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Igarra (also known as Etuno) is the Local Government Headquarters of the Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. [1] The town is made up of the Ugbogbo, Utua, and Uffa quarters. It is beautified with rocky terrains, and is surrounded by the Kukuruku Hills.
Igarra residents, known as Anetuno, speak the Etuno language and share linguistic and cultural similarities with the Egbira of Kogi State. [2]
Igarra is also one of the ethnic nationalities that makes up Afemailand.
The founding fathers of Igarra migrated from Idah in present day Kogi State under the leadership of Ariwo Ovejijo who was a prince in Idah and who left Idah with his supporters because he felt cheated of his right to ascend the throne of the Attah of Igalla many centuries ago. He and his followers, made up of all the present families in Igarra, founded Igarra and he became the first ruler who ruled over his followers in the new kingdom under the title of “Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo Oshinoyi Etuno” meaning “Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo, King of Igarra people,” which, up till today, is still the traditional eulogy or appellation for the Otaru of Igarra. [3]
Apart from the fact that the oracle (Eva) favoured the settlement at the present site called Igarra, other factors that contributed to their final decision to settle here, include the following:
At the time of the migration, one of the women that came to the present site with Ariwo Ovejijo harboured in her had some grains of guinea corn accidentally or deliberately. This woman was believed to be from Eziakuta family – one of the families that was loyal to Ariwo Ovejijo. This guinea corn grew up, was harvested and regrown. This is probably the reason why the Eziakuta family play significant role in the (osisiakumete) “Ete” is Igarra means land or soil. “Osisiakumete” therefore means the appeasement of the god of the soil and harvest. It is on this day that Upe Enu date is fixed. (Upe Enu is the new yam festival in Igarra). [4]
As stated earlier, Ariwo Ovejijo and his migrants met very few people residing on the hills of Igarra. [5] These were the Anafuas (midgets), Anivas (foolish people) and Andokonis. Very little is known about these people except that they lived in caves and their life style was simple and unsophisticated compared to the Igarras. These people were eliminated when they began to constitute a menace to the Igarras after settlement. They were either killed or driven away from the area to join their kith and kin in the former Congo Basin (pygmies of the Congo Basin). They are remembered till today by the Arigede song “Andokoni van reku ayi Ido wa” etc meaning Andokonis were our enemies and we conquered them. The Anafuas were a cunning set of people who use the strength of the Anivas to their advantage. The Anivas are believed to be very powerful that they could lift very big stones as barricades against the enemies of the Anafuas. The unfortunate thing amongst them was that they were very foolish hence any foolish behavior in Igarra today is attributed to an Iva blood on any one.[ citation needed ]
The head of these people coincidentally was called Uno from which Igarra could have also derived its name ‘Etuno’ meaning the land of Uno. The Anafuas were very good trader in beads. They exchanged their beads for farm products. The use of cowries as a medium of exchange was further strengthened. ‘Ovene’, ‘Isu’, ‘Ofa’, and “Opa” were the different types of beads these Anafuas traded in.
Aba festival is the most celebrated traditional festival in Igarra. It is usually held every seven years and starts during the month of August. The Aba Festival started as a celebration of victory by local hunters over the initial settlers of the land. The festival which is 228 years old marks the climax of activities as it signals the end of a seven-year traditional administrative tenure and the beginning of a new one. [6] The festival is always colorful with fun and flair. The festival has been rated by Total E & T in 2006 as the sixty indigenous cultural festivals in West Africa. [7]
Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the southwest by the Edo and Ondo states, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and Enugu, and to the east by Benue State. It is the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named after the Hausa word for river (Kogi). Kogi State was formed from parts of Benue State, Niger State, and Kwara State on 27 August 1991. The state is nicknamed the "Confluence State" due to the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja.
Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, southern Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan.
Ondo State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ondo borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast for 45 km, Edo State to the east, Delta State to the southeast for 36 km, Ogun State to the southwest for 179 km, Osun State to the northwest for 77 km, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state's capital is Akure, the former capital of the ancient Akure Kingdom. The State includes mangrove-swamp forest near the Bights of Benin.
Lokoja is a north-central city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Bassa Nge, Yoruba (Oworo) and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups, including the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves. Lokoja is projected to be the third fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.93% growth rate. It was listed as a second class township by the 1917 township ordinance of the colonial administration, indicating that Lokoja is an old city.
Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of the federal republic of Nigeria. As of 2022, the state was ranked as the 22nd most populous state (4,777,000) in Nigeria. The estimated state population is around 4,777,000 in 2022. Edo State is the 22nd largest State by landmass in Nigeria. The state's capital and largest city, Benin City, is the fourth largest city in Nigeria, and the centre of the country's rubber industry. Created in 1991 from the former Bendel State, it is also known as the heart beat of the nation. Edo State borders Kogi State to the north for 133 km and across the Niger River for 81 km to the northeast, Anambra State to the east for about four km across the Niger River, Delta State to the southeast and south for 350 km, and Ondo State to the west.
Enugu State verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. The state takes its name from its capital and largest city, Enugu. The city acquired township status in 1917 and was called Enugwu-Ngwo. Due to the rapid expansion towards areas owned by other indigenous communities, it was renamed Enugu in 1928.
The Igala people are a Yoruboid ethnolinguistic group native to the region immediately south of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers in central Nigeria. The area inhabited primarily by the Igala is referred to as Igalaland. Situated in an especially ecologically diverse region of Nigeria, the Igala have traditionally engaged in crop cultivation, and have been influenced culturally by many surrounding cultures over the centuries. Today, people of Igala descent are estimated to be at a population of 1.68 million people.
The Ebira people are an ethnic-linguistic group of North central Nigeria. Most Ebira people are from Kogi State and Nasarawa State. Their language is usually classified as Nupoid and within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Until the separation of Kogi State from Kwara State, Okene was seen as the administrative center of the Ebira-speaking people in Kogi state, located not far from the Niger-Benue confluence. Since the formation of the state, the Ebira Ta'o people are predominantly found in five local governments in Kogi state, namely Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi, Okene and Ogori/Magongo. They are also found in large numbers located in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Nasarawa in Toto LGA. Also, the Eganyi are found in Ajaokuta LGA. And the Etuno can be found in Igarra town of Agorimagongo, Okehi and Okene each with their administrative headquarters. Ebira Koto is found in Kogi and Koton Karfe LGA, Bassa LGA, Lokoja in Kogi and Abaji LGA in the Federal Capital Territory, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State.
Ososo is a town situated in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, in Edo State, Nigeria. With an average altitude of 1236 feet above sea level, it has a very temperate climate similar to that of Jos, Plateau State. The highest peak is a very large monolith often called the Oruku rock.
The Afemai people, also spelled Afenmai are a group of people living in the northern part of Edo State south geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
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The Edopeople, also referred to as the Beninpeople, are an Edoid-speaking ethnic group. They are prominently native to seven southern local government areas of Edo State, Nigeria. They are speakers of the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Kingdom, Ogiso Igodo. They are closely related to other Edoid ethnic groups, such as the Esan, the Etsakọ, the Isoko and Urhobo as well as other southern ethnic groups, such as the Yoruba and the Igbo.
Akoko Edo is a Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Igarra. It has an area of 1,371 km2 and a population of 262,110 at the 2006 census. It consist of the Akoko people who are split into Ondo and Edo states. Most recognize as Yoruba and bear names identical with their counterparts in Akoko Ondo. The Benin conquests during the reign of Oba Ozolua (1483-1504) established its first settlements in the region, while other people migrated there for fortunes, including the Bida. Of the Igbirra and Idah from the North and East, the war which Oba Esigie fought in 1515-1516 with the Attah of Idah would have also contributed to migration into the area.
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Esanland, otherwise known as Esan Nation, is a cultural region located in Edo State, Nigeria. It is composed of five Local Government Areas in Edo State. Esanland lies west of the banks of the Niger River. It is bordered by Kogi State, Delta State, Edo South Senatorial District, and Edo North Senatorial District. Esanland covers about 2,800 square kilometers and is home to over half a million people. The Esan people and culture of Esanland are generally homogenous.
Unuedegor is a community located along the banks of the Niger River in Etsako East local government area of Edo State in Nigeria. It is about eight kilometers north of Agenebode, where the Etsako East local government headquarters are located. Bordered on the east by Idah in Kogi State, with the River Niger in the middle of both communities, it is bordered on the west by Egor-Na-Ugeh along the Nigerian Railways tracks that run from Ajaokuta to Warri in Delta State, and in the north by Uzanu Community of the Uneme Kingdom.
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ABA Festival, Igarra is a festival held every seven years (7) in Igarra land, Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, West Africa. The festival is celebrated by the Igarra people and its origin can be traced to as far back as 1789.The festival is celebrated to mark the victory by the hunters over the initial settlers of the land now known and described as Igarra-Etuno.
Yam is a staple food in West Africa and other regions classified as a tuber crop and it is an annual or perennial crop. The New Yam festival is celebrated by almost every ethnic group in Nigeria and is observed annually at the end of June.
3. https://www.igarrakingdom.org/founding/ Archived 2023-10-02 at the Wayback Machine