Radoillo:


If this is undiluted Opobo, then I don't think it is at all different from the Igbo one would hear in the major cities throughout southern Igboland (SCI). That on its own is enough reason to be suspicious of its undiluted Opobo-ness. Is there any explanation for why he kept saying 'm' for 'me/I' instead of the characteristic Ndoki/Igbani 'ikem'? I thought that was a bit odd.

I thought there is no need to put a spin on this one.

How else could one get the feel of the Opobo tongue than from an illiterate, untravelled and poor old Mr. John West Africa, in his dilapidated Opobo country home? Like I said, his dialect is the same with those Opobians that I know.

Chiwude:
It is not as if it is forbidden to marry from other tribes. But it's like they have gotten used to the idea of marrying from the Igbo hinterlands. Imagine for instance a family whereby the grand mother is Igbo, your mum too is Igbo and stuffs like that. I think the people of Bonny marry Igbo women deliberately. Maybe, they see it as a way of sustaining their native Igbo language, their culinary pattern and parental upbringing and so on.

Okay oo, It’s just that you wrote it’s a ‘taboo’.
I just want to know more about the Ngwa angle to all this Bonny wahalla. I have Ngwa friends that’ll swear their history in Bonny is not that of slavery but co-founders. Hope someone will shade more light on that.

Chiwude:
The dude knew what I meant. Let me be clear again: the Kalabari speak Ibani (Ijoid). The Bonny and Opobo people apart from our (Lingua-Franca English) speak a dialect of Igbo, they call Ubani or Igbani (Igboid).

guy I mean no disrespect but there's no better way of putting this. Wat u just wrote up therei is total nonsense

Chiwude, Kalabari doesn't speak Ibani (Bonny dialect), though the two (three including Wakirike) are very similar dialectally. Together they form what has come to be known as Eastern Ijo.

Concerning that YouTube video, I was listening to see where I would hear the typical Umueze-Ndoki clan dialect, because that is the sort of Igbo Opobo speaks, but I wasn't hearing much of that archetypical Ndoki. In fact, that man used a lot of expressions that makes me believe that he wasn't speaking truly speaking Opobo.

ChinenyeN:
Chiwude, Kalabari doesn't speak Ibani (Bonny dialect), though the two (three including Wakirike) are very similar dialectally. Together they form what has come to be known as Eastern Ijo.

One major problem about the Niger-Delta is that it sits on false propaganda. The false information on ethnicity that has tried to paint the bulk of the riverine people in Eastern Niger-Delta as Ijaw. The people affected mostly are tribes within the confines of Rivers state. In the old Eastern Region, Kalabari was recognized as one of the five main languages of the region. It stood toe to toe with languages such as Efik, Ogoja, and Ijaw. But, Igbo was considered as the official language which every easterner was compelled to understand, just like Hausa in the north and because of the idea to maintain a uniform language in the midst of so many scattered languages. However, today, we are told that Kalabari is a dialect of a larger Ijaw language. Kalabari is said to have three dialect clusters which are Kirike(Okrika), Kalabari and Ibani(Bonny), and these dialects are unintelligible to an average Izon man from Southern Bayelsa and Delta.
So based on my write up, I'm actually basing my understanding of the Nigerian concept of a fantom Ibani which has been termed an 'Ijaw' dialect and Igbani(Ibani) which is the original Igbo dialect spoken in Bonny-Opobo and related to Ndoki. Now, you should be able to decipher what I mean by Ibani a fanthom Ijaw dialect spoken in Kalabari and Igbani the real Igbo dialect spoken in Bonny. Mind you the concept of an Eastern Ijo is only but a political propaganda that would soon get busted when it loses it relevance.

Deltagiant:


Okay oo, It’s just that you wrote it’s a ‘taboo’.
I just want to know more about the Ngwa angle to all this Bonny wahalla. I have Ngwa friends that’ll swear their history in Bonny is not that of slavery but co-founders. Hope someone will shade more light on that.

