This is a brief history of Olumo rock , click on this link to learn more about Olumo rock https://youtube.com/@elianasdiary7626. Or just type Elianas’Diary on YouTube, enjoy watching

1. Olumo rock has really played a significant role in the historical and cultural life of the Egba people
cannot be over-emphasised. Olumo rock is treasured by the Egba people, both home and abroad.
According to Sowunmi in his article, “Olumo Rock: Egba’s Monument of Faith”, two things arenotably
sacred to the Egba people, first is “Lisabi Agbongbo Akala” who represents their liberation from Oyo
empire, second is “Olumo rock”, which stands as a “monument of their faith”, faith in unity as the
source of national strength and stay in the unfailing protection and help of the supreme being who led
their ancestors through wars safely to Olumo rock in present day Abeokuta.
Olumo, which literarily means “the lord built”, has a philosophical connotation. There is another
meaning to Olumo, which is “OLUFIMO”, which means “the lord put an end to” To the Egba people, it
means more than something built by the lord. It means the end of their wanderings and struggles for
survival and existence. It was a refuge, a place of freedom and security from incessant attacks and
persecutions and fear of annihilation; it is their visible “guardian angel of unity and peace. Olufimo was
shortened to Olumo when the main body of Egba people arrived from Igbo Egba and found in it the
fulfillment of prophecy of the oracle. Just as Professor Biobaku puts it, “abe-Olumo (Abeokuta) was the
last bastion for the Egba”.
Olumo rock had served as a fortress for the Egba people in the early 19thC, in the course of several wars
with the Egba people that included the Owiwi war of 1832, not forgetting that the Egba people got to
Olumo in Abeokuta in 1830. Between 1830 and the turn of the century, Olumo rock had served as a
fortress for the Egba people who were forced to fight series of wars mostly for the survival of their new
kingdom. The Ijebu-Remo people provoked the Egba people into taking arms against several Ijebu-Remo
towns and villages after they tried invading and entering Abeokuta in the Owiwi war of 1832 . The war
ended at the Owiwi River.The Owiwi war was followed by an attempted invasion by Ibadan in 1834 in
which they challenged the Egba people into a battle, which resulted in a heavy defeat of the Ibadan
army at the battle of Arakanga (Ajisafe, 1948; Biobaku, 1985). In 1842, the Egba cemented their territory
to the offensive against Otta and incorporated the Kingdom into their territory and thereby controlled
the trade route to Ebutte-Metta (EbutteM’otta) on the coast. This was to ensure free movement of
goods and arms on their way through Otta territory. This led to another war to which they (Egba)
attacked Ado for assisting the Otta two years earlier. This was the first time they encountered the
Dahomey (Dahomi) soldiers. This first encounter gave them an insight into what the Dahomey soldiers
were like and further prepared for consequent wars with them ahead (Ajisafe, 1948, Biobaku, 1957).
The next war was the Egba-Dahomey war, which broke out as a result of territorial expansion caused by
the quest of Dahomey to stabilise her economy after breaking away from the Oyo Empire. The
Dahomeans saw that expanding their territory is the only solution to their economic problem. In 1851,
the Dahomean army under the rule of king Gezo marched into Abeokuta. However, the Egba army even
though unprepared, repelled the attack and killed many Dahomean soldiers due to their vantage point
of higher ground. Later, in 1853, the Egba people revenged by attacking and destroying Lefulefu and
Referefe, two towns at the border of Dahomey, with little resistance from the inhabitants. In 1864, the
Dahomey under the leadership of Gelele, son of Gezo, was defeated again after he attacked Abeokuta
with his soldiers for the second time. Dahomey kingdom was then forced to sue for peace, which ended
the protracted enmity between Egba kingdom and her kingdom that had existed for over a decade

2. (Biobaku, 1957). From the above series of wars fought by the Egba people since their arrival at Olumo, it
suffices to say that they never lost any war since then. Consequently,during the early 20thC and the
formative years of Abeokuta, Olumo rock moved from being a fortress to being sacred and a place for
religious rituals. Olumo rock is an outcrop of granite rocks located in the heart of Abeokuta between
Ikija and Ikereku neighbourhood. Olumo rock extends from Ijeun to Ilugun Asalu, a distance of over 3.2
kilometers and above 200 feet. For the Egba, Olumo is not just a rock but something that symbolizes
unity, strength and faith in the Supreme Being who guided them throughout the successive wars. It
holds spiritual relevance to the people of Abeokuta as it also stands as a place of worship, a sacred
sanctuary where deities dwell. Olumo rock is so vital to the history of Abeokuta that it is recognized in
the Egba anthem. It goes thus:
EGBA ANTHEM
Lori oke O’un petele, Ibe L’agbe bi mi si o, Ibe L’agbe to mi dagba o, Ile Ominira. Maayo maayo maayo o,
Lori Olumo; Maayo maayo maayo o, Lori Olumo. Abeokuta Ilu Egba; Un ko ni gba re; Un o gbe o leke
okan mi; Bi ilu odo oya; Emi o fi Abeokuta sogo; Un oduro lori Olumo; emi omo Lisabi. (National Library,
Ake).
Translation
On the Hill and the Steep; there I was Born; there I was brought up; the land of freedom. I will rejoice; I
will rejoice on Olumo, I will rejoice; I will rejoice on Olumo. Abeokuta, the town of the Egba; I will never
forget you; you will forever be in my heart; Like the River Niger; I will be proud of Abeokuta; I will stand
on Olumo; I the descendant of Lisabi. (National Library, Ake).
Olumo rock houses various shrines (Okungbowa, 2006). Olumo rock today serves as a tourist attraction
of international repute, moving from being a refuge in the early 19th C to being a religious centre in the
early 20th C and now to a tourist attraction. It is now fenced with recreational facilities at the base. It
used to be only accessible through a rung of steps artificially made. Olumo rock was given a facelift in
2006 with the introduction of electronically controlled elevators. There is now an alternative using the
elevators instead of the over 120 steps up to the peak of the rock. The elevator has a capacity of 21
persons (1,600kg). There is also a newly built museum of historical facts, an eatery, conference hall and
a power house as well as a spacious car park.