Uromi,the real word is Urọnmhun meaning "this is my abode ",or my enclave is a city located in north-eastern Esan, a sub -ethnic group of the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. At various points in Uromi's history, the city and people have been an important part of the

Benin Empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...

History

Uromi, originally known as 'Uronmun', is the most populated area in

Esanland Esanland ( Esan: ''Otọesan''), or the Edo Central Senatorial District is a cultural region and senatorial district located in south-south Nigeria. It is composed of five Local Government Areas in Edo State. Esanland lies west of the banks of ...

, settled by two waves of people. The first wave consisted of migrants from Benin and other outlying areas between 900 and 1400 AD. These early settlers formed a loose-knit community engaged mostly around farming and hunting and did not develop any stylized form of government; associations were instead based on kinship and occupation. Many of these early Bini settlers were

fugitives A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also kno ...

fleeing persecution from the harsh rule of the Ogiso of

, and were wary of monarchical government. The second wave of organized mass emigration from Bini was around 1460, during the reign of Oba

Ewuare Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I) was the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin City. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much o ...

the Selfish. He attempted to stop the

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

of Binis to the present-day

by building a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

around the City. Most of these

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

s during this wave were from Idumoza of Benin City. At about the same time as this second wave of migration,

Oba Ewuare Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I) was the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin City. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much ...

sent his son to found a kingdom of his own. This son was the product of a liaison with a Portuguese woman. Although the boy was Oba Ewuare's first-born son, he was kept away from public view because he was half-caste; Ewuare could not marry the Portuguese mother and the half-caste boy could not be introduced as heir to the throne. When the boy came of age he was sent, with a retinue of attendants and an armed guard, to found a kingdom of his own. Upon reaching the settlement of Uronmun he was welcomed as a god-sent. The people there had never seen a half-caste before and his retinue of attendants gave indication of his regal ancestry. He was accepted as the first Onojie (king) of what had now become a sizeable settlement. Attendants were sent back to Oba Ewuare to inform him that his son had founded a kingdom at Uronmun and Ewuare sent them back with the message that the new king should bear the title Ijesan (the king of Esan). The name has over time been more usually written as Ichesan. Uromi is a conurbation of villages divided into three groups, recognized as Okhiode, Obiruan and Obiyon.

The villages of Okhiode

Consisting of: * Eguare * Egbele * Onewa * Utako * Unuwazi * Arue and Isua * Uje Oror

The villages of Obiruan

Consisting of: * Ebhoiyi * Efadion * Ekhue * Ubierumun * * Obeidu * Uwalor * Idumoza * Ivue * Idumhengan Ebhoyi * Eko-Ibadin * Uwalor Okpere

The villages of Obiyon

Consisting of: * Ukoni * Amedeokhian * Awo Eguare, the seat of the Onojie of Uromi, is made up of seven villages, namely: * Ikekiala * Okpujie * Oyomon * Odigule * Okhieren * Uwalor-Okpere * Uwalor-Usogho * Idejie The seven villages have the responsibility of crowning a new king. One of the leaders of the second wave of migration to Uronmun was "Oghu", also a son of Oba Ewuare. He and his followers settled in Ivue, where Ichesan was also residing and had built his palace. A political struggle for the throne ensued between the two brothers Oghu and Ichesan. Ichesan traveled secretly to Benin to inform his father of Oghu's recalcitrance. Oba Ewuare explained to Ichesan that, although he was the older son, by tradition he held no seniority over his junior brothers. Oba Ewuare said that he would send word to Oghu telling him that he (Ewuare) had already conferred the title of Ijesan and that Oghu must respect his father's decree, but Ewuare also asked Ijesan to respect his brother and relocate. It is also the smallest city in Nigeria. Upon return to Uronmun, to avoid embarrassing his "older" brother, and in keeping with his father's dictate, Ichesan moved from Ivue to present day Eguare, where the royal family of Uromi reside to this day. Ichesan was succeeded by Agba, then Ikenoa,'Ehenoa, Ikhivabhojere, Okuoye, Akhize, Ikhimigbale, Uwagbo, Ediale, Akhilomen, Okolojie, Okojie (Ogbidi), Uwagbale, Edenojie Okojie II, Omelimen Edenojie I, and Anslem Edenojie II.

