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Articles

CUJPIA: VOL. 10 NO. 1, SEPT 2025

From Fragmentation to Unity: Assessing the Impact of Leadership and Technology in the Development of a United Igala Kingdom: Paper selected from 2nd Covenant University Conference on Leadership and Development (CUCLeD), June 11-13, 2025

Submitted
November 4, 2025
Published
2025-09-01

Abstract

The Igala people, scattered across the globe, trace their origins to a common ancestry. While historical narratives suggest diverse points of origin—including Egypt, Arabia, Abyssinia, Mali, and Kwararafa—recent advances in technology and research have established connections between the Igala people of Nigeria and Diaspora groups such as the Nago of Brazil, the Lucumi of Cuba, and the Gullah of North America. Fragmentation of the Igala nation over centuries has been attributed to factors such as expansionist wars, colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade, and migration in search of habitable environments. The Igala Reconnection Project, initiated by His Royal Majesty Michael Idakwo Oboni and sustained by his successor, HRM Mathew Alaji Oguche Akpa II, under the scholarly leadership of Historian Ayegba Abdullahi Adojo, has leveraged research and technological tools to uncover these shared ancestries. This project has not only fostered the revitalization of Igala socio-cultural practices but also catalyzed the recognition and development of a "United Igala Kingdom." This paper provides an evidence-based exploration of the originsof the Igala people and demonstrates that many groups historically attributed to the Yoruba, Igbo, Nupe, Jukun, and Hausa ethnicities are, in fact, of Igala descent. Employing logical reasoning, historical analysis, and artificial intelligence, the study draws compelling inferences to illuminate these connections. Ultimately, this work highlights the transformative role of leadership and technology in uniting the Igala people and fostering their socio-cultural and developmental aspirations.