The Olukumi are a Yoruboid subgroup found in the Aniocha North area of the Delta State, Nigeria. They are of Yoruba origin with ancestral ties to the cities of Owo and Akure. Due to various historical and sociopolitical factors, the Olukumi migrated from their original homeland and eventually settled west of the Niger River. There, they were welcomed and accommodated by the Western Igbo (Anioma) people. The Olukumi established themselves in eight communities that are today collectively known as the Odiani Clan, located within Anioma, a region in Igboland. [1] Ukwu Nzu town is the historical headquarters of the Olukumi people and is traditionally headed by the Obi of Ukwu Nzu, Agbogidi.[citation needed] The present Obi[when?] is H.R.M. Obi Ogoh I.[citation needed] Olukumi villages select leaders through the Okpala Obi system, which is the Okpala (First son) (gerontocracy).[citation needed]
The Olukumi are native to an area just west of the Niger River's right bank. The area is rich in chalk and kaolin deposits, which is known as "efun" in Yoruba, and has been traditionally mined and used by the people of the area for various cultural purposes.[weaselwords][citation needed]
Etymology
Road signage showing some Olukumi villages, Aniocha North, Delta State
The word Olukumi means "My confidant" or "My friend" in Yoruba Language. [2]
History
According to Odiani oral tradition, the Olukwumi are a blend of aboriginal people from multiple areas in Yoruba land, and few slaves and traders from the Ibo country.[3]
According to a report in the Sunday Tribune of October 24, 2010, they have also started to organize recitation and oratory quizzes and competitions in Olukumi to preserve the dialect.[citation needed] Linguists are also documenting the language. For 40 years, Chief G. B. Nkemnacho, a lawyer of Olukumi origin, has documented his people's history as told by its elders as life experiences and oral tradition.[4]
Olukumi towns and communities
s/n
Town
Origins
Comment(s)
1
Ukwu Nzu
and Owo is said to be the political head of the Odiani clan of the Olukumi.[clarification needed]
2
Ugbodu
Traditional centre of Olukwumi people.[contradictory]
HRH Sir John Ofulue 1894-1999 paramount head of the Olukumi kingdom, and UKU Clan. Born to the great Royal family of Ofulue in the EBOR lineage of Ogbeobi Royal Family. His father HRM Ofulue and Mother Anyasi Ofulue (née Onitshabor). HRH John Ofulue married Beatrice Ofulue (née Mokwunye). In 1944, John Ofulue joined others from West African States to go to Burma, India for the 2nd world war. He returned to Nigeria in 1946 and started the popular John Charter Transport Company. He was a reverred leader of the Olukumi kingdom, and his death at 105yrs (1999) was widely celebrated due to his business successes and philanthropy.
Prince Joseph Akabudike Ochei, BSc, LLB, LLM, (1931-2022). A renowned Lawyer, economist, historian, archivist, diplomat, called to the Bar at Grays Inn of Court London, Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Author of the acclaimed book: 'Nigeria: The Road to Absolutism, Observations on the Executive Presidency in the Draft Constitution', 1977. His books and various seminal works published internationally and translated in fifteen (15) languages including, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Mandarin, with electronic and print copies available in global research and public libraries in Oxford University, Cambridge University, British Library (UK), Yale University, Stanford University, Library of Congress Washington USA, and the University of Sydney Australia. Prince Akabudike Ochei is the youngest son of the ruling monarch Obi Ochei and his wife Nwasoma Ochei (née Ofulue) at the Royal Palace in Ugbodu. Nwasoma is the sister to HRH John Ofulue. The Ochei, Eboh and Ofulue royal ancestry can be traced across centuries from African Royal Dynasties.
Prof. (Dr.) (Engr.) Joseph Ndidi Ofulue, FNSE, FIOD, COREN, FNIM,. First Nigerian Professor of Telecommunications and Satellite Communications from Ugbodu), worked at Post & Telecom (P&T) from 1963, NET, Nitel (Nigerian Telecommunications Plc), INTELSAT in Washington D.C. 1980s, http://www.itso.inthttp://www.intelsat.com, he held positions as HOD and Dean at various Nigerian Universities. PhD Brunel University London. MPhil Dresden University, East Germany. B.Eng. (ITU-Bacculearate) He served Nigeria and rose meritocratically to GM Operations, GM Planning & Operations, GM Planning & Research, GM Research & Development, GM Abuja, and briefly as the acting MD of Nitel during the transition of the IBB regime to Chief Ernest Shonekan to Gen. Sani Abacha. Prof. (Prince) Joseph N. Ofulue is the first son of HRH John Ofulue. The Prof, as he his fondly called is an avid tennis player and the author of several technical books, research publications, and publications in satellite communications, Infotel and Informatics, and electronic engineering.
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