User talk:Eochi

IBILLA Clan (Benue State Nigeria)
Ibilla clan (a collection of villages) is one of the communities that make up the present Oju Local Government area of Benue State in Nigeria.

Ibilla land is located between Latitude 6°51′0″ N and Longitude 8°25′0″ E; with the ever dominant Andibilla-Uchenyum-Uwokwu Mountain range, as it most breathtaking striking feature. The sedimentary range runs approximately East to West of the Clan, making it visible to all the Ibilla villages, except those in the satellites. The majority of the villages are in the northern sector of the range, with Andibilla and Uchenyum located directly on the crest; Okuku and Epwa-Ibilla are on tne southern flat plains of the range, Ibilla-Ilache straddles the Eastern tip. Ibilla-alukpo, Eja, Barracks, Anyiwogbu and Imoho are sandwiched on its northern side with a flat table-top sandstone outcrop, making them "valley villages". The sandstone deposit extends all the way to the most northern edge of the Land, comprising Ichakobe, Ega and Ochimode as the flattest parts of the whole land.

Another potential source of tourist attractions of the Land is its very famous Open Hearth Furnace, referred locally as Utiyuoh. This bears a fascinating testimony to the technological know-how of the people. The most famous and best preserved is located at Ibilla-alukp.

Ibilla is inhabited mainly by Ibilla people, who speak Igede as the main language. ReclaimNaija.net 2011 lists the various villages and settlements that make up Ibilla clan (Ibilla electoral ward) as: Akiraba, Andibilla, Anyuwogbu, Barracks, Edumoga, Ega Okpodomh, Ega Mission, Eja, Epwa-Ibilla, Ibilla-Ilache, Ibilla-alukpo, Ichakobe/Ojini (1) Magistrates; Ichakobe/Ojini (11) Magistrates; Idajo, Ochimode, Okuku, Uchenyum. Ibilla clan also has satellites settlements of Opirikwu, Idelle and Ononwuh. The settlements are geographically located outside Benue State and Oju LGa, however there remains a very powerful and strong blood relationships and ties between them.

Ibilla can boast of one of the earliest, if the not the oldest seats of education in the Igedeland, paving the way for the rest of Igede people to follow. The Ibilla Primary School helped educate a vast majority of Igede people producing some of the best brains in the land. This continued to be the case until the onset of Universal education programme in Nigeria that resulted in building many primary schools in the area.

A very glaring error and source of constant consternation amongst Ibilla people is the fact that the previous governments of Benue State over the years have denied them a name. This is so because the location of the Headquarters of Oju Local Government is located exclusively in Ibilla land (Ichakobe and Anyuwogbu), yet it is erraneously and wrongly called "OJU". All the offices of the headquarters are situated between these two villages. And if you contrast what the villages make up Oju Ward as published by ReclaimNaija.net, one easily sees the anger for the injustice done over the years.

Source: Personal Knowledge