ABSTRACT
However, with the introduction of western education and economic advancement in the world at large, Abiriba now has people who were trained in institutions of higher learning both within and outside the country (such as universities, polytechnics, technical colleges, etc.), and who followed more sophisticated career paths. Abiriba has a number of university professors of medicine, history, education, business management administration, botany, English, geography, philosophy, and so on. Abiriba has also produced renowned lawyers, politicians, philosophers, teachers, lecturers, etc.
Today, the Abiriba community boasts of wealthy traders and industrialists, as well as renowned academia, professionals and people in the political hem of affair.
Nonetheless, it's the vision of every society is to achieve constant growth and development both in her material and human resources. Thus, the need to have a concerted effort towards achieving this goal becomes ppriority. From time immemorial, the African communities through communal living has achieved this goal and one of the most vital institutions established for this purpose was the age grade system.
This study has proven that the age-grade system is one of the most significant traditional institutions of Abiriba. It had been an age-long socio-political and cultural institution. It is a system whereby all males in Abiriba are put into various groups according to the time of their birth for the purpose of rendering compulsory services to the community as recognized groups. It is important to note that the essence of the age grade in Abiriba cuts across every sphere of the society. The age grade serves religious, political, social and economic purposes. Although, it has also been noted that in the Abiriba society, involvement in the age-grade system starts almost at birth. The child from the ages of six and seven is exposed to certain age related youth training from which he ascends into formal age grades. The stages of the Abiriba Age Grade system include: Uke Igba Nnunnu (bird- hunting expedition), Uke Igba Ngwuru (formation of Lizard hunters age grade), the Ekpe Age Grade, Ila Uche Oba (Community yam Barn Watch), Izara Efa (Name- receiving) ceremony, Igwa Mang (Maturity ceremony) and Ime Uche (traditional retirement ceremony).
