The History of Uneme Nekhua

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Last update July 1, 2020

According to the Author of the book titled “A Cultural History of the Uneme from the Earliest Time to 1962” he stated that a prominent Uneme man called Agene selected some of his age group members from among the Uneme living at the Oghere hill in Akpama land the group of strong and powerful man in the Uneme language had hailed from the Udochi house or kindred in ancient Akpama. It was in recognition and "Egene", after him it was in a similar manner that the people came to themselves as "Egene", or lvbi-Agene., meaning the children of Agene. However, another name by which both the people and their community are known and referred to especially by their neighbours, is OSI. This name arose from the fact of the community proximity to the OSI, a non-Uneme sub -group also called Aiyegunle, that had established their settlement in the area before Agene and his people arrival in the territory. The people had similarly be variously described as the Egene-Osi (literally meaning the Egene of the Osi areas, and the Uneme-Osi or Uneme people who live near the OSI.

The name was later changed in 1953 by the authority of all the Uneme leaders who met at the residence of Pa Sule Ajisebiolawo Adebowale, a highly respected Uneme leader based in Ilesa in present Osun State. The name "Uneme Nekhua" is understand to mean. "The great Uneme people". In all the three kindred emerged in the community shortly after its founding  They are;

(i) Imiokpamosi,

(¡¡)Imiakhusi, and

(¡¡¡) Imiogoro which happen to be the three ruling kindred in Uneme North Clan.

However, like the Uneme Akpama and Uneme Erhurun as earlier noted a certain new form of kindred had sprung from those which had previously been established in the communities, in Uneme Nekhua, this kind of change also occurred, due to the effects of demographic changes and development. But, unlike in Uneme Akpama and Uneme Erhurun . At Uneme Nekhua, what emerged were sub-kindred, which maintained some loose but semi-independent links with their parent kindred nineteen of such new sub-kindred have been identified.

Geographically, Uneme Nekhua is situated along the Auchi- Igarra, Ibillo road in Akoko-Edo and it’s surrounded by a number of Uneme and non-Uneme villages and towns such as Uneme Aiyetoro Osi (Aiyegunle) Igbola-Oke Igarra and Ibillo. 

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