Dating & Marrying Igbo

The bridal list and bride price

Who gets what, why the “real” bride price can be tiny, and what the law says.

Lesson 1 of 4

The list explained

Ime Ego: making money

The bride price has several names: Ime Ego (making of money), Ugwo Isi (payment for the head) and Ibu-Ego (carrying of money).

The bridal list names what the groom must give to different groups in the bride’s community.

Who receives what

Group	Meaning	Typical items
Ndi Nna / Umunna (the men, extended family)	Honours the male heads and administrators of the community	Kola nuts, palm wine, hot drinks, beer or malt, tobacco snuff, goats, yams, cash gifts
Ndi Nne / Umuada (the women, daughters of the lineage)	Honours women with strong judicial and social influence; keeping them happy helps marital peace	George wrappers, Ankara fabrics, salt, onions, soap, talcum powder, basins, umbrellas, cash
Umu youth (young adults)	Recognises the bride’s peers, who give labour and protection to the community	Cash gifts, crates of soft drinks and beer
Ndi De / immediate family	Thanks the parents for raising and educating the bride	Education refund (Ego mmuta), head money (Isi owo), stockfish, rice, fabrics for the mother, cash envelopes

Lesson 2 of 4

Haggling with a smile

A little theatre

Negotiation is playful and theatrical. The bride’s spokesmen praise her education, character and virtues to justify their requests. The groom’s spokesmen plead for a discount, stressing that they are forming a family bond, not buying anything.

Did you know?

The core payment to the bride’s father, Ego Isi Nwanyi, is often very small, sometimes a symbolic ₦25. The point is to show that a person is never for sale and that the purpose is kinship, not trade.

Lesson 3 of 4

It depends where you marry

Regional variations

Region	What is often said
Imo State (Mbaise)	Often described as the most expensive. Lists may be set by the whole community (Awuruawu), so the father cannot easily waive items. This sparks debate about greed and commercialisation.
Anambra State	Standard and well organised. Many see it as a reasonable test of the groom’s capacity to provide.
Enugu State	Generally the most affordable. Many communities reject expensive “borrowed” customs.
Ebonyi State	Varies by village: from inexpensive to very large lists.

Generalisations. Always ask the family what applies to their community.

Lesson 4 of 4

What the law says

Two systems side by side

Under customary law, payment of bride price and the formal handing over of the bride are essential for a valid customary marriage. Courts have confirmed this, for example in Omoga v. Badejo (1985).

A statutory (court) marriage under the Marriage Act does not require bride price, yet few Igbo families see a marriage as complete without the customary rites.

A law nobody follows

Eastern Nigeria’s Limitation of Dowry Law (1956) capped bride price at £30, later ₦60. Today that ceiling is almost universally ignored: fulfilling a list can cost from about ₦413,000 to more than ₦2,150,000.

Under customary law, bride price is refunded to the groom’s family when a marriage ends, to formally end the union.

★ quiz

The bridal list and bride price

What does “Ugwo Isi” mean? → Payment for the head. Ugwo Isi is one of the names of the bride-price payment.

How small can the core bride price sometimes be? → A symbolic ₦25. It can be symbolic to show that a person is not for sale.

Who is honoured with George wrappers and Ankara fabrics on the list? → The Umuada, the women of the lineage. The Umuada hold significant social power, so honouring them matters.

Which state is generally described as the most affordable? → Enugu. Enugu is generally seen as the most affordable, though it varies.

What did the 1956 Limitation of Dowry Law set? → A maximum bride price. It capped bride price at £30 (later ₦60), but is ignored in practice.

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