It appears you misunderstood what I wrote up there. The people in the Igbo hinterland who are closely related to the Igbani (Bonny-Opobo) are the Ndokis, both ancestrally, culturally and linguistically. It is believed that the founders of Bonny originated from Ndoki. Historically, the man who introduce Kingship dynasty in Bonny went by the name Azumini (Asimini). However, there is no Ngwa angle to Bonny. The relationship the Igbani's have with parts of Igboland (Ngwa inclusive) stems from Marital relationship.

Chiwude:
One major problem about the Niger-Delta is that it sits on false propaganda. The false information on ethnicity that has tried to paint the bulk of the riverine people in Eastern Niger-Delta as Ijaw. The people affected mostly are tribes within the confines of Rivers state. In the old Eastern Region, Kalabari was recognized as one of the five main languages of the region. It stood toe to toe with languages such as Efik, Ogoja, and Ijaw. But, Igbo was considered as the official language which every easterner was compelled to understand, just like Hausa in the north and because of the idea to maintain a uniform language in the midst of so many scattered languages. However, today, we are told that Kalabari is a dialect of a larger Ijaw language. Kalabari is said to have three dialect clusters which are Kirike(Okrika), Kalabari and Ibani(Bonny), and these dialects are unintelligible to an average Izon man from Southern Bayelsa and Delta.
So based on my write up, I'm actually basing my understanding of the Nigerian concept of a fantom Ibani which has been termed an 'Ijaw' dialect and Igbani(Ibani) which is the original Igbo dialect spoken in Bonny-Opobo and related to Ndoki. Now, you should be able to decipher what I mean by Ibani a fanthom Ijaw dialect spoken in Kalabari and Igbani the real Igbo dialect spoken in Bonny. Mind you the concept of an Eastern Ijo is only but a political propaganda that would soon get busted when it loses it relevance.

I marvel at ur ignorance

Chiwude:
It appears you misunderstood what I wrote up there. The people in the Igboland hinterland who are closely related to the Igbani (Bonny-Opobo) are the Ndokis, both ancestrally, culturally and linguistically. It is believed that the founders of Bonny originated from Ndoki. Historically, the man who introduce Kingship dynasty in Bonny went by the name Azumini (Asimini). However, there is no Ngwa angle to Bonny. The relationship the Igbani's have with parts of Igboland (Ngwa inclusive) stems from Marital relationship.

No, I understood your points quite well in that post especially in the aspect of marriage prohibition. That was why I put across the kind of questions any curious mind would like to get answers to.

The history of Bonny as they relate to the Igbo hinterland is a different issue which I’m very much interested in. Most Ngwa will dispute the assertion that their history in Bonny was as a result of marital relationship. They’re of the opinion that Opara Ndoli or Opara Azumini was an Ngwa leader. This said, the Azumini website of Abia state has an opinion on this; that Opara Ndoli’s real name was Asikunuma and an Ijaw leader.

So, In the first place, how did he acquire the name Opara Ndoli that later became an artificial one?
As we all know, oral tradition is subject to embellishment. And which side are we to believe?
Another thing striking to me is the prevalence of the name ‘Ubani’ amongst the Ngwa in Abia state.

Deltagiant:


No, I understood your points quite well in that post especially in the aspect of marriage prohibition. That was why I put across the kind of questions any curious mind would like to get answers to.

The history of Bonny as they relate to the Igbo hinterland is a different issue which I’m very much interested in. Most Ngwa will dispute the assertion that their history in Bonny was as a result of marital relationship. They’re of the opinion that Opara Ndoli or Opara Azumini was an Ngwa leader. This said, the Azumini website of Abia state has an opinion on this; that Opara Ndoli’s real name was Asikunuma and an Ijaw leader.

So, In the first place, how did he acquire the name Opara Ndoli that later became an artificial one?
As we all know, oral tradition is subject to embellishment. And which side are we to believe?
Another thing striking to me is the prevalence of the name ‘Ubani’ amongst the Ngwa in Abia state.

