Abeokuta
Christ for all Nations returns to Abeokuta, Nigeria for the first time in 17 years.
Abeokuta is the largest city and state capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna. Abeokuta was founded in 1830 after the intertribal wars ravaged refugees in Egba forest from their original homes between 1817 and 1830. The name of the town “ABEOKUTA” was derived from the protection which the fleeing settlers sought under the Olumo Rock, now a tourist centre in the town. Abeokuta means ‘the refugees under a rock’.
People
The Egba people are the original founders of the city of Abeokuta, which they share with Owu people (later arrivals). The land was also settled on by missionaries in the 1840s who later became prominent. Up until the 18th Century, the Egba people lived in a cluster of villages around a place known as Orile-Itoko, as a subject territory of the old Oyo Empire, which was one of the strongest empires that ever existed in West Africa.
Land and Climate
Abeokuta lies below the Olumo Rock, home to several caves and shrines. The town relies on the Oyan River Dam for its water supply. This city has a tropical climate. When compared with winter, the summers have much more rainfall. The temperature here averages 80.78°F (27.1°C). The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around 84.38°F (29.1°C). At 77.18°F (25.1°C) on average, August is the coldest month of the year.
Economy
Modern Abeokuta is an agricultural trade centre (rice, yams, cassava, corn, palm oil and kernels, cotton, fruits, vegetables, shea butter, and rubber) and an exporting point for cocoa, palm produce, fruits, and kola nuts. Rice and cotton were introduced by the missionaries in the 1850s, and cotton weaving and dyeing are now traditional crafts of the town.
Sources:
http://egbaprogressive.org/history_of_abeokuta.php
https://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/08/egba-people-yoruba-sub-tribe-of-freedom.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abeokuta
