ALI-OGBA :LEGEND OF ORIGIN, INDIGENOUS POLITICAL STRUCTURE, AND ECONOMY *

Introduction:

    Ali-Ogba, located in the central Orashi-Sombreiro plains of Rivers State, Nigeria, is one of the major producers of the oil that fuels Nigeria’s economic development in recent decades. In his book, Ali-Ogba, Ellah posits that “according to current oil company records, no local government in Nigeria produces as much crude oil and gas as the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA) local government (Ellah 1995) 

   As a result of the oil industry, Ali-Ogba has undergone significant political, social, economic and environmental changes during the past several decades. However, despite its image as one of the main contributors to the wealth of Nigeria, there is a lot of poverty in many communities resulting from unemployment, under-employment, low wage jobs and deterioration of the natural resource base.

   At the same time that Ali-Ogba makes very significant contributions to the country’s economy, this oil producing area has remained economically marginalized and left in the backwaters of the country’s socio-economic and political development. This poses dilemmas for Ali-Ogba people. For example, while the oil industry in Ali-Ogba creates jobs and wealth, these benefits are not equally accessible to many Ogba people and many other Rivers state communities, compared to other Nigerians. This state of affairs in the oil producing communities of Rivers state prompted the Governor, Dr. Odili to speak out this past February urging oil firms to stop giving employment to non-natives at the expense of the indigenes of the areas of their operation. In the Governor’s own words:

“It is difficult to explain to a petroleum engineer from Rivers State who has been out of  the university for five years and out of work, that sees his contemporaries during the youth service years, fly in from other parts of the country where there is no oil, coming to man the PHRC for him. It is equally difficult to explain to him that the industry that is behind his house, is being dominated by people who are less qualified than him (the Rivers man)”(Daniel, 2004)

    In addition to environmental degradation and a rapidly depleting natural resource base that contribute to   poverty, the area is witnessing social disorganization caused by competing value _________________________

1  Ellah, F.J. (1995) Ali-Ogba: A History of Ogba People Enugu, Fourth Dimension Publishers, p4

2. Daniel, Soni (2004) The Punch, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Feb. 19, 2004 (Reporting on Dr. Odili’s comments during the visit Dr. Sola Ayan-gbile, Managing Director of  PH Refining Company to his office. 

* Professor C.V.Izeogu, Ph.D. Abridged and partly up-dated  version of paper prepared for presentation at the  First Annual Convention of UmuogbaUSA at Wellesley Airport Hotel, Atlanta, GA. USA May  24-26, 2003, systems. A related dilemma is that although some oil producing communities have benefited from oil company jobs and contracts, many of these economic benefits have not been widely spread. As a result, these communities are lacking in many indicators of local economic development.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges that Ali Ogba faces that must be addressed if it is to benefit from the economic resources produced from its land and achieve sustainable development. The objectives are to draw attention to:

-  the common heritage and destiny as well as resource potentials of Ali-Ogba,

-  the role of Ali-Ogba in fuelling the Nigerian economy,

-  the forces robbing the communities of their capacity to strive for meaningful development, and to

-  challenge Ali-Ogba communities to demonstrate awareness of its assets and threats, a high level of political consciousness and a sense of community unity,  forge the necessary alliances and engage all stake-holders in the area so as to  benefit from the oil resources produced from its land and achieve sustainable development.

11.        Historic and Geographic Context

Ali-Ogba people have some socio-cultural and political legacies that reinforce their common origin and bind them together as a people with common heritage and destiny. These include: geographic location, migration routes, language and political structure.

Geographic Location and Natural Environment:     

Geographically, Ali-Ogba stretches from about 4 50 N to 5 30’N and extends from about 6 25 E to about 6 40’ E. Spatially, it covers an area of 920 sq. km in the northern part of the Niger Delta region located within the River Niger flood plains.. It is bordered on the west by the Orashi river and on the east by the Sombreiro river. In addition to the main drainage systems, there are the Omoku river and many back swamps, cut offs and interconnecting streams which form a maze of drainage channels superimposed on the area. At the peak of the rainy season, these interconnected waterways are a prominent feature of the landscape.

