The Agbon Kingdom (also Agbon ẹkwuotọ )
is one of twenty-four subunits of the
Urhobo people
The Urhobos are people located in southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger Delta.
The Urhobos are the major ethnic group in Delta State, one of the 36 states in Nigeria, Ethnic Nationality in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Urhobo ...
that have been in existence since before the rise of the
Benin Empire in the 1440s and before the arrival of the Portuguese in the Western Niger Delta in the 1480s.
It is located in
Ethiope East Local Government Area In
Delta State,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
Which occupies a large space of about 375 square kilometres. This kingdom is surrounded by other
Urhobo communities in the locality.
The traditional seat of government in this kingdom is located at
Isiokolo.
History
Oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985) ...
speaks of migrations from the ancient
Benin Kingdom by the Urhobos that gave rise to this area.
The founders of Agbon migrated through
Kwale, probably from
Erhowa, settled at
Ehwen and
Erhivwi or Irri in present
Isoko division of Delta State. From there they moved down to
Utokori, close to Ughwerun; then to
Olomu and through the present
Ughelli territory of Ekuigbo to found Otorho r' Agbon now known as
Isiokolo.
Isiokolo is now the recognised ancestral place of leadership by the members of this kingdom.
Location
Agbon Kingdom covers about 375 square kilometres. The land is bounded in the north by
Abraka kingdom, and
Orhionmwon Local Government Area in neighbouring
Edo State, On the east, it is bounded by Orogun,
Agbahra Otor,
Agbarho Kingdoms, Ujode River, and Ekrerhavwe, all of them Urhobo communities in
Ughelli North
Ughelli North is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the city of Ughelli.
It has an area of 818 km2 and a population of 321,028 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 333.
Notable towns in ...
Local Government Area. In Agbon's west and south lies Aghalokpe and Orerokpe of
Okpe
Okpe is a kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria. Today, it is also the name of a local government area. It is one of the many kingdoms that make up Urhobo tribe. Its capital is Orerokpe. The kingdom plays host to the Osubi Airport (also known as Wa ...
Local Government Area.
[ ]
Leadership
His Royal Majesty, Ogurime-Rime Ukori I is the current
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and Ovie of Agbon Kingdom.
He was crowned Ovie in february 2013 succeeding the late
Ogurime-Rime Okpara I
Natural resources
This kingdom produces a variety of food crops, mostly yam, plantain and cassava. Cash crops as palm produce and rubber plantations also flourish here. Agbon holds a large reservoir of crude oil which is a major source of income to Nigeria; the
Erhorike oil wells are considered to be among the shallowest in the world and are found here.
Population
The kingdom is highly populated as it has an extensive range of towns and villages under its territorial domain. It has been ranked the second most populous cultural unit in
Urhobo land, coming only after Okpe. The population of this kingdom alone amounts for more than 40% of the Delta state population.
Language
The people of Agbon speak
Urhobo as their mother tongue with little or no dialectical forms. The
Nigerian pidgin is also widespread in this kingdom as well as English, the lingua franca of Nigeria.
Composition
This kingdom is made up of a wide array of sub-kingdoms and villages or towns. These sub-kingdoms are the consequences of migrations from one terrain to another.
Sub-kingdoms
*
Okpara (first son)
*
Kokori (second son)
*
Eku (third son)
*
Orhoakpor (fourth son)
*
Ovu (descendant of Okpara)
*
Igun
Towns and villages
Some Of The Towns In Agbon Kingdom;
* Isiokolo
* Ekrebuo
*
Kokori
* Erhomeghwu
* Okuidjerhe
*
Samagidi
* Egbogho
* Urhwokpe
* Ekraka
* Erhonaka
* Erhorike
*
Okpara Inland
* Okurutuyo
* Okuekpagha
* Unumane
* Okoradaode
* Okurufor
* Okururhujevwe
* Umiaghwa
* Okurihohi
* Okuibada
* Erhokori
* Orhuakpor
* Ekrudu
* Okukpokpo
* Okureghwro
* Eku
* Igun
* Otumara
* Okpara W/S
* Okorogba
* Okurekpo
* Okuredafe
* Oviorie
* Ovu Inland
* Okuemeka
* Okurekpagha
* Okuogbamu
* Ovwere
* Urhodo
* Okumodje
* Obadjere
* Ekpan
* Igwevwore
* Okwokpokpo
* Ekusioro
* Okurobi
* Okuronika
* Okuighele
* Ekirugbo.
* okuomoise
Notes
References
*
''Agbon Kingdom''at Asemeyese.com
Further reading
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{{authority control
Geography of Nigeria
Ethnic groups in Nigeria
Indigenous peoples of West Africa