Where does the name Ikorodu come from? Historically, the name was derived from ‘ Oko Odu’ and was later changes to Ikorodu. The early settlers in the area were from Sagamu who came to hunt and to farm. The leader of the contigent was ‘Oga’ a prince of Remo who was said to have been the founder. It happened that the most notable plant on the farm was ‘Odu’ which grew plentiful. ‘Odu’ was used for cloth dyeing, Hence the earlier traditional trade of Ikorodu was cloth dying. The sons of Akarigbo named their settlement Oko Odu meaning the farm of Odu (Oko meaning the farm) Odu means something that blackens and since the plant was used to blacken and dye it, the name Odu became appropriate. A contingent of Benin immigrants joined the Sons of Akarigbo in this massive ‘Odu’ forest. The leader of the contingent was a wealthy and powerful man called Eregbouwa from the family of Oliha in Benin City. So history tells us. Both sides settled down amicably and the area, Oko-Odu, started to take shape into large settlement with influx of people from far and near. By agreement between the two early settlers groups, the constitution of Olisa was conceded to the Benin side. Thus LASUNWON and EREGBOUWA (Rebuwgbawa) became the first Oba or Oloja and the first Olisa of Ikorodu respectively. This was about 1630. There has been counter arguments among the early settlers within Ikorodu environ . It is not the wish of the complier of this brief history to go into this controversy or murky water of history but the fact remains that one of Lasunwon’s brothers Prince Sekumade stayed permanently at Ebute -Ikorodu now called IPAKODO. We also heard of OGBORIN from IDOWA who settled at ITUNMAJA Other important settlement of that time was Odo-Nla from where children of Prince Odeyemi Offiran of Ijebu Ode came to settle: Ogbodo settled at Itagbodo, Raselu at Ejina and poyenwa at Itun Poyenwa –in Isele Ward. Ikorodu is situated at a distance of approximately 36km north of Lagos. The town is bounded on the South by the Lagoon. In the north, Ikorodu shares a common boundary with Ogun State. While in the East, she has common boundry with Agbowa-Ikosi, a town in Epe Division of Lagos State. Ikorodu is a far and well, There was then an influx of settlers from the surrounding towns and villages. In identifying some of which are today called ‘Itun’. Each Itun has an exact boundry. There are about Sixteen or seventeen ‘Ituns’ in Ikorodu. Examples are: ‘Itunmaja is inhabited by people mainly from Idowa, an important Ijebu town. Itunwaiye ‘was occupied by people from ‘Iraiye’ (Iwaiye) in Ogun State, Remo’ and people of Itun Ojoru, are from Igbein, of Egba etc.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 12:43:08 +0000
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