Omo see lecture @ op your eyes don open....

chrisxxx:

You will only understand to some extent Ikwerre spoken in PH. Ikwerre of Emuoha will sound Greek to you to you.

Just listen to yourself!!

Did you know if an mbaise person from IMO state should speak his native dialect mbaise which is different from the central Igbo language,an average anambra man will not understand?

Does that make anambrarians less Igbo? Or unigbo?

Abagworo:


Same way there is "Rotibi" Street in heart of old Owerri township. Ndigbo please learn to give others freedom of association. One of our major problems is trying to force others to accept what we want against what they want. It happens at every level in Igboland up to family unit.

Ikwerre has come out as a block to refute links with Igbo nation because they feel better off being Ikwerre the same way Efik is not Ibibio or Isoko is not Urhobo or Esan is not Bini or Kalabari is not Ijaw. Live and let live

As for you OP Ikwerre is a vague Crossriver migrants with Owerri or Uratta as a starting point via Etche to present settlements. Apart from some fringe migratory settlements from Ahoada area nothing links Ikwerre with Benin. No single Benin word, Kingship or nomenclature is in Ikwerreland. If you want evidence of Benin influence in Igboland come to Imo State where you will see such surnames and names as

Iyasara, Adizua, Ossai, Obi/Ovie, Osakwe etc. You can equally check out the Kingship system in Ugutaland which existed long before coming of Europeans. Ikwerre was kingless and decentralised.

In the interview with President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Uwechue, published in the Daily Sun March 10, the President was asked what efforts he was making to unite Igbo in Rivers and Delta states, he said: “First of all, it should be understood that these factions who now deny the fact they are Igbo did so only after the civil war; take for instance the Ikwerre people… fully identified with us during the pre-civil war era but because the Igbo lost the civil war, a kind of stigma was smeared on them making a lot of people to start adjusting their names to sound less Igbo…”. This statement is misleading and not correct.

First of all, Ikwerre is not Igbo. We have made this clear even before the civil war and that was why some Igbo accused Ikwerre of sabotage during the war. Second, in all efforts by the minorities in the former Eastern region to agitate for their own political, social and economic recognition and liberty in the Eastern region and Nigeria at large, Ikwerre participated fully: hence, the late Chief E. J. A. Oriji and others represented Ikwerre before and during most of the conferences set up to address the fears of the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria. Third, in May 1963, Ikwerre people formed the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention to state that Ikwerre is a distinct ethnic group from any others in Nigeria. Fourth, in the 1964/65 elections into the Federal House of Representatives, National Council of Nigeria and the Camerouns (NCNC) nominated an Igbo man named Mr. Eluguronu to represent Ikwerre in the House. Ikwerre rejected it and fielded young Nwobidike Nwanodi as an independent candidate and he won. Fifth, Ikwerre’s participation in all the movements for the creation of COR and later Rivers States clearly shows Ikwerre’s rejection of been Igbo.

Let the point be made that right from about the 16th century, the Igbo has been in touch with Ikwerre (through slave trade, Arochuku activities, goods trading, hiring of labour for farm work, marriages and politics) and had always wanted to dominate, colonise and take over Ikwerre at all cost and by all means possible. This is natural especially where the dominated people are better endowed than the colonising power, coupled with the ever tendency of a bigger group to swallow a smaller one and whenever the latter refuses, the former resorts to cheap propaganda. That is exactly what Chief Uwechue and Ohanaeze Ndigbo are bent on doing to Ikwerre. In this unholy enterprise, they appear confused: for example, while some of them claim that Ikwerre sabotaged the Biafra project, Uwechue has said that Ikwerre did not. Truly, Ikwerre did not, just like every other minority ethnic group in the former Eastern region. How could we when the Igbo were in absolute control of the region? So, we fought for Biafra. When another colonising super power (Nigerian forces) arrived, Ikwerre had no option than to surrender and cooperate with them. Hence, Ikwerre actually fought the war on and for both sides.

