Ogun State

Lore & Background

Historically, parts of modern Ogun State were included in the Benin, Ijebu, and Oyo kingdoms. In the late nineteenth century, British expeditions took control, and Abeokuta became a major center of missionary activity and education. During the colonial period, the area was part of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate, later merging into colonial Nigeria. After independence in 1960, the region was part of the Western Region until the creation of Ogun State in 1976.

In pre-colonial times, the western portion inhabited by the Egba and Yewa people belonged to the kingdom of Oyo, which sank into civil war in the mid-1800s. Today's Ogun became part of the Protectorate of Lagos in 1893, later of the Protectorate of Yorubaland, and in 1906 of the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. In 1899, it received a railway connection to Lagos, the 'Boat Express,' connecting the region with the wider world.

In the 1930s, Ogun was a center of the Nigerian women's movement under Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After independence, the Yoruba region, and Ogun in particular, was engulfed in conflict between the Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ and Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá factions of the Action Group party. The state was formed on 3 February 1976 from part of the former Western State.

Reader's Guide

Ogun State holds significance as a major industrial and agricultural hub in Nigeria, with the second highest concentration of industries after Lagos State and one of the lowest incidences of extreme poverty (around 5% of the population against a national average of 31%) according to World Bank data from 2018. The state is the largest producer of kolanut in Nigeria and hosts major companies including Dangote Cement, Nestle, Lafarge, Procter & Gamble, and the only plant in West Africa that manufactures, maintains, and repairs railway vehicles, located in Kajola. Ogun also produces armoured vehicles and drones for the security sector.

Culturally, Ogun is the center for metalworking in Nigeria, reflecting the Yoruba god Ogun, the orisha of metalworking. The state is known for its cultural heritage, crafts, textile traditions, and arts. Demographically, the Yoruba people are the largest ethnic group, with subgroups including Awori, Egba, Ijebu, and Yewa, alongside smaller groups and indigenous Egun people along the border with Benin. The state has a tropical wet and dry climate, with the Ogun and Yewa rivers as major waterways, and the Omo Forest Reserve is an important conservation area home to Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees and African forest elephants.

Did You Know?

• Ogun State is the second most industrialized state in Nigeria after Lagos State.
• The state has one of the lowest incidences of extreme poverty in Nigeria, at about 5% of the population against a national average of 31%.
• Ogun State is the largest producer of kolanut in Nigeria.
• The wagon assembly plant in Kajola is the only plant in West Africa that manufactures, maintains, and repairs railway vehicles.