Ibokun

Ibokun is a populated place in Osun State, Nigeria. It is located at an elevation of 416 meters above sea level. Ibokun is the headquarters of Obokun Local Government Area, Osun State. The postal code of the area is 233.

Its coordinates are 7°46'6" N and 4°43'0" E in DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds) or 7.78333 and 4.71667 (in decimal degrees).

History

Ibokun previously known as Ilemure was named after the warrior that delivered the town from attacks of the neighborhood warriors such as Alare- the paramount ruler of the then Ilare town. It was believed that Obokun migrated from Ife as the youngest son of Oduduwa. He, alone of all Oduduwa sons, volunteered to go and fetch sea water to cure his father's blindness of old age which translated to Obokun in Yoruba language that is someone who fetches okun- sea water. On his return he was told his father was dead, and he asked for his "portion" of his inheritances. He was told that all inheritances including crowns were given to his elder brothers. Instead he was given a sword–Ida Ajase (sword of conquest) and told to seize his heritage from his elder brothers. On his conquest tours, he got to Ilemure now Ibokun where he met Ita on ground during one of the festive periods, Obokun was ceremoniously welcomed and he requested the host should extend the celebration with drums and dancing which was against the rules of the land- Ibokun by the neighbour "super master". The host danced to the tunes of Obokun's instruction which eventually led to several wars and Obokun conquered. Ita Adeforitikun (the host) later appealed to Obokun to stay in the town (Ilemure)but gave him a place to build his own house.

Ajibogun (Obokun) accepted the offer and Ita gave him one of the three traditional crowns he brought from Ile-Ife because Obokun did not meet anything at his arrival from the seas. Ita gave his first son Agaba-Ogo one of the two remaining crowns and sent him to Mesi-Oloja (now Imesi-Ile) to become their ruler and the third crown he gave to his second son who succeeded him as the head (the ruler and spiritual leader) of Ilemure, Ooyelagbo(abbreviated as Ooyela).

The town was gradually changed to Ibokun after the demise of Ita by people who were referring to the town as 'Ilu Eni to bu Okun'meaning the town of the 'brine fetcher'. From Ilu Obokun to Ilu'bokun and eventually to Ibokun. It is of note that the only direct son of Obokun was the man called Olabusuke Obarabara Olokun-Esin who was later taken out of Ibokun by Obokun because he did not trust the people. Olabusuke later became Owa of Ilesa (king of Ilesa) and by extension of the whole Ijesaland. The person appointed by Obokun when he became old was Adelowo Ajangbodorigi-Efon to act as surrogate ruler for him and his descendant overs the territory given to him by Ita. The descendants and successors of Adelowo later transmuted to Ogboni of Ibokun or 'Ba'bokun.< Reliable Oral History and The History of Yorubas by Reerend Johnson >

Economy and occupation

The people of Ibokun were predominantly farmers who specialised in growing food crops such as Yam, Cassava, Maize, Rice and so on as well as Cash crops such as Cocoa, Kolanut and so on. However, the thrust of commerce is central to their activities and they participate in trading activities mostly across the Western and the Northern part of Nigeria.

Ibokun monarchs

References

    Coordinates: 7°47′00″N 4°43′00″E / 7.7833°N 4.7167°E / 7.7833; 4.7167

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