The people of Akure belonged to the Yoruba tribe of Southwest Nigeria. They are said to originate from Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas. The name Akure is coined from ‘Akun-re’ which literally means ‘a bead cut’. It was said that a sojourner gave the name as he got to this particular site. The cutting of his bead was a sign to inhabit the land. Akure has two local government areas; Akure South and Akure North. The city is the capital of Ondo State, the Sunshine state. The people are led by the monarch titled ‘Deji’. One of the early kings of the town was privileged to have hosted Queen Elizabeth of England in his palace. There are two major rivers in Akure both named ‘Ala’. The main language spoken here is Yoruba and Akure dialect.
The people are predominantly farmers. They grow food crops such as yam, cassava, cocoyam, plantain, etc. They also cultivate cash crops such as Cocoa and Oil palm. They are also traders who deal in clothing materials, foodstuffs and so on. There is the popular Erekesan market also called Oja-Oba (King’s market) situated very close to the Deji’s palace. It is a very busy market that opens every day. There are other markets such as Ogbese, Isinkan, Arakale, Shasha (dominated by the Hausa communities) and Umesi.
The people have a rich culture and traditions. Masquerades are popular in various festivals. Festivals in the town includes the New Yam Festival (no one eats yam until is launched), Ulefunta festival (where the king stay indoor for seven days) and Amole (raiding of markets). Traditional dances include ‘Ijo-Omojao’ where women are half nude with beads on their head, neck, wrists and ankles dances to powerful vocals from the cultural group. There are masquerade dances too and there is a presence of Onibobo masquerade which climbs rooftops during festivals. Music includes the use of musical instruments such as drum, gong and sekere.
The favorite dish of the indigenes is pounded yam with vegetables (elegede) served with palm wine and bush meat. Dresses for men are agbada or danshiki (made from Aso-Oke called ‘Alai’). Women tie headgears, adorn with buba and iro with iborun to style. The people of Akure in their appraisals are referred to as ‘people with mouths sharper than swords’. Their mouths are weapon of mass destruction. The modern day Akure people are learned and well-to-do group of people. They have contributed to the growth of the country in all the fields they find themselves.