Kogi/Enugu Crisis: Things Have Gone Wrong In So Many Ways – Unekwuojo O. | News | October 8, 2014

My town Ette is a District in Olamaboro Local Government Area. We have both Igalas, Idoma and some Igbo residing in Ette.

Ette is predominately Igalas. And in Ette we have nine Clans, which are:

Ogodo

Emenebe

Ebe

Enodaba

Obida

Ochigide

Aishi

Adope, and

Achanya.

Ette is closer to Enugu State than Kogi State, we share boundary and even inter marry. That make the young generation of Ette youth to think we belong to Eungu state.

Things have gone wrong in so many ways. Our elder statesmen in Ette fought for Ette to be recognised with the Kogi people, last year the ATTA OF IGALA crowned our King in Ette in person of, His Royal Majesty Aaron Akor. Peace came back to Ette , Ette sons and daughters celebrated the joining of their kiths and kins in Kogi. It was indeed a day of Celebration.

But right now the story is different. Some Ette youth have been brain-washed to turn against their people. They are killing and burning properties of Ette sons. This is really sad.

These misguided youth are engineered to do this by some bad eggs in the community . Giving them money and arms to fight their people all because they want to go back to Enugu State. The likes of John Amedu and Emmanuel Alachi and others are the ones hurting Ette .

The Government of Kogi State should do something about this before it turn into something else.

– Unekwuojo O. http://www.kogireports.com/kogienugu-crisis-things-have-gone-wrong-in-so-many-ways-unekwuojo-o/

http://www.ajol.info/index.php/mjas/article/viewFile/118497/108028

laudate:
@Iansweet, OmoIgala & Revolva:

Here is another viewpoint.



Here is another view. The article cited earlier by OmoIgala shows the proportion of people that identify with Igala, Idoma & Igbo.

laudate:
@ Iansweet, OmoIgala & Revolva:

Here is another article from the same Vanguard Newspaper about Ette community, that was written in 2011. Are there two different Ette communities? Is there an Ette community in Kogi State, and is there a separate Ette community in Enugu state?

Kindly confirm.

kogirodent:

Igbos are not far off from Igalas bro. Some of the folks i know as Igalas i will have to admit are not full or real Igalas. We dn't need to look at them twice to know dat dey hail from the Igbo border areas. De only issue is that there are of mixed ancestry so u can't say which tribe dey really are. E.g Ibaji and Odolu Igalas.

bigfrancis21:


Lol. Ette only exists in Kogi state online. It still is located in Enugu state.

Ogodo, Emenebe, Obida and Ebe sound Igbo to me, not sure. Aishi, Adope and Achanya sound Idoma to me.

bigfrancis21:


Many minority tribes in the south may speak Igbo as second language but they are not Igbos. By this I refer to the Ijaws, Ogonis etc. However, if by minority tribes you refer to Delta Igbos and Rivers Igbos that speak Igbo as native language, your argument in this case is not solid.

Coming to the west, the case of Ogori Magongo, Nupe, Bariba etc. speaking yoruba as second language can be likened to the case in Hausa land where several northern minority tribes speak Hausa as second language or as in the south where some minority tribes speak Igbo as second language such as kalabari, andoni, okirika people etc. However Nupes, Baribas, Ogoris etc. are not Yorubas because they have their native language which is not Yoruba, same for the minority tribes in the North who have their respective languages and also for the Kalabaris, Andonis etc. who are not Igbos because they have their own native languages. This is different from Igbo-speaking peoples in the Niger delta such as Etche, Obigbo, Ndoki, Ndoni, Oshimili, Asaba etc. who speak Igbo as native language. Please do not confuse the two.

Igboid:
This article was only broadcasting the stance of the Igala aspect of Ette. Which is that they want to be in Kogi.
And that is exactly what we had been saying here.
it's not like we expected Igala elements there to say otherwise.
The article was not an iinvestigative one. As only the Igala people were interviewed and their words published without the writers contribution.

MULTILINGUALISM AND THE ETHNIC IDENTITY OF THE ETTE PEOPLE by Martha Chidimma Egenti | Department of Linguistics | Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka

This paper sets out to examine the Ette people in the light of their ethnic identity and also to ascertain which of the languages spoken has the highest percentage with regard to its status and level of proficiency. Primary data were collected from native speakers of Ette resident in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State using Phinney’s (1999) Ethnic Identity measure questionnaire....

From the data in table 1, also reveals that the respondents are proficient in idoma and in terms of regular usage; the Idoma language has the highest percentage of 57.1%. While the Igala language has 37.1%, the Igbo language has the least percentage of 5.7% and 28.2%
respectively...

