Okpella is a clan situated along

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

federal high way. Going by the last National Census figures, it has the population of 500,000, and is one of the three main towns that make up Etsako East Local Government Area of

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. Okpella is known for its natural

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

based mineral resources, which include

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

, and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...

talc Talc, or talcum, is a Clay minerals, clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thi ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, etc. the Late Clan Head, Andrew Yesufu Eshioramhe Dirisu who reigned for 48 years came from Ogute Sub-Clan. During

colonial rule Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

, arising out of

personality clashes A personality clash occurs when two (or more) people find themselves in conflict not over a particular issue or incident, but due to a fundamental incompatibility in their personalities, their approaches to things, or their style of life. A person ...

between Chief Sado who was the statutory Clan Head of OKPELLA

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

and Afegbua the clan was sub-divided into two, namely Ogute and Oteku as sub-clans. While the Ogute sub-clans has prominent villages like Ogute, Imiekuri etc, Oteku sub-clan has two villages, Iddo and Komunio; both plays host to Bua Cement Company Plc and Dangote Group of Company Plc. Okpella was the District Head of the then

Kabba Kabba is a city in Kogi State in mid west Nigeria. It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ogidi, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. The town is about 295 kilometers away from Abuja. It is 511 kilometers from Lagos. ...

Province. Since the period of Chief SADO-IGBA IKOR who was succeeded by Oba Obinogbe, Okpella has been administered as one entity. However, between 1964 and 1971 when the immediate past paramount ruler Alhaji Andrew Yesufu Eshioramhe Dirisu, a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

; assumed the throne with the title of Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Chief Giwa Enamudu, the village head of Komunio, headed the OTEKU sub

, while Chief Alabi headed the OGUTE sub clan. The two sub clans make up the two ruling houses of the clan, the headship of which rotates or oscillates among them. Alhaji Dr A. Y. E. Dirisu joined his ancestors in year 2019 in February and the clan observed the three months traditional mourning period before electing a new clan head. The appointment/election of the clan head is regulated by the Chieftaincy Declaration Law of Bendel State, 1981, as applicable to present Edo State. It is now turn of Oteku Sub-Clan to produce the next Clan Head of Okpella, the Late Clan Head, Andrew Yesufu Eshioramhe Dirisu who reigned for 48 years came from Ogute Sub-Clan. The town play host to two Cement factories namely: BUA Cement Company Plc and DANGOTE Group of Company Plc as well as the defunct Edo Cement Company Ltd. While Abdulsalam Rabiu founded Bua Cement Factory Plc, Aliko Dangote founded Dangote Group of Company Plc. These are the only cement factories Okpella Clan and in the old Midwest Region and the present Edo state. The defunct Edo

Cement Factory A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

was established by the Dennis Osadebey and Hon. Musa Godfrey administration in 1964, with the late Chief Ikhumetse Olowu, as its pioneer Chairman. Okpella, in view of the abundance of other solid minerals, is home to several granite- and marble-making industries. The people are predominantly farmers, and are known to grow in large numbers, yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es and

ogbono ''Irvingia gabonensis'' is a species of African trees in the genus '' Irvingia'', sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, or bush mango. They bear edible mango-like fruits, and are especially valued for their fat- and prot ...

. Its Ewo market, located at Okugbe in Oteku sub-clan and on the busy Benin-Abuja Road and congregates every fourth day. Okpella is a natural town with citizens who share a communal bond prevalent in most African societies, the town also consists of

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

and

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

who live peacefully among themselves despite their religion backgrounds. The origin of okpella people was not documented, it was preserved in oral traditions like African people. Okpella language is a dialect of Bini and very strongest mark of their Edo Bini legacy and heritage. The name Okpella was derived from the Bini word Okpea meaning man, and Okpea na means “man run”, or this could also mean “this man”. It is Okpea na was now changed to Okpella.

Tradition

Okpella is sub divided into two major subdivisions which correspond to east and west which represent the two sons of Ekpola, the one who founded the clan. Western Okpella include five villages, and three eastern Okpella. The remaining village represents the descendants of earlier settlers. The Okpella people believe in a supreme

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

called Eshinegba, which is known as creator of all things both in the physical world (agbo) The remaining village represents the descendants of earlier settlers. The Okpella people believe in a supreme deity called Eshinegba, which is known as creator of all things both in the physical world (agbo) and the spirit world (ilimi).

Tradition

Villages

Notes

References