The Ọwọrọ ethnic nationality represents a group of people around the Niger-Benue confluence speaking a

Yoruba dialect Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-language ...

called Oworo. They are generally classified as part of Northeast Yoruba (NEY) of the Yoruba people.Bayo Ijagbemi "O-OKUN YORUBA IN YORUBA ART HISTORIOGRAPHY: HISTORY, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS". PhD Thesis. The University of Arizona

Origin

The origin of the Oworo people by oral tradition is linked to three brothers who left Ile-Ife to hunt around the present day Oworo Land. The successful adventure caused them to name the place 'owo mi ro' which means 'my hands are full of blessings'. Another Legend called ''Ako'' meaning "meeting", says that people came from several locations to converge on the present day Oworo land. This legend accommodates the group (clans) of Oworo that claim not to be of

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

descent, Orungbami T.S. "Oworo People of the Niger-Benue Confluence Area" JHL Nig.Ltd, Lokoja, Nigeria.Funso Afolayan
"Yoruba state(other than Ife and Oyo)"
24 July 2015, Retrieved 13 October 2015. Ade Obayemi however opined that

Okun people Okun peoples is the term generally used to describe groups of Yoruba communities in Kogi state, North-central Nigeria. Their dialects are generally classified in the Northeast Yoruba language (NEY) grouping.Bayo Ijagbemi (1996)"O-OKUN YORUBA IN Y ...

, the Northeast Yoruba people including Abinu (Bunu), Owe, Ijumu, Ikiri, Iyagba and Oworo located in

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

did not migrate from Ile-Ife but are aboriginals in the Niger-Benue Confluence."The History of Okun Yoruba: Research Direction"
Yorùbá Identity and Power Politics , Editors: Toyin Falola, Ann Genova, Volume: 22, Publishers: Boydell & Brewer, University of Rochester Press (February 2006) Page 111-126 Europeans, like Temple O., who made early contact and wrote about the Oworo people referred to them in their writings as 'Aworo'.

Traditional Institutions

The Oworos live in several small towns ruled by various kings. Some include: * The Olu of Oworo * The Olu Apata of Apata

Language

Oworo people speak a dialect of Yoruba, linguistically similar to other Okun dialects. Virtually all Oworos can fluently communicate in Yoruba. They can as well converse to a great extent with speakers of other Okun dialects since the languages are mutually intelligible. In addition to speaking Oworo, those in the eastern axis can also speak Igbira Igu (Egbura).

Geography

Oworo land is located on western bank of River Niger by the Niger-Benue Confluence and bounded to the north by Igbira Igu (Egbura), northwest by Kakanda, west by the Abinu and to the south by

Ebira The Ebira also known as Egbira people are an ethno-linguistic group of central Nigeria. Most Ebira people are from Kogi State, Nasarawa State. Until the separation of Kogi State from Kwara State, Okene was seen as the administrative centre of the ...

land. It is a mountainous terrain. A number of Oworo communities are on the

Agbaja Agbaja is the locality of a large iron ore deposit in Kogi State, central Nigeria. People Agbaja is inhabited by the Oworo people who speak a dialect of Yoruba also called Oworo. Agbaja was the administrative capital of Oworo district during th ...

Plateau. Some Oworo towns and Villages includes

, Jamata,

Obajana Obajana is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria. It is located in the Oworo district of Lokoja LGA, Kogi state. Industry It is the site of the largest cement plant in Africa owned by Dangote. Transport In 2014, a feasibility study for a railway li ...

, Tajimi, Emu, Jakura, Omuwa, Otada, Agbodo, Adamogu, Otuga, Gbonla-Odo, Aleke, Igaa, Ojigi, Owara Igaachi, Igbonla, Ogbabon, Gbande, Adogbe, Ijiho, Karara, Banda, Okonoke, Akpata, Oyo, Irimi, Gbaude, Iwaa, Osokosoko, Okomoba, Ogbongboro, and Felele (The northern suburb of

Lokoja Lokoja is a city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Yoruba (Oworo), Bassa Nge and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups of Nigeria, including the ...

town).

Culture and Political Structure

Oworo culture bears grave resemblance with those of Bunu, Ikiri, Yagba, Ijumu and Owe people who are together with the Oworo people referred to as ''Okun'', the word used in greeting. Like the Bunu people, Oworo people were known for their bassa-like cat whisker marks. The women were known for weaving of a cloth called Arigidi, a cotton textile, and also weaved ''abata'' (aso ipo), a red textile used by Oworo, Owe and Bunu for the burial rights of important people. The men are traditionally hunters and farmer. Fishing is also practiced in the riverine communities of the eastern axis of Oworo land. The people practice Christianity, Islam and African traditional religion. Prominent among Oworo festivals is the ''Oluwo'' festival. It is a triennial festival of the worship of ''Olu-iho'' (the king of all holes) which is the Agbaja end of a 2km long natural tunnel. The advent of Christianity and Islam has reduced the importance and worship of several gods (''ebora'') and as well lessened the importance and observation of several ''egun'' or ''egungun'' festivals which have their roots in the worship of ancestral spirits. Historically, Oworo was organised into cities states, with each state having her own leader. However, with the advent of

Nupe Nupe may refer to: *Nupe people, of Nigeria *Nupe language, their language *The Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state *A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African Amer ...

hegemony, the central kingship system began in the 19th century, the first ''Olu'' being Olu Okpoto. The current Olu of Oworo is Alhaji Mohammed Baiyerohi.

Mineral resources

Oworo Land is rich in mineral deposits. The major minerals include iron ore on the Agbaja Plateau, Marbles in Jakura and Limestone in Oyo-Iwa Community.Anonymou
"Executive Summary, EIA of DIL Quarry Project"
Retrieved 14 October 2015.

Dangote Group The Dangote Group is a Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate, founded by Aliko Dangote. It is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. The group employs more than 30,000 people, generating ...

is currently exploring the limestone in Oyo-Iwa axis of Oworo land in the production of cement in it

Dangote Cement Dangote Cement Plc is a Nigerian publicly-traded multinational cement manufacturer headquartered in Lagos. The company is engaged in the manufacture, preparation, import, packaging, and distribution of cement and related products in Nigeria, and h ...

factory located at

References

*Oyelaran O.O (1978), "Lingusitic Speculations on Yoruba History", in his DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES, UNIVERSITY OF IFE SEMINAR SERIES 1:624-651. Ife-Department of African Languages and Literatures, University of Ife, Nigeria. *Bernhard Struck (191
"Linguistic Bibliography of Northern Nigeria: Including Hausa and Fula, with Notes on the Yoruba Dialects"
Journal of the Royal African Society.Vol. 11, No. 41 (October 1911), pp. 47–61. Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal African Society. *Bakinde C.O.(2013) "Oral Narrations on the Origin and Settlement Patterns of Okun People of Central Nigeria". Journal of tourism and Heritage Studies. Vol 2 No.2 *Temple O. , Temple C. L. ( 1919 ) "Notes on the Tribes, Provinces, Emirates, and States of the Northern Provinces of Nigeria". Printed by THE ARGUS PRINTING cK: PUBLISHING COMPANY, LIMITED. CAPE TOWN {{Yoruba topics, state=collapsed Yoruba subgroups