You made a big point. Even in the Ibani history Okpara Ndoli or Azumini(Asimini) as he was called was a revered leader of the Bonny people. But, in most Ijo website it was said he migrated to Ndokiland from Western Ijo precisely around Nembe area. The striking fact was that his Igbo name wasn't replaced by an Ijoid identity. According to Legends the Bonny Kingship system owe its existence to him. In other words, he was the first Amayanabo of Bonny.

Also, one cannot fully Isolate an Ngwa connection in relation to Okpara Ndoli. Since it was evident that the Ndokis and Ngwas share a common boundary. In addition, the name Ubani as a typical surname among the Ngwas and Ndokis came to prominence precisely during the period when the Ibani's monopolized the oil trade with the Royal Niger Company. Hence, It was evident that the middle men (from the Igbo hinterlands) who supplied oil to King Jaja were of Ndoki and Ngwa stock. So, it was a thing of pride by these people who dwelled along the Imo river to name their children after the great Bonny (Ibani) kingdom.

Chiwude:
You made a big point. Even in the Ibani history Okpara Ndoli or Azumini(Asimini) as he was called was a revered leader of the Bonny people. But, in most Ijo website it was said he migrated to Ndokiland from Western Ijo precisely around Nembe area. The striking fact was that his Igbo name wasn't replaced by an Ijoid identity. According to Legends the Bonny Kingship system owe its existence to him. In other words, he was the first Amayanabo of Bonny.

The Ngwa migration into Bonny was at about the time the Ijaw chronicled the founding of the Island, viz 14th century. The commencement of slave trade and Bonny being an export port of Igbo slaves, could have blunted the presence of Ngwa Igbos on the island.

This said, it’s also reasonable to ask why Okpara Ndoli took instead the title of Amanyanabo. On the other hand, we may never know whether the ‘Opara’ was actually the kingship title Opara Ndoli held.

As it is also difficult to ascertain when ‘Amanyanabo’ title came into existence in the emerging Bonny order than the guess work which has has become the official stand of the kingdom. However, it would be safe to say that there were two groups of Igbo speakers in Bonny at the time. Slaves/freed slaves and those of Ngwa lineage.

You made a plausible hypothesis on the name 'Ubani'. You may want to visit Ngwasocialclub.org

Deltagiant:


I heard many years ago that the Igbo Bible was even written in the Igbani-Igbo dialect. Though some of our Ijaw friends would never accept that Igbani has/had anything to do with Igbo language.

Concerning your friend, why would his Igbo speaking community forbid non Igbos from marrying in the community even as they claim not to be Igbos themselves? Does it make any sense? Could it be they're of the stock of the original Umu-Ubani Ngwa co-founders of Bonny and indirectly hiding it as a result of the war?

It is true that the first unified Igbo language bible was written mainly in the Bonny-Igbo dialect. The project was carried out by Bishop Adjai Crowther under the anglican apostolic mission of St. Stephen Cathedral, Grand Bonny and finished by Rev. Thomas J. Dennis after the death of Crowther. The introduction of this bible called 'The Union Igbo' spearheaded the teaching of the holy bible and spreading of evangelism into Igbo hinterlands. And the bulk of indigenous Igbo interpreters and catchiest were Bonny Sons. Chinua Achebe in his book Things fall Apart told us more about the influence of Bonny sons (like Kaiga) in Igbo hinterlands who followed the British from the great river.

http://www.citypeoplegroup.org/i/inside-the-oldest-church-in-south-south-nigeria/

https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-20198517/creating-union-ibo-missionaries-and-igbo-language

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/igbohistory.html

I've seen them. Ogu Biafra mesiri Ndigbo ike!
Good night

Deltagiant:
I've seen them. Ogu Biafra mesiri Ndigbo ike!
Good night

Ka chi fuo! Ogu Biafra sokwa n' ihe gburu ndigbo.

Deltagiant:


The Ngwa migration into Bonny was at about the time the Ijaw chronicled the founding of the Island, viz 14th century. The commencement of slave trade and Bonny being an export port of Igbo slaves, could have blunted the presence of Ngwa Igbos on the island.

