13 Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group in Nigeria

This article will give you 13 Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group in Nigeria. With today’s post, you can learn a lot about the Okirika people and also about the state they reside in.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group

There are lots of controversies surrounding the people of Okirika people being broken from the Ijaw tribe. Yes, they belong to the Ijaw people cluster and may share the same place which the Ijaw people might have called their home once a time in history, however, it is wrong to welcome the idea that they were once part of the Ijaw people.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group in Nigeria

The following are interesting facts about the people of Okirikia ethnic group in Nigeria as well as facts about the state they reside in.

1. State Of Residence in The Country

The Okirika people are another not-so-major or minor tribe in the southern part of Nigeria. They coexist with other drives in one of the states in the Niger Delta. They live in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Rivers is one of the Niger Delta states in the southern region of Nigeria housing a lot of different tribes with different cultures and backgrounds as well.

2. Population

The people of Okirika Nigeria are not many in numbers and not that large in size but they have a fair population of 497,000 people, both males and females. They may not be too big in size but they are big in the things they come together to do.

3. Local Government Areas; Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group

Amidst their not-too-small population, if comparing them to other tribes in the state, they are widespread. That is, they are not found only in one area of land. Firstly, they occupy 3 local government areas where they live in different districts.

The local government area that is more like their hometown and village to them is the Okrika local government area. You can still find them in Port Harcourt’s local government area as well as in Ogu-Bolo.

4. Language

They speak the Kirike language. It is an Ijoid language indigenous to the Okrika people and common in some areas in Rivers state which are Okrika, Port-Harcourt, Ogu-Bolo, and some other regions. Its speakers amount to about 500,000 speakers in Nigeria and globally.

5. Religion

In history, the Okirika people were more traditional believers practising different types of idols and worshipping forms in other to speak with their gods and forefathers. They were very fetish up until they had transformed from being idol worshippers to Christians.

A lot of them now believe in Christ and worship him as their personal saviour. They have many church buildings but the most preeminent one is the St. Peters Cathedral in Okirika.

6. Ethnicity is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group

Affinity Bloc: Sub-Saharan People.

People Cluster: Ijaw.

People Group: Okirika.

Ethnic Code: NAB59i.

7. Geography

The Okirika people of Okrika in Rivers State Nigeria live in a suburban area. Theirs is an island in Rivers state lying north of the Bonny River with an average elevation of 452 and it is 35 miles from the Bight of Benin.

8. Occupation

It is very important to note that the Okirika people in Okrika local government area prefer fishing to any other occupation. The lands they live in are mostly riverine areas which support fishing activities. They are also actively involved in the production of palm oil, while some go to town to trade fish.

9. Economy is Another Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group

The people of Okirika people are generally wealthy people. Wealthy tribe. They are rich in their source of living. They supply revenue to the state through their refined petroleum products, their salt processing, palm oil products and some other agro-raw materials like cassava, yams, plantains, and taro.

10. History

The place where now currently live in Okrika was formerly a fishing village of the Ijaw people. It has been a place that has been actively dealing with the slave trade since the 17th century and also serves as an exportation ground for palm oil. In 1965, the town become recognized as a commercial town in the state upon the completion of the refinery and building of pipelines.

11. Districts

Before now the Okrika had 9 constituting the Okrika kingdom but now an additional town has been added making it a total of 10 towns now. They are Ogu, Ogoloma, Bolo, Abuloma, Ibaka, Ele, Ogbogbo, Isaka, Kirike, and Koniju towns.

It is also very important for you to note that some of these towns have small villages in them and also not just the Okirika people live here but also some other tribes Abua, Eleme, Ndoni, etc.

12. Festivals are Also Interesting Facts About the People of Okirika Ethnic Group

Almost all the tribes in Nigeria have their festivals which they gather together to celebrate. The most common and popular festival in Okrika which brings tribes from different parts of the LGA is the Iria Festival. It is the festival to celebrate womanhood.

It usually holds at the market square in Okrika bringing women and young girls from different parts of the towns to celebrate them.

13. Ruler

Like every other community, there must be a ruler and a general overseer of the affairs of the community. There is something called the War Canoe House. It is made up of families from different backgrounds. So each war canoe house is governed by a head known as a Chief.

Conclusion

Now, with these facts, you have an establishment of some background knowledge of the people of the Okirika tribe. You can build more on your foundation by learning more facts about the Okirika people or by learning about other ethnic groups related to them.

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