Get to know us

About Us

The Olumo Progressive Association of NY/NJ is a nonprofit organization created in 1989. It is a chapter of the Egba National Association Inc. USA/Canada. Our main purpose is to positively impact the quality of life for the less privileged and vulnerable people in Abeokuta through projects that will improve basic human needs. We seek to promote the wellness of Egbaland through these various projects in Abeokuta. These projects are largely supported by charitable donations which are greatly appreciated.

We also seek to cultivate increased recognition and appreciation of the Egbaland heritage by encouraging the cultural immersion of our young people through social and voluntary events while furthering their understanding of the language, history, arts, etc. We hope to motivate many of our younger people in diaspora to become active participants of the culture and its events.

Overall, through social interaction around cultural activities we provide a space for adults and the older generation to mentor which fosters intergenerational engagement, socialize and in general continue to connect with the culture here in diaspora and the Egba homeland.

Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Our People and culture

Abeokuta, meaning “Refuge Among Rocks,” was established around 1830 by Sodeke (Shodeke), a hunter and leader of the Egba refugees escaping the collapsing Oyo empire. In the 1840s, the town also attracted missionaries and Sierra Leone Creoles, who eventually became influential as missionaries and entrepreneurs. Abeokuta’s rise as the Egba capital and its strategic position in the Lagos-Ibadan oil palm trade led to conflicts with Dahomey (now Benin). In the 1851 battle at Abeokuta, the Egba, supported by missionaries and supplied with arms by the British, defeated King Gezo’s Dahomeyan forces, notable for their female warriors. Another Dahomeyan assault was successfully repelled in 1864.