User:Adeyemi Babarinde Sunday
Yagba is a Yoruba speaking ethnic group in Kogi state, North Central Nigeria. The Yagba people are separated from the rest of their Yoruba kin predominantly in the southwestern part of Nigeria by geopolitical zone.
Yagbaland consists of three (3) local government areas of Yagba west Odo Ere, Yagba East Isanlu and Mopa-amuro- Mopa, with total number of three hundred and eighty-four thousand, nine hundred and forty (384,940) people according to 2011 survey (wikipedia) and is bordered by Ekiti state, Kwara state, Ijumu and Kabba-Bunu local governments in Kogi state.
Preponderantly, Yagba people occupy the Western part of Kogi state and a minority of them in Kwara state areas of Koro and Eruku in Ekiti local government area of Kwara state and Irele Ekiti, Ipao-Ekiti, Iye-Ekiti and Aiyede- Ekiti, Ekiti state.
The origin of Yagbaland will be nothing but a farce without making great reference(s) to Akata Ere the home and arguably the oldest settlement of Yagba people and Yagbaland respectively.
While ilai in Mopa Amuro local government has been described by some as the oldest settlement in Yagbaland with no historical records to back it up, verified documentaries by renowned historians and ancient people has it that, Okedu, Akata Ere is the oldest settlement in Yagbaland.
The origin of Yagba lie with Iya Agba who is generally accepted to be a migrant princess from the old Oyo empire. Iya Agba according to my finding, could conjecturally have been a daughter of Alaafin Oluaso who reigned as the emperor of the old Oyo empire from the late 14th century (1357AD) to an unrecorded period in the 15th century for 320 with 1460 children from his hundreds (100+) of wives.
My presumption of Iya Agba as a daughter of Oluaso is based on the fact that Oluaso had thousands of children and also, in the 15th century, the emperor, an expansionist by ideology, conquered and made colonies of and subsequently annexed neighboring towns and therefore appointed an Ajele who paid annual tribute to his empire. While some of his warriors were sent to the four cardinal points of the kingdom for commercial and farming activities. While some of his children left Oyo to unknown lands after they had lost the scramble for the revered throne of the Oyo empire. Many more migrant joined the princess after the defeat of Oyo empire in the 17th century by the Nupe led by King Tsoede. In 1457, the king of Nupe invaded Oyo and sacked the capital where Onigbogi, the Alaafin (king), fled to the land of the Ibariba and died there.
From among Ona Isokun, the third set of twin by an Olori of Oluaso, a successor was chosen in person of Alaafin Onigbogi.
According to Chief E.B. Iyekolo, a renowned historian from the ancient town of Akata Ere, the cradle of Yagbaland and also, the author of; A CONCISE HISTORY OF AKATA ERE, 2012, he said in his book, "oral and written sources have it that Iya-Agba was a renowned princess of the old Oyo empire. She reportedly migrated with a handful of followers, her children, relations and admirers to settle on the Akata hilltop around the 15th century at the early period of Oyo imperial growth and spread characterized by movements away to occupy the virgin lands northeast, south and southeast of Oyo in Yorubaland including the present Republic of Benin and beyond. The people spread out to further their farming and trading activities to avoid palace intrigues and persecution among other reasons. Later in the 17th-19th centuries, some more people moved because of and towards the eventual collapse of Oyo empire.
"In her old age, she was popularly and reverently called Iya-Agba (OLD WOMAN) by everybody. Yagba symbolising the ethnic group she founded (one(1) of the twenty-six(26) Yoruba ethnicities) and the language, YAGBA, is derived from her me, Iya Agba."
He further said, "Iya Agba and her group of migrants turned settlers reportedly were later joined by more refugees, traders and migrants from old Oyo empire and other parts, especially Benin and later Ile-Ife in the south.
Arguing further with evidence, according to the historian, "prominent Yagba citizens, dead or alive, in their speeches and writings confirmed the origin of Iya agba and the settlement she founded.
Putting foward evidences, Iyekolo quoted a paper titled THE ORIGIN OF EGBE, in the Herald of June 7, 1975, by HRH. Oba Joseph Babalola Denki, the late Elegbe Of Egbe (1956-1986) who was first to assume the title ELEGBE OF EGBE (August 13, 1956) said "the first settler in the whole area, yagbaland, was an old woman who had came from old oyo. She was said to have settled in a village called Akata."
"The late Reverend DR. D.S Moody on 27th March, 1997, when delivering a sermon at the foundation laying ceremony of the new ECWA church, Akata-Ere openly declared, "Akata is home, the fountain head of Yagba people.
"Chief DR. Oshatoba, trustee of ECWA in "ERE AT A GLANCE" in December 1979 confirmed that Iya Agba was a renowned princess from Oyo.
