This post is about the Major Occupation Of The People Of Okitipupa, Ondo State In Nigeria. Nigeria is a country blessed with a lot mineral and natural resources as well as man power that has helped in the development of the country. The country is blessed to have a lot of people involved in various types of activities that has helped the country grow.
Each town and village has one business activity or the other which they are well known for and helps in improving and developing their communities.
The major occupation done by people in a particular town or village usually depends on the environment and resources available to the people.
For example people whose villages are located in riverine areas near or around the coastline or near major source of water are usually engaged in fishing or any other related activity based on their locality being surrounded by water.
Also people who are located in areas with high rainfall or are fortunate to have fertile lands are usually involved in agricultural activities with their major occupation being farming or they could be involved with selling farm produce to a lot of markets.
Basically every town or village has one major occupation or more that the people engaged in to make a living and develop their community and generally make life easier and better for them.
The situation is no different in the town of Okitipupa in Ondo State as the people engaged in various activities to make a living.
This article takes a look at the major occupation of the people of Okitipupa and how it has benefited them and their community.
BRIEF HISTORY OF OKITIPUPA PEOPLE
The people of Okitipupa are from Yoruba land with the town located in Ondo State. The people are very friendly and nice. They are well educated and also possess a lot of skills which are used in various areas of their life.
The name Okitipupa was derived from how elevated the town is as well as the color of the sand. The name was used a lot by people who were travelling to Okitipupa to come and trade and the name of the town was coined from the Yoruba words Okiti (hilly) and Pupa (sand).
The town of Okitipupa is located in the rain forest zone which has a relatively high humidity and a yearly rainfall of about 2000mm and experiences a moderate dry season between November and March.
Most of the inhabitants of Okitipupa local government are people of Ikale from the Yoruba ethnic group. English serves as the official language but Yoruba language is mostly spoken among the people.
MAJOR OCCUPATION OF THE PEOPLE OF OKITIPUPA
Okitipupa is a town with a lot of agricultural activities taking place. The people of Ikale are interested mostly in farming and are involved with the cultivation of a lot of cash crops and food crops.
The fact that the town of Okitipupa experiences good climatic and weather conditions as well as having a large spread of fertile land has led to agriculture being the main and major occupation of the people.
The town apart from having a major shopping center also has major markets which have been used for many years by traders from Yoruba land as well as other traders from across the country since gaining independence.
Below is a list of crops cultivated and produced in Okitipupa
YAM, MAIZE, CASSAVA, PINEAPPLE, PLANTAIN, CASHEW, OILPALM, KOLANUT, COCOA, BANANNA, BEANS, OKRO, MELON, PEPPER AND VEGETABLES.
A major industry in the town is the Okitipupa Oil Palm Plc which produces a lot of palm oil and palm kernel from its various lands of oil palm plantation spread across the town.
THE IMPACT OF THE PEOPLE’S OCCUPATION ON THE TOWN
Though the government still has a lot to do to assist the people in making things easier and better for them, the occupation of the people of Okitipupa apart from helping them have a source of lively hood has impacted the town, state and country in the following ways:
PROVIDES JOBS FOR THE PEOPLE
With a lot of fertile land available to the people they have the opportunity of planting a lot of crops. To achieve this and make it possible, a lot of hands are needed which means jobs will be created for people especially the youths to work on the farm.
The nature of the crops cultivated also provides other job opportunities apart from working on the land. For example a crop like cocoa that can be processed to produce other food items like beverage will lead to processing industries being set up in and around the town. With the processing industries being set up they will employ some indigenes of the town which helps in reducing the unemployment rate.
HELPS BRING IN REVENUE FOR THE TOWN AND GOVERNMENT
With the town having a lot of land, a lot of crops are cultivated and are sold to earn revenue for the people who do not need to practice subsistence farming as they have enough which can be sold both within and outside the town.
When companies and industries come and set up in the town they provide a source of revenue to the government through taxation and other duties which when collected the government uses to further improve and develop the town and state.
The crops do not only benefit the people, town and state but also benefits the country. A crop like cocoa is exported by Nigeria to other countries and earns revenue which is ploughed back into the country to aid development.
HAS IMPROVED AND CREATED FACILITIES AND AMENITIES FOR THE TOWN
With industries being set up and employment opportunities created, the town experiences a lot of growth and development. With crops needed to be transported to the industries, power needed for the companies to function, a lot of amenities are upgraded and provided.
New roads will be established with the old ones worked upon to help ease the flow of traffic. Power will be improved so that companies will not need to spend too much on fuel so their cost of production will not be too high.
See Also: Top 10 Cultivated Crops in Okitipupa, Ondo State Nigeria And Their Economic Values
Financial institutions like banks will also increase in the town as they will be attracted by the amount of business activities in the town. Also they offer loans and other facilities to the people, which will lead to more businesses springing up and improving and developing the town.
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