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History has it that the Igala-kingdom is one of the nine well entrenched kingdoms that existed in pre-colonial Nigeria,with its historical and well celebrated seat of power at Idah where tha Atta,Agabaidu cuts the short.History equally has it that the Igala kingdom span from the present day Koton-karfe to Onyedega in Ibaji and its sorroundings which include part of present Anambra north in Anambra state,it also extend to the present day onyagede and north-western part of Idoma land and the entirety of present day Igala-land.

Prior to the advent of colonialism and British particularly in Nigeria,the then existing Nation-states were the Sokoto caliphate,The Karnem -Bornu empire,The greatest Kwararafa Empire,The undefeatable Igala-kingdom,The Nupe Empire,The Oyo Empire,The Benin Kingdom,The oil rich People of present day south-southern Nigeria and The republican Igbo people.in pre-colonial African societies,just like medieval Europe,wars of conquest and liberation were recurring decimal with Nations trying to lord it over each other,the igala-nation was not immuned to this, rather she was engaged with her neighbours at one time or the other,oral history in Igala land has it that the great hausa-nation expandist queen Amina died on the shores of Koton-karfe on the account of Atta’s soldier in an attempt to stop she and her army from entering and infiltrating the Igala kingdom.history also has it that the igala-nation defeated the Benin-kingdom in a fierce battle in the 1660’s where the statue (eju-abeju-ailo)) which is been worn by successive Atta was confiscated as a mark of humiliation of the famous Benin-kingdom.The Igala-nation stood tallest amidst the commitee of pre-colonial Nigerian Nations after her historical defeat of the Aku-uka’s army.which mark her absolute independence as a sovereign Nation,she was revered to high heavens till the advent of colonialism .
At colonialism,after her conquest by the British regiment between 1880- 1901,which was achieved after fierce resistant and battle by the then Atta,the Igala-nation became part of what was to be later known as protectorate of Northern Nigeria as a native authority( Igala Native Authority),this singular event mark the begining of a cycle of endless decline in value and prosperity to the Igala-nation and people.it is regretable to note that as a uniting nation-state within the protectorate of Northern Nigeria,the prosperity and development was remarkable and intimidating,she was the richest in cultural heritage and identity,the second richest native authority within the protectorate owing to the booming oil palm trade ( oil was and is still produced in commercial quantity in Igala-land),with the Kano native authority as the richest as a result of the trans-Sahara trade.Above all,the Atta ,his kingdom and subject were held in awe and reverence by all the neighboring entities.

This state of affairs persisted untill the partition of the native authorities into provinces and the subsequent recognition of emerging nation states within the northern protectorate( the Tiv nation having gained her independence from the kwararafa empire was the first to be accorded recognition and empowered by the Huasa-fulani backed colonial masters to weaken the kwararafa empire),at this point of province delineation,the first crack in the unison,might,sense of identity and unity ofpurpoe of the igala-nation and people appeared.in emerging thirteen provinces,a nation with the foregoing status whose existence as a sovereign entity was recognised generally in Africa was considered not consequential enough to be a province,rather a vast percentage of her landmass and people was merged with the relatively unknown okun-yoruba and Ebira to make up the Kabba province with its centre of administration at Kabba while the remaider were cut up in the Oji-river province of present day Anambra State and Benue province of present day Benue state.This act orchestrated by the Hausa –Fulani oligarchy and perfected by the British was meant to checkmate the ever surging influence of the igala-nation and her Kwararafa sister state who suffered similar treatment.
By this act,Idah the centre of igala civilization and seat of power became desolate and decay set in,the igala-nation began to loose her sense of selfpride and identity,her unity of purpose was diffused and a negative precedent of complacency with bad governmental policies and programms set in.The Igala monarchy and her people accepted this act without any form of protest and has ever since lived at the mercy of successive governmental administrations.The protectorate of Northern Nigeria’s capital on her soil at Lokoja (though sold to the Queen of England) was relocated to Kaduna , yet there was no protest,governmental institutions and amenities were been cited without regards to this noticeable entity within the protectorate(which subsequently became Northern Region of Nigeria).
The ugly trend continued through the pre-independence preparation era when the Igala-nation was engrossed in internal leadership sqaubble by the then educated elite who have formed an alliance with the aim of removing the then vibrant Atta Ameh Oboni,consequently,the Igala -Nation paid little or no attention to developmental and resource allocation issues .After this period, sucessive administrations begining from Tafawa Balewa down to Sani Abacha have created states and other minor entity of administration,yet the Igala-nation has been treated with impunity and inattention,she suffered total neglect as the farthest entity from the seat of power in the days of Northern region with Kaduna as its capital city,the State creation exercise of the Gen Gowon era took the Igala-natiion off to Kwara with Ilorin as its capital,there she remained an outsider and played second fiddle roles to people that hitherto rever her.
The igala-nation was again merged with the Tivs and Idomas of the old benue provinc e to make up Benue state in the wake of state creation in 1976,this was not done in response to her agitation,rather it was meant to balance the conditions of creation in favour of the Tiv nation.it should in summarily be stated here that it was in old Benue that the loss of identity and sense of purpose of the igala-nation became revealing.she lost her cultural traits including her attire.(i grew up to see our elders in achi,traditionally weaven dark adire),her festivities have over the years been discredited as diabolic and jettisoned,no rallying point or generally acceptable elderstateman, her values regarded as inferior and her people treated with disdain . The believe in negative spiritualism such as witcraftry and charms were extolled and her people negatively labelled thereto.The end product is that though the Igala-nation has divinely albeit accidentally ended up as the rulling tribe in Kogi state where she was originally encycled and sentenced to perpetual domination by the powers that be,she remain one of the two pre-colonial Nation-State with her jukun brother of the ancient kwararafa empire yet to have a state or a state capital on its soil in a nation of thirty six states including a federal capital territory.she remain the only well populated entity in Nigeria without any form of cultural identity or image(i have visited the office of National tourism development corporation,NTDC on several ocassions on the account of this research to find out whether there is any Igala cultural artifacts with the corporation and why it is not been showcased as those of other nations,but record reveals none),no trace of cultural attire as stated earlier,i have as an Igala activist partook in numerious igala function such as the Ittalo annual festival,Igala-day of Igala Students Association in several schools and more and noticed that why we gather in most of these functions as igala sons and daughters,we are often regrettably dressed as either Hausa,Yoruba,Igbos,Niger-Deltans and or even the Tivs thus underscoring the fact that we are a people without an identity.