After the war, some of the ill activities of the Igbo in Ikwerre were corrected. In the case of names, the Igbo first changed the original Ikwerre names into Igbo names in an attempt to force Ikwerre to become Igbo. So at the end of the war, some Ikwerre decided to assert their original names; hence, Igirita was changed to Igwuruta, Isoba was changed to Choba, Amaweke was changed to Rumuokwuta, etc. Even individuals suffered the same humiliation when their names were forcefully changed from Ovunda to Obinna for example. Even the original name of the Ikwerre ethnic group, which is Iwheruoha was changed to Ikwerre by the Igbo. Some names have been retained (like my surname) to reflect part of the Ikwerre colonial journey, just like a Yoruba Nigerian bearing the name Matthew. Does this make the Yoruba man an English man? No!

On a more serious note, if the Igbo insists that Ikwerre is Igbo, they should provide concrete sociological and historical evidences to prove their case beyond the whimsical factors of appearance, language and name, which no longer can correctly and truly define a people in today’s world.

You guys have time to argue with a person that don't know the difference between language and dialect. The amount of hate towards ndigbo in them is nothing to speak of. You need to see them boasting on how they'll finish Igbo people.
I am Igbo, it flows in my blood.
I don't even have time for bunch of lazy bones that blame others for their failure, they have sold out their landed properties and used the money on booze and women.

Abagworo:


Same way there is "Rotibi" Street in heart of old Owerri township. Ndigbo please learn to give others freedom of association. One of our major problems is trying to force others to accept what we want against what they want. It happens at every level in Igboland up to family unit.

Ikwerre has come out as a block to refute links with Igbo nation because they feel better off being Ikwerre the same way Efik is not Ibibio or Isoko is not Urhobo or Esan is not Bini or Kalabari is not Ijaw. Live and let live

As for you OP Ikwerre is a vague Crossriver migrants with Owerri or Uratta as a starting point via Etche to present settlements. Apart from some fringe migratory settlements from Ahoada area nothing links Ikwerre with Benin. No single Benin word, Kingship or nomenclature is in Ikwerreland. If you want evidence of Benin influence in Igboland come to Imo State where you will see such surnames and names as

Iyasara, Adizua, Ossai, Obi/Ovie, Osakwe etc. You can equally check out the Kingship system in Ugutaland which existed long before coming of Europeans. Ikwerre was kingless and decentralised.

Your Efik/ Ibibio, Isoko/ Urhobo, Esan/ Bini, comparison to the Igbo/Ikwerre situation is flawed, and I had explained this time and again to you, yet you won't drop it.

At no time did the colonials identify Isoko and Urhobo as being one stock, the Isokos emphasized on their uniqueness from the word go, to the British, they( Isoko) were addressed as Igaboh by the British, and the Urhobos as Sobo, there was never a time the Sobo and Igaboh were recognized as same people by the colonials, rather they were recognized as related people. The same applies to Efik and Ibibio, Esan and Bini, these people emphasized their distinctiveness from each other from the very beginning.



This is not same with Ikwerre. Ikwerre at no time emphasized their distinctiveness to the colonials from other Igbo tribes like ndoki and Asa, they were called Ikwerre-Ibo, just as the Ndoki were called Ndoki- Ibo, Asa-Igbo, Ngwa-Ibo, the term "Ibo" was a generic term for all Igbo speaking.

The appropriate example to the Igbo / Ikwerre issue, will be Urhobo/ Okpe issue or Ogoni/ Eleme issue.

Ikwerre can be what ever they want to be today, but they must not tamper with the past. They must accept that their Ikwerre ethnic nationality has it's root in the civil war, they must accept that there was a time they voluntarily went as Ibo like the Rest of Ibo speaking people, and that this identity wasn't forced on them anymore than it was forced on the Ezza man.
They must stop this their lies against Ndiigbo, like the such this OP is propagating here.

Ossai is an Igbo name answered even by Nsukka people in Enugu state, Obi is in no way related to Ovie, Obi is an Igbo word, Osakwe is an Igbo name even found in Igbo hinterlands in Idemili/ Anaocha/ Njikoka areas of Anambra. It's an abridged version of the name Olisakwe.