Table 3 shows ethnic identity measure with regard to membership to an ethnic group, and whether the respondents feel a strong attachment to the group to which they belong. Idoma and Igala have a 60:40% for those who strongly agree or agree to the fact that they belong to Idoma or Igala group, and commitment in these groups. Interestingly, the respondents who strongly agree or agree that they belong to or feel strong attachment for the Igbo groups have the least percentage (8.6%). Also, 25.7% feels that their ethnicity is mixed while 28.6% feels their ethnicity is Igala, 34.2% feels they are Idoma, while 11.4% disagree that it is Igbo. ....http://www.ajol.info/index.php/mjas/article/viewFile/118497/108028

Igboid:


Lol! The writer of that article was clearly hallucinating.
Etteh remains in Igbo Eze North LGA, after all said and done.

No amount of violence or hallucination from Igalas will change that.
The case is still at the boundary commission, and the verdict is not yet out.

PDP Guber candidate promises to ensure peace in Taraba State
10-02-2015

The People's Democratic Party Governorship candidate in Taraba State, Mr. Darius Ishaku, has promised to ensure a lasting peace in the state.

He made the commitment in Wukari, while interacting with members of the Igbo Community Association in the area.
According to Mr. Ishaku, businesses can only thrive in an environment of peace.

The PDP governorship candidate also promised to turn around Wukari by providing the town with water, electricity and other infrastructures that would create a conducive atmosphere for business.

The leader of the group, Mr. Emeka Emenebe, pledged the support of the association to realize the dream of Mr. Ishaku in transforming the state.

Igboid:
Also, 25.7% feels that their ethnicity is mixed while 28.6% feels their ethnicity is Igala, 34.2% feels they are Idoma, while 11.4% disagree that it is Igbo.

Igboid:
Also, 25.7% feels that their ethnicity is mixed while 28.6% feels their ethnicity is Igala, 34.2% feels they are Idoma, while 11.4% disagree that it is Igbo.

bigfrancis21:
Correct.

I doubt Igala origins for many of the town names in Ette. For example, one town name in Ette is Ogodo and we have an Ogodo community in Imo state: https://umukabiaogodo..com/p/our-history.html

Also, another town name in Ette is 'Ebe' and there is another town in Udi LGA of Enugu called 'Ebe'. We have several other towns in Igboland starting with 'ebe' such as ebenator ekwe in Isu LGA Imo state and Ebenator town in Nnewi south Anambra state. 'Ebe' for short simply means 'place' in Igbo.

In Awka, we have a bridge called Emenebe bridge. Emenebe is a town name in Ette. Emenebe seems to be a coinage of Emene and Ebe. There's Emene area in Enugu town. Some Igbos bear Emenebe as surname. I am yet to meet an Igala who bears Emenebe as name.

Obida strongly points to Igbo origins. Many towns in Igboland start with 'Obi'. For example, Obigbo, Obike in Imo state etc.

At least there are 3 town names in Ette that strongly point to Igbo origins. Strange enough, these town names are not found in Igala land. Indicating they are possibly not of Igala origin. Any Igalas here can tell us if these town names: Ebe, Emenebe, Ogodo and Obida have any meanings in Igala.

laudate:


You are still doubting their Igala origins, when the scholar who conducted the study shows clearly from the data available that the Idoma speakers are 60%, the Igala speakers are 40% while only 8.6% speak Igbo? Has it occurred to you that some of the words you cited might have other meanings among the Igala and Idoma/

I know Igbo families in Enugu who bear the surname 'Attah.' I also know Igala families in Kogi as well as Efik families who also bear the surname Attah. Are we to infer they all share the same blood ties? I think not.

The late Chief Ojo Maduekwe had an interesting first name - "Ojo". I have met several Yoruba people who also bear the name Ojo, either as a first name or a surname. Do we then assume they are all related? Just asking.

Even in Lagos, there is a district known as Ogba. In Rivers State, there is an entire community that also bears Ogba. Going by your analysis, I guess we should assume that the district called Ogba not far from Ikeja in Lagos mainland, probably has the same origin as that of the Ogba people of Rivers State.

bigfrancis21:
Now, let us get scientific. Her study itself is not representative of everyone in the town. First we have to ask what is the sample size used in the study? Did she take out time to survey every or almost all of Etteh community or did she survey a handful of people? The population of Etteh people is about 20,000. The sample size of the author's research is only 50 people. That is only 50 people out of about 20,000 Etteh people were interviewed. Out of the 50 responses gotten only 35 were filled out properly. That means, her study is based on only 35 responses out of about 20,000 Etteh people and such a number is highly selective and does not represent the general consensus of the Etteh people.