This said, it’s also reasonable to ask why Okpara Ndoli took instead the title of Amanyanabo. On the other hand, we may never know whether the ‘Opara’ was actually the kingship title Opara Ndoli held.

As it is also difficult to ascertain when ‘Amanyanabo’ title came into existence in the emerging Bonny order than the guess work which has has become the official stand of the kingdom. However, it would be safe to say that there were two groups of Igbo speakers in Bonny at the time. Slaves/freed slaves and those of Ngwa lineage.

You made a plausible hypothesis on the name 'Ubani'. You may want to visit Ngwasocialclub.org

Bonny history for a while now has been hinged to a larger extent on guess work. Much attempt has not been made to dig-up true findings on the earliest history of Bonny. Early historians like Prof. Onwuka Dike dwelled more on Secondary sources. Then came Prof. Alagoa who tried as much as possible to tie the history of not only Bonny, but Opobo, Abua/Odua, Elem Kalabari (New Calabar) Andoni and other areas mainly to Ijaw hegemony. From his findings one could see that it was filled with loads of mis-informations. For him, every tribe found in the bank of the atlantic ocean was assumed to have had Ijaw ancestry. Consequently, new comers like Prof. Cookey borrowed much of his information from Alagoa's write-ups.

Chiwude:
Bonny history for a while now has been hinged to a larger extent on guess work. Much attempt has not been made to dig-up true findings on the earliest history of Bonny. Early historians like Prof. Onwuka Dike dwelled more on Secondary sources. Then came Prof. Alagoa who tried as much as possible to tie the history of not only Bonny, but Opobo, Abua/Odua, Elem Kalabari (New Calabar) Andoni and other areas mainly to Ijaw hegemony. From his findings one could see that it was filled with loads of mis-informations. For him, every tribe found in the bank of the atlantic ocean was assumed to have had Ijaw ancestry. Consequently, new comers like Prof. Cookey borrowed much of his information from Alagoa's write-ups.

u failed to state why u think prof. Allagoa's work is filled with misinformation

Chiwude, I think you're a bit in out of your depth on this one and are just making things more complicated than they actually are. The 'situation' (if we can even call it that at all) in Rivers is not that complex. There's really no reason to be worrying about false propaganda, etc. Yes, there is a nationalistic Ijo agenda. No objective person can deny that, but the communities in Rivers state know themselves, and there is no confusion.

Now, let's drop the Naija politics and simplify this. Kalabari, Ibani and Wakirike are three independent culture-groups. You can liken this dynamic to Ngwa, Etche and Ikwere. Just as how we would say that an Ngwa man speaks Ngwa, Etche man speaks Etche, etc. is exactly how we would say that an Ibani man speaks Ibani, a Wakirike man speaks Wakirike, etc. That really is the simple reality of it. You can't go around calling Ibani a 'phantom dialect'. Ibani egere is an identifiable and observable speech form, and calling it a 'phantom dialect' is the direct equivalent of calling Ngwa or Etche or Ikwere 'phantom dialects'. I hope you see where I'm going with this and also where you went wrong. Don't needlessly confuse yourself and others over this topic.

Honestly though, if I were to be candid, I would just say that you are not as conversant as you believe you are concerning the dynamics and histories of the groups in the now Rivers state. If you truly were well-informed on the subject, you wouldn't have made some of the statements you have so far made in this thread (many of which have already been thoroughly addressed on NL before, you can search them up).

ChinenyeN:
Chiwude, I think you're a bit in out of your depth on this one and are just making things more complicated than they actually are. The 'situation' (if we can even call it that at all) in Rivers is not that complex. There's really no reason to be worrying about false propaganda, etc. Yes, there is a nationalistic Ijo agenda. No objective person can deny that, but the communities in Rivers state know themselves, and there is no confusion.

