Omu Okwei
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Madam Okwei Opene, otherwise known as Omu Okwei of Ossomari (18721–1943), was a Nigerian queen merchant from Ossomari.
Madam Okwei Opene, otherwise known as Omu Okwei of Ossomari (1872–1943), was a Nigerian queen merchant from Ossomari.
Early life
Madam Omu Okwei-Anuenyi Opene was born in 1872 to Igbo Prince Osuna Afubeho Nzedegwu, an Ossomari native and one of his wives, a granddaughter of Abo king Obi Ossai (1830–1844). Her grandfather was HRH Atanmaya Nzedegwu I (1830–1854) of Ossomari. He was the Lower Niger Valley Igbo king known for signing the treaty for the abolition of the slave trade and welcoming of western education in area. At the age of 9, her mother sent her to live among the Igala with one of her aunts. She learned basic business practices, and traded fruits, yams and poultry. When she was 15, following the death of her father, she lived with her mother at Atani, a city on the Niger River. In 1889, she married Joseph Allagoa, a trader from Brass. Her family disapproved of her choice and did not give her a dowry. The couple had a child, Joseph, and divorced the following year. After Okwei and Allagoa divorced, Allagoa did not assist Joseph, which pushed Omu to build a successful business for herself and her child. After their divorce, she traversed the Niger River, selling clothing, pots, and lamps. She exchanged the merchandise for food which she then sold to Europeans. In 1895, she married Opene of Abo, and later had a second son, Peter. Opene was the son of Okwuenu Ezeiwene, who was one of the wealthiest women of the time. Like her first marriage, this marriage was opposed by her family; they argued that his background was not fitting for a woman of a prestigious rank. Okwei and Opene moved her business and expanded her trade in all food, including retailing imported goods such as tobacco.
References
Further reading
Boahen, A. Topics in West African History. London: Longmans, 1966. Coleman, J.S. Nigeria: Background to Nationalism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1971. Ekejiuba, Felicia. "Omu Okwei of Osomari," in Nigerian Women in Historical Perspective. Edited by Bolanle Awe. Lagos, Nigeria: Sankore Publishers, 1992, pp. 89–104. ——. "Omu Okwei, the Merchant Queen of Osomari: A Biographical Sketch," in Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. Vol. III, no. 4, 1967. Hatch, John Charles. Nigeria. A History. London: Secker & Warburg, 1971. Okonjo, Kamene. "Nigerian Women's Participation in National Politics: Legitimacy and Stability in an Era of Transition," in Working Paper #221. East Lansing, MI: Women and International Development Program, Michigan State University, July 1991.
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