | | Bara |
| (Leader) | |(Military)| | (Civic) | |(Defense) | |(Ritual) |
+----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +----------+
Di Kingmakers (Afọba)
Na only the Afọba (Kingmakers) get the power to choose, vet, and install new Ṣọ̀ún . Na the Aare Ago dey head this council, and na him dey act as regent when king never dey . The five main kingmakers na:
- Aare Ago: Head of the kingmakers and prime minister of the traditional cabinet.
- Balogun: Senior military commander and coordinator of security for the land.
- Ikolaba: Senior council chief wey dey oversee town administration and link the people to the palace.
- Abese: High-ranking defense commander wey dey represent the settlement wards.
- Bara: Ritual and ancestral dignitary wey dey oversee the town shrines.
The Alongo Military Lineage
As e start from the early confederacy, the Alongo society work as defense network wey dey quickly gather fighters . During the nineteenth century, this organization join new military leaders and refugees enter regular defense regiments, dey protect farm borders and trade routes wey connect the town go the coast .
6. The Nineteenth-Century Crucible and Regional Defense
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ change well-well because of the fall of the Ọ̀yọ́ Empire (Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé) and how Ilorin Emirate spread during the early nineteenth century .
Collapse of Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé
(Fulani-Ilorin Expansion)
|
+-----------------+-----------------+
| |
Military Bastion Refugee Influx
- Toyeje named Kakanfo - Onpetu of Ijeru
- Defense of Southern Frontier - Lineages of Igbon & Iresa
| |
+-----------------+-----------------+
|
Metropolitan Expansion
(From Outpost to City-State)
The Role of Toyeje as Ààrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakaǹfò
After the rebellion and death of Afonja for Ilorin, the military leadership of wetin remain of Oyo Empire fall on Ṣọ̀ún Toyeje of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ . Alaafin officially install Toyeje as the Ààrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakaǹfò (Generalissimo of the Yoruba armies) .
Under Toyeje command, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ serve as the military headquarters for the coalition wey fight against Ilorin (the Mugbamugba and other campaigns wey follow) . Toyeje mobilize armies from allied towns to stop the southern movement of Ilorin horse-soldiers, and e maintain the town as strong fortified defense base for the borderland between savanna and forest .
Later for the nineteenth century, dem still appoint another Ṣọ̀ún, Ojo Aburumaku, as Ààrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakaǹfò, and this one make the city get stronger reputation as military power wey fit provide imperial commanders .
Refugee Resettlement and Demographic Consolidation
As surrounding towns scatter during the Ilorin wars, whole royal families, trade guilds, and normal people go find safety inside the walls of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ . One prominent person among dem na the Onpetu of Ijeru, an ancient crowned king whose kingdom scatter, wey make the Onpetu dynasty resettle permanently inside the urban core of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ . People wey run comot from towns like Igbon and Iresa enter different quarters inside the town, and this one change Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ from town of one group of people to big cosmopolitan metropolis .
7. Ritual Calendar and Festivals
The civic and spiritual calendar of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ dey structured around ancestral, royal, and òrìṣà festivals wey dey show unity among the community and keep historical memory alive .
+-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
| Festival | Sphere / Dedication | Core Cultural Function |
+-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
| Odún Egúngún | Ancestral Spirits | Annual lineage masquerade outings |
| Odún Ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ | Royal Dynasty (Ọba) | Communal solidarity via bean cakes |
| Odún Òrò | Ancestral Sanctity | Civic purification rites |
| Odún Ògún | Deity of Iron/War | Blacksmith, hunter, warrior rites |
| Odún Ṣàngó | Thunder / Royal Power | Commemoration of imperial Oyo links|
+-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------------+
Odún Egúngún (Masquerade Festival)
The Egúngún festival na the most prominent annual cultural celebration for Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ . Dem dey respect masquerades as ancestors wey come visit, wey dey cleanse, bless, and settle palaver for the community. Notable historical masquerades of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ include:
- Ajokomalo: Major historic masquerade wey dey associated with war courage and the strength of the town.
- Danafojura: Masquerade wey popular for dramatic fire rituals wey dey show supernatural power (àṣẹ).
- Ayikiti: Prominent cultural masquerade wey dey show acrobatics and recite lineage oriki.
Odún Ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ (Ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ Ọba)
Odún Ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ na civic festival wey center on the palace of the Ṣọ̀ún . Wetin dey mark this festival na the mass preparation, royal sharing, and communal eating of ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ (steamed bean pudding, wey dem also know as mọ́ín-mọ́ín). The festival dey strengthen the mutual relationship between the Ṣọ̀ún and the citizens, symbolizing shared feeding, civic peace, and long life for the dynasty .
Orisa Worship: Oro, Ogun, and Sango
The town dey keep traditional annual festivals wey dem dedicate to the òrìṣà :
- Ògún Festival: Hunters, blacksmiths, drivers, and warriors dey celebrate am to honor the god of iron and remember the warrior origins of Ogunlola.
- Ṣàngó Festival: E dey commemorate the ancestral link to the royal dynasty of Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé and the deity of thunder and justice.