[b]Now, let's drop the Naija politics and simplify this. Kalabari, Ibani and Wakirike are three independent culture-groups. You can liken this dynamic to Ngwa, Etche and Ikwere. Just as how we would say that an Ngwa man speaks Ngwa, Etche man speaks Etche, etc. is exactly how we would say that an Ibani man speaks Ibani, a Wakirike man speaks Wakirike, etc. That really is the simple reality of it. You can't go around calling Ibani a 'phantom dialect'. Ibani egere is an identifiable and observable speech form, and calling it a 'phantom dialect' is the direct equivalent of calling Ngwa or Etche or Ikwere 'phantom dialects'. I hope you see where I'm going with this and also where you went wrong. Don't needlessly confuse yourself and others over this topic.

Honestly though, if I were to be candid, I would just say that you are not as conversant as you believe you are concerning the dynamics and histories of the groups in the now Rivers state. If you truly were well-informed on the subject, you wouldn't have made some of the statements you have so far made in this thread (many of which have already been thoroughly addressed on NL before, you can search them up).

[/b]

ChinenyeN:
Chiwude, I think you're a bit in out of your depth on this one and are just making things more complicated than they actually are. The 'situation' (if we can even call it that at all) in Rivers is not that complex. There's really no reason to be worrying about false propaganda, etc. Yes, there is a nationalistic Ijo agenda. No objective person can deny that, but the communities in Rivers state know themselves, and there is no confusion.

[b]Now, let's drop the Naija politics and simplify this. Kalabari, Ibani and Wakirike are three independent culture-groups. You can liken this dynamic to Ngwa, Etche and Ikwere. Just as how we would say that an Ngwa man speaks Ngwa, Etche man speaks Etche, etc. is exactly how we would say that an Ibani man speaks Ibani, a Wakirike man speaks Wakirike, etc. That really is the simple reality of it. You can't go around calling Ibani a 'phantom dialect'. Ibani egere is an identifiable and observable speech form, and calling it a 'phantom dialect' is the direct equivalent of calling Ngwa or Etche or Ikwere 'phantom dialects'. I hope you see where I'm going with this and also where you went wrong. Don't needlessly confuse yourself and others over this topic.

Honestly though, if I were to be candid, I would just say that you are not as conversant as you believe you are concerning the dynamics and histories of the groups in the now Rivers state. If you truly were well-informed on the subject, you wouldn't have made some of the statements you have so far made in this thread (many of which have already been thoroughly addressed on NL before, you can search them up).

[/b]
To be sincere, I'm not trying to confuse you or anyone, but all I did was state the obvious. It is true that the Kalabari, Wakrike and Ibani form a language cluster and that this language cluster align with the Ijaw nationalistic creed. It is also true that the Kalabari man speaks Kalabari, and the Okrika speak Wakrike. Yet, can the same be said about the Ibanis? What native language is spoken in a large chunk of Bonny-Opobo land. And based on the topic of the thread, what language do the people of Opobo speak ? Do they speak Ibani(Ijoid) or do they speak (Igbo) as a native dialect - the language nobody wants to call by it's true name. Hence, giving outsiders a false impression that they speak Ibani - a language (some among them) keep saying their fore-fathers abandoned, which we hear is now being revived.

This is why I say that the true history of the Ibanis have not been given an holistic study. Are you aware that there was an agenda post 1969 to wipe away any Igbo trace in the Niger-Delta. These plans have been going on for almost five decades since the end of the civil war. Currently, it is true that some persons have crafted history by severing the Igbo ties of the Ibani people. We now hear that Okpara Ndoli or Asimini was'nt Igbo but Ijaw. That this man who founded the Bonny monarchy and also cemented the Ottam cultural practice in the Kingdom was actually an Ijaw leader who on his migration from Nembe country founded not only Ibani, but Ndoki land. And that the Ndoki's were originally Ijaws before they were suddenly Igbonized by their hinterland neighbours. To them, every clan who inhabits the sea (east of the Niger) are Ijaws. And that communities in these areas with pockets of Igbo culture and language became Igbonized when the Igbos took charge of the Eastern region. All these and more, have been the gospel we've been hearing all these years.

