Ondo Town

Ondo Ode Ondo
View from the peak of the Pele mountain
Nickname:  Ekimogun
Ondo Ondo shown within Nigeria
Coordinates: 7°05′20″N 4°47′57″E / 7.088923°N 4.7990935°E / 7.088923; 4.7990935
Country	Nigeria
State	Ondo State
Local government	Ondo West LGA, Ondo EastLGA
Government
• Oba	Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo
Population  (2006)
• Total	258,430
• Ethnicities	Ondo
• Religions	Christianity Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Islam
National language	Yorùbá
Website	ondostate.gov.ng

Ondo Town is the second largest town in Ondo State, Nigeria. Ondo Town is the trade center for the surrounding region; commercial crops such as yams, cassava, grain, tobacco and cotton are grown, the latter of which is often used to weave a culturally significant cloth known as Aso Oke fabric, which is commonly used to make clothing amongst the local population. Ondo Town is the largest producer of cocoa products in the region.^[1]

The title of the king of the town, who reigns as a direct descendant of the fabled Emperor Oduduwa, is "Osemawe". Osamawe title originated from an unusual situation as reported by Nigerian Punch that when the favoured wife of the first Monarch had a set of twins, the king was embarrassed because it was then an abomination. He was so bewildered by the birth of the twins that he exclaimed, ‘Ese omo re’ (meaning these children are an abomination). It is said that this exclamation has through linguistic evolution changed into ‘Osemawe’, which is the title of the monarch of Ondo today.^[2] The present reigning monarch is Dr. Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo, who was crowned in September 2006 following the death of the former king, Dr. Festus Ibidapo Adesanoye.^[3]