The History of Oje Market in the Ancient City of Ibadan
According to the Gbonka of Ibadan, Oje Market has existed since 1884 during the reign of Iba Oluyole (a shortened form form for Basorun). The name “Oje” is derived from a town near Ijeru, close to Ilorin, where many people lived in the 1800s. When war broke out with the Fulani, the inhabitants scattered and migrated to Ibadan.
To determine where they should settle, their leader consulted an oracle. The oracle instructed him to place all their sacrificial materials in a mortar and walk around Ibadan Town until he could no longer carry the load. Following this instruction, the leader stopped at Idi Ayunre when he became too tired to continue.
Later, they resumed their journey and arrived at a place where they cleared the bush and found cowry shells, lead, and tubers of yam, among other things. Discovering lead (Oje) reminded them of their roots near Ilorin. They named the place Oje Market after their former home. Today, people from Oje Town near Ilorin celebrate the Oje festival annually.
People from Oyo, Ilorin, Iseyin, Ogbomoso, Iwo, Offa-Ile, and other Yoruba-speaking regions came to sell their hand-woven clothes at the market. Oje Market became a central hub for business transactions of native Yoruba clothing, attracting traders from across Africa, including Cotonou, Togo, and Ghana.
The Gbonka noted that most people who claim to be Ibadan indigenes are not originally from Ibadan. “I can tell you authoritatively that 90% of those claiming to be from Ibadan are actually from Oyo, Ilorin, Iseyin, Ogbomoso, Iwo, Offa-Ile, and other neighboring Yoruba-speaking towns. In fact, the first medical doctor in Ibadan, Dr. Agbaje, was not from Ibadan,” he stated authoritatively.
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