Chiwude:
This is why I say that the true history of the Ibanis have not been given an holistic study. Are you aware that there was an agenda post 1969 to wipe away any Igbo trace in the Niger-Delta. These plans have been going on for almost five decades since the end of the civil war. Currently, it is true that some persons have crafted history by severing the Igbo ties of the Ibani people. We now hear that Okpara Ndoli or Asimini was'nt Igbo but Ijaw. That this man who founded the Bonny monarchy and also cemented the Ottam cultural practice in the Kingdom was actually an Ijaw leader who on his migration from Nembe country founded not only Ibani, but Ndoki land. And that the Ndoki's were originally Ijaws before they were suddenly Igbonized by their hinterland neighbours. To them, every clan who inhabits the sea (east of the Niger) are Ijaws. And that communities in these areas with pockets of Igbo culture and language became Igbonized when the Igbos took charge of the Eastern region. All these and more, have been the gospel we've been hearing all these years.

Yes, part of the grand design to severe the Igbo ties is not unconnected with the long kingship tussle that greeted Opobo at the demise of her last Amanyanabo. As we all know, there was a gang up by some chieftaincy houses of Ijaw origins in Opobo to unseat the Jajas. But after 30 years of legal battle, the Nigerian Supreme Court, on the 23rd of April, 2003, ruled that “Opobo is not a traditional town as we know it. It is a Settlement founded by King Jaja, and remains his estate and that of his descendants” Led by the legal giant, the late Chief G.C.M Onyiuke (SAN), the Jajas' authority over Opobo was permanently signed and sealed.

It was after the landmark ruling that the family established a foundation in honor of their patriach and quickly appointed Anyim Pius Anyim, the then Senate President, as the life Chairman. Thus, the success or otherwise of de-tonguing Opobo - from Igbo to Ijoid Ibani - will largely depend on the acceptance of the Jaja dynasty. Opobo was founded on Igbo language. And King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, the man I saw at Peter Obi’s farewell gathering at Awka, does not appear like someone who would play with history and tradition.

Opobo is one settlement that will be difficult for revisionists to undo as all documents signed by King Jaja himself on behalf of his estate were well secured. And which helped the surviving off-springs reclaim their father’s settlement in the Supreme Court. Therefore, it is only the Jaja family that can determine the cultural identity of Opobo.

In August 2014, at the Elekahia Stadium, Port Harcourt, Hon. Dakuku Peterside representing Opobo told the “unification” gathering of Ohaneze Ndigbo that “I’m a full blooded Igboman….My town, Opobo, was founded by an Igbo, the mighty King Jaja...”

Interesting post by Delta giant on the Jajas of Opobo.

Chiwude:
It appears you misunderstood what I wrote up there. The people in the Igbo hinterland who are closely related to the Igbani (Bonny-Opobo) are the Ndokis, both ancestrally, culturally and linguistically. It is believed that the founders of Bonny originated from Ndoki. Historically, the man who introduce Kingship dynasty in Bonny went by the name Azumini (Asimini). However, there is no Ngwa angle to Bonny. The relationship the Igbani's have with parts of Igboland (Ngwa inclusive) stems from Marital relationship.

one thing you should know is that Asa people did not start and end in ndoki it gose beyond and include Ugwunabow (Ngwa), Osisioma Ngwa infact both of them where know as asangwa because the people from those place speak both two languages(Asa and Ngwa) in pre-colonia era but the diffrence today is that Ndoki speak only Asa while Ugwunabow and Osisioma speak Ngwa andalso speak Asa inwhich they are mix up eg some of them can trace their paternal within Ngwa while others is Asa thesame with maternal history.

Deltagiant:


No, I understood your points quite well in that post especially in the aspect of marriage prohibition. That was why I put across the kind of questions any curious mind would like to get answers to.

The history of Bonny as they relate to the Igbo hinterland is a different issue which I’m very much interested in. Most Ngwa will dispute the assertion that their history in Bonny was as a result of marital relationship. They’re of the opinion that Opara Ndoli or Opara Azumini was an Ngwa leader. This said, the Azumini website of Abia state has an opinion on this; that Opara Ndoli’s real name was Asikunuma and an Ijaw leader.

