Odinani, also known as Odinala, Omenala, Odinana, and Omenana, is the traditional cultural belief and practice of the Igbo people of south east and Igbo people of south south Nigeria. These terms, as used here in the Igbo language, are synonymous with the traditional Igbo "religious system" which was not considered separate from the social norms of ancient or traditional Igbo societies. Theocratic in nature, spirituality played a huge role in their everyday lives. Although it has largely been syncretised with Catholicism, the indigenous belief system remains in strong effect among the rural, village and diaspora populations of the Igbo. Odinani can be found in Haitian Voodoo, Obeah, Santeria and even Candomblé. Odinani is a pantheistic and polytheistic faith, having a strong central deity at its head. All things spring from this deity. Although a pantheon of other gods and spirits, these being Ala, Amadiọha, Anyanwụ, Ekwensu, Ikenga, exists in the belief system, as it does in many other Traditional African religions, the lesser deities prevalent in Odinani serve as helpers or elements of Chukwu, the central deity.
The Igbo people are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. Ethnic Igbo populations are found in Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, as migrants as well as outside Africa. There has been much speculation about the origins of the Igbo people, which are largely unknown. The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa.
The Aba Women's Riots of 1929 were a period of unrest in colonial Nigeria in November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and other places in southeastern Nigeria traveled to the town of Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs, whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government. The protest encompassed women from six ethnic groups.
The Aro Confederacy (1640–1902) was a political union orchestrated by the Aro people, an Igbo subgroup, centered in Arochukwu in present-day southeastern Nigeria. The Aro Confederacy kingdom was founded after the beginning of the Aro-Ibibio Wars. Their influence and presence was all over Eastern Nigeria, lower Middle Belt, and parts of present-day Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Arochukwu Kingdom was an economic, political, and an oracular center as it was home of the Ibini Ukpabi oracle, High Priests, the Aro King Eze Aro, and central council (Okpankpo). The Aro Confederacy was a powerful and influential political and economic alliance of various Igbo-speaking communities in southeastern Nigeria. It emerged during the 17th century and played a significant role in the region until the late 19th century.
Ambrose Alli University (AAU) is a state-owned university in Edo State, Nigeria. It was established in 1981 by the governor of Bendel State, Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Initially known as Bendel State University, subsequently known as Edo State University, and finally changed to its present name in commemoration of Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Alli, AAU is accredited and recognized by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The Ambrose Alli University Library houses the information resources for the institution.
Oyinbo is a Yoruba word used to refer to white people. The word is popular in Nigeria among other groups as well and variation of Oyibo is also used. The word is generally understood by most Nigerian and many Africans due to popularity of Nollywood and Nigerian pop culture.
Ernest Sissei Ikoli (1893–1960) was a Nigerian politician, nationalist and pioneering journalist. He was the first editor of the Daily Times, the president of the Nigerian Youth Movement, and in 1942, represented Lagos in the Legislative Council.
This is a timeline of Nigerian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Nigeria and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Nigeria. See also the list of heads of state of Nigeria.
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Baron Frederick Lugard, a British colonial administrator. Nigeria is composed of various ethnic groups and cultures and the term Nigerian refers to a citizenship-based civic nationality. Nigerians are derived from over 250 ethno-linguistic groups. Though there are multiple ethnic groups in Nigeria, economic factors result in significant mobility of Nigerians of multiple ethnic and religious backgrounds to reside in territories in Nigeria that are outside their ethnic or religious background, resulting in the mixing of the various ethnic and religious groups, especially in Nigeria's cities. The English language is the lingua franca of Nigerians. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the north, and Christians, who live mostly in the south; indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, are in the minority.
Adiele Eberechukwu Afigbo was a Nigerian historian known for the history and historiography of Africa, more particularly Igbo history and the history of Southeastern Nigeria. Themes emphasised include pre-colonial and colonial history, inter-group relations, the Aro and the slave trade, the art and science of history in Africa, and nation-building.
Toyin Omoyeni Falola is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. Falola is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, and has served as the president of the African Studies Association. He is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.
Uburu Ekwe is an autonomous community in Ekwe Community in Isu Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. It comprises four main villages and several kindreds and clans. The villages that make up Uburu Ekwe are Umuduruehie, Umuokwara, Eziekwe and Odicheku. The headquarters of Uburu Ekwe is located at Eziekwe. Uburu Ekwe has an Anglican church which everyone was worshiping with until the early 80`s when other Pentecostal churches came in. They have rich tradition and culture
Sir Kofoworola Adekunle "Kofo" Abayomi, KBE was a Nigerian politician who was one of the founders of the nationalist group, the Nigerian Youth Movement, in 1934 and went on to have a distinguished public service career. His last major public assignment was as chairman of the Lagos Executive Development Board from 1958 until 1966.
Julius O. Ihonvbere is a Nigerian professor and politician born in Oyo in the old Western Region. He attended CMS Primary School in Oyo, St. John's CAC School, Warri, and Edo Boys High School in Ugbowo, Benin City, where he obtained the West African School Certificate. He took his B.A. Combined Honors degree in history and political science from the University of Ife.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Olufemi O. Vaughan is a Nigerian academic whose research and teaching focuses on African Political and Social History, African Politics, Diaspora Studies, African Migrations and Globalization, Religion and African States. He is currently the Alfred Sargent Lee '41 and Mary Ames Lee Professor of African Studies at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts.
Teresa N. Washington is an African American academic, author, activist, and public speaker. She is known for her research on Àjẹ́, a Yorùbá term that defines both a spiritual power inherent in Africana women and the persons who have that power. Washington's book Our Mothers, Our Powers, Our Texts: Manifestations of Àjẹ́ in Africana Literature is the first comprehensive book-length study of Àjẹ́. Her book The Architects of Existence: Àjẹ́ in Yoruba Cosmology, Ontology, and Orature gives an in-depth analysis of the power of Àjẹ́ in the Yorùbá ethos and worldview.
Chima Jacob Korieh is a Nigerian writer and professor of African History who was the former president of "Igbo Studies Association", and the founding editor of Igbo Studies Review, a journal of the association. He was awarded the Rockefeller Foundation's "African Dissertation Internship Award" in 1999 and has written many books and scholarly articles including The Land Has Changed. Korieh is a Fellow of the African Studies Centre, Leiden and at University of Oxford in 2008. While in Nigeria, he taught History and International Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was also the director of Africana Studies at Marquette University, Milwaukee.
Àrìnpé Gbẹ́kẹ̀lólú Adéjùmọ̀ is professor of Yoruba Language and Literature at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and an author and playwright. She is known for her scholarship on Yoruba drama, satire, and gender studies.