  Its location in the Sombreiro-Warri deltaic plains, which consists of coastal plains sands and other tertiary deposits – marine, mixed, and continental deposits typical of deltaic environments situates it in the rain forest zone of southern Nigeria.  .

The area can be divided into four ecological zones:

·         The Sombreiro river plains (eastwards)

·         The Orashi river flood plains (westwards)

·         The central well drained lowlands and farm mosaic (between the Orashi and Sombreiro rivers

·         The non-tidal freshwater swamps basin.

The highest part of  Ali-Ogba is the well drained lowland and farm mosaic with altitude ranging from 15m to22 m. In general, the land is characterized by a gentle sloping topography of less than 10 degrees in many areas. This relatively low altitude gives the area its characteristics flat and monotonous low relief interspersed by many wetland (swamp /creek basins), which crisscross the central low lands and empty into the two main river systems (Sombreiro and Orashi)

            As a result of its geographic location, Ali-Ogba enjoys all year round high temperatures averaging 80 degrees Farenheit in the day with over night lows ranging from 65 to 70 degrees. Also, the area has at least ten months of rainfall totaling over 80 inches per year with very high humidity in the summer months. The climatic conditions and topography support a wide variety of plant and animal life. The flora consists of economic trees especially oil palm trees and a variety of  plants species of great  pharmacological value as human elixir.

Legends of Origin

Ali-Ogba communities  constitute one of the minority ethnic groups of Nigeria and share common ancestry, socio-cultural elements and heritage. Oral history and folklore have it that Ali-Ogba people migrated to what is now called Ali-Ogba from the area of the then Benin Empire across the Niger about the 16^th century. In his book on the history of Ogba published in the1950s, Ewo stated that two Ali-Ogba and Ekpeye communities __________

1 According to Professor Alagoa, the Ogbakiri Ikwerre also relate their founding ancestor, Ekenta, to the Benin tradition. See  Alagoa, E. J. (1990) ed. Land and People of Nigeria: Rivers State share a common ancestor, Akalaka, who migrated from the old Benin kingdom 1(Alagoa, 1990).  However, archaeological evidence suggests that the present Ali-Ogba was occupied by people long before he time of the legendary migration of the ancestral

father, Akalaka, from Benin. For example, the area around Obrikom (Egbekwu and Obie) perhaps was inhabited first about 3015 B.C.; Ikiri about 2015 B.C.; and Omoku about 2815 B.C.(Ellah, 1995)  According to Ellah, “by 15 B.C. and 235 A.D. these settlements had become stable .. the inhabitants were killing large animals and fish .. .yam was a staple food”5. Also, iron works was known in the area (most probably at Obrikom) about 235 A.D.(Ellah, 1995)

It is instructive to know that the ancestors of present day Ali-Ogba communities and the constituent extended family systems (obodos)  migrated to Ali-Ogba at different times through four main migratory routes: South-northerly; North-southerly; East-westerly and West-easterly during the period 3015 B.C. to  circa 1600 A.D.(Ellah, 1995)

Figure 1. Migratory routes of  people of Rivers State

Source: Alagoa and Kiebel (1989) “Traditions of Origin” in Land and People of Rivers State

Available accounts of the origins of Ali-Ogba communities and their unique cultural characteristics and affinity lend credence to their common ancestry or ‘brotherhood’. Based on common historical experiences and culture, especially language, Ali-Ogba people also exhibit some relationships to other communities in Rivers state and other parts of Nigeria. For example, on the basis of culture and language, some linguists such as Professor Kay Williamson of University of Port Harcourt posit that Ali-Ogba people belong to the Lower Niger (Igbo related group) among the six language units making up Rivers state. 2.  Ali-Ogba communities have  a close linguistic relationship to Igbo spoken by people of present Abia, Imo, Anambra and Enugu and Eboi states who constitute the eastern and northern neighbors of Ali-Ogba people.  Also, there is some evidence of language similarity between Ali-Ogba communities’ dialects and those spoken by Agbor and Kwale communities in present day Delta state.