Economy

A large percentage of the economy of Uromi is derived from local farming and trading, with some contribution from the government's budget. Uromi's productive

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

output is mainly the result of its situation in a rain forest zone, its

loamy Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

type and its

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

. Uromi also has a good number of

markets Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: * Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand * Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, a ...

that provide opportunities for local farmers to trade their farm products. The Uromi Main Market has good, portable lock-up stores. Although officially market day is held at four-day intervals, the Uromi Main Market operates daily from morning to late evening. Across Uromi, there may be up to three markets in each village, with some village markets functioning at four-day intervals, while others trade every day. Apart from farming and trading, other business transactions take place on a daily basis. In Eguare, there are many business offices both in the government-owned business sector and in the privately owned business sectors. Some examples of financial businesses include the Union Bank,

United Bank for Africa United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is a Multinational pan-African financial services group headquartered in Lagos and known as Africa’s Global Bank. It has subsidiaries in 20 African countries and offices in London, Paris and New York. In Dece ...

(UBA),

First Bank of Nigeria First Bank of Nigeria Limited is a Nigerian multinational bank and financial services company in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the premier bank in West Africa. The First Bank of Nigeria Limited operates as a parent company, with the subsidiaries 'FBN B ...

Unity Bank The Unity Bank of Canada was a small Canadian bank that was established in Toronto, Ontario in 1972. Richard Higgins was president and David Matthews was general manager. It amalgamated with the Provincial Bank of Canada The Provincial Bank o ...

, Zenith Bank, EcoBank, Fidelity Bank, Uromi Community Bank, and other monetary firms like the Uromi Microfinance Bank, etc. Uromi has an Institute of Construction Technology and Management located in Amedokhian and the Uromi Technical College in Onewa Village.

Religion and belief

Uromi traditional religion has many similarities to the Bini traditional religion, even though Westernization has caused Christianity and Islamic influence. And of course, this is because originally the Esans hails from the Benin Kingdom. Esan religion has so many deities, which among them are: Osanobua: which actually is the main and really Edo-Esan god. This name was adopted into

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

as God, and thus the meaning and the translation for

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

in Esanland is Osanobua. Eshu: This is the Esan trickster god. This god is related with the

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 ...

and Edo myth. This name "Eshu" was also adopted into the Western religion, which is translated as Satan by Christian missionaries. Osun: This is the Esan god of medicine. This is god can also be said to be related to the Yoruba deity (known as

osun Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated ...

). This is where the surname "Olokun" known as the "son of medicine" originated from.

Festivals

Talking about Uromi, we must mention some of the traditional festivals with the knowledge that Uromi people value their tradition so much. Speaking on one of the

festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

known as OTO-UROMI and briefly on Amukpe. As the name implies, Oto-Uromi (Uromi land) is celebrated in the month of July or early August. This celebration is done to appease the land of Uromi in order for good harvest. The date for this festival is always a market day, fixed by the Onojie of Uromi who acts on the advice of his Chiefs. The people are given a notice of 15 days after the announcement of the date for the purpose of preparation. It is a custom that no one goes to the farm on the day of celebration. The ceremony is performed on a chosen spot by Iwienbola people. To appease the land or the soil, these items are brought; Four sticks of chalk, four kola-nuts, cowries, ripe pumpkin and a dog. The people merry, sharing gifts among themselves, most especially, in every home, women send gift to their husbands for giving them portion of the farm for the year. After the festival, the Onojie of Uromi summons his elders and chiefs and through them appreciates the people for making the celebration a success. Another festival celebrated in Uromi is the Amukpe festival which is celebrated yearly during the month of August. It is always a day celebration which is meant to usher in new yams.

Geography

The city of Uromi lies in north-eastern Esan in

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 ...

, located on

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

3° 24' E and

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

6° 27' N. Almost the whole of the city is covered with land.

