My Igala People Migrated from Egypt

 

My Igala People Migrated from Egypt

 

-       Ayegba Abdullahi

 

Since his royal commissioning by HRM Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni II, the Atta of Igala, he has engaged in series of Igala advocacy or what is simply known as “Igala Reconnection”. Ambassador Ayegba Abdulahi, a former Lecturer with the Kogi State College of Health, Science and Technology and Igala Crusa

der speaks to PEN MASTER (EMEKA ESOGBUE) on his beginning, origin of the Igala people of Nigeria, the Igala Reconnection Project and the Igala-Egyptian relations. These and other weighty issues he shares with Pen Master in this interview. Excerpts.    

 

Pen Master: (Smiling) Ambassador Ayegba Abdulahi, after several pursuits, I finally caught up with you. Abdulahi, how nice to meet you.

 

Abdullahi: I am also glad to meet you, sir and you are welcome. 

 

Pen Master: Hmm! Thank you very much. Now, you are regarded by your Igala people as the Ambassador of Igalaland. How did this really come about considering that many are not familiar with it?

 

Abdullahi: Okay, “Ambassador” is a title given to me by Attah Igala, HRM Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni II. The title was given me in 2014 when the project of worldwide indigenous Igala reunification titled “Discover and Reconnect Indigenous Igala people across Nigeria and Beyond” project of Attah Igala was instituted by His Majesty, Attah Igala.  In Igala version, he said, it is “Eju Attah Igala”, and that I am his “eyes” and representative who will move around across the globe to locate the communities of indigenous Igala people, and reconnect them to him in his palace in particular, and to Idah, the headquarters of Igala Nation. So, it is royal title from Attah Igala.

 

Pen Master: ...But it would appear in the opinion of some that your Igala just woke up to realize that they have other communities outside the core Igala State. Our readers may ask you: How did all this start for you and your Igala nation?

 

Abdullahi: Thank you very much sir. When HRM Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni ascended the throne of his ancestors in 2013, one of his plans was to reunite his people irrespective of their locations across the globe, adding that Igala cannot just be only those in Kogi state as many left Idah in those days though to unknown directions. This thought led to his invitation to me in 2014 for the reconnection task. From his words to me in his palace were: “Ayegba, Igala were never defeated in any war; we did not have natural disaster that affected our population, we did not experience epidemic that reduced our population”. To me, he also said “I remember being told of many warriors who left Idah either to fight war or to guard some territories or routes and never returned home and many more stories associated with the strength of Igala”. He further said, “I called you as a researcher to start researching on where our people are across the River Niger and every part of Nigeria and even outside the country particularly those hefty men who followed ships from Idah when we had seaport in Idah here…”. So, I started the work immediately by discovering Ebu community in Delta state through one Mr. Ojoma Chuks. Later, I got across to Illah, Oko, Aika Ezeolu, all presently Anioma communities in Delta state. Then Uloshi and Ifeku in Edo state, and it continued until am able to discover indigenous Igala communities in FCT and twenty-nine other states of Nigeria. So far, I have been able to discover and reconnect our people in over twelve countries outside Nigeria, some of whom are even doing Igala cultural festival now. They include the Gullah people of South Carolina and Nago people of Brazil. 

 

Pen Master: This is really interesting. Well, maybe at this stage, our readers will desire to know you. 

 

Abdullahi: I was born in Igalamela area of Kogi state. Am the first born of the family of Chief and Mrs. Abdullahi Ebiloma, with some siblings behind me.

 

Pen Master: Okay but in spite of this, how was growing up like for you?

 

Abdullahi: It was just a usual way of prayer and hard work.  No food for lazy man, so I had to work hard to complement the efforts of my parents especially in the area of my education and those of my siblings. After completing my secondary school, I started teaching in some extra-mural lessons. I have worked as a mathematics and science teacher at Victory Nursery and Primary School, Idah. I have also taught in various secondary schools in Idah and Igalamela areas of Kogi state. In 2012, I was a part-time lecturer with the Kogi State College of Health Science and Technology.

 

Pen Master: This is good to know. Ambassador Abdulahi, back to your reconnection story now, did you at any point feel like the Igala nation faces social denial among other Nigerian ethnic groups? I am still wondering the driving force behind your Igala reconnection.

