His first foray into politics was a Local Government Councillor in the then newly created Ilaje Ese Odo local government (1977–1979).
Ilaje |
It has also been very heavily influenced by Edo (Bini), Portuguese and English and has taken in loan words from neighbouring Ijo and Urhobo languages.However its basic structure, grammar and vocabulary is essentially Yoruboid with its closest relatives being the south-eastern family of Yoruba dialects - Ijebu, Ilaje-Ikale, Ondo, Akure and Owo.
In October 1998, hundreds of people were killed in clashes between local Ijaws in the Akpata region and Ilaje Yorubas seeking work on a newly found oilfield.
The western (or Northern) Niger Delta is an heterogeneous society with several ethnic groups including the Urhobo, Igbo, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ijaw (or Ezon) and Ukwuani (Igbo) groups in Delta State, along with Yoruba (Ilaje) in Ondo State.