OGBIA (OGBO-OYAN), OGBEYAN) IBE

OGBIA (OGBO-OYAN), OGBEYAN) IBE: The Ogbia are in present day Bayelsa State. The Ogbia took their name from the term ‘Ogbo-Oyan’ meaning " the land of Oyan " Oyan one of the founding ancestors at Agadagba-bou. Others derived from Tara the ancestor of the Tarakiri of Agadagbabou in Igbedi creek. Oyan descendants migrated down the creeks and settled in that region named after him. Very much later, when the settlement had become a town, immigrants arrived from Nembe (i.e. Oromabiri). These immigrants were mostly Iwere migrants fleeing Nembe after it was retaken by Kala-Ekule of the Olodiama lineage. These immigrants had originally come from Benin city during the time of Oba Ewuare or Oba Olua (1473). Some of the same group of people founded the Itsekiri.

The children of Oyan divided into two descent lineages. These are the Oloi (Oloibiri) and Okoroma lineage’s.  They were joined later by the settlers from Oromabiri in Nembe, and collectively gave birth to the Ogbia clan comprising towns and villages such as Okoroma, Ologoama, Egelema, Abobiri, Akakiama and Amakalakala. Other immigrant groups from the Isedani lineage of Kolokuma founded the town of Otu-Okpotu or Etu-okpotu (House of Okpotu) which took its name from Otu-onikpotu the son of a daughter of Okoroma, with a descendant of Ise ancestor of the Isedani lineage.

According to ancestral tradition:

THE OGBEYANS
The Ogbeyan section of Ijo was founded by Oyan who was one of the sons of Ijo. At the dispersal of the children of Ijo from Agadagbabou, Oyan also left and migrated down the creeks settled at a site in the territory now occupied by the Ogbeyans. The settlement he founded was called Ogbo-Oyan, meaning ‘land of Oyan’ which was corrupted to Ogbeyan. Oyan had two sons Oloi and Okoroma. These two sons with other settlers with them founded the comparatively vast Ogbeyan Clan. THE CHILDREN OF OLOI – Oloi had nine sons, namely:

1. Amurukeni who founded the village of Amurukeni
2. Ebere who founded the village of Otuasega
3. Edi who founded the village of Otedu or Egbediama
4. Egele who founded the village of Egeleama
5. Emenya who founded the village of Emenya
6. Ewoi who founded the village of Ewoi
7. Igbesuogidi who founded the village of Okpiniama
8. Ogidi who founded the village of Ogidiama
9. Oke who founded the village of Otuaka

THE CHILDREN OF OKOROMA – Okoroma had several sons of whom nine became distinctively known, they were:

1. Abo the founder of the village of Abobiri
2. Alaga the founder of the village of Akakiama
3. Abula the founder of the village of Abulabiri
4. Apiritia the founder of the village of Imiringi
5. Awolo the founder of the village of Kolo
6. Ikpesu the founder of the village of Out-Ikpesu
7. Odefe the founder of the village of Akalabange (Anyama)
8. Ogu the founder of the village of Oguogu or Oruoweiama
9. Ologo the founder of Ologoama or Otokoroama

The villages, Abilabio, Alagbafama, Amadugoama and Otogori were founded by other children of Okoroma. The town, Otuokpotu was founded by Otuonikpotu who was born of a daughter of Okoroma with Ise of Kolokuma.”

The beginning of the Ogbia is pre-14th century back to at least 1000 AD.

Chief Amgbare JSD (The Origins of Kalabari) Independent Monitor No/Dec Editons.