Okene
Encyclopedia
Okene is a Local Government Area and city in Kogi State
, Nigeria
based at the town of Okene on the A2 highway
.
The LGA has an area of 328 km² and a population of 320,260 at the 2006 census.
The postal code
of the area is 264.
The predominant people are the Ebira
of central Nigeria
; the local language is Ebira.
player and National Hockey League
prospect Akim Aliu
.
People in Okene are predominantly ebira.
Inhabitants of the areas northeast and southwest of the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers in central Nigeria. Their language is usually classified as a Nupoid variety within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
The two main habitats within the Igbira area are a dense, deciduous forest along the Niger and Benue rivers and a hilly savanna region away from the rivers. Most Igbira have traditionally engaged in agriculture; they grow mainly yams but also such crops as beans, millet, and corn (maize). The rivers are used for both fishing and transport. Women do most of the trading and sell both their own and their husbands' produce.
Igbira households were traditionally based on extended families composed of close patrilineal relatives under the authority of the oldest male member. Inheritance and clan membership were reckoned patrilineally. Igbira could marry outside their clans, which were kinship groups represented by totemic animals such as the lion, the crocodile, the leopard, and the python. A key institution of social control was the iregba, a shrine where decisions on religious matters or social offenses were made.
Groups of Igbira villages (wards) drew their chiefs in alternation from branches of ruling families. Village councils could settle disputes, sometimes in collaboration with the chiefs or with councils of other villages involved in the cases. The specifics of chief selection or succession varied between areas within the Igbira region. The Igbira kingdoms of Panda and Koton Karifi were small independent states for about 100 years, until their conquest in the mid-19th century by the Fulani. British administration through traditional rulers began in the early 20th century.
The traditional beliefs of the Igbira centre on Hinegba, the supreme god, who is benevolent, resides in the sky, and controls the universe. Hinegba is approached through intermediary spirits, who are connected with such natural objects as trees. Igbira ancestors are also viewed as agents of Hinegba. Since the early 20th century many Igbira have been converted to Islam and Christianity.
The Osara campus in is where the satellite campus of the kogi state polythecnic
Kogi State
Kogi state is found in the central region of Nigeria. It is popularly called the Confluence State because the confluence of River Niger and River Benue is at its capital, Lokoja, which is the first administrative capital of modern-day Nigeria....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
based at the town of Okene on the A2 highway
A2 highway (Nigeria)
The A2 highway is a highway in Nigeria. It begins at Elele, a town in Rivers State from the junction of roads to the cities of Port Harcourt and Owerri. It proceeds northwesterly though Warri to Benin City, thence northerly via Okene, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano...
.
The LGA has an area of 328 km² and a population of 320,260 at the 2006 census.
The postal code
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
of the area is 264.
The predominant people are the Ebira
Ebira
The Ebira These days Ebira is no more pronounced or spelt "Igbira or Igbirra" because it is considered to be insultive to most of the Ebiras but then, Ebira people are an ethno-linguistic group of Nigeria. Many Ebira people are from Kogi State, Kwara State, Nasarawa State, Federal Capital...
of central Nigeria
Middle Belt
The Middle Belt is a human geographical term designating the region of central Nigeria populated largely by minority ethnic groups and stretching across the country longitudinally. The Middle Belt is indeterminate in that it lacks designated "borders" and is charactized by a heterogeneity and...
; the local language is Ebira.
People
Okene is the birthplace of American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
player and National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
prospect Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu is a professional ice hockey player currently playing in the Winnipeg Jets organization. Aliu was born in Okene, Nigeria. Shortly after he was born his family moved to Kiev, Ukraine. Akim's family came to Canada when he was 12...
.
People in Okene are predominantly ebira.
Inhabitants of the areas northeast and southwest of the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers in central Nigeria. Their language is usually classified as a Nupoid variety within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
The two main habitats within the Igbira area are a dense, deciduous forest along the Niger and Benue rivers and a hilly savanna region away from the rivers. Most Igbira have traditionally engaged in agriculture; they grow mainly yams but also such crops as beans, millet, and corn (maize). The rivers are used for both fishing and transport. Women do most of the trading and sell both their own and their husbands' produce.
Igbira households were traditionally based on extended families composed of close patrilineal relatives under the authority of the oldest male member. Inheritance and clan membership were reckoned patrilineally. Igbira could marry outside their clans, which were kinship groups represented by totemic animals such as the lion, the crocodile, the leopard, and the python. A key institution of social control was the iregba, a shrine where decisions on religious matters or social offenses were made.
Groups of Igbira villages (wards) drew their chiefs in alternation from branches of ruling families. Village councils could settle disputes, sometimes in collaboration with the chiefs or with councils of other villages involved in the cases. The specifics of chief selection or succession varied between areas within the Igbira region. The Igbira kingdoms of Panda and Koton Karifi were small independent states for about 100 years, until their conquest in the mid-19th century by the Fulani. British administration through traditional rulers began in the early 20th century.
The traditional beliefs of the Igbira centre on Hinegba, the supreme god, who is benevolent, resides in the sky, and controls the universe. Hinegba is approached through intermediary spirits, who are connected with such natural objects as trees. Igbira ancestors are also viewed as agents of Hinegba. Since the early 20th century many Igbira have been converted to Islam and Christianity.
Education
Federal College of education is situated in okeneThe Osara campus in is where the satellite campus of the kogi state polythecnic