I hit the ancient Egba city called Abeokuta, now the capital of Ogun State, on Sunday, 11th August, 2024, at exactly 12:05 PM West Africa time, Ghana excluded.

I really enjoyed my ride from another ancient city—Ilorin. This was an adventurous journey because I had a stopover in Ilorin. I left Abuja, the most beautiful capital city in West Africa, on Saturday, 10th August. We traversed through the vast Niger state. Passing through those ancient Nupe settlements—Lapai, Lambata, Ageiye, Bidda, and Mokwa—before reaching the famous Jebba bridge and finally, Ilorin. I devoured everything. Nigeria is blessed with natural endowments such as rivers, forests, hills, plains,plain,valleys,etc.

OLUMO ROCK:

According to my guide, the name Abeokuta means "Under the Rock." And Olumo Rock was the original settlement of the Egba people after the collapse of the old Oyo Empire. 

As we climbed the rock, we reached a shrine. There I saw a man, or a priest, sitting in front of the shrine. In those days, according to my guide, people made human sacrifices in this shrine. The sacrifice was meant to prevent people from falling down from the mountain. But now the adherents of traditional religion make sacrifices with animals such as goats, birds, etc to seek divine help.

From the shrine, the next point is the Egba Wartime hideout. This is a cave strategically built in the rock. It was used to hide people from enemies during war. In this cave, there are six holes that served various purposes, such as mortar for pounding yam, etc. I also saw cowries, the ancient African currency.

As I summited the rock, which is 137 meters above sea level, I was able to have an uninterrupted view of this ancient city. From atop the rock, I could see the Ogun River, the central mosque, and the Baptist Boys' High School, among other several iconic monuments.

Sitting on the peak of this mountain, 137 meters above sea level, I pondered about the great Egba people and how they leveraged their natural environment for protection from enemies. I found a new love for this country of ours endowed with natural beauty and resolved that I would never betray my country. 

My unwavering faith in one Nigeria gets strengthened every minute.