revolt: bia my deluded brother you are def not igbo, just don't drag the rest of nwafors in anioma wif u! Any TIv tht leaves his Tiv name and spks hausa and bears a hausa name has bcome assimilated into hausa. As long as u refused to drop our names and culture yet deny the identity ure esatz igbo. Is it by force to maintain igbo culture(tht u so hate) go edo plsss lve other pure nwafors alone. Agbota... Hasn't answered my question where Nzeogwu (that caused our greatest pogroms) was from.

Idun'oba ehis:

point of correction, among all the northern tribes, it's only the Idomas and Tivs that don't speak hausa in their communities. Any Tiv person speaking hausa must've learned it outside, just as Igbo man speaking hausa too. Secondly, they don't bear hausa names neither are they assimilated by hausa in any way. People call them hausa just because they are from northern nigeria. They now accept the hausa tag not becos they like it, but becos they know that no matter how they tried to prove they are not hausa the people will not change their stance becos they have already made up their mind that they are hausa, so they pretend they dont mind, but they do mind. That is how it is with some Ikas that do not say they are not Igbo when people say they are Igbos.

Afam4eva:
So, why are you trying to compare the TIVS and the Ikas? The TIVS don't speak Hausa as their native language but the Ikas do. The Ikas bear Chukwuemeka but the TIVS don't bear Hausa names.

sonya4all: @ one naira. you are either dumb or a selective amnesia patient. never has any ika person included you and your deluded likes in the discussion about ika. stop being silly.. you are neither from ika north nor south, hence I see no reason for your stupid accusation of aligning your area to ika.. certainly you are an igbon. that's Why you plead for relevance and incorporation into the igbo label... no one is dragging you into ika OK?? .ikas are proud of their culture and heritage.

revolt: his illlustrative analysis of the aforementioned is brain draining and lacks rationality. I don't knw how the dude finks! we've agreed he's not igbo! So he shul drop our cultural affiliations, but e no gree ...... He's a negro claimin white! Remember Samuel l Jackson in django

Idun'oba ehis:

i'm not comparing Ika with Tiv but only pointing out how entirely diferent ethnic groups are lumped together in one umbrella out of ignorance. It doesnt matter if some ignorant people see us as Igbo, cos there are lots of many unbiased and knowledgeable people out there that know the difference between Igbo and Ika and I have met many, even igbos are among them

ChinenyeN: Of all the cases of "Igbo" tag desertion, that of the Anioma will always be the most entertaining to me. At first, I found it perplexing, then annoying. Now, it's simply entertaining. Unlike the SE, in which the overwhelming majority of groups/communities claim no ancestral affiliation with Nri, the traditions of a striking number of Anioma communities recognize Nri (and also Isu) among its founding elements. It's funny to me how the Anioma can forever throw a tantrum whenever people "confuse" them as being Igbo, yet their founding traditions have sealed their fate by associating them with the one community that has become the very academic definition of "Igbo".

Radoillo: Typical Nsukka names:

1)Asogwa (name is of Igala origin, corruption of 'Achogwa)

2) Asadu (also of Igala origin, corruption of 'Achadu)

3)Onoja (Igala origin)

4) Oboli (Igala origin)

5) Idoko (Igala origin)

6) Attah (Igala origin)

7)Ozioko (Igala origin)

Obeta (Idoma name)

9) Ene/ Eneja/ Eneje (Idoma or Igala; not sure which)

10) Omeje (Igala)

11) Obaje (Igala)

12) Ocho (Igala)

13) Momoh/ Mamah ( 'northern' name; believed to be a corruption of the Muslim name Momodu/ Mamadu, ultimately from Muhammed)

et cetera, et cetera.

When two or more different ethnic groups have lived side by side for centuries such borrowings are inevitable. The Nsukka people borrowed heavily from Igalas and Idomas. The same way the Ikas borrowed heavily from the Bini. An interesting question would be: Why has the former embraced/retained the 'Igbo' tag and the majority of the latter haven't?

Personally, I think it is about geopolitical boundaries. If the Nsukka area had been carved into the North-Central geopolitical zone, they would probably have their own 'We re not Igbos' ideology by now.

