The place you know today as Ekiti got its name from its immediate environment. Formerly known as Ile Olokiti (a yoruba phrase that means the land of hills), the city was discovered by some of the sons of Olofin, who were direct grand-children to Oduduwa, the father and ancestor of the Yoruba race. Olofin and his sixteen sons left Ile-Ife, the motherland of Yoruba land, in search of new lands to develop. In the course of their journey, they stopped over at a site called Igbo-Aka (the forest of termites) as they journeyed through Iwo Eleru (Caves of ashes) near Akure.
The journey continued and two of his sons; Owa Obokun and Orangun of Ila decided to remain and develop the present Ijesha and Igbomina land of Osun state. Olofin and the remaining fourteen sons continued with the journey and got to a land with many hills which they named Ile Olokiti, the present Ekiti state and settled there.
Being the largest ethnic group of the Yorubaland, the culturally homogenous state has diverse communities in which slight differences are noticeable in the Ekiti dialect of the Yoruba language they all speak. The homogenic nature of this state contribute to it its uniqueness featured in its various dialects of the same Yoruba language, for instance, the people of Ikere community speak a different dialect from those of the Ikole community, although it is of the same Yoruba language. The dialects of some of the communities in Ekiti state are influenced by their locations, for instance, Moba land speaks a dialect closer to that spoken by the Igbominas in Kwara state.
HISTORY: With a historical background dated to the time of Olofin and his sixteen sons who found and developed Ile-Olokiti, the present Ekiti state was created on the 1st of October, in the year 1996. During the precolonial era, Ekiti state was ruled by Oyo and Benin empires. The Ekiti state formed a confederation which participated in a Kiriji war along with the Eastern Yoruba group against the Western Yoruba group and Ibadan kingdom which lasted for sixteen years; from 1877 to 1893. The war ended in a British-mediated stalemate. When Nigeria got her independence in 1960, the present Ekiti state became a part of the Western region until 1967. The Western region, in 1967 was splitted and became a part of the Western state which was also splitted in the year 1976.
The East of the splitted western state became Ondo state. The present Ekiti state was broken off from the then Ekiti zone (Ondo state North-west) twenty years later.
The population of the present Ekiti state is made up of the Ekiti people majorly and the Akoko Yoruba subgroup to a minor extent.
HISTORY: With a historical background dated to the time of Olofin and his sixteen sons who found and developed Ile-Olokiti, the present Ekiti state was created on the 1st of October, in the year 1996. During the precolonial era, Ekiti state was ruled by Oyo and Benin empires. The Ekiti state formed a confederation which participated in a Kiriji war along with the Eastern Yoruba group against the Western Yoruba group and Ibadan kingdom which lasted for sixteen years; from 1877 to 1893. The war ended in a British-mediated stalemate. When Nigeria got her independence in 1960, the present Ekiti state became a part of the Western region until 1967. The Western region, in 1967 was splitted and became a part of the Western state which was also splitted in the year 1976.
The East of the splitted western state became Ondo state. The present Ekiti state was broken off from the then Ekiti zone (Ondo state North-west) twenty years later.
The population of the present Ekiti state is made up of the Ekiti people majorly and the Akoko Yoruba subgroup to a minor extent.
Post a Comment