The conclusion that can be drawn here is that people of Ali-Ogba communities in Rivers state are closely related and face common destiny. Some people have postulated that  Umudioga ancestors came from Ali-Ogba. So were ancestors of Rumuogba (sons of Ogba) communities and Rumuoprikom (sons of Obrikom  the ancient capital of Usomini group of villages). Also, linguistically and culturally Ali-Ogba communities are related to other Nigerian people. Their present area of settlement within plains of the Orashi and Sombreiro rivers is rooted in their ancestral history and geography. The Ali-Ogba communities’ settlement in their present location, and their cultural relationships with other adjacent communities in Rivers and Imo states with whom they trace their roots to the old Benin empire more or less define their identity. _____________

2 Of course, not only Ogba people link their ancestors to Benin. Alagoa and Kieble (1986) indicate, “the most common place of origin cited by communities of the Ijo group outside the Niger delta is Benin. These communities include Nembe, Beni, Tarakiri, Kabowei, Kumbowei and Mein, Kolokuma, Opokuma, Ogboin, Ekpetiama, Okordia and Oporoma. The same is said of the Delta Edo groups of Epie, Engenni and Udekama (Degema). The communities in the Igboid group are: Ekpeye, Ikwerre, Etche, Egbema, Ndoni and Ndoki. The other language units include: the Ijo, the Ogoni, the central delta group, the Delta Edoi group and the Lower cross River group.

III  Ali-Ogba Socio-Political Organization and Population Change:

 Socio-Political Organization

Table 1: Ali-Ogba: Some Kindred groups, titles and greeting address

Sources: Ellah (1975) ; Ogbowu (1972)

Every Ali-Ogba person  belongs to a politico-cultural organization (Onuobdo)  and every  Onuobdo occupies a traditional position in the political organization of Ali-Ogba which has been preserved to this day. Every Onuobdo has its own distinct titles which have political, social and economic implications. The membership of  Onuobdo and its associated  title or “praise name” is expressed in one of the most important aspect of Ali-Ogba cultural and political legacies:  the traditional greeting (Idu Isiali). When a member of an Onuobdo bows in the traditional greeting (Idu Isiali), he or she is praised with the appropriate title of his or her Onuobdo.

The ‘Idu-Isiali’ or traditional greeting is an important cultural obligation of a full- fledged indigene of Ali-Ogba. To perform the greeting properly, you must know the Onuobdo of the person you are about to greet as well as the appropriate praise name or title of distinction for his or her Onuobdo. In addition, you must know the age-grade of the person to be greeted because a younger age-grade should initiate the greeting with the following exceptions:

·        Whatever may be a person’s age, he or she will initiate the greeting or “bow” to every member of his or her mother’s Onuobdo, except the very young persons

·        A man and his agnatic relatives will initiate the greeting or “bow” to the agnatic relatives of his wife or wives

·        A man will “bow’ to the wife or wives of an elder member of his own Onuobdo

·        All female members of  an Onuobdo should “bow” to all members of the same Onuobdo irrespective of age, except those from their own immediate extended family

·        Members of the same age-grade bow indiscriminately among themselves

      In Egi section of Ali-Ogba, the traditional greeting (Idu-Isiali) by persons versed in the traditional greeting ceremony in a gathering is embellished with a rap depicting the philosophies of the person who initiated the greeting. A traditional ruler or “king” in Ali-Ogba does not respond to “Isiali”. Instead, the greeter praises the traditional ruler with his royal title bowing or genuflecting slowly while the ruler responds by praising the greeter with his “Onuobdo” traditional title.

Population and Settlement Patterns

        Ali-Ogba people fall into three main village or community groups: Egi (meaning  dry land), Igburu (meaning swamp or wetland) and Usomini’ (meaning water side) consisting of about 14 extended family systems. The lack of consistent census records in Nigeria over the years makes it impossible for any one to be authentic about the population of Ali-Ogba communities. However, available census data shows that in 1927, Ali-Ogba had a total population of 20, 292 consisting of 5479 male adults, 6203 female adults, 4114 boys and 4191 girls.(Ellah, 1995) The population increased to 20,930 in 1935. The distribution of Ali-Ogba population in 1935 by villages/towns is illustrated in table below.  

            Table  2:Ali-Ogba: Population Distribution by Village/Town Communities (1935)