Ota, Ogun
[2] It also possesses a large market and an important road junction, found just north of the tollgate on the Lagos – Abeokuta Expressway.
As an enviable and great kingdom of note, it has very strong, sacred, and, of course, fortress traditions of origin, custom, culture, history and anthropology spiced with ethnological settlements and certified prudence spanning several centuries.
Other few places Orunmila visited after Ota, for one reason or the other, included Ado-Ekiti, Irun Akoko, Ilawe and Ifon.
The earliest Ota people set a fetish bowl according to Ifa divination on then river or stream, and sank on a river at Ota when others had not existed including Ogunfunminire, the progenitor of Isheri people but not the entire Aworiland because some Aworis denied vehemently the suggestion that their ancestors got to Isheri before moving to their present settlements.
John Thabiti Willis in 2018[8] further adduced to the oral traditions known as Irete Olota (Owonrin) and Osa Meji in (Odu Eleye), IFA offers an alternative accounts of the originality and founding of Otta by the Terrestrial mothers commonly known as witches-Eleye or Iyami Osoronga; and have since domiciled Otta from antiquity offering strong support for the fact that a human community or existence preceded the migrations to Otta by Ife Oodaye and related people.
Furthermore, to corroborate the above assertion on the traditions origin and founding of Otta, “The Archive of sound and vision, institute of African studies, University of Ibadan, the guiding and preservation of Irete Olota (Owonrin)[9] Ota today has grown from the ancient settlement founded by the Terrestrial mothers commonly known as witches-Eleye or Iyami Osoronga[8][9] into a thriving economic hub in Ogun State and Nigeria.
Ota began to grow into the industrial city it is today due to the economic development planning and lobbying by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Chief Bisi Onabanjo, former governor of Ogun State.
Beginning in the early 1970s, many businesses began building factories in Ota partly because it was less congested than the industrial estates in Lagos.
Private medical centers include Ace Medicare , St Shiloh Medical Center , Central Specialist Hospital, Ojugbele Specialist Hospital etc Ota is referred to as the mecca of Egungun deity and festival in Yoruba land.
At this arena, the entire masquerade gave an insight into their acquired new skills and magical performances that were later displayed one after the other in a carnival-like environment.
But before proceeding to the square, the Ege, accompanied by the Egungun Alagbadas, would head to Iga Elerinko to pick the sere abalaye (ancestral bell charm) which will be used in making supplications for the city.
With the sere ide, the Ege moves round the town along with other Egungun and participants, singing and dancing to the Bata drum.
This is closely followed by about 26 Alagbadas- whose appearance is also very expensive, fascinating and artistically colorful along with peculiar dancing steps and a demonstration of some magical dexterity.
Others are: Owolani, Eiyeba, Lebe-Oke, Labo-Ilawe, Lebe-Itimoko, Oya–Ijemo and Oya–Ikotun, all of which are danced and performed satisfactorily in quick succession at the square (Okede).
[18] The week long annual festival usually takes place in December[19] of every year, to showcase the cultural, spiritual and mystical heritage of the Ota Awori people.