Her study is not factually correct, objectively speaking.

http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/documents/comdti_3.pdf

laudate:


Ok now, you want to discredit the study conducted on the Ette people based on sample size?

bigfrancis21:
Yes of course. The 50 people interviewed could be mostly the Idoma speakers or Igala speakers and it does not tell the true situation of things in Ette. Just as I could conduct my survey on mostly the Igbo speakers and come up with figures in favour of Igbo speakers in Ette but that does not tell the factual truth of the place. That's my point.

Rather, an intensive survey of at least 85% or 15,000 of the people would make more sense and is more inclusive of everyone in the town.

laudate:


Ok, go and conduct your own study or survey in Ette. Then come & post the results here, so we can compare & contrast the outcome.

The traditional ruler has an Igala title, but I guess that escaped your notice.

bigfrancis21:


Please can you tell us more about this? I know he is Idoma but which state in Nigeria is he from? Which of Igbo dialects is his 'spoken Idoma' closest to?

bigfrancis21:
Now, let us get scientific. Her study itself is not representative of everyone in the town. First we have to ask what is the sample size used in the study? Did she take out time to survey every or almost all of Etteh community or did she survey a handful of people? The population of Etteh people is about 20,000. The sample size of the author's research is only 50 people. That is only 50 people out of about 20,000 Etteh people were interviewed. Out of the 50 responses gotten only 35 were filled out properly. That means, her study is based on only 35 responses out of about 20,000 Etteh people and such a number is highly selective and does not represent the general consensus of the Etteh people.

Her study is not factually correct, objectively speaking.

http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/documents/comdti_3.pdf

I pointed out 4 town names in Ette which MAY NOT be Igala or Idoma but Igbo instead. Which is more credible given the fact that such town names are more common in Igboland and nearly absent in Igala land. To accommodate the possibility of Igala/Idoma origins, I have asked Igala speakers to tell us if these 4 names have any meanings in Igala. Read my post again.

Your examples don't make sense because of course there are town similarities between different linguistic zones in Nigeroa. We have an Igbo Ogidi town in Anambra state and a Yoruba Ogidi town in Ajaokuta Kogi state. However, in this case these town names are common in Igboland and nearly absent in Igala land, which tells you that they are more likely Igbo than Igala.

Ojo is not a common name in Igboland. He may have had a Yoruba mother or given the Ojo name by his parent for a reason. Nnamdi Azikiwe gave his first son Bamidele out of his love for a united Nigeria but as you know the Azikiwe family is not related to Yoruba in any way.

Joephat:



he speaks idioma. but has some similarities with my Enugu-ezike language. my ppl answers surnames like uja, that's 2face's surname and Idoko which is my surname that can also be traced to idioma.

bigfrancis21:
@bold...traditional ruler of the Etteh Igalas right? Just as we have Eze Ndi Igbo in Jos or Abuja right?

By the way, the 7 traditional rulers in olumbanasaa Anambra have Igbo titles. They are all called 'Igwe'.

laudate:


It is rare to see any study that captures the entire inhabitants of a town. To carry out such a large scale study would take years and lots of resources. The unwieldy sample size could also be difficult to administer.

Secondly, for what it is worth, the person who carried out the study was actually on ground in Ette and took time out to visit the location. She provided as much data as she could and gave insight into how she arrived at her findings.

In comparison to the study you cited, there is nothing in your citation that shows the sample size, how they got their data and nothing to show how the writer of that article arrived at his conclusion that Ette is mostly Igbo-speaking with a few Igala speakers. There is no information about those who even conducted the study, and what the outcome was meant to achieve.

And you want us to swallow the assertions in the study you cited??

Now back to the names and nomenclature. In some areas of Lagos, there are streets bearing Igbo names, or roads named after Igbo personalities. Are to infer that those streets are the ancestral homes of communities in the South-East, who share similar names with those locations?

Igboid:


This article was only broadcasting the stance of the Igala aspect of Ette. Which is that they want to be in Kogi.
And that is exactly what we had been saying here.
it's not like we expected Igala elements there to say otherwise.
The article was not an investigative one. As only the Igala people were interviewed and their words published without the writers contribution or those of the opposing camps.

bigfrancis21:


Tuface's surname is Idibia, which closely resembles Dibia in Igbo language. Ujah is his middle name.

So which state is the guy from? Benue or Etteh part of Enugu state?