Am neither Igbo nor Ikwerre,but i think the problem of Ikwerre's is that they don't know the difference between LANGUAGE & DIALECT (no insult meant please). During my ND days in Nekede,i av' lots of Igbo friends,from different parts of Igboland. Chima an Anambra guy would say gote while Austin an Imo guy would say zuta.i.e "buy". Does that make Anambra an ethnic group with their own language,as op is trying to tell us?.

Ariani:


You Efik/ Ibibio, Isoko/ Urhobo, Esan/ Bini, comparison to the Igbo/Ikwerre situation is flawed, and I had explained this time and again to you, yet you won't drop it.

At no time did the colonials identify Isoko and Urhobo as being one stock, the Isokos emphasized on their uniqueness from the word go, to the British, they( Isoko) were addressed as Igaboh by the British, and the Urhobos as Sobo, there was never a time the Sobo and Igaboh were recognized as same people by the colonials, rather they were recognized as related people. The same applies to Efik and Ibibio, Esan and Bini, these people emphasized their distinctiveness from each other from the very beginning.

This is not same with Ikwerre. Ikwerre at no time emphasized their distinctiveness to the colonials from other Igbo tribes like ndoki and Asa, they were called Ikwerre-Ibo, just as the Ndoki were called Ndoki- Ibo, Asa-Igbo, Ngwa-Ibo Ibo was a generic term for all Igbo speaking.

Ikwerre can be want ever they want to be today, but they must not tamper with the past. They must accept that their Ikwerre ethnic nationality has it's root in the civil war, they must accept that there was a time they voluntarily went as Ibo like the Rest of Ibo speaking people, and that this identity wasn't forced on them anymore than it was forced on the Ezza man.

Ossai is an Igbo name answered even by Nsukka people in Enugu state, Obi is in no way related to Ovie, Obi is an Igbo word, Osakwe is an Igbo name even found in Igbo hinterlands in Idemili/ Anaocha/ Njikoka areas of Anambra. It's an abridged version of the name Olisakwe.

Can you see what Abagworo just typed which you quoted

" Ikwerres are CrossRiver Migrants." Abagworo.

Now it is no longer Bini but CrossRiver.

These people are confused

OjukwuWarBird:


Can you see what Abagworo just typed which you quoted

" Ikwerres are CrossRiver Migrants." Abagworo.

Now it is no longer Bini but CrossRiver.

These people are confused

No. He has a point. It is believed by some that the current Igbos in parts of Imo and Abia once inhabited the current Cross River area, but were gradually pushed into their current area by the current occupants of the Cross Rivers area, he(Abagworo) was probably insinuating that Ikwerre ancestors were part of that great Igbo cross riverian migration, along side their "Isoma" neighbors.

Atleast that's what I think he meant.

Ikwerre people migrated from Northern Ireland. Their cousins can be found along the straight of the Bamudas and Cape De Verde. On arriving Nigeria, they stole our names, language and culture. The evidence is clear.

chrisxxx:
To all Ibos on this forum.
Would you people accept being called Ikwerre people? We have no problem with you saying you are Ikwerre. However in a very strong term: The Ikwerres are not Ibos.
You people have always claimed that Ikwerre disassociated themselves after the civil war. You are correct! Even Nigeria as a country got liberated from the clutches of your overbearing dominance after the civil war. The appendages of your attempted colonization of Ikwerre people and at large the Niger Delta people still litter around. In our courts you were the magistrates, lawyers and everything. As an Ikwerre man you could be stoned and lynched for speaking your dialect in Port Harcourt City before the war my dad told me. We had no choice than the Hobson's choice of pretentious oneness. Come to the street of Port Harcourt and see streets named after our 'colonial masters' the Ibos. You could hardly find a street named after an Ikwerre man. Do you own Port Harcourt? You maligned us, subjugated us and the most demeaning was changing our community names. All Rumu to Umu, Nwo to Nwa and so on. We could take same revenge the Hausas took on you people if we had the wits for our brilliant sons and daughters you people killed prior and during the war.
It was no surprising the Ikwere people and Niger Deltans welcome with tumultuous joy the liberation and arrival of the Nigerian soldiers during the war.
Our language are similar to some extent and I will tell you the reasons. It is only the diluted Ikwerre languages of the Obio/Akpor LGA and Port Harcourt LGA that have some distant similarities due to inter-trading and inter-marriages. Emuoha LGA and Ikwerre LGA have a lot similarities with the old Bini Kingdom. These two LGA are closer to yours in terms of land border, incidentally their words sound Binin does it not ring bells to your ears that Ikwerre is not part of you?
Do you know that Ibo language was compulsorily taught and learnt in schools in present Rivers State before the war? Was it same practice in your region? This goes a lengthy way to prove that you cant teach a people their language. You only teach people a strange language. This is to prove we (Ikwerre) are not Ibo. We are not xenophobic, we welcome you people to the Ikwerre Ethnic nationality if you would want to claim our nationality.
Elechi Amadi may your humble and enlightened soul rest in peace. You only wrote, put in writing what our parents told us verbally for posterity and record purposes in your 'Sunset in Biafra'. Believe me as well the sun has perpetually set in Biafra.

