Ikorodu town has changed a lot in the last 40 years or so. In terms of area, it extended beyond the inner circular route (the old city wall). In other words, the whole of that area called ‘Aiyeluja’ –both sides of Ayangburen road extended to Solomade, Etunrenren, Lowa, Olori (both sided for Lagos road). The Ojogbe area, Gbasemo, Oriwu hotel area to Oluwakemi and Adaraloye streets both sides of Igbogbo road including Owode and Oriwu College, Mabodu area including Solafin etc.
The 1991 provisional census figure for Ikorodu Local Government area is 181,900. Out of this, at influx of people to Ikorodu from Lagos metropolis, popular of Ikorodu Township may have grown beyond 200.00. Our people are still farmers or engaged in Agro-related industries and sales outlets. About 60% of the people are engaged in trade and other businesses in Ikorodu or in the greater Lagos metropolis. These latter group shuttle daily between Ikorodu and Lagos. Our women are prominent traders in Lagos they dominated the textile business especially in the vibrant ‘Gota’ area, Ita Balogun, Alaloro, Apongbo etc. Someone has estimated that our women folk are so successful in business that they own about 60% of the wealth of all Ikorodu sons and daughters put together. Ikorodu people are great "Socialist" and they are hospitable, and entertaining perhaps, to a fail.
Some people, from within and from without, have criticised this crave among Ikorodu people and I believe that "too much of anything is bad"; I want to humbly suggest that we have to adjust especially during these ‘sappy’ days.
Culture
Culturally, Ikorodu people are great lovers and promoters of traditional festivals and culture. This is a measure of the extend to which there is religious tolerance among the people. It is not strange to find Christians and Muslims partaking in or supporting traditional festivals, overtly or covertly. There is hardly any family or household or compound where you will not find adherents of three main religions living peacefully together. The first festival in the year is the Odun Osu which is the traditional green light for other festivals to follow.
It, invariably takes place towards the end of the dry season and before the onset of the first rains. Odun Osu is, strictly speaking, a royal festival in which the highest traditional social club. "The Rogunyo" plays a very important role. After Odun Osu comes Magbo festival. Magbo festival had been described by a visitor as the ‘greatest carnival’ in this part of the world. Magbo festival, just as the Liwe festival that follows closely on its heels is a ‘Male-only’ affair. Both festivals are celebrated with the women folk keeping in-door for some 24 hours. Each of the festivals does not hold on Fridays or Sundays as a mark of respect for these Muslim and Christian holy days.
These concessions did not come by easily, for, in the past, Muslims and Christians had to embark on the ‘forceful show-down’ with Magbo organisers to the extent that communal peace was threatened. The other festivals are the "Eyibi" festival incorporating special outing by Eluku. Eluku’s role in our traditional society was that of executioner just as the osugbo was the traditional judiciary. It is interesting to note that in our traditional society was that it was run on the basis of absolute honesty. It was said that if an occasion arose for the sharing of money, no individual had the right to check the amount that was decreed to be his share. All he had to do was to stretch out his hands and put the money quietly into his pocket without any attempt to look at what was given out to him. Rank knew where he could sit down and what part of the carcass of an animal was due to his rank. Traditional, our fathers believed in ‘life after death.’ They were therefore scared stiff of doing anything immoral or dishonest.
Another important festival is the Ogun festival. This is celebrated during the late rains of September to October. It is the last traditional festival of the year and it is meant to appease the god of iron.