Revolva:



Igalas originated from Ida in present day kogi state....


and an be found majorliy in kogi state and extentions in borders of anambra state, Nzam community ...ugbedo.... edo state...illushi ifeku island... delta state ebu oshimili north LGA and if possible ette. Enugu ..thanks for educating me about ette....i never knew there are igalas there....ok

Joephat:



he is from Benue, that Ujah, we answer ujah too and I got to know the meaning of my surname *Idoko* from somebody from Benue.

Idoko means kings' heritage.

bigfrancis21:
@bold...that is untrue. It doesn't take much to interview a small village of 20,000 people. It may take up to a week of distributing survey questions and making sure they fill it out correctly and that is worthy of a true research, not some hastily conducted interview of a handful of people (35) that does not speak for the entire Etteh community of over 20,000 people. Even white researchers will not conduct this level of poor quality research. Their high level of personal investment in anything they do shows how, despite the crude times of back then when they landed in Nigeria, they were often able to correctly tell the differences between the different tribes in southern Nigeria. Pick any of their books on the tribes of southern Nigeria written over 200 years ago and read and observe how valid and correct their observations are till today. In research, whites are often very thorough and will take pains to make sure they cover everything and leave no stone unturned. However, for many black researchers, they conduct rather hasty 'research' and come to irrelevant conclusions. Then one wonders why blacks as a whole is backwards.

Or maybe I should survey 35 English-speaking children in Lagos state and use that as my basis to claim that majority of Nigerian children are English-speaking. Does that sound like quality research to you, huh?

In the end, her study is seriously flawed and should not be taken seriously. A handful number of people (35) does not represent an entire Ette population of over 20,000 people. QED.

laudate:


The traditional ruler of the entire Ette community has an Igala title. From the records available, he is not a settler in the town unlike the Eze Nd'Igbo in Jos or Abuja.

And there is no information, that shows that the traditional ruler of the entire Etteh community is an Igbo man with an Igbo traditional title, such as Igwe or Eze. If you have evidence to show that the traditional ruler of the entire Ette community, is an Igwe or an Eze, kindly paste it here.

bigfrancis21:
Well, the binis conquered some parts of western Igboland and Lagos mainland and imposed bini Obas on them. The royal family of lagos state is of bini ancestry. Several Obis of some villages in Anioma came solely from Bini, however they married native Igbo wives and raised Igbo-speaking families. However, it does not mean that western igboland or lagos are binis. It is clear from history that the atta of igala sought to conquer and dominate northern igboland, which they did for a while and imposed 'attamas' (as in Nsukka) or 'attas' in certain areas that they conquered. This may be the case for Etteh community. I strongly suspect.

laudate:


But your own study which makes sweeping assertions about the number of speakers with no shred of data to back it up, and no information on the outcome, as well as zero information on the scholars who carried out the study, is NOT seriously flawed, ko? You have obviously never conducted a study in Nigeria, especially rural Nigeria which is why you think it would take a week to survey 20,000 inhabitants of a town.

laudate:


Oga, don't suspect. Provide proof!

bigfrancis21:


Now, let us get scientific. Her study itself is not representative of everyone in the town. First we have to ask what is the sample size used in the study? Did she take out time to survey every or almost all of Etteh community or did she survey a handful of people? The population of Etteh people is about 20,000. The sample size of the author's research is only 50 people. That is only 50 people out of about 20,000 Etteh people were interviewed. Out of the 50 responses gotten only 35 were filled out properly. That means, her study is based on only 35 responses out of about 20,000 Etteh people and such a number is highly selective and does not represent the general consensus of the Etteh people.

Her study is not factually correct, objectively speaking.

http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/documents/comdti_3.pdf

I pointed out 4 town names in Ette which MAY NOT be Igala or Idoma but Igbo instead. Which is more credible given the fact that such town names are more common in Igboland and nearly absent in Igala land. To accommodate the possibility of Igala/Idoma origins, I have asked Igala speakers to tell us if these 4 names have any meanings in Igala. Read my post again.

Your examples don't make sense because of course there are town similarities between different linguistic zones in Nigeroa. We have an Igbo Ogidi town in Anambra state and a Yoruba Ogidi town in Ajaokuta Kogi state. However, in this case these town names are common in Igboland and nearly absent in Igala land, which tells you that they are more likely Igbo than Igala.

Ojo is not a common name in Igboland. He may have had a Yoruba mother or given the Ojo name by his parent for a reason. Nnamdi Azikiwe gave his first son Bamidele out of his love for a united Nigeria but as you know the Azikiwe family is not related to Yoruba in any way.