So, In the first place, how did he acquire the name Opara Ndoli that later became an artificial one?
As we all know, oral tradition is subject to embellishment. And which side are we to believe?
Another thing striking to me is the prevalence of the name ‘Ubani’ amongst the Ngwa in Abia state.

This mean's that Opara Ndoli is from Asangwa area which are present day Ugwunabow, Ukwa east & west, Osisioma ngwa.

letu:
one thing you should know is that Asa people did not start and end in ndoki it gose beyond and include Ugwunabow (Ngwa), Osisioma Ngwa infact both of them where know as asangwa because the people from those place speak both two languages(Asa and Ngwa) in pre-colonia era but the diffrence today is that Ndoki speak only Asa while Ugwunabow and Osisioma speak Ngwa andalso speak Asa inwhich they are mix up eg some of them can trace their paternal within Ngwa while others is Asa thesame with maternal history.

There are some parts of this comment that are ambiguous. It appears you're saying the Ndoki and the Asa are the same. Or at least speak the same lect. Is that what you're saying? If it is, then that is kinda new to me.

Chiwude:
Also, one cannot fully Isolate an Ngwa connection in relation to Okpara Ndoli. Since it was evident that the Ndokis and Ngwas share a common boundary. In addition, the name Ubani as a typical surname among the Ngwas and Ndokis came to prominence precisely during the period when the Ibani's monopolized the oil trade with the Royal Niger Company. Hence, It was evident that the middle men (from the Igbo hinterlands) who supplied oil to King Jaja were of Ndoki and Ngwa stock. So, it was a thing of pride by these people who dwelled along the Imo river to name their children after the great Bonny (Ibani) kingdom.

Ngwa people of ogbor sold lands to Opopo people of Jaja's family in pri-colonia era andalso the river(Ogbor river) was use as a mini sea port where goods are transported to Opopo and Bonny inwhich the Opopoians use the land to plant palm tree for their trade in oil and the land tody is know as water side Ogbor hill Aba.

Radoillo:


There are some parts of this comment that are ambiguous. It appears you're saying the Ndoki and the Asa are the same. Or at least speak the same lect. Is that what you're saying? If it is, then that is kinda new to me.

Yes that's their language and Ngwa people say somthing like this that ndoki people are Asa and their language andalso there are many community in Ukwa,Ngwa also Obigbo that bears the name Asa/Asa umu eg umunkama, Asa nnetu including Alaoji.

Chiwude, I say you're stressing for nothing. Bonny traditions have been recorded, Ndoki traditions have been recorded, Asa traditions have been recorded and Ngwa traditions have been recorded. These traditions corroborate each other well, and they were documented prior to the re-authorization efforts that started in the 1930s. So, despite what you may view as the Ijo 'national agenda', and despite the socio-politics that color Bonny traditions now, historical documentation will not change. In fact, thanks to the Portuguese and the British, we can find historical corroboration on Bonny going as far back as the pre-Grand Bonny days/pre-Bonny Kingdom days to the end of the 20th century (Palm Oil Trade). Unlike many West African culture-groups, Bonny has been uniquely favored in this respect.

This historical documentation (which can easily be pulled) is exactly why no one has any reason to stress. However, if you're still stressing it, then I take it that you're a nationalistic Igbo. If that's the case (you being a nationalistic Igbo), then you're in for an eternity of stress, because there will never be a time in which the nationalistic Igbo and nationalistic Ijo agendas will not be at odds. That is simply the nature of the politics in the area. If you're looking to not stress, then simply remember that documentation isn't going anywhere. Also, judging from what you've posted on the thread so far, I can confidently say that you're not familiar with much of the traditions and documentation concerning Bonny.

Asa generally speaks the same type of Igbo that is spoken within the Mbaise-Etche-Ngwa axis, with its own nuances of course. Parts of Ndoki share ancestral affinity with Asa. These parts speak similarly with Asa and Ngwa, but with some Ndoki peculiarities (ie. the use of 'wu' as opposed to 'bu' for 'is'). In general, Ndoki shares linguistic affinity with Opobo, but the main Ndoki-type dialect is spoken by the Umueze Ndoki clan.

