The Urhobos are people located in Southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger Delta. The Urhobos are found in Delta State and some communities in Edo and Bayelsa State. The lkale are a Yoruba people found in Okitipupa Local Government and Irele Local Government both in Ondo State.

On this thread, we are going to have a look at the massive migration of the Urhobo people to Ikale land and its economic implications.

The Urhobo Migration

The Urhobo were primarily oil palm producers, an ethnic and culture-bound occupation. Any Urhobo migrant was socialized in this economic and cultural context, each had a full knowledge of the technology for palm oil production.

The destination of the Urhobo migrants to Okitipupa and other part of Ikale Land was determined by the abundance of oil palm resources.

The Urhobo chose to travel 272km, in stages, to reach lkale-land rather than move to the urban areas of Warri and Sapele within their territories or go to Benin City which was a few kilometres away. This choice was determined by the fear of possible failure in the competition for urban employment on one hand, and on the other by the availability of similar rural life experiences and the expectation of survival and prosperity through their knewn palm oil technology.

The Urhobo Population in Ikale

By 1931 the Ikale occupied an area of about 1,261 square km and out of a population of 60,902 in this territory, 25% were Urhobo. Apart from lkale there were llaje (also a Yoruba people) and ljo indigenes in Okitipupa Division. Although new economic activities have since attracted more people to the Division, with a consequent population growth from I50,182 in 1952 to 275,709 in 1963.

The Urhobo migrant element in the Division, which had been coming in since the 19th century, dwindled from 22.3% of the population in 1952 to 14.7% in I963. This variation in the figures has to do with the economic changes in the environment and the achievement of migrant targets and the consequent re-migration or return home. Besides the Yoruba majority of 74.4%, there were 8.2% ljo. 1% lgbo, and less than 1% each of Bini, lsoko, ltsekiri, Hausa, Efik, lbibio, and other small elements. The Division was largely rural. By I963, only 6.4% of the population was urban. In the absence of reliable figures one can hardly speak of any urban population before the 1952 census.

The Structure Of The Urhobo Immigrant Villages In Ikale

Urhobo migrants conceptualized their target in terms of going to ‘Ukane’ (a corruption of lkale) or 'going to the sea' (mi kpu rhie), indicating the route used. Both concepts signitied at the same time the migratory trip, the destination, the socio-economic motivation, and the expectation to return atter accomplishing their targets.

On reaching their destination, the migrants sought village-camp tenancy positions from Ikale landlords through their kinsmen or friends with whom there had been some communication. Six such village-camps were studied in detail. Each comprised men, women, and children with a functional physical layout designed for convenience. Each house was built typically after the Urhobo fashion but without the dignity and the semblance of permanence. All the physical structures. including the trough-factory (oko) and wells were kept within calling distance. In this way, wives could go straight from the kitchen to serve meals in the production centres, children be sent on quick errands from one place to another. and possible outbreak of tire and other attacks faced quickly.

Each village consisted of an average of seven family/household units, with a total of forty people often having kin relationship with one another. A household was the smallest unit of social organization in a village. Each village was exclusive to the Urhobo immigrants. lts government was gerontocratic and the head ensured peace and cooperation through timely intervention in quarrels; without these, palm oil production could hardly be successful.

The Urhobos Economic Activities In Ikale Land

The Urhobo immigrants whose ages ranged between twenty and forty years engaged almost exclusively in palm oil production. Their problems included low technology and access to land and wild oil palm trees. An immigrant required minimaI investment to begin his occupation: his own strength, a cutlass, an axe, and a ropegirdle, called efi, which he could manufacture from parts of an oil palm tree. Other investments were the village trough, an important communal property in the economic process, and participation in an ongoing scheme of mutual assistance and collaboration. In addition to these an immigrant paid to an Ikale landlord about #120 and a bottle of gin as a settlement fee and #6 (about US $10) after a year. The landlords exploited this relationship to their own advantage and began to develop ideas of rural capitalism.

