Ogun State

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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 early 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 Ogun State's creation in 1976. In pre-colonial times, the western portion (inhabited by Egba and Yewa people) belonged to the Oyo kingdom, which sank into civil war in the mid-1800s. After the Berlin Congo Conference of 1885, the United Kingdom expanded its territory, and today's Ogun became part of the Protectorate of Lagos in 1893, later the Protectorate of Yorubaland, and in 1914 of the whole of Nigeria. In 1899, it received a railway connection to Lagos, and the 'Boat Express' ran through Ogun to Apapa. In the 1930s, Ogun was a center of the Nigerian women's movement under Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (Fela Kuti's mother). During the 1940s, food was strictly rationed in Nigeria, and transport of food from Ogun to Lagos was severely penalized (Pullen Scheme). In the first elections in Ogun in 1954, the semi-socialist Action Group under Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ became the strongest party in the Western Region. After independence, the Yoruba region, and Ogun in particular, was engulfed in conflict between the Awólọ́wọ̀ and Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá factions of the AG party ('Operation Wetie'). In July 1966, the ruler of Nigeria, Johnson Agulyi-Ironsi, was assassinated in Ibadan in the second coup of the year, which was the prelude to the Biafra War.

Reader's Guide

Ogun State is significant as one of Nigeria's most industrialized states, second only to Lagos, with a high concentration of factories and companies along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway corridor. It has one of the lowest incidences of extreme poverty in Nigeria (around 5% against a national average of 31% according to 2018 World Bank data). Major companies include Dangote Cement in Ibese, Nestle, Lafarge Cement in Ewekoro, Memmcol in Orimerunmu, Coleman Cables in Sagamu and Arepo, and Procter & Gamble in Agbara. In September 2024, the Ogun State Government announced a $5 million battery recycling plant by a British company. The state is a center for metalworking, hosting Proforce (manufacturer of armored vehicles and drones in Ode-Remo, 25 km from Lagos) and the only wagon assembly plant in West Africa (in Kajola), which manufactures, maintains, and repairs railway vehicles. Agriculture remains vital, with key crops including cassava, cocoa, maize, and Ofada rice; Ogun is the largest producer of kolanut in Nigeria. Mineral resources include clay, limestone, phosphate, bitumen, kaolin, gemstone, and feldspar. Culturally, Ogun is predominantly Yoruba, with subgroups including Awori, Egba, Ijebu, and Yewa, as well as smaller groups like Ketu, Ohori, Ilaje, Ikale, and Anago. There are also indigenous Egun people along the border with Benin. The majority of the population are Christian with a significant Muslim minority. The state is known for its cultural heritage, crafts, textile traditions, and arts. Tourist centers include Olumo Rock, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Omu Resort Abeokuta, and Oronna Shrine, Ilaro. The state's coastline on the Bight of Benin includes Araromi beach, which belongs to Irokun land in Ogun Waterside local government but is insistently claimed by Ondo State due to the influx of Ilaje migrants.

Did You Know?

• Ogun State has 31.6 km of coastline on the Bight of Benin, including Araromi beach which is claimed by both Ogun and Ondo states.
• The state is the largest producer of kolanut in Nigeria.
• Ogun has one of the lowest incidences of extreme poverty in Nigeria, around 5% against a national average of 31% according to 2018 World Bank data.
• The wagon assembly plant in Kajola is the only plant in West Africa that manufactures, maintains, and repairs railway vehicles.
• In the 1930s, Ogun was a center of the Nigerian women's movement under Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela Kuti's mother.