ChinenyeN:
Chiwude, I say you're stressing for nothing. Bonny traditions have been recorded, Ndoki traditions have been recorded, Asa traditions have been recorded and Ngwa traditions have been recorded. These traditions corroborate each other well, and they were documented prior to the re-authorization efforts that started the 1930s. So, despite what you may view as the Ijo 'national agenda', and despite the socio-politics that color Bonny traditions now, historical documentation will not change. In fact, thanks to the Portuguese and the British, we can find historical corroboration on Bonny going as far back as the pre-Grand Bonny days/pre-Bonny Kingdom days to the end of the 20th century (Palm Oil Trade). Unlike many West African culture-groups, Bonny has been uniquely favored in this respect.

This historical documentation (which can easily be pulled) is exactly why no one has any reason to stress. However, if you're still stressing it, then I take it that you're a nationalistic Igbo. If that's the case (you being a nationalistic Igbo), then you're in for an eternity of stress, because there will never be a time in which the nationalistic Igbo and nationalistic Ijo agendas will not be at odds. That is simply the nature of the politics in the area. If you're looking to not stress, then simply remember that documentation isn't going anywhere. Also, judging from what you've posted on the thread so far, I can confidently say that you're not familiar with much of the traditions and documentation concerning Bonny.

Fear not brother, be rest assured that sleeping dogs are sleeping quietly. I may be a nationalistic Igbo, yet I surely know that the Igbo boundary stops at Ikwerre land. I also know that the people of Bonny are satisfied under an Ijaw ethnic nationality. Yet, what makes people like us take up the pan-Igbo course is when some group of persons are always out to use lies and false propaganda to distort history. It is not a crime to carve out an ethnic identity for ones group, neither is it a crime to form a nationality. But when such group are always out to vilify and paint the opposing group as the big bad wolf, then it no longer becomes an agitation for ethnic recognition but a secret guerrilla weapon to capitulate its supposed enemies. This has been the norm in post civil war Niger-Delta and to the bewilderment of the Ijos it has exceeded all expectations. For years the world believed that Igbo dialects was foisted on Indigenous Igbo areas of the Niger-Delta (I.e Ikwerre). For Years, the people of Bonny were told that the reason why Ibani almost went extinct was because the Igbos imposed their language on them. How on earth can people stoop so low to use such dangerous politics to achieve their selfish aims. (Even to the extent that families which originated from Igbo freed slaves in Bonny had to follow the norm in obliterating their Igbo links completely). After the war Igbo investments and houses were confiscated in P/H with the help of the Ijaws and there was a mad rush to change the name of every town to sound Ijoid. Villages in the creeks believed that the reasons for their under-development despite their oil production was because the Igbos siphoned all the money to develop Enugu, Onitsha, P/H and Aba. Today is the development of the Niger-Delta commensurate with the amount of oil revenue scooped by the Federal government. How many bridges have been built in the region linking riverine communities. And with the way the paradigm is shifting oil may end up having the same exchange rates as coal in the near future.
The fact in summary remains that lies and falsehood was what expanded the Ijaw ethnic influence and agenda. And anything built on falsehood is bound to have expiry date. You may call me an Igbo nationalist if you like, but. what I stated is the truth.

ChinenyeN:
Asa generally speaks the same type of Igbo that is spoken within the Mbaise-Etche-Ngwa axis, with its own nuances of course. Parts of Ndoki share ancestral affinity with Asa. These parts speak similarly with Asa and Ngwa, but with some Ndoki peculiarities (ie. the use of 'wu' as opposed to 'bu' for 'is'). In general, Ndoki shares linguistic affinity with Opobo, but the main Ndoki-type dialect is spoken by the Umueze Ndoki clan.

Chinenye, the 'wu' for 'bu' is generally used in southern Igbo including the Mbaise-Etche-Ngwa axis. From Orlu-Owerri-Umuahia axis the 'wu' is quite pronounced. I for once think the 'bu' is a nothern Igbo dialect which is now incorporated in the Standard Igbo language.