A normal working day began at 7 or 8am and ended by 4 or 5 pm. Immigrants rested on Sunday. if christian, or their traditional resting day called "edewo". Oil palm production required searches through rough bush on footpaths and (nowadays) motorable roads for ripe palm fruits. A typical immigrant working intensively for twelve days in a month and resting every three days, cut an average of 1,080 regimes in one year. It took a household 21 days to complete the process of extracting oil from the palm fruits. On average, a kerosine tin of 18.2 litres of oil was produced from 18 regimes of palm fruits, thus giving a total of 60 tins of palm oil produced yearly by a typical immigrant. In addition to this an immigrant's wife or wives got 1,097.2 kg of palm kernel a year. These figures were diminishing each year owing principally to the ageing trees and to their destruction through fire and lack of manure.

There were fluctuations in prices and immigrant income but by 1970-72. a typical immigrant earned #150 from palm oil and #64.50 from palm kernel. hence a total of #214.50 from his oil palm produce. From this amount he maintained his household of about six people on the average for one year.

The Implications Of The Urhobo Migration To Ikale

The Urhobo immigrants not only helped the economy through their production for local use and for export but also contributed to the concentration of both population and elements of urban life.

The direction of this development was towards greater intensification of an urban system in which indigenes were centrally involved. The lkale, for example. not only learnt from the Urhobo to climb the tall palm oil trees (before the arrival of the Urhobo immigrants they only cut regimes for food from low oil palms) but also developed the habits of shopkeeping and trade and became employed at the low levels of unskilled labour in plantations, government agrtcultural extension works, farm settlements and in the local Government Council that even after a majority of the immigrants had left the host society, a sustained system of urban life had been created. Government investments and participation in this urbanization process can hardly be Withdrawn.

Notable Urhobos Who Grew Up In Ikale
1. Chief Ayo Irikefe (former Chief Justice of Nigeria)
2. Chief Victor Ovie-Whiskey (former Chief Judge of Bendel State)

Source:
Rural Migrants as Catalysts in Rural Development: The Urhobo in Ondo State, Nigeria by Onigu Otite (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159555)

cc: nowpresence, fratermathy, Sanchez01, Mystiquefia, darfay...

OP, I need your clarification please.
I served in Okpe LGA. There, they don't believe they're Urhobos. They said they're Okpe not Urhobo. They have their language different from Urhobo. Are the Okpes in any conflict with the Urhobos?

Davash222:
OP, I need your clarification please.
I served in Okpe LGA. There, they don't believe they're Urhobos. They said they're Okpe not Urhobo. They have their language different from Urhobo. Are they Okpes in any conflict with the Urhobos?

Where in Okpe did you serve? some are having this identity crisis like you have in the Ilorin and Yoruba debate, majority still see themselves as Urhobos.

Urhobos in Okitipupa?

Hard to believe sha.
But it's possible

Efewestern:


Where in Okpe did you serve? some are having this identity crisis like you have in the Ijebu and Yoruba debate, majority still see themselves as Urhobos.

Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo... All these places claimed they're Okpe not Urhobo.

..

Efewestern:


Yes, these are the core parts of Okpe, some towns in Okpe go with the Urhobo tag such as Sapele, Oha, Osubi, Orerokpe etc

Thanks alot.
We have Anioma, Ijaw, Itshekiri, and Urhobo in Delta state. How come those people are claiming to be Okpe?

Efewestern:


Hard to believe? Okitipupa was the second home of most Urhobos, they only migrated home after the oil boom.

I believe we have Ikale indigenes on this forum, we can learn one or two from them.

cc: lalasticlala, seun, mynd44

It's hard to believe, cos the names, culture, food, dressing etc would reflect in the town.

Or probably they reside in other towns around okitipupa.

Sammy07:


It's hard to believe, cos the names, culture, food, dressing etc would reflect in the town.

Or probably they reside in other towns around okitipupa.

They were economic immigrants, just like the massive immigration of the Urhobos to Jos.

This is really refreshing to read.
farming has been a fundamental part of Urhobos.
I have a friend who is from that part of ondo state but ijaw. the mother always tells stories of her encounter with the Urhobo community there. she learned the language and also a lover of Urhobo music like omokomoko. she told a story about a particular boy who went fishing in the river and a crocodile caught his hand and almost cut his hands off, he screened "nene o" calling for his grandma, they were able to rescue him but some fingers were missing.
I asked her if they still lived there, she said they have since moved back to Sapele.

