Inter-group Relations between the Igbo Migrants and their Host Community in Agaka Quarters of Ilorin Metropolis, 1950-2015

Abstract

Since the beginning of creation, humans have always involved themselves in movement activities. This has been the major features of human beings all over the world. The Igbo ethnic group is among the major ethnic groups in Nigeria and is known for its migratory prowess. Over the years, the Igbo have migrated from their original home in southeastern Nigeria to other parts of the country for different reasons. Their impacts economically, socially and politically wherever they migrated to cannot be overemphasized. Using both documented and undocumented sources, the study unravels the relations between Igbos and their host community in Agaka quarters of Ilorin metropolis (north central Nigeria). The study reveals that the Igbo migrated to the area in about 1950 and since then the migrants and their hosts have demonstrated a sense of tolerance, cordiality, good will, cooperation, consensus building and harmonious intergroup relations between them. These attributes by both have catapulted the area economically into what it is today. The study concluded that such relations between them had positively impacted on the development of the quarters over time.