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Historical development of Olomoro

The origin of Olomoro

Olomoro is located in the Isoko South Local Government Area (L.G.A.) of Delta State of Nigeria. It is one of the largest oil producing communities in Nigeria. Oil exploration started in Olomoro around 1957. Olomoro has several oil fields operated by Heritage Oil Operational Services Limited. Olomoro is the official 3rd urban community in Isoko after Oleh and Ozoro.

Olomoro was founded by three brothers Akerai, Obuefo and Omoro. The people of Olomoro believe that they originated from the Benin kingdom. The three brothers migrated from Benin to Olomu where they settled briefly before relocating to Olomoro. Igboze, the founder of Olomu is thought to be their uncle!

This belief is in agreement with that of most Isoko communities which trace their origins to the Benin Kingdom. These views were "decidedly simplistic and were based on British Intelligence Reports of the 1930s". The traditional rulership of Olomoro is headed by the Odiologbo and the present Odiologbo of Olomoro is HRM Umukoro Josiah Aghaza-1. In July 2018, His Royal Majesty visited the United States of America to attend the convention of Isokos in North America, which held in the city of Los Angeles California alongside other Isoko traditional rulers and dignitaries.

Description of Olomoro locality Olomoro lies within the tropical rain forest of the Niger-Delta. The region experiences high rainfall and high humidity most of the year. The climate is equatorial and is marked by two distinct seasons. The Dry and Rainy seasons. The Dry season lasts from about November to April and is significantly marked by the cool "harmarttan" dusty haze from the north-east winds. The Rainy season spans May to October with a brief dry spell in August.

Olomoro is situated around longitude  6° E and latitude 5o N. Her immediate neighbours include lyede, Oleh, Owhe, Ozoro, Emede, Igbide, Enhwe and Irri. The community has a network of roads that link almost all the major towns in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. Olomoro is one of the major oil rich communities in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, she is also so suitably located that it serves both as a major commercial/business center of Isoko people as the vital corridor through which all the neighboring towns and villages evacuate their farm produce to all parts of the Local Government.

Culture and tradition Festivals Ivri festival is the major festival celebrated by the people of Olomoro. During this festival there is a display of magical prowess by different people in the community. This is characterized by the use of cutlass in cutting each other without sustaining any injuries. Part of the activities of the Ivri festival is celebrated in the bush where people go into the bush to dance until the bushes are leveled to the ground. The Ivri is carried by 3 representatives from each of the three quarters in the community. It is believed that in the carrying of the Ivri, it should not be allowed to fall to the ground. In an event when it happens, it is believed that something bad will happen to the people carrying the Ivri. In the grand finale, kolanuts are thrown on the ground and people are expected to pick up the pieces of kolanut with their tongue.

Occupation Farming is the major occupation of the people of Olomoro. Most of the people especially women are also involved in some form of trading especially, the sales of their farm produce. Some of the items commonly sold are cassava, garri, fish, etc. Apart from those occupations Olomoro indigenes have excelled in all 21st century professions including academics, law, medicine, banking, engineering, politics/governance, the liberal arts and business/entrepreneurial acumen.

Language As an Isoko community, the major language spoken by the people of Olomoro is the Isoko language. This is used in the market, churches, homes and in some cases in the elementary school especially in the simplification of some difficult concepts by breaking them down to the mother tongue for proper understanding.

Worships and Beliefs God is referred to as Oghene in Isoko where Olomoro is situated. The people of Olomoro in a bid to reach God use several methods in communicating with God. But majority of the people in the community are predominantly Christians, although some of them practice the traditional religion inherited from their ancestors.

Food Standard diet consists of a bowl of Garri taken with banga soup adorned with fresh fish or bush meat. The major food eaten by the people Olomoro is garri, yam, akpu and starch. Cassava is the source of most of the foods consumed by the Isoko people. Garri, starch meal (Ozi), Egu are cassava derivatives.

Housing Modern houses in Olomoro are built with block and either corrugated zinc. But in the olden days they were built by the use of mud and thatch roofs.

Negative factors affecting health in Olomoro 1.   Female circumcision: Female genital mutilation which is widely criticized as unhealthy is still practiced due to ignorance. This has lead to some health complications in women in the community. 2.     Gas flaring: The flow station in Olomoro usually flare excess natural gas due to lack of proper storage facilities in the flow stations. This has led to the destruction of the ecosystem in the community and also affected the people negatively. The people of Olomoro which are known to be peasant farmers had suffer economic losses due to poor agricultural yield. 3.   Oil spillage: Due to poor management of the pipelines, there are usually cases of oil spillage in Olomoro community with its associated health and environmental problems. This usually pollutes water bodies, destruction of agricultural farm and killing of aquatic lives.

Resources available in Olomoro community 1.)  Market: Olomoro market is a well organized market. This serves as an organized location where agricultural wares from the farm are sold by the people in the community. Other items, especially those which are not produced in the community are also sold by the different merchant traders in the community whose occupation is trading. 2.)  Health facilities:  There are several health facilities in Olomoro such as the primary health care centre, privately own hospitals and clinic, pharmacies, traditional birth attendants, etc. All these work together in ensuring that good health status of the people of the community is maintained. 3.) Farmlands: There are different types of agricultural practices engaged in by the people of Olomoro which include, planting of crops, fish farming, poultry, etc. This greatly help in ensuring that food is available in the community and at an affordable price since they are majorly produced locally in the community. 4.)  Educational centres:  There are several schools in the community where children and youths are educated and trained in preparation to meet life challenges. There are numerous public and private schools in Olomoro. They include: Olomoro Grammar School, Idodo Umeh Academy, Fortress International School, Olomoro Primary School, Owholomu Primary School and Akokotu Primary School. 5.) Good leadership: The leadership of the community is headed by the Odiologbo with his cabinet, together with the President-General of Olomoro Community Development (OCD) and his cabinet.  The current President-General is Pastor Agboro Blessing King. The leadership ensures that peace is maintained in the community and people respect each other’s rights. They also carry out enforcement of laws by punishing offenders according to the severity of their offenses.

Source: Modern Day Sciences. May 30, 2016. Edited by F. Akenami, September 11, 2018.