The Ẹgbado (Morphology: Ẹgba l'odo), now Yewa, are a subgroup of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

and mostly inhabit Ogun West Senatorial District,

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...

, in south-west

Nigeria Nigeria, 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 Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

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. In 1995, the group's name was changed to Yewa after the Yewa River, the river (odo) they foraged towards. The name of this river is derived from the Yoruba

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

Yewa. Yewa/Ẹgbado mainly occupy four Local Government Areas in Ogun State, Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon, and Ipokia, while the Ado-Odo/Ota LGA forms the fifth Awori part of the senatorial district. Other Yewa/Ẹgbado are located in Lagos West, Lagos East, Oyo North, and Oyo South senatorial zones. Before the creation of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate, Egba territory and people is bordered by the Ketu (Benin) in the West, the

Lagos Colony Lagos Colony was a British Empire, British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was Lagos Treaty of Cession, annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS ...

in south, Ijebu in the east, and Oyo, Ibadan and Isoya near Ile Ife in the north. The people are directly connected to the Ogun River, but detached from the swampy coast of Lagos. Through the Egba land, there are direct routes to other Yoruba towns, including Lagos, Ibadan, Ijebu-Ode, Ketu (Benin), and Porto Novo (Àjàṣẹ́) in the Benin Republic.

History

The Ẹgbado appear to have migrated - possibly from the Ketu, Ile-Ife, or Oyo - to their current area early in the 14th to 18th century. Ẹgbado towns, most importantly Ipokia, Ado Odo, Ayetoro,

Imeko Afon Imeko Afon is a Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area in the west of Ogun State, Nigeria bordering the Benin, Republic of Benin. Its headquarters are in the town of Imeko at coordinates . listed below are the settlements recog ...

, Ilaro, and Igbogila, were established in the 11th to 18th century to take advantage of the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

routes from the inland

Oyo empire The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba people, Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day western Nigeria (including the South West (Nigeria), South West zone, Benin Republic, and the western half of the North Central (Nigeria), North Cent ...

to the coast at

Porto-Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Benin, second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following Bri ...

. Other towns were Ilobi and Ijanna, which were strategic in protecting the flanks of the slaving routes. The Ẹgbados' were subject to the rule of the Oyo kingdom, which managed them via governor Onisare of Joanna. The Oyo were unable to deploy their cavalry force to protect the routes, due to

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and lack of horse fodder and thus had to rely on the Ẹgbado and Ẹgba people to manage the routes. The

historians A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

Akinjogbin, Morton-Williams, and Smith all agree that by the early 18th century this route to the coast was heavily engaged in slave trading and that slaves were the mainstay of the Oyo economy. The Ẹgbado later achieved a fragile independence after the fall of the Oyo kingdom, but were subject to frequent attacks from other groups such as the slave-raiding

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African List of kingdoms in Africa throughout history, kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in ...

(who seized, among others,

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

Sarah Forbes Bonetta), and various tribes who wished to force open their own slave-trading routes to the sea. Ilaro and Ijanna towns had been destroyed in the 1830s. By the 1840s the Ẹgbado had come under the control of the adjacent Egba group, who used the Ẹgbado territory to forge routes to

Badagry Badagry, also spelled Badagri, (Gun language, Gun: Gbagli) is a coastal town and Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is quite close to the city of Lagos, and located on the north bank of Po ...

and the ports of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. By the 1860s the Egba abandoned the route because the British were actively using their formidable

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

to try to abolish the

. Consequently, the Egba expelled British missionaries and traders from the area in 1867. After 1890 the Ẹgbado asked for a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

protectorate and got a small armed garrison, thus becoming independent of the Egba. This area became part of the British Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914, as Ẹgbado Division in Abeokuta Province. The administrative headquarters were later transferred away, after the creation of the new Ogun State, which subsumed the old Abeokuta Province.

The Modern Ẹgbado/Yewa

In 1995 the Ẹgbado chose to rename themselves the "Yewa", after the name of the Yewa River that passes through the area they inhabit. They are primarily agriculturalists, but there is some

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

and

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

processings. They are located mainly in the areas of: Ado-Odo/Ota, Ipokia, Yewa South, Yewa North,

, and part of Abeokuta North. There were complaints that the system of

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

and

nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...

in Nigerian politics has caused the area to be neglected in terms of investment. The area developed a popular style of music, called Bolojo, in the 1970s. The Yewa Villages and Towns are also in Lagos State. The Olu of Ipaja, Lagos State is Yewa's. The Population of people living in Yewa South, Yewa North, Ipokia, Imeko Afon, Ado Oddo /Otta Local Government Areas are above Three Millions people. Ado-Odo / Otta Local Government Area is the most populated Local Government Area of Ogun State. Source : Nigerian Census Population Commission. Source of Reference: Yewa People Development Council.

Notable Individuals

The notable Yewa individuals include: * Chief Joseph Folahan Odunjo, a Nigerian writer, educator and politician best known for his works in Yoruba children's literature. * Tunji Otegbeye, a Nigerian politician, trade unionist and medical doctor. * Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun: Inspector General of Police, Nigeria. * Professor Rahmon Ade Bello: a renowned chemical engineer and former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos.
Oba Dr Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle
MFR, Asade Agunloye IV: The Olu Ilaro, Olu Yewa, Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Ogun State.
Honourable Jagunmola Akande Omoniyi
FCA: Honourable Commissioner For Housing, Ogun State. * Actress Seyi Edun: a Nigerian actress and film producer. * Sarah Forbes Bonetta: Aina was a ward and goddaughter of Queen Victoria. * Honourable Iziaq Adekunle Salako: a Nigerian politician and medical practitioner who serves as the Minister of State for Environment. * Senator Felix Kolawole Bajomo: a Nigerian accountant and politician who was elected a member of the Senate for the Ogun West constituency of Ogun State in April 2007. * Senator Iyabo Anisulowo: a Nigerian educator and elder stateswoman who served the Federal Government of Nigeria at many levels, she is one of the most prominent female political personalities and proponents of gender equality in Africa. * Late Brigadier General Tunji Olurin: Former Military Administrator of Oyo State and Former Civilian Administrator of Ekiti State. * Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola FCA, CON: Senator, Ogun West Senatorial District. * Honourable Adekunle Akinlade: a Nigerian politician. * Seriki Williams Abass: a renowned slave merchant in present-day southern Nigeria during the 19th century who became the "Paramount Ruler" of Badagry within the indirect rule structure established by the British. * Suraj Adekunbi: a Nigerian politician and business man. * Honourable Kayode Oladele: Nigerian-American civil rights lawyer, former member of the Nigerian House of Representatives and founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). * Dr. Ayinde Ibikunle: Surgeon and former member of the Constituent Assembly to review the Nigerian Constitution. * Professor Anthony Asiwaju: international boundary scholar and Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Lagos.

References

Yewa People Development Council.

History

The Modern Ẹgbado/Yewa

Notable Individuals

See also

References

Further reading