Ilesa () is a historic

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in

Osun State Osun (; ), is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states for 84 km and for 78 km respectively, to the north by Kwara State for 73 km, to the south by Ogun State for 84 km and to the wes ...

, southwest

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, ...

; it is also the name of the capital of a historic state-kingdom(also known as

Ijesha The Ijesha/Ilesha (written as Ìjẹ̀ṣà in Yoruba orthography) are one of the major sub-ethnicity of the Yorubas of West Africa. Ilesha is the largest town and historic cultural capital of the Ijesha people, and is home to a large kingdom o ...

) centred around that town as the capital . The state is ruled by a monarch bearing the title of His Imperial Majesty, the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland. The city of Ilesa consists of Ilesa itself and a number of surrounding cities. The Ijesa, a term also denoting the people of the state of Ijeshaland, are part of the present

of Nigeria. Although the historic state-kingdom is mainly placed within Osun State, it has towns and cities covering several south-western Nigerian states. Some of the popular towns of the Ijesa are

Iwara Iwara is an ancient historic town situated in mineral-rich local government area of Atakunmosa East in the Osun State of Nigeria. Geographically, it is located at approximately in the South West, one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, wi ...

, Odo-Ijesa,

Ilaje Ìlàje is a Local Government Area in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Igbokoda. The Ilajes are a distinct migratory coastal linguistic group of Yoruba peoples spread along the coastal belts of Ondo, Ogun, ...

, Igbogi, Ise-Ijesa,

Ibokun Ibokun (''also'' IIemure, Ilu Obokun, Ilu'bokun) is a town in Osun State, Nigeria. It is 416 meters above sea level. Ibokun is the headquarters of Obokun. The postal code of the area is 233. History Ibokun (at that time Ilemure) was named afte ...

, Erin Oke, Erin Odo, Ijeda-Ijesa, Ipetu Jesa, Ijebu-Jesa,

Esa-Oke Esa-Oke is a Yoruba people, Yoruba town located at the Obokun, Obokun Local Government Area of the Ijesa North Federal Constituency of Ife/Ijesa Senatorial District of Osun State, South-West of Nigeria. It is a native Ijesa (Ijesha) community a ...

, Esa Odo, Ipole Ijesa, Ifewara, Ipo Arakeji, Iloko Ijesa, Iperindo Ijesa, Erinmo Ijesa, Iwaraja Ijesa, Oke-Ana Ijesa, Idominasi, Ilase Ijesa, Igangan ijesa, Imo Ijesa, Alakowe Ijesa, Osu Ijesa, Eti Oni, Itaore, Itagunmodi, Iyinta, Itaapa, Epe Ijesa, Omo Ijesa, Eti-oni, Ibokun, Inila, Ijinla, Iloba Ijesa, Imogbara

Ijesa The Ijesha/Ilesha (written as Ìjẹ̀ṣà in Yoruba orthography) are one of the major sub-ethnicity of the Yorubas of West Africa. Ilesha is the largest town and historic cultural capital of the Ijesha people, and is home to a large kingdom of ...

, Eseun Ijesa, Iloo, Owena Ijesa, Ido Ijesa, Ido Oko, Ibala Ijesa, Ere Ijesa, Ilahun, Ibodi, Ijaaregbe, Ikinyinwa, Idominasi, Ilowa, and Ibodi. The state of Ijeshaland was founded c.1300 by Ajibogun Ajaka Owa Obokun Onida Raharaha, a warlike youngest son of Yoruba Projenitor

Oduduwa Odùduwà (Ooduwa, Odudua or Oòdua) was a Yoruba divine king, a creator deity (orisha) in the Yoruba religion, and the legendary figure who ushered in the classical period that later led to the foundation of the Ife Empire. His earthly orig ...

. All kings of Ijeshaland are considered to be direct descendants of Oduduwa; who is the founder of the Yoruba people and is considered as a God-King. Ilesa is known for its natural resources and minerals especially Gold, it is said the Ilesa and Ijeshaland at large according to geological studies . Ilesa has at the very minimum, 5 Billion US dollars worth of Gold alongside the Ilesa Gold belt axis. However the number is expected to rise in value as significant exploration for commercially quantifiable Gold deposits only began in the last decade. Areas in Ilesa Omi_Iru_Ilesa

Oral history

According to the historian

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

: Odo - Ile was Oduduwa's Grandchild by Oduduwa's Eldest Daughter (Logun Edu's own son became the First Odole of Ijesaland - rime-Minister/Secretary of State of Ijesaland

Institutions in Ilesa

Ilesa Grammar school

One of the grammar schools in Ilesa is Ilesa Grammar School. Its 90th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the List of national independence days, date of independen ...

was celebrated in 2024.

