Акоко: Йоруба халқының солтүстік-шығыс тобы

Yoruba cultural sub group in the Northeastern part of Yorubaland

The Akoko are a large Yoruba cultural sub group in the Northeastern part of Yorubaland. The area spans from Ondo State to Edo State in southwest Nigeria. The Akokos as a subgroup make up 20.3% of the population of Ondo State. Out of the present 18 Local Government Councils it constitutes four; Akoko North East, Akoko North West, Akoko South East and Akoko South West, as well as the Akoko Edo LGA of Edo State. The Adekunle Ajasin University, a state owned university with a capacity for about 20,000 tertiary education students and more than 50 departments in seven faculties is located in Akungba Akoko. A state specialist hospital is situated at Ikare Akoko, while community general hospitals are located in Oka Akoko and Ipe Akoko. Arigidi, is a dialect cluster, It is spoken in the LGAs of Akoko North East, Akoko North West, Ekiti East, and Ijumu.

Akoko comprises about 45 small towns and villages, predominantly situated in rocky outcrop areas of northern Ondo state. The rocky terrain nevertheless, may have helped the region to become a melting pot of sorts with different cultures coming from the north, eastern and southern Yoruba towns and beyond. Akoko became one of the few Yoruba clans with no distinctive local dialect. Major Akoko settlements include; Ọkà, Ikare, Oba, Ikun, Arigidi, Ugbe, Ogbagi, Okeagbe, Ikaram, Ibaram, Iyani, Akungba, Erusu, Ajowa, Akunu, Gedegede, Isua, Auga, Ikakumo, Supare, Epinmi, Ipe, Ifira, Ise, Iboropa, Irun, Iye, Afin, Igashi, Sosan, Ipesi, Etioro, Ayegunle and Oyin. In addition to this group, there are several other autonomous communities of varying sizes. The Akokos occupy a frontier zone of Yorubaland and are bound to the north by the Owé Okun Yorubas and the Ebira people, to the west by the Ekitis, to the south by the Owos and the Owan/Ora, and to the east by the Afemai groups. Ikare Akoko is the biggest city in the Akoko area with around 150,000 inhabitants as at 2008. It has an I. C. T resource centre where its people have the opportunity to connect to and communicate with other individuals across the country and around the world. Oka Akoko is the second largest city in Akokoland, with a population of 132,800. It is made up of 5 distinct settlements of Ayegunle Oka, Oke Oka, Iwaro Oka, Okia Oka and Isimerin Oka. It is notable for the Oke Maria Catholic Grotto, a popular tourist site. Oba Akoko is another town in Akoko South West Local Government. Oba is the gateway to Akokoland as it is the first settlement encountered in a northward direction from the Owo community into the Akoko community.

The predominant traditional occupations of the community include large scale agriculture, trading and teaching. The Akoko and Ekiti Yorubas have a socio cultural value concept known as Omoluka analogous to the general Yoruba concept of Omoluabi which summarises the ethos and virtues of the ideal Akoko man or woman a person's identity of integrity or uprightness. This concept has played a significant role in the indigenous integration, interaction and administration among the people.

The climate at Akoko, which is 97.65 metres (320.37 feet) above sea level, is classified as tropical wet and dry or savanna (Aw). The district's average annual temperature is 0.69% lower than Nigeria's averages at 28.77oC (83.79oF). 233.37 millimetres (9.19 inches) of precipitation and 267.89 wet days (73.39% of the time) are Akoko's usual yearly precipitation totals.