Urhobo also have some settlers in ife. some years ago, a parish priest was transferred to ife, to catered for the Urhobo parish there.
Also settlers in Jos, and I think in ore as well.

Efewestern:


They were economic immigrants.

Okay, I grab.
Abundance of oil palm.

Why do they left then?

Efewestern:

The lkale, for example. not only learnt from the Urhobo to climb the tall palm oil trees (before the arrival of the Urhobo immigrants they only cut regimes for food from low oil palms) but also developed the habits of shopkeeping and trade and became employed at the low levels of unskilled labour in plantations, government agrtcultural extension works, farm settlements and in the local Government Council that even after a majority of the immigrants had left the host society, a sustained system of urban life had been created
Source:
Rural Migrants as Catalysts in Rural Development: The Urhobo in Ondo State, Nigeria by Onigu Otite (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159555)

There have been large scale of palm oil production right before the migration, their style of oil production is different. Shop keeping and trade is the other way round.

nowpresence:
This is really refreshing to read.
farming has been a fundamental part of Urhobos.
I have a friend who is from that part of ondo state but ijaw. the mother always tells stories of her encounter with the Urhobo community there. she learned the language and also a lover of Urhobo music like omokomoko. she told a story about a particular boy who went fishing in the river and a crocodile caught his hand and almost cut his hands off, he screened "nene o" calling for his grandma, they were able to rescue him but some fingers were missing.
I asked her if they still lived there, she said they have since moved back to Sapele.

Urhobo also have some settlers in ife. some years ago, a parish priest was transferred to ife, to catered for the Urhobo parish there.
Also settlers in Jos, and I think in ore as well.

Thanks for your contribution, yes we have huge Urhobo population in Jos, I will create a thread about this cc: Nowenuse.

I don't know much about the Urhobos in Ife, was it a recent migration?

Sammy07:


Okay, I grab.
Abundance of oil palm.

Why do they left then?

Crude oil boom made the Urhobos left Okitipupa and other towns they immigrated to. They were doing well in agriculture, In the 40's, the Urhobos were the economic backbone of Ikale, all thanks to the native who accommodated them

Indeed oil was a curse.

Sammy07:


It's hard to believe, cos the names, culture, food, dressing etc would reflect in the town.

Or probably they reside in other towns around okitipupa.

they are located in some part of okitipupa, not forgetting that other ethnic groups are also present there. their present should completely change the cultural outlook of the town. not forgetting that they only moved there in 1931. Besides they went there mostly from agriculture pursuit.

Efewestern:


Thanks for your contribution, yes we have huge Urhobo population in Jos, I will create a thread about this cc: Nowenuse.

I don't know much about the Urhobos in Ife, is it a recent migration?

just around the time, they left for ondo state, possibly. definitely not in large numbers like in ondo state.

There are also many urhobos in Ijesa land.

lawani:
There are also many urhobos in Ijesa land.

which state is this located

Where are urhobo communities that are found in Edo state??

Efewestern:


Crude oil boom made the Urhobos left Okitipupa and other towns they immigrated to. They were doing well in agriculture, In the 40's, the Urhobos were the economic backbone of Ikale, all thanks to the native who accommodated them

Indeed oil was a curse.

Okay, Oil was a curse indeed.

But I think, oil was a blessing but the governments refused to make use of their head.

Binikingdowm:
Where are urhobo communities that are found in Edo state??

settlers not found

nowpresence:

which state is this located

Osun

nowpresence:

which state is this located

Osun

Sammy07:


Osun

yeah
is it same as ilesha

Binikingdowm:
Where are urhobo communities that are found in Edo state??

Border communities, will create a detailed thread about that when I get full details.

Which town in Ijebuland is having identity crisis?

Efewestern:


Where in Okpe did you serve? some are having this identity crisis like you have in the Ijebu and Yoruba debate, majority still see themselves as Urhobos.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehe, I heard from ipodpigs that urhobos also brought crude oil along to ondo when coming