Ogun State

In February 1976, the territory now called Ogun State was carved out of the old Western State by the military administration of General Murtala Muhammed and General Olusegun Obasanjo. The new State was made up of the former Abeokuta and Ijebu provinces of the former Western State, which itself came into being when it was carved out of former Western Region in 1967.

Ogun State is otherwise known as the Gateway State. This is in recognition of its pioneering role in education, medicine, law and divinity, on the one hand, and its strategic position as the link by road, rail, air and sea to the rest of the country. It will soon become the internet gateway to the rest of the world. Apart from Abeokuta, the capital, which is an important market centre-and a terminus of the roads and railways coming from Lagos and other parts of the country, there are also major towns and communities like Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro and others that can serve as good markets for products of the mining industry in Ogun State. 

Location and Size: Ogun State is entirely in the tropics. Located in the Southwest Zone of Nigeria with a total land area of 16,409.26 square kilometres, it is bounded on the West by the Benin Republic, on the South by Lagos State and the Atlantic Ocean, on the East by Ondo State, and on the North by Oyo and Osun States. It is situated between Latitude 6.2°N and 7.8°N and Longitude 3.0°E and 5.0°E.

Climate: The climate of Ogun State follows a tropical pattern with the raining season starting about March and ending in November, followed by dry season. The mean annual rainfall varies from 128cm in the southern parts of the State to 105cm in the northern areas. The average monthly temperature ranges from 23°C in July to 32°C in February. The northern part of the State is mainly of derived Savannah vegetation, while the Central part falls in the rain forest belt. The southern part of the State has mangrove swamp.

Topography/Ecology: The geographical landscape of the State comprises extensive fertile soil suitable for agriculture, and Savannah land in the north  western part of the State, suitable for cattle rearing. There are also vast forest reserves, rivers, lagoons, rocks, mineral deposits and an oceanfront. 

Accessibility: The State is accessible to other States in Nigeria and the outside world because of its closeness to Lagos State, which has an International Airport, a few sea ports and access to the West African sub-region. As earlier stated the State is the passage from Lagos, the former federal capital and still the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, to any other part of the country.

Natural Resources: Ogun State is blessed with many mineral deposits in commercial qauantity. The list includes bitumen, kaolin, phosphate, bauxite, granite, limestone, crude oil and such others.

Demographics: The population of Ogun State during the 1991 Census was 2,333,726. With its growth rate of 2.83 per cent per annum, the population estimate for 2003 was projected at 3,297,408 and 3,486,683 for 2005. The projections indicated that in 2003, about 1,483,834 of the population (45 per cent) would live in urban areas 1,813,574 (55 per cent) in rural. The male population was estimated at 1,615,730 (49per cent), and female 1,681,678 (51 per cent). Children under one year old numbered about 5.40 per cent and those under five years accounted for 19.10 per cent. Women of childbearing age (15-49 years) made up 25.0 per cent of the population and about 49 per cent of the total female population. Children under age five accounted for 629,805 (19.1 per cent) of the total population.

Ethnic Group and Tradition: Ogun State indigenes belong to the Yoruba ethnic group, comprising mainly the Egba, the Yewa, the Awori, the Egun, the Ijebu and the Remo. The people are hospitable and accommodating, hence Nigerians from other parts of the country live peacefully with them. The main languages of communication in the State are Yoruba and English. Although the indigenes speak various dialects of the Yoruba language, they are all mutually intelligible to them. They all share a common lifestyle, including culture, tradition and custom. Some of the leading traditional festivals in the State are Olumo, Ogun, Igunnuko, Osun and Orisa-Oko. Others include Egungun, Obirin-Ojowu, Gelede, Oro and Sango.

Religion: The two dominant religions in the State are Christianity and Islam. A small proportion of the people still practice traditional religion. Traditional, cultural ana religious beliefs have a strong influence on the position of women in the society.

