Odo Ere, popularly called Ere Gajo, is the headquarters of Yagba West Local Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria. The town is located in the old Kabba Province about 140 kilometres southeast of Ilorin. The people of Odo Ere share a common ancestry with the Yoruba people in South-West Nigeria and they are often referred to as Okun Yoruba people. The town is situated on a well-watered savannah plain consisting of dotted hills, forest and grassland. The topography earned the town the sobriquet: Ere Ọmọ Onilẹ Dun Rin, meaning "Odo Ere town with a beautiful flat terrain that enhances ease of movement".
Origins Odo Ere has a heritage dating back some centuries. The people of Odo Ere and their kin at Akata Ere and Oke Ere, who are collectively called Ere people, migrated from the old Oyo Kingdom. The founder of Ere was an old woman, who was believed to be a beautiful princess from the royal family in the Old Oyo Kingdom. She migrated with some people to settle at Akata more than five centuries ago. The princess who left Old Oyo with her people to settle at Akata was generally and popularly called Iya Agba (i.e. the old woman) from where the Yagba people derived their name and dialect. From the oral history account, Iyekolo stated that Iya Agba had three male children; the oldest boy remained at Akata with his mother, the younger boy migrated to build a settlement at Ẹgbẹ, while the youngest boy migrated to develop a settlement at Eri. It was believed that the oldest brother, who lived with his mother at Akata, created two settlements called Odo Oko Ere (i.e. the lower settlement), which metamorphosed to the modern-day Odo Ere town and the Oke Oko Ere (i.e. the upper settlement), which became the current Oke Ere town respectively. The people of Odo Ere are Yoruba people like the Yagba and entire Okun people, who are one of the Yoruba sub-ethnic groups that occupy the most North-eastern part of Yoruba land. The political and religious systems of the people of Odo Ere have the same in common with the rest of Okun-Yoruba people as documented by ethnoarchaeological scholars.
After settling at Akata for a long time, there was a gradual expansion in the population as it was a trade route connecting Katunga, the capital of the Old Oyo Kingdom with Kano and North Africa around 1700. The way of life of the Odo Ere people followed that of the Yoruba people as exemplified by their dialect, culture, tradition, names, folklore, norms and values that bear substantial affinity and semblance to Yoruba people in South-West Nigeria. Odo Ere consists of four Aku (i.e. clans) called Isaba clan, Ibaru clan, Oke Aga clan and Ipa clan. Each of the four clans is semi-autonomous with a democratic council of chiefs like other clans in Okunland under a unified and democratic socio-political leadership of the Elere of Ere.
Local capital Yagba West Local Government Area in Kogi State is located in the Kogi West Senatorial District along the Western region of the State where it adjoins with Kwara State on the latitude of 8,15N and 5,33E with a total land area of 11,276 km. Based on the 2006 census population figure, Yagba West Local Government Area has a population of 139,928 people then, which has been projected to 188,900 in 2016 by the National Population Commission of Nigeria. The eight communities that constitute Yagba West Local Government are traditionally called Akumejo meaning eight communities as recognised by Kwara State in 1982. From the popular oral history of West Yagba people, the historian Bolaji Iyekolo confirmed that Odo Ere is the oldest town among the eight communities that make up Yagba West Local Government. This fact was stated in 1995 by Chief Olatunji Simoyan in his book, Egbe Chronicles. In a Letter of Appreciation addressed to the former military President of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Babangida, by the Ere Welfare Association dated 29 October 1991 commending the General Babangida for siting the headquarters of Yagba West Local Government in Odo Ere, Ere Welfare Association categorically declared that Odo Ere is the earliest settlement in West Yagba accepted by the entire people of Yagba in Kogi State. This letter was contained on pages 46 to 51 in the book, The Making of Ere, authored by the historian Chief Bolagi Iyekolo. This fact was further substantiated with the British Colonial Government Memo dated 21 June 1930 in which the British Colonial Officer, Captain W.J. Warren stated that the traditional meeting place of all the people of West Yagba District had been at Okutadudu in Odo Ere. The eight communities consist of Ere, Ẹgbẹ, Okeri, Ọgga, Odo Eri, Ogbe, Ejiba and Okoloke. Given the fact that Odo Ere is acknowledged as the oldest town in Yagba West, it became de jure headquarters. Prior to the coming of the Europeans, Odo Ere was the headquarters and the meeting place of Akumejo people.