- Òrò Festival: Dem reserve am for traditional cleansing rites and ancestral authority of the fathers.
8. Colonial Rule, Missionary Presence, and Municipal Protests
British colonial authority formally extend reach Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ for di late 1890s, wey make dem join di town enter di indirect rule system of Ọ̀yọ́ Province .
British Colonial Rule (1890s)
|
+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| |
Southern Baptist Mission Colonial Fiscal Demands
(1898/1904 Seminary, 1907 Hospital) (Taxation and Reorganization)
| |
Educational Hub Anti-Tax Uprisings
(Theological and Medical) (1924 and 1955 Protests)
| |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|
1952 Chieftaincy Reclassification
(Baale to Soun of Ogbomoso)
The Southern Baptist Mission
From di late nineteenth century, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ come turn di main institutional center for di American Southern Baptist Mission for West Africa . Di mission set up two landmark institutions wey shape di intellectual and social landscape of di city:
- The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary: Dem establish am for 1898 and formalize am for 1904. Di seminary come turn di first degree-granting theological institution for West Africa, wey train generations of clergy, educators, and scholars across di continent .
- The Baptist Hospital (1907): Dem establish am to provide medical care, and di hospital grow turn well-known regional center for medical training, leprosy treatment, and surgical operations, wey people now know as Bowen University Teaching Hospital .
Reverend Samuel George Pinnock document how these mission stations quickly spread, wey make Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ an early center of Western literacy and modern medicine inside Yoruba land .
Anti-Tax Uprisings of 1924 and 1955
Colonial administration introduce direct taxation systems under indirect rule, wey cause serious resistance from local people .
- The 1924 Tax Revolt: Because of assessment policies and how colonial district officers dey gather power to themselves, local guilds and farming communities organize civil resistance against tax collectors .
- The 1955 Uprising: Dis protest burst out when regional government dey implement taxes and fiscal assessments for universal primary education. Di protest attack administrative buildings and traditional authorities wey people feel say dey cooperate with regional tax enforcement .
These revolts show di structural tension wey dey between farming populace, indigenous elite, and di colonial fiscal state .
9. Notable Historical Figures
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ don produce influential leaders across politics, scholarship, military, and traditional administration:
+------------------------------------+-------------+------------------------------------+
| Name | Life Span | Major Historical Contribution |
+------------------------------------+-------------+------------------------------------+
| Chief Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá | 1910–1966 | Premier of the Western Region [S6] |
| Chief Nathaniel David (N. D.) | 1885–1968 | Historian, pioneer Baptist |
| Oyerinde | | scholar, Legislative Council [S7] |
| Brigadier General Benjamin | 1936–2014 | Commander of the 3 Marine |
| Adekunle | | Commando in the Civil War [S6] |
| Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi | 1926–2021 | Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ (1973–2021); |
| (Ajagungbade III) | | modernized royal institution [S6] |
+------------------------------------+-------------+------------------------------------+
- Chief Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá: One prominent orator, lawyer, and nationalist politician wey serve as Premier of Western Region of Nigeria from 1959 to 1966 during di First Republic .
- Chief Nathaniel David (N. D.) Oyerinde: An intellectual wey write Ìwé Ìtàn Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ (1934), di foundational indigenous history of di town, and serve as educator and member of di Nigerian Legislative Council .
- Brigadier General Benjamin Adekunle: A celebrated military figure wey people know as di "Black Scorpion," wey command di 3 Marine Commando Division during di Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) .
- Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi (Ajagungbade III): Di longest-reigning modern Ṣọ̀ún (1973–2021), wey people credit say modernize di palace administration, promote industrial investments, and establish university institutions for di town .
10. Modern Political Economy and Contemporary Status
For di post-colonial era, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ maintain im position as an urban and educational center for southwestern Nigeria .
METROPOLITAN ÒGBÓMỌ̀ṢỌ́
|
+---------------------+---------------------+
| |
Urban LGAs Agrarian Peripheral LGAs
- Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ North - Ogo Oluwa
- Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ South - Surulere
- Oriire
| |
+---------------------+---------------------+
|
Socio-Economic Anchors
- LAUTECH (est. 1990)
- Cashew / Agro-Commodity Trade
- Yam & Cassava Production
Administrative Geography
Di main town center divide into two primary local government areas:
- Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ North Local Government (wey headquarter dey Kinnira).
- Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ South Local Government (wey headquarter dey Arowomole).
Three farming local government areas surround di metropolitan area, wey get historic lineage and economic connection with am: Ogo Oluwa, Surulere, and Oriire .
Economy and Higher Education
Di economy of di region depend on commercial farming and agro-allied trading . Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ na major center for gathering and export for:
- Cashew nuts: Di city na one of di main trading centers for Nigeria for processing and export of raw cashew.
- Root crops: Commercial farming and processing of yam, cassava (wey dey produce garri and starch), and maize .
For 1990, dem establish Oyo State University of Technology for di town (wey dem later rename to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH) . Di university change di local economy, as e create big market for student housing, technology hubs, and retail trade, wey join body with Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary and Bowen University Teaching Hospital to build di education standard of di city .