THE IGALAS OF KOGI STATE The history of igala state system is being linked with the idoma basesd on twocogent issues. The first is the linguistic evidence which suggest that the idoma and the igala with the Yoruba belonged to a proto-complex some 6000 years age. This complex broke up 4000 years ago with the idoma and the igala emerging as wo distinct groups. A second congruence on to the origins o the idoma and igala is the relationship of both groups to a now extinct group refered to as apoto (variously spelt koto,kwoo, okpoto,kwato) as ukwedeh put it, “the igala, ebira and the idoma have their antecedents in the Akpoto” he goes further to add ha the status of Akpoto is akin to a proto-culture of the current idoma, igala , and ebira. The proto-complex of Armstrong probably went by the name akpoto while the exact nature of the relationship between bith the idoma and igala and akpoto remain unclear, the overhelming evidence suggest that the lands occupied by both the idoma and igala today originally belonged to the akpoto. In 1854, Rev. Samuel crowther reported that : From idah to the confluence, all the land on the left side of he river and from the confluence to those place is called igbiras, bassas, agatus(a trribe of idoma ) have all come from the north side, either as refugees or settlers and are not the original proprietors of that part of the country, as they themselves confess. Even the attah himself appear to be a settler or colonist in akpoto land. POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE IGALA MEGA STATE. The history of the origins of attah system in igala political history. The first is the official version and traces the root of this system to the jukun also to ebelejonu also origins of the kingdom and he first attah to be known, also history trace attah as an unknown king. These pose serious problem of interpretation to establish the actual origin of the attahship, dating this development is less problematic for example an analysis of igala oral traditions suggest that the jukun prince ayegba became attah between 1687-1617. this date however, does not correspond with the king list compiled by the niger expedition who were told by the reigning attah Amocheje that he was the 20th attah on the thrown. Indeed another kinglist compiled by Clifford has amocheje as the 13th and not the 20th attah at idah. From cross and tie-in references with developments in neighbouring societies which the igala had extensive contacts with the above dates hardly tally. In the 1060 after the Nigerian independence we have three political regions namely Northern Nigeria government which the igala fall under this group, southern and western government. Lately in the late 1970s under kwara state, the igala fall under kabba province which gave impetus to the development of three political zones in igala land namely idah, ankpa,m and dekina also 1976 the creation of benue state igala’s have still three political zones as earlier mentioned. Moreover after the creation of kogi state on august 29, 1991 from old kabba province the igala’s now have more local government been created and still have three political constituencies namely idah/ibaji constituency, dekina/biradu constituency,omala, ankpa olamaboro constituency and one senaorial seat known as kogi east. In conclusion the agala people have really gone far in polirics in kogi state. INDIGENOUS POLITICAL ORGANIZATION AND EXPERIENCE: The political organization is concerned on the monarchy, headed by a paramount kind, the Attah-Igala, who is regarded as the father of all Igala people. Attahs of old wielded a lot of power and authority and established a very powerful kingdom possibly dating to about the 8th or 9th century A.D. At its apogee, perhaps in the 16th century, the Igala kingdom did extend far and wide to include parts of Igboland (Nsukka area) to the south Koton-Karfe (including and beyond areas north of Lokoja) to the north parts of Western Idoma land to the east (including Igumale); and to parts of Etsakor in the west. Influences of the Igala, operating from the headquarters at Idah, were also felt t Nri, Igbo-Ukwu and Onitsha in Anambra State; among the Nembe and Kalabari on the Atlantic Coast; at Asaba and among the Ebu (Oshimili Local government Area) both Delta State, among Nupe in present-day Niger State where an Igala Prince, Tsoede or Edegi is acclaimed to have established the Nupe Kingdom. Wars were fought, peace treaties were concluded, tributes were paid and trade was organized with these and in other peoples. Wars, for instance, were fought with the Jukun of Kwararafa in present-day southern Taraba State and with the Bini during the reign of Oba Esigie I (in 1515 1516AD) as recorded in Portuguese records available in Lisbon today. The glorious era of the Igala Kingdom was disrupted with the effective colonization by the