One of the major Language / ethnic group in Kogi State Is The Okun Language. The Okun People Of Kogi State are the Yoruba Speaking Part Of Kogi State.
Over Years, People In Kogi State And Outside Have argued that The Okun People of Kogi State are also purely Yoruba. Meanwhile, The Okun People Of Kogi State Speak Okun in their Different Dialects. The Roots of the Okun People Of Kogi State Can also Be Traced back to Ile Ife When Yorubas were spreading. Okun people are Yoruba descendants in Kogi State.
Okun People spread across six local government in kogi state, known as Kabba -Bunu, Yagba West, Yagba East , Mopa- Muro , Ijumu and Lokoja local government areas.
They speak various dialects which include; owe, iyagba, ijumu , Bunu and Oworo. Their dialects are influenced by various factors ; such factor is that Kogi State Shares boundaries with Kwara, Ondo , Ekiti, Niger, Benue, Nasarawa ,and Abuja. They understand one another to a greater extent and large numbers of them speak Yoruba ,Hence making them bilingual. Okun is also a form of greeting among them. Okun could also mean “sorry” , ” well-done “, or as an all encompassing greeting. Similarly, this form of greeting is also found among the Ekiti and Igbomina groups of Yoruba people . It is also a mode of greeting among the Ijesa people of South Western Nigeria.
The Okun People are known to have local delicacies . Common soups among the people include orunla soup ( grounded dried okra) , akuku, and tankelekon baba obe ( kings of soups). These are usually eaten with pounded yam . The Okun People have a popular snack called adun which is fried beans with palm oil. All of the various okun cultural groups share similar dressing and traditional religion. The Okun People practice Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. Before the advent of Christianity and Islam, the Okun People had their traditional religion which is based on the worship of ” orisa” like sango and Ogun and the consultation of ifa as practiced among larger Yoruba subgroups.
The Okun People Of Kogi State Have a rich cultural and traditional value which varies in all aspects of life
Compiled by
Suleiman Fareedah
