Ori-oke Baba Abiye is a prayer mountain located near Ede town and between the rustic towns of Awo and Iwoye in Egbedore Local Government area of Osun state. The over 500 meters stretch mountain was established in 1944 by Prophet Samson Oladeji Akande.
Since its establishment, the mountain has turned to a prayer city besieged by all manners of people including those in need of inspiration, as well as those seeking divine intervention to both physical and spiritual problems.Apart from its religious significance, one striking feature of the prayer mountain is its tourist potential. Standing on top of the mountain, one will have a clear view of the luxuriant surrounding environment. The first building used as a church and the personal prayer room of the founder still stand on top of the mountain, though the first church building has been converted into a male hostel.
The prayer city also has a bible Institute, where men of God are equipped with adequate knowledge of their calling and are prepared for the “go yea commission”.Recalling the story of how the mountain was established the cleric in charge, Pastor Funso Akande said that in 1944, God directed the founder to go and establish a prayer city for him on a mountain after the man of God had completed a 16- month fasting and prayer session.
“Prophet Samson Oladeji Akande got the call to start a prayer mountain in 1944 and the blind servant set on the journey to Gbajeero hill along Kuta-Ile-Ogbo road, but he was asked to proceed as Gbajeero hill was not the destination of his prophecy until he got to a mountain after the Osun River between Awo and Iwoye where he contended with evil being, the first of which was a python, which used the hill as its enclave.“Having conquered the python, he faced another demonic spirit, the queen of the hill (Barebaduntan) and her followers, whose abode was in the womb of the hill, but the power of prayer coupled with the support of the Holy Spirit, the queen and her followers were forcefully ejected from the hill, paving way for God promise to manifest in the life of the blinded Prophet Akande,” he said.
According to him, these and many other battles were fought to make the mountain an abode of the faithful who thronged the mountain on daily basis. The cleric in charge of the mountain who is also the son of the founder also recalled God’s promise to the founder of the prayer city.“When God asked Prophet Akande who is popularly known as Baba Abiye to go and established the prayer city on the mountain, He made a promise. God said he will turn this prayer mountain into a city and many rulers from different parts of this country and Europe would come here because he will work great miracles among people here and captives shall be set free.”
Today, the prayer city is not just about prayers and miracles; it also has socio-economic value for the adjoining communities. Various activities are carried out on the mountain throughout the year that attracts people to the area, thereby boosting economic activities. Notable among such activities is the Abiye convention, a mega programme aimed at providing solutions to various afflictions and challenges.