University of Ilesa

University of Ilesa formerly known as College of Education, Ilesa, was established on March 31, 2022 by the former governor of

Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola. It was upgraded to a University by Governor

Ademola Adeleke Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke (; born 13 May 1960) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who has been serving as the governor of Osun State since 2022. He served as the senator representing the Osun-West senatorial district from 2017 to 2 ...

who set up a review committee to ascertain the establishment of the

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

College of Health Technology

Among the schools in Ilesa is the College of Technology, which is located at Imelu in Ilesa.

Hospital in ilesa

There are several Hospitals in ilesa city which are. * Wesley Guide hospital Ilesa, located in bolorunduro street Ilesa. * Wesley Guide hospital (

Obafemi Awolowo Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first Premier of the Western region of Nigeria. He was known as one of the key figure towards Nigeria's independence movement from 1957 ...

Teaching hospital located in oke Ayose Ilesa. * Oba Adenle Memorial hospital * living petals medical center.

Colonial assessment

The village was described by the Rev. William Howard Clark in 1854 in the following manner: "For its cleanliness, regularity in breadth and width, and the straightness of its streets, the ancient village of Ilesa far surpasses any native town I have seen in black Africa."

The Ijesa Monarchs

There are four royal houses amongst which accession to the throne is supposed to be rotated: Biladu, Bilagbayo, Bilaro and Bilayirere. Rulers, under the title of ''Owa Obokun Adimula'', have been as follows:

Notable people

*Israel Olatunde Adedeji-Orolugbagbe: JP, BA London (erudite scholar and educationist) (Odole Yoloye descendant) *Royal High Chief Adebola Oyeleye Adedeji-Orolugbagbe: RHC Oyegbulu 1 - Odole-Owa of IjesaLand, prime minister/secretary of state, IjesaLand (Odole Yoloye descendant) *

T. M. Aluko Timothy Mofolorunso Aluko (14 July 1918 – 1 May 2010) was a Nigerian writer. Biography A Yoruba, Aluko was born in Ilesha in Nigeria and studied at Government College, Ibadan, and Higher College, Yaba in Lagos. He then studied civil engin ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

OON * Akinloye Akinyemi: Nigerian major *Chief Lawrence Omole: business mogul and industrialist *Tosho Obembe: business mogul and industrialist *L.O Ayeni Rational: business mogul and industrialist *Fajemisin: medical doctor *Wale Omole: university Lecturer and former vice-chancellor OAU Ile Ife *Olu Abiola, Business mogul and industrialist *Ibidapo-Obe: university Lecturer and former vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos * Samuel Olatunde Fadahunsi: Commander of the Order of Niger, CON and President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) * Kayode Eso: Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (An Odole Gidigbi Faloju Descendant) *Samuel Omotunde Ilori: Chief Justice of

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

of Nigeria (An Arapate Descendant) *

Bolaji Akinyemi Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi (born 4 January 1942) is a Nigerian professor of political science who was Nigeria External Affairs Minister from 1985 to late 1987. He is the chairman of the National Think Tank. Early life and education Akinyemi w ...

: Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and a professor of political science *

Moses Olaiya Moses Olaiya (18 May 1936 – 7 October 2018), better known by his stage name "Baba Sala", was a Nigerian comedian, dramatist, and actor. A Yoruba from Ijesha, Baba Sala, regarded as the father of modern Nigerian comedy, alongside other dram ...

: Comedian (also known as ''Baba Sala'') *Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola: Governor of Osun State * Isaac Folorunsho Adewole: Nigerian Minister of Health and a former

Vice Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

Enoch Adeboye Enoch Adejare Adeboye (born 2 March 1942) is a Nigerians, Nigerian pastor, and the present General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God. He served as the second national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. Early life En ...

: pastor and general overseer of the

Redeemed Christian Church of God The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a holiness pentecostal megachurch and denomination headquartered in Ebute Metta, Lagos, Nigeria. With presence in 197 countries and territories of the world and more than 5 million members in Nigeri ...

* Timothy Oluwole Obadare: pastor of CAC WOSEM. *

William Kumuyi William Folorunso Kumuyi (born 6 June 1941) is the convener of Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK), and the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry situated at Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of several C ...

: pastor and general superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministries * Prince Adegoke Aromolaran: business mogul and industrialist. * Yinka Jegede-Ekpe *Chief Ogedengbe Agbogungboro of Atorin, IjesaLand: First Obanla of Ilesa *George Obimakinde Obembe: engineer and first president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

References

External links

*http://osun.gov.ng/about/major-towns/ilesa/ {{authority control Populated places in Osun State Cities in Yorubaland Cities in Nigeria 14th-century establishments in Nigeria Articles containing video clips