Now let me prove you are a yoruba man-
1.) Can you show us any document where the word 'rumu' was used pre-67.

2.) There should be traces of people bearing bini names if we agree that you have bini ancestry. Even slaves taken from Igboland, yoruba and Efik, 500 years ago still have remnant of their culture in the Americas. Iboe landing is still talked about in the US, Sango is still talked about in Brazil, there is a school called Calabar in Jamaica. Where is your bini legacy.

3.) When you hear people shouting- 'Biafra is dead'. They are usually the ones afraid of re-uniting with their Oduduwa kiths in benin republic.No sane NDeltan prefers to live wretechedly under fulani just to destroy a Biafra that may not even involve him in a billion years. Only yorubas can do such.

mekuzi09:
Ikwerre people migrated from Northern Ireland. Their cousins can be found along the straight of the Bamudas and Cape De Verde. On arriving Nigeria, they stole our names, language and culture. The evidence is clear.

words of an unwise man. See how the Igbos reason?

We ikwerres aren't Igbos simple like ABC. Pronto

Bigmillz:
words of an unwise man. See how the Igbos reason?

Na wetin. You no go allow me talk again? which be your own?

zendy:
So because "Rumu" is "umu" and "Nwo" is "Nwa" in Ikwere language in relation to Igbo is what makes you people distinct? That small difference in dialect? These Ikwere people are crazy it seems. Even their Ijaw and Ogoni neigbours consider them pure unadulterated Igbos but are they are concerned about what Igbos think? You speak a dialect of Igbo, you have an Igbo surname but you are not Igbo? Some of these Ikwere are just attention seekers all because of Porthacourt. The OP is saying that Federal soldiers liberated them during the war but he did not add that before the war, the were getting 67% of the proceeds of their resources. After the you were ' liberated' they got zero, they are still begging for 13% in Nigeria. Nice liberation indeed. Slaves, to this day, some of them don't know it was all about their Oil. Same Oil they no longer control.

yoruba definition of liberation- I'm ready to stay in nigeria lose 50% resource control and sacrifice all my resources to the abookiez so that there will be 'Sunset in Biafra".

Bigmillz:
We ikwerres aren't Igbos simple like ABC. Pronto

Who cares

We have heard this time without number why singing it again and again even a 3 year old child knows that ikwerres are not igbo that you share the same name with me dosent make you my brother that you speak igbo as a second language just as English is my second language doesn't make me American or British i have been with them and have heard many of them talk and they do not sound igbo please let's stop this ikwerre is igbo or not madness majority infact all of them don't admit they are igbo

Abagworo:


Same way there is "Rotibi" Street in heart of old Owerri township. Ndigbo please learn to give others freedom of association. One of our major problems is trying to force others to accept what we want against what they want. It happens at every level in Igboland up to family unit.

