Ẹgbẹ Mẹkun, popularly called Ẹgbẹ, is a historic town located in the

Yagba West Yagba West is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria, in the west of the state adjoining Kwara State. Its headquarters is in the town of Odo Ere. It has an area of 1,276 km and a population of 149,023 at the 2006 census. By 2016, the ...

local government area of

Kogi State Kogi State is a States of Nigeria, state in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti State, Ekiti and Kwara State, Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Fe ...

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, ...

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

History

This town is an ancient town bordering Kogi and

Kwara State Kwara () is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger State, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the international border with Benin. Its ca ...

s. It is surrounded by some undulating and luxuriant hills of savannah vegetation which are visible as you move around the town; this explained why it is sometimes referred to as "Jerusalem in Nigeria". The dialect spoken by these people is called Yagba, they have ancestry root linked to the Yorubas in

as they speak Yoruba. Their alphabet are similar to that of Yorubas. The town is known for its hospitality and the fact that it is located on the federal road axis, it serves as a central location to access other communities. It is one of the biggest towns found in Yagba land with long history of commercial activities; People come from far and near for trading purposes. Egbe is known for its ancestral songs called the oriki that shed light on their ancestors and their various clans, like the Anyanyin, Apoto, Oke-disin, Owa, Iloko, Oke Egbe and a few other clans. Egbe town is blessed with fertile land for agriculture activities. The crops grown in this area include: yam,

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, cocoa,

beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, ( groundnuts) and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. Traditionally, they go into clothes woven which are used during wedding ceremonies especially for the brides. The characteristic of the town include being quiet and having a natural environment which is most conducive for learning. No wonder in Egbe and indeed the entire region of Yagba in Kogi State, it is hard to cover a 500 metres radius without coming across an educational institution. Again it is not surprising that some of the best brains in

are products of educational institutions in this impressive region.

Cassiterite Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains ...

columbite Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate, with a general chemical formula of , is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic luster, a high density, and is a niobate of iron and manganese. Niobite ...

, and

tantalite The mineral group tantalite manganese.html" ;"title="iron.html" ;"title="iron">Fe, manganese">Mn)Tantalum">Ta2oxygen">O6is the primary source of the chemical element tantalum, a corrosion (heat and acid) resistant metal. It is chemically simil ...

are some of the mineral resources found in Egbe. The family unit is an integral part of this community, as marriage is encouraged within the younger populace by the elderly. The existence of the extended family is still being practiced; where the younger ones care for the elderly by living together as a family unit. Respect for the elderly is of great importance to the younger ones and is encouraged. The presence of missionary activities in this town dates back to the early twentieth century when Rev. Tommy Titcombe (a British-born Canadian missionary) and his wife a missionary with SIM ( Sudan Interior Mission; now Serving In Mission) came to Egbe in 1908. Against all the odds of the language barrier (they would later learn both Yoruba and the Yagba dialect) and West Africa being referred to as the "White man’s grave" (due to malaria caused by mosquito bites killing so many missionaries) they came into the community, becoming the pioneers of Christianity in the area; they preached the gospel of Christ to the people of Egbe and Yagba and were able to lay the foundation for a hospital which was started by newer missionaries in 1952. Known today as ECWA Hospital Egbe, the hospital, founded by Canadian missionaries Dr. George and Esther Campion has become one of the biggest, most popular and most successful Christian hospitals in Kogi State and Nigeria at large.Sophie De La Haye, ''Tread Upon the Lion'' (SIM, 1995). A college of excellence was also established called Titcombe College, (named after Titcombe) and many churches were also planted. Egbe still has traditional Nigerian leadership positions, such as "Oba" "Baale" "Bashorun", which are king, chief (king's deputy) and prime minister. The Bashorun of Egbe is Chief Olayinka Simoyan, (former Nigerian diplomat). The former Oba of Egbe, who was a paramount ruler, Oba S. K. Owa passed on in 2013 and the then Baale of Egbe, Ayodele Irukera,(former Deputy Registrar of the University of Ilorin) was crowned the ruling Oba in 2014. Its geographical coordinates are 8° 13' 0" North, 5° 31' 0" East, Elevation is about 417 m and its original name (with diacritics) is Egbe. Population of approximately 20,000

References

External links

ECWA Hospital Egbe.

Followers of Ifa Traditions
* ECWA Hospital Egbebr>"Egbe Hospital Revitalization Project".

"Egbe Òrúnmìlà Ayala - Traditional Ifa Consecrations in Cuba".
{{Authority control Populated places in Kogi State Towns in Yorubaland