Ifo

Ifo is a town and local government area in Ogun State, Nigeria, in the south-west of the country within reach of Lagos. The local government area covers about 521 square kilometres and recorded 698,837 residents at the 2006 census. It takes in a string of communities beyond Ifo town itself, among them Agbado, Akute, Ajuwon, Ibogun, Ibaragun, Itoki and Mapara, which together make up what is called the Ifo Division, each with its own traditional ruler. The main language is the Egba dialect of Yoruba, and residents follow Isese, Christianity and Islam. A railway completed in 1899 links Ifo to Lagos over 77 kilometres, and roads run to Abeokuta, Ilaro, Shagamu, Itori and Ketou. The area has a large industrial zone with several factories, branches of established Nigerian banks, and Olabisi Onabanjo University in the Ibogun area. Its closeness to Lagos State makes it one of the fastest growing parts of the Ogun metropolis.