Ikwerre has come out as a block to refute links with Igbo nation because they feel better off being Ikwerre the same way Efik is not Ibibio or Isoko is not Urhobo or Esan is not Bini or Kalabari is not Ijaw. Live and let live

As for you OP Ikwerre is a vague Crossriver migrants with Owerri or Uratta as a starting point via Etche to present settlements. Apart from some fringe migratory settlements from Ahoada area nothing links Ikwerre with Benin. No single Benin word, Kingship or nomenclature is in Ikwerreland. If you want evidence of Benin influence in Igboland come to Imo State where you will see such surnames and names as

Iyasara, Adizua, Ossai, Obi/Ovie, Osakwe etc. You can equally check out the Kingship system in Ugutaland which existed long before coming of Europeans. Ikwerre was kingless and decentralised.

we are only trying to educate the poor kid,i am in my thirties and i was born,bread,schooled and presently working in rivers,i am also from rivers, and believe me this useless discussions only came about because in the past people believed that igbos lost the civil war.

sharonbaron:
We have heard this time without number why singing it again and again even a 3 year old child knows that ikwerres are not igbo that you share the same name with me dosent make you my brother that you speak igbo as a second language just as English is my second language doesn't make me American or British i have been with them and have heard many of them talk and they do not sound igbo please let's stop this ikwerre is igbo or not madness majority infact all of them don't admit they are igbo

My friend shut up. Do you understand Igbo. Do you know the difference between dialect and a complete language. If I speak my Ebonyi dialect, most Igbos will find it hard to comprehend. Nobody is denying the fact that Ikwerre is a separate ethnic group. But twisting history, as the op is doing, is gross injustice. You're neither from Igbo or Ikwerre, so don't just come in.

OjukwuWarBird:


Can you see what Abagworo just typed which you quoted

" Ikwerres are CrossRiver Migrants." Abagworo.

Now it is no longer Bini but CrossRiver.

These people are confused

I never wrote authoritatively on that but based on direct knowledge obtained from a source it was early movement of Arochukwu that brought Ikwerre down South to Etche from where the spread started. So the migration was from Cross River down not from Benin as falsely recently declared.

mekuzi09:


My friend shut up. Do you understand Igbo. Do you know the difference between dialect and a complete language. If I speak my Ebonyi dialect, most Igbos will find it hard to comprehend. Nobody is denying the fact that Ikwerre is a separate ethnic group. But twisting history, as the op is doing, is gross injustice. You're neither from Igbo or Ikwerre, so don't just come in.

You should be the one to shut up if a person dosent want to be associated with something who are you to force him

mekuzi09:


My friend shut up. Do you understand Igbo. Do you know the difference between dialect and a complete language. If I speak my Ebonyi dialect, most Igbos will find it hard to comprehend. Nobody is denying the fact that Ikwerre is a separate ethnic group. But twisting history, as the op is doing, is gross injustice. You're neither from Igbo or Ikwerre, so don't just come in.

Negodu onye na asi na ma agbughi onye igbo have i replied your last statement

sharonbaron:

You should be the one to shut up if a person dosent want to be associated with something who are you to force him

Liston up avo'nshi, nobody is forcing Igbo on Ikwerre. Get my point bozo head, we are not against Ikwerre being a separate ethnic group, but we abhor deliberate twisting of history and lies to suit their claims.... why am I even wasting my time, its clear you didn't go through the trash the op presented.

sharonbaron:

Negodu onye na asi na ma agbughi onye igbo have i replied your last statement

So sorry. Mistake identity. Thinking you're one of them brown roof nigas.

mekuzi09:

Liston up avo'nshi, nobody is forcing Igbo on Ikwerre. Get my point bozo head, we are not against Ikwerre being a separate ethnic group, but we abhor deliberate twisting of history and lies to suit their claims.... why am I even wasting my time, its clear you didn't go through the trash the op presented.

You see the problem with you instead of countering what i said you resorted to insults kaawo ihe na eme gi agbaro aka

jmoore:
Igbo got many dialects, Ikwerre is one of the dialect.

Any Ikwerre man that says he is not Igbo is a victim of 'divide and rule".

Ikwerre dialect is even more closer than some Igbo dialects. When a typical Ohafia/Igbere man speaks his own dialect, I hardly understand them at all.

Is ikwerre not in Rivers state?i am thinking that is where Rotimi Amaechi comes from!

