Ìlá Òràngún

Ìlá Òràngún (or Ila) is an ancient city in Osun State, Nigeria, that was capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in south-western Nigeria. Ìlá Òràngún is the more populous sister-city (and sister-kingdom) of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún, located about 7.5 miles (12 km) to the north-east. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Ila Orangun are 8.019116 and 4.901962 respectively.[1] According to the information obtained from GeoNames geographical database, the population of Ila Orangun in Osun State, Nigeria is 179,192.

It is the headquarters of the Ila Local Government Area. In addition to Ila Orangun, the other towns and villages in Ila Local Government Area include Abalagemo, Aba Ododo, Ajaba, Alagbede, Ayetoro Obaaro, Edemosi, Ejigbo-Orangun, Gaa Fulani, Oyi Ayegunle and so on.

The people of Ila speak the distinctive dialect of the Yoruba language called Igbomina (or Igbonna). A common traditional profession of the indigenes of the town is palm-wine tapping. This profession is referenced in one of the most popular songs and common sayings about the town of Ila. The proverb Ila ‘o l’oogun, emu l’oogun Ila means “Ila has no special medicine or magical preparations other than palm-wine”. A folk song also says Ila ni mi, ise mi o le/ti mo ba wa l’orun ope bi ‘ofusia’ ni i ri, which translates into English as “I am a citizen of Ila, my profession is very easy; if I am on top of a palm tree, I feel like I am upstairs in a multi-storey building.”

Orangun Palace – Ila Eekun
Ila-Orangun is the home of the Oyo (now Osun) State College of Education. The African Heritage Research Library was established in 1988.