LANDS AND PEOPLES : IJEBU

ONIBUDO'S HOUSE

The territory of the ijebu people is in the South-central of Yorubaland; bounded in the North by Ibadan, in the East by Ondo, Okitipupa and the west by Egbaland. The Southern fringe is opened to the sea with the coastlines of Epe, Ejinrin and Ikorodu .

The first major groups of Sudanese that came to Nigeria were led by Iwase who came to Ife several centuries before the major Sudanese immigrations under Oduduwa and Olu-Iwa, who entered the country about the same period as the Yoruba under Oduduwa.

The most important being the one on the Yoruba tradition that when Oduduwa was alive, he became partially blind sometime and consulted the Ifa priest, Agbonmiregun, with a view to finding the remedy for the ailment. Brine was recommended and Oduduwa had to send his Son, Obokun to the sea to get the sea water. Obokun wandered in vain for many years until he came to the Ijebu king for help who promptly aided him a messenger that guided him to the sea, and on his return to Ijebu he was also given some eye medications by the Ijebu King (Lewu Legusen), which on application restored the sight of Oduduwa.

Hence, the above shows that the Ijebus were in Nigeria before the main Yoruba stock as the Ijebu King being referred to was the fifth Awujale ,this historical fact have brought the known rivalry between them and the other Yoruba people. Then there is some sense in the claim that the Ijebus are senior to the Yorubas and cannot therefore accept the junior order that puts them under the Ooni of Ife and Alaafin of Oyo.

The Ijebu legend tracing their origin to Wadda thus; that the Ijebus migrated into Nigeria from Sudan.  The most obvious is the Sudanese tribal mark which, though varied, is duplicated all over Yorubaland.  In particular, the three vertical marks on both cheeks are the national marks in Ijebu.  More So, in the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia, the original language is very similar to Ijebu dialect.  Names of people such as Saba, Esiwu, Meleki (corruption of Menelik) and many others are still common in Ijebu and the South of Sudan.  Most importantly, a kind of flute which was formerly used during the coronation ceremony of the Awujale is still used in Ethiopia¬pia and South of Sudan.

 The bulk of Yoruba people regard the Ijebus as peripheral Yorubas while the Ijebu themselves do not hide the fact the cohesion between them and others who call themselves central Yoruba has been the result of cultural and political interaction over the centuries.

Awujale of Ijebu-land is the rallying factor for all the Ijebus, both at home or abroad. The Ijebu are very enterprising, shrewd and business like. The ijebus are known for their business acumen which dated back to the early nineteenth century, and according to the testimony of contemporary observers of that time, a child is expected to have known the value of money and have attributes of a trader from age twelve.

 The Ijebus are known to be a lively and warm people. Family ties ( EBI) are close, and relatives rely so much on each other in time of difficulty, they are equally noted for their sociability throughout the Yoruba kingdom; they work hard and celebrate well. They are known to go to the long haul to make their events memorable, borrowing in some instances if the need arises.

The systematic organization of age grade known as Regberegbes constitutes a major instrument of social cohesion and mobilization in ijebuland. These groups always come together to help one another in the event of any serious need for concerted and joint efforts

The European, in the early nineteen century described the Ijebus in following phrase: “They are remarkable as a race for their integrity to a fault”.

Ikokore or Ifokore is one of Ijebus’ most important delicacies, so whenever you visit an Ijebu person do not hesitate to ask for this menu.

Ijebus are religious people who like to talk about God. Most are Christians, Muslims, while some are traditional worshippers (Esin abalaye), be that as it may, all Ijebus always gather together to celebrate annual Ojude-Oba festival.

Some Yorubas think that Ijebus  are  stingy, love ‘owanbe’ parties, some said they were  fearsome warrior-like people that take no nonsense from anyone. Any how you think about these great people, they remain what they are .......the Ijebus.