THE MMONWU MASQUERADE OF THE ISOKO AND UKWUANI PEOPLE: A RELIGIO-RITUAL FACTOR OF CONTACT IN THE WESTERN NIGER DELTA OF NIGERIA

A major factor of contact amongst the people of the Western Niger Delta of Nigeria, which for want of a more appropriate term, maybe described as cultural, between the Isoko and her Ukwuani neighbours is the religio-ritual factor. One of the ancient and wide-ranging religio-ritual factors, which helped to promote intergroup contact between the Isoko and her Ukwuani neighbours, was associated with the Mmonwu masquerade, a socio-cultural institution. The work therefore examines the impact of the Mmonwu masquerade on the relations between the Isoko and Ukwuani people of the western Niger Delta of Nigeria. The work was carried out with the use of primary and secondary sources, using the historical and analytical method. The result/findings shows that, the Isoko-Ukwuani Mmonwu Masquerade is not an original Isoko-Ukwuani culture, but came as a cultural intercourse with their Igbo Neighbours. The work further shows that the Mmonwu Masquerade has a viable socio-cultural, religio-ritual, and economic impact on intergroup relations of the Isoko-Ukwuani Peoples

Impact of the discovery of crude oil on inter-group relations between Isoko and her immediate neighbours in the western Niger Delta of Nigeria

The "invasion" of the western Niger Delta of Nigeria in 1958/1959 by SPDC from their operational base in Port Harcourt, followed by Agip and Gulf later Chevron in their respective leases was the harbinger of immediate and long-term socio-political and economic forces and tendencies for intra and inter-group relations. This article therefore examines the discovery of crude oil petroleum in Isokoland and the nature of intergroup relations it elicited in the western Niger Delta over the years, to ascertain the changing pattern and trends of relationship between the Isoko and her neighbours in postcolonial times up to the twenty-rst century. The article shows that the discovery of crude oil petroleum in the western Niger Delta marked a watershed in the history of intergroup relations in the area.Keywords: Discovery, Petroleum, Isokoland, Intergroup Relation