10 Interesting Facts About Ogun State

Ogun state is a state in southwestern Nigeria, also known as the gateway state. The state was created on the 3rd of February 1976 by General Murtala Mohammed. It has Abeokuta as its capital and largest city.

According to the 2016 projected populations published by the National Bureau of Statistics, Ogun state has 20 local government areas and a population of 5,217,716.

Here are ten (10) interesting facts about Ogun state

1. Ogun state was named after Ogun River which runs across the state from north to the south
2. Ogun state has six major ethnic groups: the Egba, the Ijebu, the Remo, the Egbado, the Awori and the Egun. There are also sub-groups like the Ikale, Ketu, Ohori and Anago
3. The state capital Abeokuta was a sovereign nation for 20 years and 11 months before the British amalgamated her with the rest of Nigeria, had its own laws, police force, civil service and was well organized
4. The first church in Nigeria “St Peter’s Anglican Church”, the first hospital in Nigeria; Sacred Heart hospital, the first local government area in Nigeria  “Abeokuta South” are all in Ogun State, Abeokuta to be precise.
5. Ogun state is recorded to have the highest number of higher institutions in Nigeria and it is the only state that runs two state-owned universities in the country. Ogun state is also the home of the first and only University of Education in Nigeria.
6. The Ijebus in the state were the first Yoruba speaking people to have contact with the Europeans in the early 14th century. They were the first Yorubas to have invented money made from cowry shells called ‘Owo Eyo’, which was accepted throughout the kingdom of Yorubaland but was later replaced by legal tender coins made from silver materials called ‘Pandora’ when the Europeans came.
7. Ogun State has produced more political leaders for Nigeria from the south-western region. In fact, all South-Westerners to be President/Head of State (Obasanjo and Shonekan) and their deputies (Ogundipe, Obasanjo, Diya and Osinbajo) are from Ogun State. The state also produced Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the Western Region.
8. Ogun State is filled with tourist attractions such as the shrine of Bilikisu Sungbo in the village of Oke-Eri, Ijebu-Ode, Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Ebute-Oni and Iwopin Boat Regatta in Ogun Waterside;  Oyan Dam in Abeokuta North.
9. The gateway state has produced notable people like Obafemi Awolowo, MKO Abiola, Mike Adenuga, Olusegun Obasanjo, Wole Soyinka, Fela Kuti, Tunde Bakare e.t.c
10. In May 2016, CNBC Africa reported that Ogun State has become the new industrial hub of Nigeria and is regarded as the most industrialised state in the country.

Meanwhile, you might also want to check out the top 10 places to visit in Ogun State.

Sources: www.wikipedia.com | www.britannica.com | www.thehistoryville.com | www.ogunstate.gov.ng