In any case, like I have always said, this issue has been overflogged. I dont know why the SE Igbos still get hot over it whenever it comes up.

revolt: bia my deluded brother you are def not igbo, just don't drag the rest of nwafors in anioma wif u! Any TIv tht leaves his Tiv name and spks hausa and bears a hausa name has bcome assimilated into hausa. As long as u refused to drop our names and culture yet deny the identity ure esatz igbo. Is it by force to maintain igbo culture(tht u so hate) go edo plsss lve other pure nwafors alone. Agbota... Hasn'ta answered my question where Nzeogwu (that caused our greatest pogroms) was from.

Radoillo: Typical Nsukka names:

1)Asogwa (name is of Igala origin, corruption of 'Achogwa)

2) Asadu (also of Igala origin, corruption of 'Achadu)

3)Onoja (Igala origin)

4) Oboli (Igala origin)

5) Idoko (Igala origin)

6) Attah (Igala origin)

7)Ozioko (Igala origin)

Obeta (Idoma name)

9) Ene/ Eneja/ Eneje (Idoma or Igala; not sure which)

10) Omeje (Igala)

11) Obaje (Igala)

12) Ocho (Igala)

13) Momoh/ Mamah ( 'northern' name; believed to be a corruption of the Muslim name Momodu/ Mamadu, ultimately from Muhammed)

et cetera, et cetera.

When two or more different ethnic groups have lived side by side for centuries such borrowings are inevitable. The Nsukka people borrowed heavily from Igalas and Idomas. The same way the Ikas borrowed heavily from the Bini. An interesting question would be: Why has the former embraced/retained the 'Igbo' tag and the majority of the latter haven't?

Personally, I think it is about geopolitical boundaries. If the Nsukka area had been carved into the North-Central geopolitical zone, they would probably have their own 'We re not Igbos' ideology by now.

In any case, like I have always said, this issue has been overflogged. I dont know why the SE Igbos still get hot over it whenever it comes up.

bigfrancis21:

That is a nice expose you got up there.
However, I beg to differ with you on some of the surnames you posted up there claiming they are of Igala origin. I don't think all those surnames listed out there are non-Igbo. I spent 6 long years in Nsukka(I went to UNN) and I'm conversant with typical Nsukka surnames, such as Ugwuanyi, Idu, Onyishi, Ugwuagbo, Obe, Obetta, etc and including the ones you wrote up there. While I agree that some of the names are of foreign origin, for example, Attah, some others are typical Igbo names with Igbo meanings. I had a roommate in my second year when I was living in the hostel(Room 314 Alvan Ikoku Hostel) from Udi LGA Enugu state whose surname is Ozioko. Note that Udi isn't anywhere close to Nsukka or Igala land and is closer to Oji River LGA and Anambra. My former landlady of my BQ in my 4th year was 'Madam Eneh' and she is from Oji River LGA. I know several other 'Enehs' from Enugu state.

According to Igbo Nri origins, Eri bore Nri, and Nri had 5 children I think - 4 boys and a girl. One of the sons was called Onoja Oboli he is said to be the father of the Igalas. Clearly, Onoja Oboli was of Igbo origin, and not Igala. Which then means Onoja and Oboli are authentic Igbo names. I have a friend who graduated from Biochemistry, class of 2012, from Anambra state whose surname is Oboli and he grew up in Onitsha.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nri-Igbo

Omeje is a popular Nsukka surname and I know so many people who go by that name, the pronunciation(ome eje) which sounds Igbo to me and gives off the meaning 'the doer of eje', the Eje which I don't know its meaning.

Asogwa isn't of Igala origin. It is an authentic Igbo surname. There are so many Asogwa families right here in Imo state where I'm currently staying. I personally know one Barrister Asogwa from Imo state who works in FUTO. Never in the annals of history has it been recorded that Imo people had migrations from Igala land.

Nsukka people usually call themselves by, 'Nsukka Asadu', I can't say which origin Asadu comes from and they greet themselves with 'Deeje'(notice the same 'Eje' here again). They call God, 'Ezechite Oke Abiama' and they believe they are descendants of Nri who they call 'Ishi' or 'Nshi' in their dialect and it is reflective in their surnames such as 'Onyishi', meaning 'Onye Nri' or 'Nri person'. For example, the owner of the popular Peace Park Transport Motors, 'Maduka Onyishi', who is from Nsukka.

