EPE OF BEFORE

Aerial view of Epe town Epe community in Epe Local

Government Area of Lagos State is a kingdom. A spicy blend

of the rural and the cosmopolitan with its assorted of

traditional rulers and many settlements.Epe is indeed in a

class of its own.and is obviously ancient yet cosmopolitan.
Basically divided into two – Eko Epe and Ijebu Epe the

community is made up of many defined mini towns headed by

first class obas. Popular among them include the Olu Epe of

Epe, the Oloja of Epe, the Alara of Ilara, the Aladeshoyin of

Odo-Noforija, the Alaketu of Ketu, the Orijeru of Igbooye and

the Olofin Ajaiye of Orugbo and Iddo. In Epe, life revolves

around the lagoon, which is so vast that when water

transportation was still popular in Nigeria, it links Lagos with

the Niger Delta and the Mahin and Ayetoro people of Ondo.

Those were the days when Epe and Ejinrin were the hub of

commerce in Lagos as many of the multinationals like PZ had

stations there, the water transportation was also very

important for the ferrying of plywood to all parts of the

country because the Epe plywood, a subsidiary of the Odua

conglomerate was waxing strong there.
Though the inhabitants also occupy themselves with some

farming, fishing is the major occupation. This is due to the

fact that the ancient town beautifully dotting the coastline has

a rich aquatic culture. The riverine area leaves no option than

for inhabitants to glorify in the presence of the lagoon,

fishing therefore is a daily occupation for them and fishes are

very cheap compared to other areas within Lagos. This may

be the reason

Epe is given the appellation, Epe eleja. Epe community is filled

with Yoruba people who speak the Eko and Ijebu dialect. The

women generally engage in commerce while a great

percentage of the men engage in fishing although there are

artisans who thrive as tailors, barbers, carpenters,

bricklayers,welders, mechanics and others.
The entire town of Epe is awash with creeks and rivers and is

bounded in some areas by the Lekki Lagoon. Peculiarly, Epe is

like other areas within Lagos, yet, it is quite different from

them because it is a part of Lagos in the political context but

closer to Ogun state geographically . Its landscape is also

sharply undulatingin many areas while the streets are narrow

and winding and usually two-laned. The network features a

number of streets with good coatings of asphalt while many of

the houses are quaint, bearing proof to the town’s ancient

origins.
Although the first settlers in the riverine Epe were fishermen

from across the Lagoon, the flight of King Kosoko from Lagos

Island to Epe, during the fight over the Iga Idungaran stool

between him and Oba Akintoye, properly established it as a

town because very many people joined him from Lagos to

settle in Epe. Today that flight is celebrated as part of the

very famous Kayo-Kayo festival which is observed during the

Islamic celebration of Muharram. Among those who followed

Kosoko to Epe were the Eko’s from the Island, Hausa and Nupe

people who were warriors and alfas and assorted tribesmen

who believed in the monarchy of King Kosoko.
In many areas of Epe, there is acute water shortage; incessant

power outage and high unemployment. The health care

facilities are good – there are primary health care centers at

Odomola and Itoikin . There is also a general hospital and

many private clinics and maternity homes. Also, Epe can

boast of its own fire station which is not a peculiarity of many

areas within Lagos.
Epe is also host to a satellite campus of the Lagos State

University (LASU) while it also hosts the Sir Michael Otedola

College of Primary Education. Epe community is a tourist

center. There are manysites of tourist attraction there; site of

boat regatta, the Kosoko statue at Popo Oba, the Urakuloye

statue in Itamarun, Oju Alaro shrine, Oke Ipebi, Epe

recreation centre, the sand beach, the lagoon front, the

architectural masterpiece that is the first Epe Central mosque

that was erected as far back as 1928 in Oke Balogun Epe, etc.

This is not isolated as all the over the community are many

mosques which is a veritable reflection of Epe being a solely

moslem community though there are also some churches, a

development which started about ten years ago Public

transportation in Epe is like in other areas, the community is

serviced on land by taxis, buses and the commercial

motorbike riders called okada. Many boats also ferry

commuters between Epe and various destinations within and

outside Lagos State.
The town is also an institution when it comes to agriculture.

The local government area yields substantial volumes of rice,

cassava, cocoa, oil palm and plantains/banana, maize, ginger

and sundry vegetables found in farmlands scattered about the

commuinity. Epe Local Government Area covers about 316

communities, 25 of which are urban or semi-urban

settlements. The council is so big that a kind of traditional

parliament incorporating district chiefs/clan heads.
Because it is a riverine settlement, Epe boasts of fishes,

shrimps, lobster and various other water resources. It can be

said to be the cheapest fish market as big fishes were found

on sale at the popular Ayetoro and Oluwo market.
There is no doubt that Epe has evolved from the big but rural

community to a cosmopolitan settlement while retaining its

old look. And to its credit, this very ancient town, in 1992,

produced the governor of Lagos State in the person of Sir

Michael Otedola. Epe was also the only town that

produced two federal ministers at the same time in the

persons of Chief Dapo Sarumi as Minister of Information and

Chief Yomi Edu as Minister of Special Duties.
Indeed Epe has truly evolved...