AS all roads lead to *Opanda, Umaisha, Toto local government area, Nasarawa state this Saturday, 29th November, 2025, this write-up attempts to take a retrospective look at the journey of a daring people determined to succeed at all costs.
The Egbira people, once an integral component of the old Kwararafa Empire, were a highly respected nation renowned for their mastery of hunting, fishing, and farming. Known for their seriousness, discipline, and industry, the Egbira were, during the 1963 national census, ranked among one of the most populous ethnic entities in Nigeria. This clearly showed that the Egbira could never, by any stretch of the imagination, be regarded as a minority ethnic group – until certain forces of history intervened.
Following state creation exercises, the Egbira nation became scattered across Kogi, Nasarawa, Edo, and the Federal Capital Territory. A very large number of Egbira also live in the South-west states especially in Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo.
Even more damaging was the fragmentation in the spelling and pronunciation of the ethnic name. Before the 1963 census, the group was largely identified as Igbira, but in the years that followed, different sub-groups adopted variants of spellings that gradually became an albatross.
The Opete (Okene) people shifted from Igbira to Ebira; the Miyakan adopted Igbira and later Egbura; while the Etuno people maintained the name Igarra. These inconsistent spellings, switches, and distortions continued to fracture the unity of the Egbira nation. With the people now divided by state boundaries and officially counted as three or more different ethnic identities, they were gradually reduced to a minority status – politically and socio-culturally.
To reverse this decline, a group of visionary Egbira elders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders met over two decades ago, examined their predicament, and charted a path towards restoring unity. It was then unanimously agreed that the standardised spelling: E.G.B.I.R.A be adopted across the three major zones of Opete, Miyakan, and Etuno. The Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union (OEDU) was then formed to champion this unification effort.
OEDU was formally incorporated in 2002 by its Board of Trustees under its pioneer Chairman, Alhaji Isa Hussaini, a respected writer, historian and educator. He was succeeded by Major General Mohammed Chris Alli (Rtd), former Chief of Army Staff. The current Acting Chairperson is Hajiya Ladi Ibrahim, former secretary to the Kogi state government.
The union’s first president was His Excellency, Alhaji Usman Abatemi, former deputy governor of Kogi state. He was succeeded by Alhaji Isa Bukar, former MD/CEO of Jos Steel Rolling Mill and Katsina Steel Company. The current president is Dr. Musa Adohinoyi Ibrahim Ahmadu, OON, a former SSG, Kogi state and former member, House of Representatives.
All the past presidents, their EXCO members, BoT chairmen and their members played their parts in pushing the Egbira nation’s agenda forward. History will remember them kindly for their sacrifices and service to their fatherland.
The standardised name E.G.B.I.R.A was subsequently gazetted by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the year 2020 – an achievement that places the Egbira nation in a strategic position to consolidate its numerical and political strength.
Over the years, the leadership of Ohiku Descendants has worked tirelessly to revive consciousness around the common ancestry, heritage, and destiny shared by all Egbira peoples. OEDU has submitted multiple memoranda advocating the creation of a state that will encompass most Egbira along with other other ethnic groups, alongside proposals for the addition of 46 new local government areas spanning Nasarawa, Kogi, and Edo states.
Through sustained advocacy, outreach programmes, cultural engagements, and stakeholder consultations, the Egbira language, culture, and unity have been brought prominently to the forefront of national discourse.
The first Ohiku Day Convention was held in Okene in 2012. Subsequent conventions took place in Koton Karfe (2021), Etuno (2022), Abuja (2023), and again in Okene (2024).
The 2025 Ohiku Day Convention, scheduled for 29th November, 2025, promises to be exceptional. The union has secured the historic Riverside grounds of the Ogani Fishing and Cultural Festival – a site steeped in cultural memory and tourism potentials.
This year’s event will feature a mini boat regatta, a fishing and swimming festival, diving displays, and an exciting array of beach-site entertainments.
With all the main Egbira music artistes, cultural troupes, masquerades and a huge exhibition stand showcasing the historical artefacts of the Egbira Etuno, Egbira Opete and Egbira Miyakan converging on Opanda, as from the 28th November for the D-day event on 29th November, 2025, the big bang is here!
With the theme: “Towards Empowerment and Economic Transformation of the Egbira Nation,” the 2025 convention is set to mark a cultural and historical rebirth – a watershed moment that harmonises the colossus and the macrocosm of the Egbira nation.
This is one event no true son or daughter of Egbira extraction can afford to miss.
- Hussain wrote in from Abuja.