British of the area now known as Nigeria, from about the 1900, with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Nigeria protectorates in 1914 (by Col. Frederick Lugard) the British policy of what is now known as Nigeria, where established monarchies were used to rule their own people “indirectly”. Thus the power of the kings and chiefs was gradually eroded until they became puppets in the hands of the British. There was resistance here and there, for instance in Opobo (by Jaja in Itsekinland (by Nana), in Benin (by Overanwen) in Sokoto, (by Sultan Attahiru) and in Igalaland (by Prince Atabo Ijomi later, Ata-Igala from 1919 to 1926). But, in essence, the traditional rules lost the battle. Native administrations were established (somewhat along geo-ethnic lines) and the monarchies were made tutelary heads of the administrations, while the British acted as the real administrators and decision makers. In this vein, the Igala native authority was administered as part of Kabba Province – one of the thirteen provinces of the Northern region of Nigeria and remained so even after the independence era in 1960. With the coming of the military in 1966, and with state creation in 1967, Igalaland became the eastern part of a new Kwara State (initially named Central Western State) when a twelve-state structure was created. When a new nineteen-state structure was later created out of the 12 in February 1976, Igalaland was carved out of Kwara and merged as the Western part of a new Benue State. In August 1991, itinerant Igala found ourselves in a new state, Kogi which is where we are now. Idah has remained the cultural headquarters of Igalaland and the political capital of Idah Local Government Area. In 1968, Igalaland was split into three administrative units for the sake of convenience. The units – Idah, Ankpa and Dekina were administered as Local Governments. Later (in 1976), Dekina Division was itself split into Dekina and Bassa, again, with the aim of taking the government closer to the people. In July 1988, Olamaboro Local Government Area was carved out of Ankpa while Ofu was carved out of Idah thereby bringing the total number of Local Government Areas in Igalaland to six. The Igala Traditional Council: There used to be one Igala Traditional Council of Chiefs headed by the Attah. Later, with the creation of autonomous Local Government Areas, and Ankpa Traditional Council headed by the Eje was created. A Bassa Traditional Council comprising Bassa Komo, Bassa Nge and the Ebira Mozum Districts with its headquarters at Oguma was also recognized. Dekina and Idah remained under the umbrella of the Igala Traditional Council headed by the Attah-Igala. In the present (1991) dispensation, each Local Government Council in Kogi State has its own Council of Chiefs. Everyone recognizes the pre-eminence of their repective premier monarchs, viz the Attah-Igala, the Ohinovi-Ebira and the Obaro Kabba, in certain (especially, cultural) matters. The Igala Monarchy: The Igala Monarchy, one of the oldest and one of the most formidable in the central Nigerian area is centred on the person and office of the Attah-Igala who is regarded and treated as the father of all Igala people. The remoteness of the Attah institution has not been properly determined historically but oral tradition and archaeological records point to dates around the 8th and 9th century A.D. The possible influence of the Igala kingship on Nri and Igbo Ukwu cultures, the latter of which has been dated to about 8th and 9th century A.D. by Professor C. Thurstan Shaw shows that if Igala monarch influenced Igbo Ukwus as early as that period, it could be suggested that origins and historically of Igala culture-history may well pre-date the 8th or 9th century A.D. (Shaw, C.T., 1970, Igbo Ukwu, Faber and Faber, London). Oral traditions state that some Attahs whose period of reign cannot be determined chronologically reigned over “Igalaland” for quite sometime. These include Agenepoje, Abutu, Eje, and Ebole Jonu. This is, however, a very shady period of Igala monarchical history, the length and remoteness of which are yet to be ascertained. But after the proto-dynastic period, emerged a period where oral tradition is much more reliable, that is, the period of Ayegba Oma Idoko who is said to be the founder of the present quadrilinear of dynasty. Thus, the descendants of Ayegab headed by Akwumabi, Akogwu and Ocholi have produced the Attah-Igala in succession to one another over the years. Later, however, the genealogy of the Akdwumabi dynasty was split into two, headed by Ame-Acho and Itodo Aduga, thereby creating a four-dynasty structure as shown in the scheme below (Note that the figures after each name show the tenureship from Ayegba Oma Idoko).
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:32:14 +0000
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