KENYO: 1958 in FOUNDERS OF YORUBA Nation said, "some of the men who followed the Iya Agba from Oyo later became the ancestors of the Elere of Ere, of the Oba of Egbe, and the Eleri of Eri (OKE ERI inclusive)."
"A memo from ISANLU PROGRESSIVE UNION to Kwara state government dated 21-2-1976 stated, "Akata became a vibrant settlement on the highway from the south (Benin) to the north and western Sudan for merchants in ivory and slaves, a trade route for the lucrative business in goods, salt, ivory, and slaves leading to Katunga, the capital of old Oyo empire in the 16th and 17th centuries," Chief Iyekolo quoted. According to an oral history passed down from the late high Chief Omotayo Cornelius Asehinde, a direct descendant of Iya Agba who happens to be my maternal grandfather, he said, " we are a member of the Oyo empire Royal house, we (Yagba people) are royals from Oyo and also, our mother was the first settler and fonder of Yagbaland and as such, we deserve respect. Akata-Ere is the cradle of Yagbaland, While we as Yagba people have our root from Oyo."
While on board in a car going to Lokoja, I was fortunate enough to spend a wonderful moment with an unknown man whom was seated beside me inside the vehicle.
While I received a call from my grandma who called to bid me a safe journey, I forced myself to speak the Yagba dialect even though it wasn't fluent.
To my utmost surprise, the man asked where I was coming from which I answered, "Odo Ere and going to Lokoja."
He further asked about the language I spoke while on call, "Yagba," I answered.
"Why these questions sir?" I asked as I became nervous.
"Its nothing my brother. The language sounds familiar. I'm from Oyo, an erstwhile member of one of the Royal houses," he said.
He continued, "currently, i work as a lecturer of history in a Nigerian university. The language you spoke few minutes ago was the language spoken by the old Oyo people. It is an ancient language but it is no longer obtainable in Oyo as it has been corrupted to what we speak at present.
" You must have your root from Oyo, " he posited. According to history, the Yagba people are from Oyo. Our ancestress, a princess from the old Oyo empire migrated here in the 15th century," I told him.
My encounter with this man in the year 2019 further concreted my believe in the Oyo origin of Yagba.
According to Chief E.B. Iyekolo, "in 1900, Elere Ogbamanubecame the first Oba in Yagba to receive a staff of office from the emirate council in Ilorin for excellent administration of his kingdom.
"The Elere, owner of Ere is similar to that which Alaafin used in giving titles to their provincial kings, the fiefs, for instance, the Timi Of Ede, Alaketu Of Aketu of that era. The title, Elere, must have been given by the Alaafin to the then ruler of Akata since she was a trading outpost for Katunga, the capital of old Oyo empire, he concluded.
From the above, the title, Elere, further cement the relationship between Akata, the cradle of Yagba and Oyo as the former is an offshoot of the latter. So also other traditional titles of Oba across Yagbaland. Titles such as Elegbe of Egbe, Eleri OF Eri, Elejiba OF Ejiba while other town's title such as Agbana of Isanlu, Elulu of Mopa, uses family or lineage titles till date.
ADMINISTRATION
The three local government areas in Yagbaland was merged together to birth the Yagba federal constituency. This merger was without rigorous consultation as a result of the historical background of the peoples as children of Iya Agba. For ease of administration, Yagba East serves as the administrative headquarters because of her location in the federal constituency.
Yagba East is located between Yagba West to the south and Mopa Amuro to the north for ease of administration.
LONG YEARS OF SLAVERY.
Just like every other ethnic nationality that suffered slavery, Yagba people were not spared from slavery as there was incessant attacks on the people from the Fulani and Nupe especially. Hence the reason for the twist in the language and religion of our people.
HRM, Late Sir, Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife in 1931 mentioned the Okun people among the twenty six kingdoms founded by the sons of Oduduwa. In ile Ife, the Genesis of Yoruba race (1985), Chief E.A. Fabunmi stated that an Ife man, the older of the two brothers founded Kabba, which is a contraction of Oke Aba.
Bridel H.S. Bridel Esq. 1933, Assistant District officer, Ekiti said of the hag as the largest group of the Okuns. It is difficult nowadays to find Yagbas who know much of their history owing to the devastating period of the Nupe raids which lasted throughout some three generations prior to 1900(1840-1897) when some of the able bodied men were either killed or taken to Bida as slaves. The old men died or were killed without passing on their knowledge and the following generation grew up without the chance to find out much about their ancestors.
