Gelegele
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gelegele (also spelt Gilli-Gilli)[1] is a village located in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The village is situated on the left flank of the Ovia (Osse) River and it shares boundary with Ughoton village. Gelegele is notable for its sea port on the river which was opened by Oba Ewuare the Great prior to the European exploration of the Great Benin Kingdom.[2]
The Gelegele seaport holds an important place in the historic European exploration of Nigeria. During the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great, the Portuguese became the first European travelers to visit Benin through the Gelegele seaport in 1472 AD. This was followed by subsequent diplomatic and trade relations between the Portuguese and the great Benin Kingdom from 1504 to 1550 AD. In 1963, the Gelegele Seaport became known for its oil producing nature and played host to Philip's Oil Company Limited, a subsidiary of Philip 66 of Texas in the United States of America.[3]
