Akokoland before Colonial Rule: Earliest Times to 1900

Abstract

The study examines the evolution and the growth of mini-states into towns and villages in Akokoland. During this period of emergence, these mini-states were very significant and were contributory factors to the urbanisation processes that took place in western and southeastern Yorubaland. In spite of their significant contributions to the growth of mega-states in western and southeastern parts of Yoruba land in the nineteenth century, much scholarly attention has not been given to the study of the mini-states. Thus, besides highlighting the value of the mini-states to historical reconstruction in Akokoland, the scope covers pre-interruption of the indigenous patterns of settlement in the Akoko region during the British administration. The level of neglect of the examination of mini-states in Yoruba historiography by early scholars is worrisome and thus informs the writing of this paper. However, the present study complements the paltry existing literatures, which are of course, considerable works on Yoruba history. The paper identifies the pre-historic histories that had existed before the colonial era. The paper concludes that local history is a valuable source of historical reconstruction.

Key words: Akokoland, Colonial rule, Evolution, Mini-states, Urbanisation, Historical reconstruction