Ilaro is a town in Ogun State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Ilaro town has a population of about 58,000 people. It is the headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area, now known as Yewaland, which replaced the Egbado division of the former Western State, and later became a part of Ogun State of Nigeria. Ilaro town is about 50 km from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, and about 100 km from Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos State.

Understand

History

Ilaro was founded in the 18th century by Aro who migrated from the then Oyo town to settle in Igbo Aje, a small hill situated at the centre of the town from where he and his warriors could sight enemies (mostly slave traders from the neighbouring Benin republic, then known as Dahomey) on attack from a long distance. Aro himself was a warrior and a hunter to be reckoned with. Ilaro had her name from the phrase "Ilu Aro," meaning the settlement of Aro, which later became Ilaro for ease of pronunciation. Ancient Ilaro town was blessed with great farmers, hunters and warriors out of which Orona and Osata ranked the files of Ilaro history.

History had it that Orona, when he became old, disappeared into the ground with his "Ekun" (Leopard) and told his people to call upon him whenever they might need his assistance, i.e. in times of war, just by pulling the chain attached to himself and the leopard as at the time of his disappearance into the ground. This spot of his disappearance is today known as the Orona Shrine, and it is the location where the coronation rites of every new traditional ruler of the town is performed.

People

Ilaro is basically a town of the Egbados, a tribe of the Yoruba ethnic group, and they speak the Egbado dialect of the Yoruba language. They represent bulk of the population in the town, though there are traces of other Nigerian languages too. An average Ilaro indigene also speaks the general Yoruba language and as well the English language to a satisfactory level.

Culture

The Ilaro people have a rich cultural heritage. They are the originator of the “bolojo“ and “gelede” dances, which are common dances among the Yorubas. The gelede dances usually feature a song known as "Efe," which is mostly composed to expose and correct ills done by people in the town. One wouldn't know that one is being noticed at every bad steps one took until a visit to a bolojo dance performance or the gelede dance stand, when specific songs will be composed and rendered to one's hearing. Listening to the Efe have always been cause to laugh, stress, as well as sorrows out ones life.

Several costumes and carvings of masks and breast plates are usually made for the gelede dance performance, which is usually held in the summer, and takes place in the town's market square.

Climate

The average temperature in Ilaro ranges between 23°C and 34°C.

Get in

By Train

You can get in via the west railway line, connecting the town to Lagos and Abeokuta through Ifo junction.

See

• Orona Shrine. Featuring statue of the legendary Orona of Ilaro and his leopard, a great warrior of ancient times in the history of Ilaro. 
• 1 Ilaro Oronna Statue. It is a shrine that was named after a great warrior who defended the town during the Yoruba Wars like the Kiiriji war. He was ferocious and brave, an intimidating opponent to challenge. Oronna took an oath to protect Ilaro even in death. Legend has it that he disappeared into the earth and can be summoned at any time to fight for Ilaro.
  Oronna festival is celebrated in his honour by the people of Ilaro every November. (updated Jun 2021)

Do

The town is home to several festivals among which are:

• The Egungun (Masquerade) festival. Usually last for three months with almost a daily dance and magical exhibitions at the Egungun play ground in the “Ago Ishaga“ area of Ilaro town. 
• The Orona Ilaro festival. It is perhaps the most significant festival in the town. It usually features such events as the Sisi Ilaro beauty pageant, a football match, masquerade displays and festival dances, talent hunt and lots more. 

Buy

• 1 Orita Shopping Center, Orita Area, ☏ +234 9035023223. M-F 6:30AM–11PM. It's a popular mini shopping mall at Orita area, Ilaro. 
• 2 Orona Shopping Mall, Oke-Ola Area. 

Sleep

• 1 Ibd Int'L Hotel, Ogundimu street, ☏ +234 8069274678. From ₦21,000. 
• 2 Marvellous Hotel 1, 20 Tunde Ibikunle Road. Affordable and pocket friendly. 
• 3 Yewa Frontier Hotel & Resort, Ibese Road, ☏ +234 9068782252. Check-out: 11AM. Standard hotel at the edge of the town. 
• 4 Gen Preston Hotel & Suite, No 23 Ishofin Road, Ilaro. Check-in: Tonight, check-out: Tomorrow. ₦11,000. (updated Dec 2022)
• 5 APRIL SUITES ILARO, Ilaro, ☏ +234 809 537 3907. Check-in: Tonight, check-out: Tomorrow. ₦7,500. (updated Dec 2022)

Connect

All major mobile phone service networks are available in Ilaro but with varying degree of reliability and usability. Often times, it is customary to experience network outage for all or some of the mobile phone service providers. Such situation is particularly common in some remote areas of the town. And it is also common for different networks to be more stable and reliable in different locations at different times.

Since you can't tell which will be more stable and reliable at a time in your location during your visit, it is preferable if you are planning a visit to this city to plan on having multiple SIM cards that cut across all the mobile service providers. And if you will risk not having any of them, you might be better off not risking the MTN network, because, from indications, it seems to perform well than the others, though its rates may be high and its offers and services might be stringent, but you are less likely to be concerned of erratic voice and data connection compared to others. The various broadband cellular networks available include 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, but the coverage of the 4G network is not widespread.

Of the service providers is Glo (or Globacom), which boasts of fast network speed for internet browsing activities, but that might not be enjoyable in many locations in Ogbomosho. Airtel is fairly satisfactory for all you might need to connect to the world, including rates and network stability. And for 9mobile, it usually also performs well in internet browsing speed but not without locational limitations.