The controversy surrounding the Okpu Agu cap worn by Igbos is far from over.
This storm was stirred after an interview by Reno Omokri, a born-again supporter of President Bola Tinubu, at The Honest Bunch Podcast on Tuesday, in which he claimed that the cap was not originally Igbo. According to him, the Okpu Agu was borrowed from Western culture.
Omokri also questioned the origins of other widely worn eastern attire such as the etibo shirt and George wrapper. He asserted that Aso Oke, a fabric of Yoruba origin, was the only truly indigenous African wear in the room, adding that it was what he preferred to wear.
Omokri’s remarks instantly set the Nigerian social media space alight, compelling The Guardian’s Segun Adewole to attempt a fact-check on the matter. He returned a “90% probably correct” rating.
“This Igbo red cap and wrapper is not of Nigerian origin, it is an European winter cap used by the colonialist and the wrapper is originally from Poland named after king George” – Reno Omokri pic.twitter.com/IpYFv2QCgq
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) June 23, 2025
Quoting a UK-based cultural group, Okwu ID, Adewole wrote: “Okpu Agu is a knitted woollen hat—somewhat cone-shaped with a bob at the end—traditionally worn by warriors in Igboland.”
According to Okwu ID, these warriors were members of the powerful Aro Confederacy, a political and economic force that rose in southeastern Nigeria around Arochukwu in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Yet, critics note the striking resemblance between Okpu Agu and the winter beanie cap common in the West. UK-based retailer Zaini claims that the beanie originated in 12th-century Wales, where it was called the Monmouth Cap. The term beanie was later adopted in America in the 20th century.
With this timeline, some argue it is plausible that the Igbo warrior cap was adapted from colonial styles. If beanie caps existed in the West as far back as the 12th century, and the Aro Confederacy emerged in the 18th century, then Okpu Agu may have been influenced by colonial contact. This aligns with Omokri’s assertion that the cap was introduced by Europeans.
Hence, Adewole scored the claim as “90% correct.”
An Older History: Egypt, Igbo, and the Origin of the Warrior Cap
However, a different and deeply researched account has emerged from Prof. Chidi Philip Njemanze, author of the groundbreaking 7-volume book series “Igbo Mediators of Yahweh Culture of Life.”
In Volume 2 of his work, Prof. Njemanze—a neuroscientist who once worked with NASA before venturing into African history—argues that Okpu Agu predates colonial contact. He claims that Western civilizations actually borrowed many elements of their fashion and identity from indigenous African cultures, especially the Igbo.
Njemanze takes the debate far deeper by tracing the origin of the beanie to ancient Egypt. He links the modern cap’s shape and symbolism to the Atef crown worn by Osiris, which he insists is not of Western invention but rooted in Igbo cosmology.
He writes that the Egyptian Atef is a mispronunciation of Ata efe, an Igbo expression meaning “spear-shaped grass (ata) and cloth (efe) used as object forms of the subject expression Ata e fe, meaning the King worshipped, worn as a crown.”
He further contends in his books that Egypt was originally an Igbo civilization, eventually overrun by lighter-skinned groups such as the Turks.
According to him, the original Hebrews were also Igbo—a claim echoed by a growing school of Afrocentric historians. In his words: “Western scholars made up fantasies about the Egyptian crown, associating it with deities like Osiris, but these have no basis. The true roots lie in Igbo language and spirituality.”
To support this, Njemanze references phonemic Igbo phrases like:
- Ata efe aka nri ihu ojii ocha edo odo odo inine nchara nwoke mmadu
(Spear-shaped front, right side of cap, of black, white, yellow, red, green, brown male person) - Abuba isi aka nri ihu azu ojii ocha edo odo inine nchara nwoke mmadu
(Back side of front feather on right side of cap, of black, white, yellow, red, green, brown male person)
These linguistic structures, he argues, match the design of the so-called “Atef” crown and trace their origin directly to Igbo thought and speech.
Rethinking African Fashion History
This article does not fact-check Omokri’s other claims about etibo or George wrappers. However, what remains clear is that his view echoes a larger, long-standing bias — the notion that Africa lacked culture or innovation until European colonizers arrived.
It is a narrative that has been challenged by several African historians and writers who argue that Africa’s contributions to world civilization have been ignored, whitewashed, or wrongly claimed.
Reno Omokri may have relied on modern Eurocentric interpretations of history, which often erase the deep, innovative roots of African societies and their influence on global culture.
So, can Igbos continue to wear the Okpu Agu as an authentic cultural symbol? Prof. Njemanze says yes, emphatically.
His research is not just cultural but spiritual, seeking to restore African dignity and heritage in a world that has often stripped it away.
His widely acclaimed work — “Igbo Mediators of Yahweh Culture of Life (Volume II)” — and all other volumes are available on Amazon here.
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