The Ogun River is a waterway in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

that discharges into the

Lagos Lagoon Lagos Lagoon is a lagoon found in the city of Lagos, Nigeria, the most populous city in Africa. The name ''Lagos'' means 'lakes' in Portuguese, therefore ''Lagos Lagoon'' is an example of a tautological place name. The lagoon lies between the At ...

Course and usage

The river rises in

Sepeteri Sepeteri is the biggest town in the Saki East Local Government Area of Oke-Ogun Oyo State, Nigeria. The Yoruba people of Sepeteri are related with fon of dahomey and Ifon in Osun State their crownship is Obatala, Obalufon lineage under Oyo Empire. ...

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...

near Shaki at coordinates and flows through

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

into

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

. The river is crossed by the

Ikere Gorge Dam The Ikere Gorge Dam is a major earth-fill dam in Iseyin local government area of Oyo State in the south west of Nigeria on the Ogun River. Reservoir capacity is 690 million m3. The dam was initiated by the military regime of General Olusegun Obasa ...

in the

Iseyin Iseyin is a town located in Oyo, Nigeria. It is approximately north of Ibadan. The city was estimated to have a population of 236,000, according to United Nations 2005 estimate, which increased to 362,990 in 2011, and has a total land mass of . ...

local government area of Oyo State. The reservoir capacity is . The reservoir abuts the

Old Oyo National Park Old Oyo National Park is one of the national parks of Nigeria, located across northern Oyo State and southern Kwara State, Nigeria. The park is 2,512 km2 of land in northern Oyo state, south west Nigeria, at latitude 8° 15’ and 9° 00’N ...

, providing recreational facilities for tourists, and the river flows through the park. The Ofiki River, which also rises near Shaki, is the Ogun River's chief tributary. The Oyan River, another tributary, is crossed by the

Oyan River Dam The Oyan River Dam is in Abeokuta North local government area of Ogun State in the West of Nigeria, about 20 km north west of the state capital Abeokuta. The dam crosses the Oyan River, a tributary of the Ogun River. It is used primarily to ...

which supplies water to Abeokuta and Lagos. In densely populated areas the river is used for bathing, washing and drinking. It also serves as a drain for mostly organic wastes from abattoirs located along the river's course.

History

In the

Yoruba religion The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), or Isese, comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogu ...

, Yemoja is the divinity of the Ogun River. The catechist Charles Phillips, father of the Charles Phillips who later became Bishop of Ondo, wrote in 1857 that the Ogun River was generally worshipped by the people who live along its banks from its rise until where it empties into the lagoon. The river ran through the heart of the old

Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba language, ...

. Metropolitan Oyo was divided into six provinces with three on the west side of the Ogun River and three to the river's east. At one time, the river formed an important route for traders carrying goods by canoe between

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...

and the

Lagos Colony Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS Prometheus who was accompanied by the Ac ...

Gallery

File:Ogun river in Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria.jpg, Ogun river in Abeokuta which is referred to as "Odo Ogun" by the locals. File:Ogun river view from Olumo top in Abeokuta, Ogun State-Nigeria.jpg, Ogun river from the top of

Olumo rock Olumo Rock is a mountain in south-western Nigeria. It is located in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was normally used as a natural fortress during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. Its patron spirit is venerated in the Yoruba religion ...

ogun state Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

File:Sun sets at Ogun River.jpg, Sunset at Ogun river File:Birds Cloaking on a Tree Beside Ogun River.jpg, Dawn at Ogun river File:Bridge over Ògùn river.jpg, Bridge over Ogun river File:River Ogun Bridge Enterance (Enu Gada) (1).jpg, River Ogun bridge entrance File:Kara meat market by river ogun.jpg, A meat market called Kara by Ogun river

References

{{Coord, 6.745589, N, 3.34259, E, display=title Rivers of Nigeria Rivers of Yorubaland Oyo State Ogun State Rivers of Lagos Waterways in Lagos