Ilaje

Ìlàje is a Local Government Area in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Igbokoda. The Ilajes are a distinct migratory coastal linguistic group of Yoruba peoples spread along the coastal belts of Ondo, Ogun, Lagos and Delta states and originally made up of four geo-political entities, namely: Ode Ugbo, Ode Mahin, Ode Etikan and Aheri. While most towns and villages in the Mahin kingdom (Ode Mahin) are distributed on arable lands, the towns and villages in the other three geo-politics of Ugbo, Aheri and Etikan kingdoms are spread out along the beaches and swampy terrains of the Atlantic Ocean coast. Ilajes were said to have left Ile Ife, their original ancestral home in the 10th century and migrated southwards towards the littoral coastline of southeastern Yorubaland. Today, they occupy the entire Atlantic shoreline of Ondo State, Nigeria with a significant proportion of the ilaje populace also settled on lands in the interior behind the coast such as Igbokoda. Ilaje land has an area of and a population of 290,615 at the 2006 census although the population can be said to have been under enumerated due to the riverine nature of the area, and lack of accessibility by road/land. Towards the western reaches, the Aheri and Etikan share border with the Ijebus. The Ikale to the north bound the Mahins, the Itsekiri people who the Ilajes consider their cousins, share the eastern border with the Ugbos, the Yoruba speaking Apoi and Arogbo Ijaws are located to the north east in Ese Odo LGA, and the Atlantic Ocean is situated on the southern boundary. The Ilajes are one of the most dynamic and enterprising people in Nigeria. Their aquatic skill, coupled with their ability to adapt enabled them to conquer their harsh geographical environment and turn it to their advantage. Consequently, they were able to build large communities like Ugbonla, Aiyetoro, Zion PePe and Orioke. Aiyetoro for example in its hey-days had the highest per capita income in the whole of Africa due to its early discovery of crude petroleum, and attracted visitors, tourists and researchers from all over the world.