Omalicha Slim History Blog

The statue of a woman, a warrior with weapons in her hands, stands facing the Presidential Palace in Cotonou, Benin. The woman looks as if she is ready for battle, and her bronzed body towers over the surrounding area at 30 metres high. This monument stands at an impressive 30 metres tall. To the passing visitor, it looks like just another big African monument. But she represents something much deeper. She is a warrior memorializing the Agojie, female soldiers who were part of the military might of the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful in West Africa. Dahomey’s female warrior corps was also inspired by the woman Tassi Hangbé who has been traditionally associated with its early development. This is the story of women, of power, of war, of politics, of courage and of of great sacrifice and it is a huge part of African history that is largely overlooked. Before Benin was Benin, there was Dahomey Benin as we know it today didn’t exist. Instead, there was the ...

*WHO IS EDDIE QUANSA??* I know you will wondering who is Eddie Quansa, especially if you among the indomie generation. Has a legend who survived and became successful at all cost. I will like you to grab your chair and popcorn if possible and lets go for a sweet and smooth drive. There was a time when life in Nigeria used to be simple and fun. In Owerri, a town Imo State in the eastern part of Nigeria, there lived a young man called John Obikwe. John Obikwe was a jovial fellow who loved partying and having fun. He used to frequent all the fun spots and joints in the city. John Obikwe was tall, dark in complexion and very handsome with thick hair. All the girls wanted him. He used to play the guitar and he expertly plucked the heartstrings of many young women. John Obikwe had three brothers. He was the youngest of them all. The Nigerian civil war began in the late 60s and life in Owerri was on the lowest ebb so John Obikwe and his brothers lived a low keyed life, hiding many...

Abike Dabiri-Erewa: A leader who inspires Nigerians  Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa By:  Bobby Digi Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of  Nigerians in Diaspora Commission  (NiDCOM), consistently demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the welfare of Nigerians, both at home and abroad. Her tireless efforts to rescue and support stranded and abandoned Nigerians know no ethnic boundaries. She has facilitated countless rescue missions and consistently brings together Nigerians from all regions and backgrounds to find solutions and uplift the nation. Recently, in a collaboration with myself, initiatives supported by Hon. Dabiri-Erewa empowered over 500 Nigerian youths — from high school students to members of the National Youth Service Corps — representing every region and ethnic background. Working alongside her during this project allowed me to witness her remarkable capabilities, commitment, and leadership firsthand. From advocacy for Nigerians stranded abroa...

History of Owerri Owerri was founded about the 14th century by a man regarded as founding father and his name is Ekwem Oha. His mother's name was Arugo. He fled from Umuori Village, Uratta in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State when his life was threatened by his younger brother Ndum. The threat to his life arose from the dispute over the sharing of the Funeral Cow slaughtered when their father Oha the aristocrat and embodiment of royalty died. The first son (Opara in Igbo) Ekwem was to provide the funeral cow as demanded by custom. He did not have the means to do so. He appealed to his younger brother Ndum popularly known as Ndumoha to buy the cow, which he did. Ndum asked for the head, heart and other parts of the cow that go to the first son in keeping with custom. His reason being that he Ndum, bought the funeral cow. Ekwem turned down his request and a quarrel ensued. The elders (Oha Uratta) were invited to settle the dispute. They did so by allowing tradition to p...

Muhammad Dan Yakubu,  known as  Muhammad Rumfa  was the  Sultan  of  Kano  from 1463 until 1499. His reign was characterized by wealth and opulence and signaled the rise of the Sultanate's commercial dominance in the region. Under the guidance of famed Berber Scholar,  Muhammad Al-Maghili , he was also responsible for much of the  Islamization  of Kano. In total, the Kano Chronicle attributed twelve innovations to him including; extending the city walls, building a large palace, the  Gidan Rumfa , promoting slaves to governmental positions and establishing the  Kurmi Market . Rumfa's reforms also proved to be the catalyst that would propel Kano to its political peak, resulting in the first Kanoan Empire under his grandson  Muhammad Kisoki . His era of oligarchs came to be eponymously known as the "Rumfawa", and would last until their replacement by the "Kutumbawa" in 1623. Muhammad Rumfa is considered by ...

On August 10, 1963, the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan hosted the first ever boxing world title fight in Africa. The match was initially slated for July 13, 1963. This was for the Middleweight Championship of the World belt and was fought between Nigeria's own Dick Tiger and Gene Fullmer of the USA.⠀ ⠀ Nigeria's Dick Tiger won the fight in the 7th round.⠀ ⠀ #boxinghistory #nigeria #omalichahistory

Killi-we Nwachukwu, born in 1941, a native of Mbaitolu in Imo state. He was for more than 25 years celebrated as a homegrown Nigerian superman. Some of his feats of strength included pulling moving cars, lifting buses, getting run over by cars, e.t.c. #omalichahistory

The Idanre Hill, or Oke Idanre is located in Idanre town in Ondo State of southwestern Nigeria. Views from the Idanre Hills. The Idanre hill is well-known. Idanre Hill is a beautiful hill with 682 steps from the ground. It's not an easy climb, but it's totally worth the Journey. There are about 5 huts on the way up ... The  Idanre  hill is well-known for its landscape. Its wide variety on cultural sites as 'Owa's Palace', shrines, The Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun footprint, thunder water (Omi Apaara) and burial grounds have since brought the location fame and the nation's nomination for the  UNESCO World Heritage Site  shortlist. It resides 3000 ft (914.4meters) above sea level and houses a unique ecosystem upon which the cultural landscape has Integrated. Idanre Hills is located on a Precambrian igneous batholith that is about 500 Million years old, and is cut by several large fracture that form dee...