 

Abdullahi: (Laughing aloud) No. Pen Master, this is only because, the Igala are not just those in Kogi State. As I buttressed earlier, there are indigenous Igala personalities in other states of Nigeria. Some of them are at present governors or ministers or even National Assembly members or senior government appointees. In my personal knowledge, an ethnic group is by ancestry and not necessarily by geographical location. A Kogi State Igala indigene is the same as Ebonyi State Igala indigene or Delta state Igala indigene or Edo state Igala indigene or Benue State Igala indigene and so on. The Igala nation did not face social denial among other Nigerian ethnic groups except in the face of some people who might not know that indigenous Igala people are in other states outside the immediate Kogi State.

 

Pen Master: Still on this unification, what is it about in the sense of its true meaning?

 

Abdullahi: Igala unification is a project of Attah Igala to reunite and reconnect Igala people irrespective of their present locations (eg. Brazil Igala, USA or Cuba Igala), colour, languages, etc as one people under the supreme rulership of Attah Igala.

 

Pen Master: (Smiling) Should we take it as a sudden reawakening?

 

Ayegba: Yes, you are right. I think that this is the appointed time by God and our ancestors too. Even to me who is the leader of the unification work, the results of the work amaze me sometimes. This is because, for these seven years of reconnection work, the people reconnected or discovered never denied their Igala origin instead, some kept helping me to locate other indigenous Igala communities around them. And my greatest joy is; our people outside Kogi State. After many years of migration to areas outside Idah, have retained our Igala culture. Oko, Ebu, Ukala, Asaba, Aika, Okotomu/Ode Itsekiri, all of these communities are in Delta State. There are also Onitsha Igala, Panda of Nasarawa and others. We have them in many parts of Benue State like the Idoma Igala that still practice Igala Egwu (Egwugwu) and Afia/Asha Igala ancestral masquerade (spirit). So, it is the appointed time as I think it.

 

Pen Master: As an authority in Igala past and present, share with us historical knowledge of the Igala people.

 

Abdullahi: It is a very long history. First, from one root, the ancestor of Igala people was called Pharaoh Ata also called Djet or Ati. He was the 4th Pharaoh of the first dynasty Pharaohs. He ruled from 3000BC to 2990BC. It was after him that we got the title, Ata Igala. Till date, there are many traditional titles named after people such as Odekina Attah, Amana Attah, Odoma Attah, etc. Ata is an ancient Egyptian word that implies, “Father”, “Elder” or “Great One”. As recorded by various Egyptologists such as Petrie Flinders and many others, Gala (Igala) people were part of first and third dynastic rulers. They ruled as the tenth dynasty rulers and part of twelfth dynasty rulers. Well, till date, there are many similar vocabularies between Igala and ancient Egypt, Attah Igala is still wearing the red and white crowns combination of lower and upper Egypt. The cobra or Uras god of in front of Pharaoh’s crown is still in from of Attah Igala’s crown. Attah Igala’s installation process is still the same as ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Attah does not enter canoe which is same with Pharaoh. And do you know what, Attah Igala still wears earrings just like Pharaohs. The earrings are the connection between him and God. And to add to it, when a pharaoh joined the ancestors, after three months, he would be transported in canoe and buried with funeral boat. This is the same tradition of Attah Igala till this day. From available sources, we migrated from ancient Egypt in the 8th century when the Kush Kingdom conquered Egypt.  Passing on various rivers with our canoes, we settled in the present-day Borno State in a community called Attah Igala now corrupted to Attagara in Gwoza area of Borno State. We later moved to the Benue area in the present-day Taraba State where we founded another community called Attah Igala later corrupted to Atagara and Tangara. It is the second capital of Kwararafa after Santolo which is now in Kano State. It was later that part of our people (Igalamela and Igalogba) migrated to Idah before others later joined them in Idah. 

 

Pen Master: What more can you descriptively tell us about your Igala people?

 

Abdullahi: The Igala people are very brave warriors and the manifestation remains with the people up to today. We had many wars in history, ranging from that of Queen Amina of Zaria that was ended in Idah and buried at Okpachala Ogbagba, Uthman Danfodio was defeated by Igala warriors at Koto Karfe, Igala-Jukun war and Igala-Benin war, but in all, we were never defeated. But we are peaceful people. The entire Kingdom is peaceful though some communities especially those outside Kogi State may have some land problems which is not strange. 

 

Pen Master: How have the Igala in your quoted states outside Kogi State responded to your project?

 

Abdullahi: Well, everyone is happy as almost all their traditional rulers are connected with Attah Igala. They participate in Igala events in Idah. In fact, Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni II hosted the first Igala National congress in 2020, and many traditional rulers and their representatives were largely in attendance. This shows that everyone including those outside Kogi state are happy with the reconnection project.

 

Pen Master: It has been nice speaking with you.

 

Abdullahi: Pen Master, the pleasure is extremely mine.