Kola nut is a Major Feature

The Kola nut occupies a significant place in Igbo culture of the South Eastern Nigeria. The states of Nigeria where Kola nut is used for almost every sacred and social matters include Abia,Imo,Anambra,Ebonyi,Enugu,Rivers,Cross River,Akwa Ibom, Delta Anioma and parts of Kogi State where pockets of Igbo people dwell.’ The Igbos in Diaspora also keep the tradition of the usage of kola nuts.
’ Kola’ or ‘Cola’ is an African tree whose nuts yield an extract with caffeine, used in soft drinks and medicine. “The genus cola belongs to the family of ‘sterculialeae’ (Malves).According to Adebola Ayeyemi,(1980:137)in his book titled Agriculture for Africa, there are five species of kola nuts that produce edible seed among which Nigerian farmers recognize four types and given them local names. Two main species are presently of economic importance namely calanitida and cola accuminata.The following are the three known kinds of kola nuts as pointed out by Ajebala. These are “Cola verticalate cola Accuminata and Abidum”.Cola Accuminata occurs widely in the forest zone of Nigeria. The specie is cultivated in Yoruba, Benin and Eastern part of the country. Kola nuts are classified according to their socio-religious importance”. Among the Igbo people of South Eastern Nigeria,’Cola nitida and cola accuminata’ are the two main species.The cola accuminata is the traditional type with multiple parts called (Oji Igbo,the first picture above) which is generally used in religious and social matters. The cola nitida commonly called (gworo) or (Oji Awusa)
With one or two pieces only when broken is rarely used in traditional matters. This can be chewed as an ordinary food.
According to Oseluka Achuzia, an elder of 89, the original use of kola nut dates back into history. He submitted, “The word ‘Igbo’is Hebrew corrupted. The Igbos of South Eastern Nigeria are Jews. According to our traditional history handed over to us by our forefathers, in our journey towards the Southern Nigeria, we took the kola nut and continued to keep the tradition of using it for all our daily activities. We the Igbos believe that Kola nut is a symbol of communion between God and man which God (Chi-ukwu)” The great God” gave to us. We believe that it was the last manna which did not perish in the wilderness during our exodus from Egypt to Igbo land our promised land