Erin Ijesha Waterfall is one of the popular waterfalls in Nigeria. Erin Ijesha is a seven-step waterfall located in the heart of Osun State. Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls is located in Erin-Ijesha. It is a tourist attraction located in Oriade local government area, Osun State, Nigeria.  Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls is located in Erin-Ijesha. It is a tourist attraction located in Oriade local government area, Osun State, Nigeria. The waterfalls were discovered in 1140 AD by one of the daughters of Oduduwa. However, according to The Nation,"Olumirin waterfall was discovered by hunters in 1140 AD". Another source has it that the tourist site was discovered by a woman called Akinla, founder of Erin-Ijesha town and a granddaughter of Oduduwa, during the migration of Ife people to Erin- Ijesa. The fall features seven levels, on top of which the village Abake is located. The Erin Ijesha Waterfalls is a popular excursion point for schools around the neighbourho...

At Shuwarin, one of the largest date markets in Jigawa State, commuters are attracted with different varieties. Situated along the Kano-Maiduguri highway in Kiyawa Local Government Area, the market is home to hundreds of youths, who rely on the business to eke out a living. Kano/Jigawa Chronicle observed that most of the young date sellers stylishly arrange a variety of the commodity as samples on their tables to attract the travellers’ attention, while those with little capital hawk it inside a tray in the market and other parts of the highway.

About Benin Esan war During the 16th century, the Uzea war occurred. This war was between the Uromi Kingdom and the Benin Kingdom. The war lasted from 1502 to 1503, and resulted from a refusal of friendship from Oba Ozolua of Benin by Onojie Agba of Uromi. The war ended at the town of Uzea, when Oba Ozolua was beheaded during the War in Esanland and while king Agba N'Ojie of Uromi on the other hand, never died immediately, rather vanished into Ahojie bush and was never seen till date and the people of Esan deified him as a God of WAR and is being worshipped today under a tall Kapok tree that is evergreen throughout the year. Note it was after that war that the original coinage of Esan Gbe Edo originated, Meaning Esans has defeated the Benin in War. At that time, it was even used as a name among Esans as well.  However, in peaceful times as time evolved with more wars around the corner, for Esans and Benin to take care of, a Treaty of PEACE was signed between Esans and t...

Certainly one of the most popular paintings in the world by Italian artist  Leonardo da Vinci , between 1503 to 1506, is the Mona Lisa, a priceless work of art.  Despite her known features like her gaze. Lisa del Giocondo  June 15, 1479 – July 15, 1542). Lisa del Giocondo was an Italian noblewoman and member of the  Gherardini family  of  Florence  and  Tuscany . Her name was given to the  Mona Lisa , her  portrait  commissioned by her husband and painted by  Leonardo da Vinci  during the  Italian Renaissance . Little is known about Lisa's life. Born in Florence and married in her teens to a cloth and silk merchant and shoemaker who later became a local official, she was a mother to five children and led what is thought to have been a comfortable and ordinary middle-class life. Lisa outlived her husband, who was considerably her senior. In the centuries after Lisa's death, the  Mona Lisa  became ...

He was hanged by the British at 8am on 4th July 1899. Ologosere, a Chief of the Benin Kingdom who fought a guerrilla war for 2 years against the British occupation. To the British, he was treacherous and barbaric, but to many Edo people he was a symbol of resistance against the British Invaders. Photographed just before execution.

Milan Cathedral in Italy. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. The construction began in 1386 and the final details were completed in 1965.

Aba Women Riots 1929 The Women's War, or Aba Women's Riots (Igbo: Ogu Umunwanyi; Ibibio: Ekong Iban), was a period of unrest in British Nigeria over November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and other places in eastern Nigeria traveled to the town of Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs, whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government. The Aba Women's Riots of 1929, as it was named in British colonial records, is more aptly considered a strategically executed anti-colonial revolt organised by women to redress social, political and economic grievances. The protest encompassed women from six ethnic groups (Ibibio, Andoni, Orgoni, Bonny, Opobo, and Igbo).  It was organised and led by the rural women of Owerri and Calabar provinces. During the events, many Warrant Chiefs were forced to resign and 16 Native Courts were attacked, most of which were...

In 1457, the king of Nupe invaded Oyo and sacked the capital where Onigbogi, the Alaafin (king), fled to the land of the Ibariba and died there.  The Oyo Empire had no Alaafin for 85 years until Ofinran became Alaafin in 1542. The origins of the Oyo Empire lie with  Oranyan  (also known as Oranmiyan), the last prince of the Yoruba Kingdom of Ile-Ife ( Ife ). Oranyan made an agreement with his brother to launch a punitive raid on their northern neighbors for insulting their father  Oduduwa , the first  Ooni of Ife . On the way to the battle, the brothers quarreled and the army split up. Oranyan's force was too small to make a successful attack, so he wandered the southern shore until reaching Bussa. There the local chief entertained him and provided a large snake with a magic charm attached to its throat. The chief instructed Oranyan to follow the snake until it stopped somewhere for seven days and disappeared into the ground. Ora...