Efon-Alaaye is a town in the

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti ...

of southwestern

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 of G ...

, inhabited by 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 constitute ...

. The population in 1983 was over 100,000. It belongs to

Efon Efon is a Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrativ ...

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-lo ...

, one of the largest

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-lo ...

s in Ekiti State.

Demographics

Efon Alaaye people are predominantly farmers, they grow cash crops like kolanuts, cocoa, and palm trees; they are also known to be a major producers of

yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

, and many fruits. The people of Efon Alaaye are subject to their king the Alaaye of Efon assisted by the six high chiefs of six major districts called "the iwara mefa" People in Efon Alaaye are predominantly Christian, and by the 1930s, there had been a widespread acceptance of Jesus Christ, resulting in a revolution that left the town with several cathedrals. The major denominational groups are

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, Anglicans, and

Christ Apostolic Church Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) is the first Aladura Pentecostal church present in Nigeria and other countries. It arose in the first half of the 20th century, in the then-British empire. It was formally established in 1941 after a split from the Ap ...

, and very recently the Pentecostals have gained ground, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has been established to make its presence felt among these very religious people.

History

Efon Alaaye dates back to 1200

A.D The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

. In accordance with the historical facts, the founder and the first Alaaye (the title of Efon Alaaye Kings) of Efon Alaaye was Obalufon Alaayemore who was the third king or Ooni (title of Ile Ife kings) of Ile Ife, the cradle of

Yoruba 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 consti ...

race. His father was the founder and father of the Yorubas and is known as

Oduduwa Oduduwa was a Yoruba people, Yoruba God king, 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 Ile-Ife, Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number ...

or Odua. Obalufon Alaayemore installed his son Adudu Oranku to reign after him when he departed Efon Alaaye to go and ascend the throne in Ile Ife. The founder of Efon Alaaye was about the only known king who reigned over two kingdoms with one of the kingdoms twice in his lifetime. He first ruled as the third Ooni of Ile- Ife having succeeded his father Obalufon Ogbogbodirin but vacated the throne on the advice of the Ile- Ife king makers for his uncle the Ife War Hero, ORANMIYAN who became the fourth

Ooni The Ooni of Ile-Ife (Ọọ̀ni of Ilè-Ifẹ̀) is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife and the spiritual head of the Yoruba people. The Ooni dynasty existed before the reign of Oduduwa which historians have argued to have been between the 7th- ...

of Ife. Obalufon Alayemore thereafter went and founded the kingdom of Efon Alaaye after vacating the Ile-Ife throne. He was called back to Ile- Ife by the king makers to become the fifth Ooni after the death of Oramiyan. He thereafter left the throne of Efon Alaaye to his son whose lineage reigns in Efon Alaaye till today. There are three ruling houses in Efon Alaaye that produces the Oba/King rotation. The ruling houses and the order of rotation are: - Ogbenuote, Obologun and Asemojo respectively. The reigning king on the throne is His Royal Highness Oba (Dr.) Emmanuel Aladejare Agunsoye II; he is the 46th Alaaye of Efon Alaaye. He holds a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

and a former lecturer of the

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

. He comes from the Ogbenuote ruling house. And there are six high Chiefs who are heads of six Quarters that constituted the town. The six Heads are:- High Chief Obanla of Aaye Quarter High Chief Obaloja of Obalu Quarter High Chief Peteko of Isaja Quarter High Chief Oisajigan of Ejigan Quarter High Chief Alaayo of Emo Quarter High Chief Ojubu of Ikagbe Quarter The town has a President General called the Aare of Efon Alaye who currently is Chief Dr Kunle Olajide from the Olajide Family of Asemojo Ruling House. Topography Efon Alaaye is a town full of hills, it has a relatively rough terrain.

External links

Efon-Alaiye at Encyclopædia Britannica
* http://www.efonalaaye.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Efon-Alaaye Populated places in Ekiti State Towns in Yorubaland