Sagamu or Ishagamu is a conglomeration of thirteen towns located in

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 th ...

along the Ibu River and Eruwuru Stream between

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

and

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its ...

, founded in the mid 19th century by members of the Remo branch of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitut ...

in south-western

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 ...

. The 13 towns that made it up are : Makun, Offin Sonyindo, Epe, Ibido, Igbepa, Ado, Oko, Ipoji, Batoro, Ijoku, Latawa and Ijagba. It is the capital of Remo Kingdom and the paramount ruler of the kingdom - Akarigbo of Remo's palace is in the town of Offin. The Sagamu region is underlain by major deposits of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

, which is used in the city's major industry, the production of

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...

. Agricultural products of the region include

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

and kola nuts. Sagamu is the largest kola nut collecting center in the country. The kola nut industry supports several secondary industries such as basket and

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarl ...

manufacturing, which are used to store the kolanuts. The city was founded in the mid-19th century when several small towns united for purpose of defense during the wars brought about by the fall of the

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-speaking s ...

. Sagamu controlled the trade routes between the ports in the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

and the Yoruba mainland until the British occupied the city at the end of the 19th century. Sagamu has experienced both population and economic growth since the 1950s due to its position between the cities of

and

. The population in 1995 was 114,300 but 2007 estimates place it as high as 228,382. The

Olabisi Onabanjo University Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state owned and operated university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 2 ...

's college of medicine is located in Sagamu. Sagamu (Offin - Ile) is the new seat of the Akarigbo of Remo ("King" or "Lord" of Remo), the traditional ruler of the Remo Kingdom. The former seat was located in a farther area of Offin. Four ruling families are eligible to wear the beaded crown of the ''Akarigbo'', all descending from the first Oba, Akarigbo, a prince of the house of

Oduduwa Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king. According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the ''Olofin'' of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynasties i ...

. The current Akarigbo of Remo land was installed and crowned as King in 2017. Notable areas within Sagamu are Offin, Itunshokun, Sabo, Makun, Ajaka, Makun Station, Isale-oko, Isote, Epe, Soyindo, Surulere, Ijagba, Ewu-Oluwo, Ogijo, Simawa, GRA, Ijokun, Batoro. Ijebu language a subdivision of Yoruba language is spoken in Sagamu

Administration

The old Sagamu Local Government has been divided into Three(3) Local Council Development Areas namely Sagamu West LCDA, Sagamu Central LCDA and Sagamu South LCDA. For Administrative convenience, Sagamu Local Government is divided into (15) Fifteen Political Wards, namely. # Ward 1 – Oko, Epe & Itunla 1 # Ward 2 – Oko, Epe Itunla II # Ward 3 – AiyegbamijIjoku # Ward 4 – Sabo 1 # Ward 5 – Sabo II # Ward 6 – Itunsokun Oyebajo # Ward 7 – Ijagba # Ward 8 – Latawa # Ward 9 – Ode-lemo # Ward 10 – OgijojIkosi # Ward 11 – Surulere # Ward 12 – Isote # Ward 13 – Simawa # Ward 14 – Agbowa # Ward 15 – Ibidojitun Alara

Notable people

Adebayo Ogunlesi Adebayo "Bayo" O. Ogunlesi CON (born December 20, 1953) is a Nigerian lawyer and investment banker. He is currently Chairman and Managing Partner at the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of G ...

, a businessman * Anthony Joshua, a sportsperson * Gbenga Daniel, a politician. *

Babatunde Adewale Ajayi Babatunde Adéwálé Àjàyí is a Nigeria monarch. He is the 19th and current Akarigbo of Remo Land , Confederation of towns in ogun state. Early life Born on December 5, 1962 to the Royal Torungunwa Ruling House of Sagamu, Oba Ajayi, obtaine ...

, the current Sagamu king

Photo Gallery of Sagamu

File:AAFIN AKARIGBO TI ILE REMO Sagamu2.jpg, Aafin Akarigo palace File:Akarigbo palace, Sagamu.jpg, Akarigbo Palace File:Methodist Church Nigeria Sagamu-OKO CIRCUIT HQS 3.jpg, Methodist church Nigeria File:Methodist Church Nigeria Sagamu-OKO CIRCUIT HQS.jpg, Methodist church File:SAGAMU CENTRAL MOSQUE 2.jpg, Sagamu central mosque File:St. John church, Sagamu.jpg, St. John church

External links

References

{{Ogun State Local Government Areas in Ogun State Cities in Yorubaland Cities in Nigeria