Ondo City
| Ondo Ode Ondo | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
Yaba Street, Ondo | |
| Nickname(s): Ekimogun | |
  Ondo Ondo shown within Nigeria | |
| Coordinates: 7°05′20″N 4°47′57″E / 7.088923°N 4.7990935°E | |
| Country |
 Nigeria |
| State | Ondo State |
| Local government | Ondo West LGA, Ondo EastLGA |
| Government | |
| • Executive Governor | Olusegun Mimiko |
| Population | |
| • Total | 275,917 (est) |
| • Ethnicities | Ondo |
| • Religions | Christianity, traditional African religions, Islam |
| Website |
ondostate |
Ondo City is the second largest city in Ondo State, Nigeria. It has a population of 364,960. [1] Local industries include food processing, wood processing, cocoa manufacture, and the cultivation, harvest and processing of plantains.
Ondo City is primarily inhabited by the Yoruba.
Ondo has two stadiums: a 5,000 capacity stadium in the Adeyemi College of Education, and Ondo City Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,000 and a division two football professional team which Rising Stars F.C. and The Works Football club.
Companies in Ondo include Premier Metal Industry, John Holt, Nigerian Romanian wood industry, Stanmark cocoa processing company (now Cadbury Nigeria plc), Kiranil Nigeria Limited, Sunshine Cassava Processing Company and wood industry, China Railway Construction Corporation Limited CRCC, and the Nigerian concrete industry.
Popular festivals celebrated in Ondo include Odunbami, Ogun festivals and Ekinmogun day.
Ondo City is the trade center for the surrounding region. Yams, cassava, grain, and tobacco are grown. Cotton is also grown, and is used to weave cloth called Aso Oke fabric. Ondo City is the largest producer of cocoa products in the region.[2]
The title of the king of the town, who reigns as a direct descendant of the fabled Emperor Oduduwa, is "Osemawe". The serving incumbent is Dr. Victor Kiladejo, who was selected in September 2006 following the death of the former king, Dr. Festus Ibidapo Adesanoye.[3]
Education institutions
- Ondo State University of Medical Sciences is a university of medical sciences owned by the Ondo State Government, established in 2015. It is the third specialized university in Africa, and Nigeria's first specialized medical university to be accredited by the National Universities Commission.
- Wesley University of Science and Technology is a private university owned by the Methodist Church of Nigeria.
- Adeyemi College of Education is a federal government higher education institution located in Ondo City, Ondo State, Nigeria. It is a degree-awarding university affiliated to Obafemi Awolowo University, and is ranked as the best college of education.
- TechVille,[4] also known as Technology Village, is a public-private partnership/technology initiative between the Ondo State government and MIDATCO Ventures Limited (an affiliate of the US-based MIDATCO LLC). The city, which will eventually sit on 300 hectares, is a technology park that incorporates the best of 21st-century style residential, commercial, hospitality, educational, health and recreational facilities. TechVille (Ondo) is the pioneer execution of the TechVille concept in Africa. Upon completion, TechVille (Ondo) will be the largest sustainable clean energy community in development in Africa.
- John Bosco Institute of Technology, Ondo City
- NIEPA, Ondo, Nigeria: The National Institute for Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Nigeria, conceived by the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with UNESCO -HEP Paris, is a sub-regional staff college.
- Popular secondary schools include Ondo Boys High School, St. Joseph's College, Ondo Grammar School, St. Helen's Unity Girls' secondary School, St. Louis Catholic School, St. Monica's Grammar School, Hallmark Secondary School, Adeyemi College of Education, and Demonstration Secondary School. The Ondo Boys' High School, founded in 1919, is one of Africa's 50 oldest schools.[5] These are a few out of over two hundred public and private schools in the city.
Medical Village
The Medical Village comprises the 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital, Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre, trauma hospital, kidney hospital, call centre, emergency medical services (EMS) hospital, Heliport, staff quarters, staff school, shopping mall, and sports centre.
- Trauma and Surgical Hospital is an all-purpose trauma care facility and special surgery centre, the first of its kind in Nigeria. It recently got accreditation for post-graduate residency training by the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN).
- Mother and Child Hospital: The need for a well-structured and functional two-way referral system from the basic and comprehensive health facilities led to the construction of the 100-bed facility Mother and Child Hospital (MCHA). This facility has reduced child and maternal mortality by 50%. Its goal is to bring free, qualitative, effective, and sustainable health care to women and children where they live work and play. The World Health Organisation has chosen the hospital as a research centre for child and maternal health care delivery and also as an affiliated institution by two American universities.
- Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostics Center is a state-of-the-art diagnostic centre with modern equipment and facilities, computerised tomographic scan (CT scan), sonography station/color, Doppler, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), digital X-ray, MRI system room, mammography, pathology, video conferencing auditorium stations, telemedicine and a VIP lounge. The center is in conjunction with MeCure India Healthcare Limited.
- Kidney Dialysis Hospital is a state-of-the art kidney care centre with 15 kidney dialysis machines and a complete team of medical personnel.
- Cardiac Intervention Centre
- Radiotherapy and Cancer Institute
- Ondo State Specialist Hospital is an all-purpose general hospital located in the heart of the city.
There are also various public and private hospitals and maternity centres across the city.
Tourism and hospitality
There are investment opportunities in the tourism sector within Ondo and in nearby towns. Idanre and Oke Igbo are favorite destinations for domestic and international tourists, less than 30 minutes away from Ondo by car. Hotels and event centres abound in the city of Ondo. Of note are the Polak International Hotels, Afinju Hotel Resort and Suites, Level 2 Lounge, Faith Hall and Hotels, Esporta Suites and Hotels, Leisure Spring Hotels, Sunny Sky, Adesuper Hotels and Cinema, Akiavic Blue Roof Hotels, Oba Adesanoye Civic Centre, Adoc, and Bimoor Event Centre.
Notable natives and residents
- King Sunny Adé, also known as king of juju; Nigerian musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and a pioneer of modern world music; been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time[6]
- Reverend Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi (1909–1980), founder of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), while pastor Enoch Adeboye take over as General Overseer
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (born 1967), British actor and former fashion model; born in Islington, London to Nigerian parents of Yoruba, Ondo City origin; he is fluent in several languages including Yoruba, Italian, and Swahili
- Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE (born 1952), royal portrait painter; born in Ondo City; in 2001 she painted the official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee
- Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, actress, singer, philanthropist and former model of Ondo City descent from Lagos; since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, she was honoured in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world alongside Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Kate Middleton[7]
- Frederick Fasehun (born 1938), medical doctor, hotel owner, and leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC); born in Ondo City[8]
- Gani Fawehinmi, SAN SAM, activist and philanthropist
- Olu Maintain, born Olumide Edwards Adegbolu; rose to prominence in 2007 with the release of the hit song "Yahooze" from his debut studio album Yahooze, the song won the Nigeria Entertainment Award in 2008 for Hottest Single of the Year;[9] in 2008, he performed "Yahooze" at the Royal Albert Hall, London and brought on stage Colin Powell, the former United States Secretary of State[10]
- Olusegun Mimiko, Governor of Ondo State; former Nigerian minister of housing and urban development
- Godfrey Oboabona (born 1990), international footballer who plays for Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor, as a defender; born in Ondo[11]
- Ifedayo Oladapo, OON, NNOM (1932-2010), academic and professor of civil engineering at the University of Lagos
- Victor Oladokun, a creative force behind several cutting-edge TV programs; has presented hundreds of episodes of leading international news and magazine programs such as CBN World News and Turning Point International; CEO of 3D Global Leadership
- Archbishop Timothy Olufosoye (c. 1907/1912-1992) was the first Primate of the Church of Nigeria
- Wale (born 1984), American rapper of Maybach Music Group; born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in Northwest, Washington, D.C.;[12] his parents are of the Yoruba Ondo City ethnic group of south-western Nigeria and came to the US from Austria in 1979
References
- ↑ "The World Gazettrer". Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ↑ "Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ↑ "Ondo Kingmakers Pick Medical Doctor As Osemawe-Elect". Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ↑ http://www.tech-ville.com/
- ↑ "AfricaAlmanac.com". Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ↑ Gini Gorlinski, The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time ISBN 978-1-61530-006-8, Publisher: Rosen Education Service (January 2010)
- ↑ Corliss, Richard (18 April 2013). "The 2013 Time 100: Omotola Jalade Ekeinde". TIME 100 (London). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ "Frederick Isiotan Fasehun at 77". ThisDay Live. September 23, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Sex is like breathing - Olu Maintain - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ↑ "Save the last dance". The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ↑ Godfrey Oboabona profile at Soccerway
- ↑ Wiltz, Teresa (October 21, 2007). "The Great Rap Hope". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
External links
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