Climate

The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

in Uromi is similar to that of the rest of southern Nigeria. There are two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March. Monthly rainfall between May and July averages over 300 mm (12 in), while in August and September it is down to 75 mm (3 inches) and in January as low as 35 mm (1.5 inches). The main dry season is accompanied by

harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the ...

winds from the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

, which between December and early February can be quite strong. The average

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

in January is 27 °C (79 °F) and for July it is 25 °C (77 °F). On average the hottest month is March; with a mean temperature of 29 °C (84 °F); while July is the coolest month.

Politics and government

Uromi is not a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and has therefore no overall city administration or governance but instead, it is run by the

Local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

council headed by a Chairman. Uromi is not a local government but is the seat of the local government council governing the Esan-North-East local government area. The administration of the government of Uromi is divided into eleven (11) wards. Each ward delegates a Councillor who represents it at its local council election who is normally tenured for four years.

Notable people

* Chief

Anthony Enahoro Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro (22 July 1923 – 15 December 2010) was one of Nigeria's foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists. He was born the eldest of ten children in Uromi, present-day Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents we ...

* Chief

Tony Anenih Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

* Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie *

Chris Aire Christopher Aire (born December 25, 1964) is a Nigerian born African American jeweler and timepiece designer. He is the president of Solid 21 Incorporated and the founder of his eponymous brand, Chris Aire. Early years Chris Aire was born in I ...

* Dr. Robert S. Okojie (research scientist, NASA) * Benita Okojie (Gospel singer, actress and songwriter)

Kingdom and traditional leadership

The Uromi kingdom is a monarchical territory headed by a king (Onojie) who handles the leadership of the kingdom. The leadership in the Uromi kingdom is a hereditary

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

system. The king is the monarch who rules with the body of chiefs who assist the king in the leadership of the kingdom. The kingdom was installed in 1463 by the Bini

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

Oba

conferring kingship on Ichesan (first Onojie of Uromi). Since 1463, the kingship has passed through inheritance.

List of Kings of Uromi kingdom

* Ichesan * Agba N’Ojie * Ikenoa * Ehenoa * Ikhivabhojere * Okuoye * Ikhize * Ikhimigbale * Uwagbo * Ediale * Akhilomen * Okolo N’Ojie *

Ogbidi Okojie Ogbidi Okojie, Onojie (king) of Uromi (1857 – 3 February 1944), was a ruler of the Esan people in what is now Edo State in Nigeria, still remembered for his opposition to British rule. Biography According to Uromi lore, he was born in the ...

* Uwagbale * Edenojie Okojie I * Omelimen Edenojie I * Anslem Edenojie II The different villages of Uromi are led by the Elders of the individual villages who are responsible to the king. The council of Elders are headed by an indigenous elderly man who by birth is eldest among all the male indigenes. The council of elders have their own legislative authority and so are able to mete out punishment to offenders within their designation

Gallery

File:All Progressives Congress, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Ubiaja road roundabout, Uromi, Edo state2.jpg File:Ambrose Okosun Housing Estate, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Arue Secondary School, Uromi, Edo state2.jpg File:Benson Idahosa Cathedral Academy, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Benson Idahosa Cathedral Academy, Uromi, Edo state5.jpg File:Church of God Mission International, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Church of God Mission International, Uromi, Edo state2.jpg File:Efandum Demonstration Primary School, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Federal Ministry of Agriculture crop processing technology, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:Lumen Christ International High School, Edo state.jpg File:National Institute of Construction Technology, Uromi, Edo state3.jpg File:Nigeria post office, Uromi, Edo state3.jpg File:Sacred Heart Girls Model Secondary School, Uromi, Edo state.jpg File:St. Camilus Catholic Hospital and School of Midwifery, Uromi, Edo state3.jpg File:St. Joseph Catholic Church, Uromi, Edo state.jpg

Footnotes

* History of Uromi. c/o Uromi Community Association New York

References

{{Coord missing, Nigeria Populated places in Edo State Sub-ethnic groups