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The #IgalaKingdom, #Anẹigàlá, is a pre-colonial West African state in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. The kingdom was founded by the Igala people, with the #Ata as their king, Chiefpriest, national father, and spiritual head with Idah as the capital of the entire Igala race. As Africans, The Igalas belong to the kwa sub group of the Niger Congo language family. The Niger Congo languages constitute one of the word's major language families and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area and numbers of speakers. Igala is a language of the Yoruboid branch of the defoid.The defoid languages constitutes a branch of the Benue Congo language family. It comprises the Igala and the Itsekiri group of the southern- Nigeria.
This accounts for why the Igalas and the Yorubas share almost same culture and similarities especially in their pronouciation of words and meanings.

Influences of the Igalas, operating from the headquarters at Idah, is also felt at Nri-Igbo-Ukwu and Onitsha in Anambra state; among the Nembe and Kalabari on the Atlantic cost Asaba and among Nupe in present day Niger state where an Igala prince, tosede or Edgi is acclaimed to have established the Nupe kingdom.
The Igala kingdom is recorded in history as one of the most powerful kingdoms in ancient times. From trade, to art and war, the kingdom stood tall.
Wars for instance were fought with the Jukun of Kwararafa in present-day southern Taraba State and with the Bini during the reign of Oba Esigie 1 in (1515, 1516 AD) as recorded by the Portuguese
In fact, the oldest story building in Nigeria is recorded to be the Odogo in Idah.
Odogo is a historical edifice, a tall tower used by the Ata’s security details in ancient times for war surveillance on the activities of the enemies around Igala kingdom. The great author and historian, J S Boston in his research made a "carbon dating" on the structure and it was confirmed that the Igala "odogo" tower is the oldest storey building in Nigeria. The mud used for the structure was not mixed with water. It was mixed with palm oil, clay, Stones and other fibrous materials making it withstand weathering and forms of environmental degradation that affect normal buildings.
The present roofing sheet is a later addition to protect the walls but the original roofing was thatched with grass. Odogo was built by Ata Abutu Eje around 13th Century ( 800 years)
It is said that the first storey building in Nigeria(badagery Lagos) was built in 1845 (233 years ago) under the supervision of a missionary named Reverend C.A Gollmer, meanwhile the Igala Odogo, made of local materials, is said to be 800 years old and it has survived the harshest of weathers and times and is still standing, even after 800 years of existence.

The influence of the Igala Kingdom on present day Nigeria can not be easily ignored because
The Igala pre-colonial political administration played an important role, not only within the confines of the confluence basin, but far beyond the area. The traditions of Nupe, Jukun, Benin, Igbo and Igala and its immediate neighbors indicate ties of great antiquity. The Igala kingdom was the most powerful kingdom between 16th and 18th century after defeating the Jukun, Binis and Hausa/Fulani jihadist.The kingdom was famous and
prosperous, so that it affected a wider scope of societies and regions far away from its base.
The colonial rulers it was
said spent most of their time along the River Niger/Benue confluence region of Nigeria, an area mostly belonging to the Igala kingdom in those days, and regarded as the “Nigerian Museum of Colonial History.
Do great was the kingdom that it’s governmental structure which was a little reflective of democracy headed by the overall traditional head of the kingdoms was automatically approved for states requesting for Sultanate, Mon…