Akoko

The Akoko are a large Yoruba cultural sub-group in the Northeastern part of Yorubaland. The area spans from Ondo state to Edo state in southwest Nigeria. The Akokos as a subgroup make up 20.3% of the population of Ondo state. Out of the present 18 Local Government Councils it constitutes four; Akoko North-East, Akoko North-West, Akoko South-East and Akoko South-West, as well as the Akoko Edo LGA of Edo State. The Adekunle Ajasin University, a state owned university with a capacity for about 20,000 tertiary education students and more than 50 departments in seven faculties is located in Akungba-Akoko. A state specialist hospital is situated at Ikare Akoko, while community general hospitals are located in Oka-Akoko and Ipe-Akoko.

Arigidi, is a dialect cluster, It is spoken in the LGAs of Akoko North East, Akoko North West, Ekiti East, and Ijumu

Geography

Akoko comprises about 45 small towns and villages, predominantly situated in rocky outcrop areas of northern Ondo state. The rocky terrain nevertheless, may have helped the region to become a melting pot of sorts with different cultures coming from the north, eastern and southern Yoruba towns and beyond. Akoko became one of the few Yoruba clans with no distinctive local dialect.
Major Akoko settlements include; Ọkà , Ikare, Oba, Ikun, Arigidi, Ugbe, Ogbagi, Okeagbe, Ikaram, Ibaram, Iyani, Akungba, Erusu, Ajowa, Akunu, Gedegede, Isua, Auga, Ikakumo, Supare, Epinmi, Ipe, Ifira, Ise, Iboropa, Irun, Iye, Afin, Igashi, Sosan, Ipesi, Etioro, Ayegunle and Oyin. In addition to this group, there are several other autonomous communities of varying sizes.

The Akokos occupy a frontier zone of Yorubaland and are bound to the north by the Owé Okun Yorubas and the Ebira people, to the west by the Ekitis, to the south by the Owos and the Owan/Ora, and to the east by the Afemai groups.

* Ikare Akoko is the biggest city in the Akoko area with around 150,000 inhabitants as at 2008. It has an I.C.T resource centre where its people have the opportunity to connect to and communicate with other individuals across the country and around the world.
* Oka Akoko is the second largest city in Akokoland, with a population of 132,800. It is made up of 5 distinct settlements of Ayegunle-Oka, Oke-Oka, Iwaro-Oka, Okia-Oka and Isimerin-Oka. It is notable for the Oke-Maria Catholic Grotto, a popular tourist site.
* Oba Akoko is another town in Akoko South West Local Government. Oba is the gateway to Akokoland as it is the first settlement encountered in a northward direction from the Owo community into the Akoko community.

Culture and Lifestyle

Predominant traditional occupations of the community include large scale agriculture, trading and teaching.
The Akoko and Ekiti Yorubas have a socio-cultural value concept known as Omoluka analogous to the general Yoruba concept of '' Omoluabi'' which summarises the ethos and virtues of the ideal Akoko man or woman a person's identity of integrity or uprightness. This concept has played a significant role in the indigenous integration, interaction and administration among the people.

Towns and villages

Several mid sized towns and settlements pepper the Akoko landscape. This is a non-exhaustive list of them.

* Ikare District
** Ikare
** Ugbe
* Arigidi District
** Arigidi
** Iye
** Erusu
* Irun/Surulere District
** Ese
** Igbooji
** Irun
** Italeto
** Kajola
** Ogbagi
** Ojeka
** Suurulere
* Oke Agbe District
** Afa
** Afin
** Aje
** Ase
** Ido
** Oke-Agbe
** Iye
** Oyin
* Ajowa District
** Ajowa
** Eriti
** Gede-gede
** Igasi
* Akunnu/Isowopo District
** Akunnu
** Awuga
** Iboropa
** Ikakumo
** Ise
* Oka-Akoko District
** Ayegunle-Oka
** Iwaro-Oka
** Oke-Oka
**Okia-Oka
**Isimerin-Oka
* Epinmi -Akoko District
** Epinmi-Akoko
* Isua Akoko District
** Isua-Akoko
* Ipe Akoko District
** Ipe-Akoko
*Akungba Akoko District
** Akungba-Akoko
** Eti oro
* Sosan Akoko District
** Sosan-Akoko
*Ifira Akoko District
** Ayegunle
** Ifira
** Ikun-Akoko
* Oba Akoko District
** Ago Ajayi
** Ago Ojo
** Ago Oka
** Ose-Oba
* Supare Akoko District
** Abule Nla
** Ago Flower
** Ago Ori okuta
** Igbo Eegun
** Igbo Nla
*Ikaram District
** Ikaram
** Ibaram
** Iyani
** Ase

Notable people

Notable members of the Akoko clan include:

* Adebayo Adefarati, 1931–2007, former governor of Ondo State
* Adejoro Adeogun, b. 1967 Member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
* Kayode Ajulo, politician, lawyer and civil rights activist
* Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa, b. 1952 former Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General.
* Bamidele Aturu, 1964–2014, a prominent lawyer and human right activist
* Roy Chicago, d 1989, a highlife musician
* Sunday Ehindero, Inspector General of Police in Ondo State 2005-2007
* T. B. Joshua, 1963–2021, of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations
* Adetokunbo Kayode, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chairman Gemstones Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria
* Olugbenga Omole, Member of Ondo State House of Assembly
* Joseph Oladele Sanusi, former governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
* Moses Orimolade Tunolase, Founder of the first African initiated church, the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim

Gallery

Ajagbokun High School, Ikun Akoko, Ondo state.jpg

References

{{Reflist
Regions of West Africa by country
Geography of Nigeria
Ondo State
Populated places in Ondo State