During the colonial era beginning from the 1890s, Odo Ere was designated as the headquarters of West Yagba District by the British colonial government. Odo Ere was duly acknowledged as the headquarters of West Yagba District in 1900 by the British authorities in the Ilorin Province. Also, the town was recognized as the headquarters of West Yagba District by the representatives of the British colonial administration such as the District Officer, Pategi-Lafiaji Division in 1933, the District Officer of Kabba Province in 1934 and the District Officer, Pategi-Lafiaji Division in 1934 respectively in their reports. When the Yagba Native Authority, comprising the West Yagba and East Yagba Districts, was created in 1934 Odo Ere was designated the headquarters of West Yagba District. Before 1934, the British administration separated the Yagba people under two broad administrative divisions consisting of West Yagba under the Pategi-Lafiagi Division and East Yagba under Kabba Division. Following Governor Donald Cameron's reform of Lord Lugard's indirect rule in Nigeria between 1931 and 1935, he corrected the anomalies of separating people with similar socio-cultural affinity in different administrative systems. Moreover, Governor Cameron suspended the idea of imposing a system of administration on a group of people without conducting prior investigations and consultations with them to identify the form of the native administration system that would best serve their interest. Against this background, the British colonial administration commissioned A.R Bailey, the Assistant District Officer of Pategi-Lafiagi Division, to conduct inquiries with the Yagba people on the integration of West Yagba and East Yagba under the Kabba Province and the nature of the native administration that would suit them. Following the fusion of West Yagba and East Yagba into the Kabba Province, Odo Ere was further designated as the headquarters of West Yagba. By 1938, West Yagba District had set up an elected Council as the preferred form of government that was best suited to their socio-political needs and aspirations. Furthermore, Iyekolo asserted that during the introduction of the autonomous regional government by the British administration in Nigeria between 1954 and 1960, the Edict of the Northern Nigeria Government of 1958 recognised Odo Ere as the headquarters of West Yagba District.
Under the administration of General Yakubu Gowon between 1966 and 1975, Colonel David Bamigboye, the then Governor of Kwara State, reaffirmed Odo Ere as the headquarters of Yagba West Local Government Area. In 1975, the government of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo, the then Governor of Kwara State, reasserted Odo Ere as the headquarters of West Yagba. Additionally, during the second Republic in 1982, the administration of Adamu Atta, the then civilian Governor of Kwara State, revalidated Odo-Ere as the headquarters of West Yagba when it was made the headquarters of Akumejo Local Government Area. More importantly, the government of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida reinstated Odo Ere as the headquarters of Yagba West Local Government Area when he created new nine states and many Local Government Areas on 27 August 1991.
Traditional political structure
Odo Ere is governed by a hierarchy of traditional political institutions. There are three major strata of traditional, political leadership structures in Ere consisting of the Elere (i.e. the Ọba of Ere), the Baale (the head of chiefs) and the Council of Chiefs consistent with the political tradition in many towns and cities in the Yoruba heartland. At the top of the hierarchical structure of leadership is the paramount ruler called Elere of Ere (i.e. the Ọba or the King of Ere), who is the equivalent of Ọba or King in Yoruba tradition practiced in Ile Ife and Oyo. The traditional political system in Ere is led by the Elere of Ere. Before the coming of the British colonial administration, Elere of Ere was duly recognised as the highest political leader in Ere During the arrival of the British colonial government, Elere of Ere was acknowledged as the apex authority over the Ere people.
The Elere is the monarchical head of the traditional government and institutions in Odo Ere land. Between 1861 and 1895, the reign of Elere Ogbamanu was prominent, and the colonial Government gave him a staff of office in 1900 in recognition of his authority. According to the Assistant Resident District Officer, Pategi-Lafiagi Division, in 1931 the Elere of Ere was the first District Head of West Yagba placed on a monthly salary of £1:18.5 and he was the highest-paid traditional ruler among his peers. The Elere maintains law and order in the town; he administers the affairs of the people and promotes peace and prosperity in the land. Under the 1916 Native Authority Ordinance promulgated by Frederick Lugard, a traditional ruler such as Elere of Ere, Baale of Ere or a Chief was empowered by the colonial government to maintain law, order and peace in their domain. Moreover, in the 1914 Native Court Ordinance enacted by Frederick Lugard, a court consisting of some native judges headed by the traditional ruler such as Elere holding court sessions to administer customary laws and try minor offences and crimes. Therefore, with the implementation of the Native Court Ordinance 1914 and the Native Authority Ordinance enacted by the Lugard colonial administration, the two Ordinances conferred some administrative, judicial, including political and economic responsibilities upon an Oba and a Baale, including Elere of Ere and Baale of Ere in 1914. After Sir Donald Cameron replaced Sir Frederick Lugard, in 1933 he introduced four major legislations that had some far-reaching implications on traditional political institutions in Odo Ere. With the implementation of the Sir Donald Cameron administration's Native Courts (Protectorate) Ordinance of 1933 and Native Authorities Ordinance of 1933, there was a reform of the traditional administration of law and justice in West Yagba District; the responsibilities of maintaining law and order, including the collection of taxes, and other functions fell on the shoulders of Elere.
The Elere of Ere is assisted by many chiefs appointed by him to carry out some delegated functions in the administration of the town as it is practiced in the traditional political system among Okun-Yoruba people. However, the throne of Elere of Ere is not necessarily hereditary as there are some towns in Yoruba land whose Obaship is not hereditary. Odo Ere people operate a non-hereditary Obaship similar to the Ibadan and Abeokuta kingdoms that used to practice an equalitarian style of appointment of Oba to provide for more upward mobility for its citizens. Odo Ere does not operate the dynastic kingdom leadership style that characterised the socio-political organisation that is common among some cities and towns in central Yorubaland, especially Ile Ife.