Political/Administrative Structure and Organisations: The State has 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) each headed by a Chairman, as enshrined in the Constitution. It is divided into four Geo-political Zones, three Senatorial Districts, nine Federal and 26 State Constituencies. The state is administered by the Governor who works with a cabinet of Civil servants, Commissioners, Special Advisers and Consultants in the daily running of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). They work in collaooration with the Secretary to the State Government to supervise and co-ordinate the implementation of Government policies and programmes through various Ministries, Bureaux, Commissions. Boards, Parastatals and other agencies. The State has one Federal University and one College of Education, while the State Government has one University, one Polytechnic and one College of Education. Also, the State hosts two Private Universities. There is a high potential for more in the nearest future. In the area of tertiary health care, the Federal Government maintains a visible presence by providing the State with one Psychiatric Hospital and one Federal Medical Centre. The State also has a University Teaching Hospital.

lnfrastructure: Two major expressways pass through the State from Lagos to the Northern and Eastern parts of the Country, namely, the Lagos-Ibadan and Sagamu-Benin Expressways, while the third one from Sango-Ota to Abeokuta is under construction. Another Trunk "A" road links Abeokuta to Ibadan. There is also the Ota-ldi-Iroko Road and the Sagamu Intercnange, Ilaro-Ohunbe Road which leads to the rest of West African countries. Most urban centres have water works but only Abeokuta has adequate water from the source. Other major settlements have between 25per cent and 70per cent of their present demand. Rural areas are generally poorly supplied. with only about 50per cent having access to potable water.

The only source of power in the State is the national grid owned and operated by the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria ltd, successors to the National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA). The installed capacity is 460KVA, and a large percentage of this serves Agbara and Ota industrial estates. Artificial demand is estimated at 350KVA. The major transmission lines in the State are 132KV lines, but the State is not yet fully covered by them. For example, the State Capital, Abeokuta, is supplied by only one leg, rendering it vulnerable whenever there are faults along this line. The distribution which is by 33KV lines has also not effectively covered the State, although all major towns have been conected. In general, while the urban areas can be said to have reasonable power supply, the rural areas are still in dire need. Telecommunications and postal Services are available in all the local government areas of the State. This is in addition to a modern Digital telephone exchange of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) being provided by MTN, Celtel (formerly VMobile), Globacom and NITEL. Other means of communication are Radio and Television Stations owned by the State and Federal Governments. These are the Gateway Broadcasting Corporation made up of GTV and Gateway Radio (AM & FM), the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode, as well as the Paramount FM of the FRCN.

Economic Activities: Agriculture is the main occupation of the people, providing income and employmentfor a large percentage of the population. The State is blessed with a conducive climate that supports cultivation of a variety of crops such as yam, cassava, maize, rice, plantain, beans, vegetables and citrus fruits such as orange, paw-paw, pineapple and so on. The main cash crops produced in the State are cocoa, cashew, kola nut, oil palm and palm kernels, rubber and coffee. The Agricultural Policy of the State is to increase agricultural output substantially as a weapon against malnutrition and a means of improving the standard of living of the people, as well as producing for export. The State is a major producer of kolanut in the country. The State also produces rubber on a large scale, as well as timber of various species. Out of the total land area of about 16,409 square kilometres, about 20 per cent is preserved as forest reserves.

The Forest Reserves have over 26,352ha of gmelina, teak and pine. All these species are available as raw material for pulp and other wood based industries. Because of their abundant natural resources, ample level of infrastructure and availability of recreational facilities, these forest reserves have become a viable Tourist Centre. There are large-scale industries in the State, both privately and publicly owned. The private industries include cement, pharmaceuticals, paint, ceramics, roofing sheets, plastic, agro allied, foods and beverages, foam, breweries, distilleries, soaps and detergents, to mention a few. Government-owned industries are the Gateway Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Ikangba, Gateway Industrial and Technical Company Limited, Gateway Hotels at Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Otta, amongst others. Moreover, Iwopin (Ogun Waterside) is witnessing a rebirth in the development of the multimillion naira Paper Mill in the State.

There is also a salt Industry at Ijoko Ota. As a complement to the economic activities of the State, there is a good network of roads for the transportation of goods. However, transportation within the coastal areas of the State is by speedboats and canoes. The basic objectives of setting up most of the industries are to meet the local demands for manufactured goods, provide industrial outlets for locally produced raw materials and provide employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled manpower. While some people find employment in the public service, others are engaged in private concerns, and specialise in professions such as tailoring, wood works and carpentry, cloth weaving, tie and dye and the like. The small scale industries are mainly private initiatives.

These include farming, bakery, sawmilling, metal fabrication, woodworks and carpentry. Within the rural society, the major traditional economic activity of women is subsistence farming. Some of the literate women in the urban areas are employed in the mainstream of the public service, while a number of others are engaged in petty trading. The riverine areas of the State specialise in fishing, lumbering and boat building. Both the Federal and the Ogun State Governments provide a wide range of gainful employment in the State through the long established Public Service, which include the Judiciary, the Military, the Police Force, Customs, Immigration and Prison Services, Local Government service, Residential and Industrial Estates and Sports Stadia.