Even all through the war there were remnants of Yagba who refused to be taken by holding in caves which could not be reached by the horses of the warrior, as the aborigines rolled bigger stones from the top of the hills to kill them. For instance, the Ogga people in Yagba West escaped to a cave known as "Koto Ogga (CAVE OF OGGA)". This cave served as a place of refuge for the people as it was said to have opened during one of the Nupe raids while the people rushed to avoid been captured by the NUPE. While those who fell victim of the internecine war were taken to Bida and Ghana as slaves.
During one of the Nupe raids on Ejuku, Yagba East, a warlord from Akata Ere, Warlord Pele, was said to have helped the fight alongside the Ejuku warriors which they won and finally warded of the Nupe.
A Nupe ruler, Checheko, was appointed District Head for Yagba West because the Obas(traditional rulers) of Ere, Egbe and Eri independent units did not agree to appoint one of their own as their district head.
Five(5) Nupe rulers namely; Checheko, Kpotun, Usmanu, Shaaba and Lupin ruled Yagba West until June 1930 when a Yagba man, the Elere Iyewarun from Oke Aga, Odo Ere, who abdicated his throne in 1968, was appointed the first indigenous District Head based in his personal merits (fair, tall, handsome, bold and fluent in speaking Hausa), the centrality of Odo Ere location and the seniority of Ere in Yagbaland. Nupe's rule disorganized the people and traditional administration.
END OF SLAVERY
In Yagba West, Hrh, Late Oba Owojaiye (Aina Aganyin) of Egbe who reigned 1942-1955 was a typical example. He returned from Ghana and because of his exposure to western civilisation when in Ghana and his outstanding personality his clan put him forward as the Oba of Egbe.
Late Mr Oshanaiye from Ogga was a freed slave whose master hailed from Abeokuta, Osainaiye became a Christian and a member of the Baptist church, Araromi Lagos. He later received the call to take the gospel to his people of Ogga in Yagba West in 1902.
A sizeable number of returnees from Bida rebuilt their towns and villages in Gbedde and introduced the Islamic religion to their people.
TRADE LINK
Stories have it that there was a prosperous trade route in 1700 linking Akata- Ere in Yagba west LGA with Katunga, the capital of Old Oyo Kingdom. The route was one of the vestiges of the centuries of movement to and fro Benin through Okunland, and the involvement in the reported " lucrative trade" in slaves, pepper and ivory between the south and the north. In the core language of Kabba people it is the trade interaction ps that affected the language of their people. Oranges too were called lemu and caps Fula just like the Hausas.
All these and many comments by renowned Yagba historian Prof. Ijagbemi, on the Yagba are further proofs that Okun are Yorubas. The Owe,s, IJumu,s, Bunu,s and Oworo,s also claim to have migrated variously to their present location from ile Ife, Ejuku, Iddo and Omuo.
The Okuns immediate neighbours have been the Igbominas, the Ekitis, the Akokos, the Igbirras are among the descendants of Oduduwa.
RELIGION
Like every other African societies, the Yagba people of old were traditionalist.
The advent of Christianity in Yagbaland dates back to the early 20th (1908) century when a Canadian missionary, Rev Thomas Tommy Titcombe arrived Egbe.
Against all odds, the SIM missionary ably assisted by Alaga Adeniyi,an Ogga man who helped him to interprete from English language to the native Yagba dialect, successfully established and spread the Christian faith through the whole Yagbaland.
Islamic religions in Yagbaland is one of the lasting legacies of the Nupe and Fulani raids on the people.
Christians in Yagbaland can be summed up as 70%, with 25% Islam and 5% traditional worshippers.
EMINENT YAGBA SONS AND DAUGHTERS
God all mighty,
Chief K.B Jamodu, former minister of industries,
Dr Eyitayo Lambo, former minister of state for Health,
Sen. S.B Awoniyi,
Sen. Justus Olu,
Chief Folorunsho Daniyan,
AVM Adekunle Awarun,
Chief E.B Iyekolo, renowned historian,
Mr. Bamidele Onile, former Air force, USA,
Otunba Samuel Bamidele Aro,
Chief Oladele Dada, former Titcombe college principal,
Late Chief Cornelius Omotayo Asehinde, descendant of Iya Agba,
The person reading this(if an Yagba man/woman)
And my humble self.
Adeyemi Babarinde Sunday, Friday, September 18, 2020.
Reference;
E.B. Iyekolo: Concise History of Akata Ere. 2012.
Oral History From Late Chief Cornelius Omotayo Asehinde (1932- October 2009).
Prince Philip Orebiyi.
Snr Aps Babalola Dada.
Group Discussions with Elders and Friends in Yagbaland.
Discussion with Prof. Lawal, a professor of history whom I was fortunate to have come across during one of my travels.