Can you guys for ones stop this ikwere is igbo or igbo is ikwere nonsence ? They dont feel like igbos, they dont wana be called igbos, they dont like to be terms igbos just respect that even some Anioma guys dont wana be called igbos so its better we let them be. They not being igbo wunt change anything about igbos and vice versa. So we better let them be. Even if they created history to siut them that shouldnt bother us cause we are not even sure about our own history. So please can we for ones just stop all these its making matters worst, it doesnt stop both parties from living in Peace etc.
#Igbo_kwenu
#Ikwere_ekenem_unu
#Anioma_ekenem_unu
before ethnic difference we are all humans, we are all about surviving this hard world. You guys should stop, am igbo and proud and therefore i dont think i should bother or force an ikwere to feel like me when indeed he is of another ethnic that speaks a language that i kinda partly understands. So my people Quit being a pain in the side

baba11:

Is ikwerre not in Rivers state?i am thinking that is where Rotimi Amaechi comes from!

Who is saying that Ikwerre is not in Rivers State? Indigenous Igbos are not only found in South eastern states.

Ariani:


He is likely to be an Ikwerre guy. Those people are so irrational.

You should join the Ikwerre facebook page and get first hand experience of how the average Ikwerre youth reasons.

You will see all kinds of beliefs that defy logic that these people have.
One of them said that his Choba parents told him that after the Nigerian forces invaded Choba and Igbo people fled Choba deserting their homes and property, that Choba citizens broke into Igbo homes and found in Igbo homes, documents detailing how Igbos planned to rename Choba, impose an Igbo ruler in Choba, and then evacuate Choba people from Choba, to Igboland and replace them with Igbos from Igboland.

The Guy that was saying this is in his thirties o! And he swore that his parents told him the story and that the story is sacrosanct!


You can imagine the level of folly plaquing those people, and how their mind work.


When I asked him for a print version of the said document, he said that there was no need for a print version, that All Choba people testified to this fact, and that the oral version as it were, is good enough evidence.You can imagine the level of mass brainwashing that took place there.
When I pressed more to show me the document, he got angry and started cursing me, calling me names like Isoma, land grabber and all what not. It's really a pathetic situation.

Ikwerre Igbo denial thrives on irrational falsehoods made up by their parents, and swallowed hook, line and sinker by their irrational youths.

Isoma is not insult just like A ngwa man calls anyone dt is not ngwa ohuhu is also aw d call anyone not ikwerre isoma!even if ur hausa you are isoma

Bigmillz:
We ikwerres aren't Igbos simple like ABC. Pronto

But do you agree that you are Igbo-speaking?

You don't just claim We are not Igbo, without solid proofs. Anyone can claim to be this or not that.

Language, culture and religion keeps pointing to the fact that you are Igbo. And you just look like a little boy lying to his mother. All available evidence says you are Igbo.

Chrisxxx answer this questions. Bigmillz help your brother. Tell us the -
(1) Bini words in your language.

(2) Bini culture in your culture.

(3) Bini religion in your religion.

(4) Bini dress in your attire.

(5) Bini physical appearance in your appearance.

(6) Bini names in your names.

(7) Bini things in your things.

uckennety:

Isoma is not insult just like A ngwa man calls anyone dt is not ngwa ohuhu is also aw d call anyone not ikwerre isoma!even if ur hausa you are isoma

I know what Isoma means. And no! To the Ikwerre, Isoma is anyone that speaks Igbo dialect, that they are sure is not Ikwerre dialect.

Ikwerres don't call kalabaris , Okrikas, Ogonis Isoma, only the Igbos.

No, the Ngwa doesn't call any non Ngwa ohuhu. The person must be a non Ngwa and also Igbo speaking to qualify to be called Ohuhu.

Ngwas don't call their Annang neighbors Ohuhu, they call them "Mmoghu", because they know that they speak a language that is not only non Ngwa, but also non intelligible to Ngwa.

Ikwerres don't call Hausa Isoma, only the Igbos.

Ariani:


Yes! There is also this Yoruba man called "Adelabu", that have streets in Umuahia and Enugu named after him.

Learnt that the man spent most of his life in the East.

There is also adelabu crescent in mile 1 diobu