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Oju Local Government Area

Oju was one of the pioneer local governments among the Three Hundred and One (301) local government areas created as a product of the progressive and revolutionary local government reform of 1976 in Nigeria.

Headquarters

Oju town / council ward.

Created

February, 1976

The people

The Igede are the dominant ethnic group in the local government and the people speak Igede dialect. The Igede people are accommodating and tolerant of visitors. They people make the non indigenous tribes in the locality feel very welcomed and at home. Igede people at home lehave a rich culture that is a totality of the people’s way of life, heritage, language, history, geography and belief system. The traditional rulers have the mandate as custodians of the peoples’s culture to preserve and promote it, alongside the elders of the communities, individuals, and the local government authorities.

Population:

700,000 people (2013 estimate)

168,491 people (2006 estimated census)

Occupation:

Farming, Trading, and Civil Service

Agricultural produce:

The land is very fertile and about 80% of the inhabitants are farmers. Its rich and diverse agricultural endowment include: yam, rice, beni seed, guinea corn, palm, soya beans, cassava, millet, maize, groundnut, and palm oil.

The economy is dependent on agriculture (food and cash crops) produced in commercial quantity.

The people of Oju are also involved in: Livestock keeping, Fishing, and Hunting

Geo-Location

South East

Landmass

100,000 Sq Km

It covers a land area of 1,283 square kilometers and ranges from 200m to over 500m above sea level

Boundaries

  1. North: Obi and Gwer local government
  2. East: Konshisha local government
  3. West: Ado local local government
  4. To the South – Ebonyi and Cross River States of Nigeria.

Mineral Resources

Oju Local Government Area has proven reserves of solid minerals like:

  1. Limestone
  2. Precious stone
  3. Bauxite
  4. Coal
  5. Clay
  6. Zinc, and
  7. Salt

These mineral deposits are currently untapped even though they’ve been proven to be present in commercial quantity.

Languages:

Igede

Distance from Makurdi:

115km (1hr 20min)

Area code:

JUX

Districts:

  1. Igede Central (Oju I) district / state constituency and
  2. Uwokwu (Oju II) district / state constituency

Council wards:

  1. Adokpa council ward
  2. Ibilla council ward
  3. Idelle council ward
  4. Iyeche council ward
  5. Oboru Oye council ward
  6. Oju council ward
  7. Okpokpo council ward
  8. Okudu council ward
  9. Owo council ward
  10. Ukpa council ward, and
  11. Ainu council ward

Markets in Oju:

Oju currently has five market days, namely:

  1. Ihigile
  2. Ihio
  3. Ihiobila
  4. Ihiejwo
  5. Ihiokwu

Religion

Basically, there are two religions in Oju Local Government Area. The predominant Christianity on one hand and the traditional African religion on the other. The people of Oju are about eighty five percent (85%) Christians and about fifteen (15%) traditional worshippers.