I had a coursemate whose surname is 'Idoko', and I also can't say which origin it comes from. I also have another friend whose surname was 'Obetta'. I also cannot tell whether its Igbo or not.

However, I can comfortably say that Attah and Attama used in Nsukka are of Igala origin. Attama means 'chief priest' and is of Igala origin. While 'Attah' is a surname. Maybe Idoko, Momoh and Obaje too . I never came across the name 'Ocho' during my entire stay in Nsukka land.

You seem to have a deep knowledge of common Nsukka names and words. Are you by chance from Nsukka?

Radoillo:

Well, Udi area belongs to the Agbaja sub-ethnicity, and Agbaja people have had age-long interactions with the Nsukka group of communities who are their immediate neighbours to the north. So it would be hardly surprising if some Igala influence managed to reach that area, via Nsukka-land.

Achogwa, Achadu and Ozioko were originally titles in Igala kingdom. they mean nothing in Igbo language. Nsukka people adopted some Igala titles in pre-colonial times, and these titles were passed on as surnames. Formerly, the Ozioko was the man in charge of farmlands. (Note that '-oko' means 'farm' in the Yorubaoid languages to which Igala belongs.) The Achadu was the Chief Minister or the Vizier of the Igala Kingdom. (Like the Iyase in Benin.) The office of the the Achogwa appears not to have been clearly defined. In Nsukka, Achogwa and Achadu were corrupted to Asogwa and Asadu. You say you met many families in Imo state who bear the last name 'Asogwa'. I seriously doubt that the Asogwas you met in Imo were indigenous Imolites. I have also met many Asogwas, and every single one of them hails from the Nsukka area.

Omeje is not 'doer of eje' as you think. In Igala, 'om-' or 'oma' means 'child'. And 'eje' is also commonly found among the Igalas both as a title (eg' the traditional ruler of Ankpa in Igalaland is called the Eje) and as a personal name (eg Abutu Eje). It means 'leopard'. Omeje thus means something like 'Child of a Leopard'. in Igbo language, one would say 'Nwagu'.

I may be wrong about Ene. After all, it means antelope in some Igbo dialects, but the fact that it is much more in use among the Idomas; and is only used in Igboland by the northern Igbos who are close to the Idomas suggest that the name is probably of Idoma origin. Besides the name has an Idoma meaning.

Onyishi is not Onye Nshi or Onye Nri. It is simply Onye Ishi (Onye Isi) i.e. headman or leader. it was formerly used as a title for the village heads of Nsukka villages.

Idoko is most definitely an Igala name. No questions about that. Some Igala kings of precolonial days even used it as a dynastic name. Obeta isn't Igbo either. I had an Nsukka friend in school whose last name was Obeta, and when I asked him what it meant, he admitted he had no idea, but that his father told him it was a 'borrowed name'.

About Onoja Oboni, the traditions of his origin aren't straightforward.The Igala and the Ogurugu people of Enugu State believe that Onoja was born in Igalaland to an Igala princess named Ebulejonu and an Igbo hunter called Abatamu. He was raised in the Igala palace as a highborn Igala man. So says tradition. But I don't place too much faith in oral tradition. they are usually too muddled to command belief.

In any case,the name Onoja is clearly Igala. Onu Oja means the Chief of the Market., or the chief of trade (onu=chief; oja=market). And the legendary Onoja Oboli was involved in the trade in slaves from Nsukka down the Niger to its delta. The Idomas answer Onoja, too. and they believe they borrowed it from the Igalas, and that it means Market leader.

I know of at least two prominent Nsukka people who bear the last name Ocho.

Rev. Fr Hilary Ocho,
and Professor Lawrence Offie Ocho.


BTW, I'm not from Nsukka. I just have friends from there. Plus I have read a bit about their history and culture.

bigfrancis21: Late Nollywood actor, Pete Eneh, was from Enugu state.

The name 'Owoh' is found among the Igbos and also among the Ondo people of Onitsha. Nollywood actors, 'Nkem Owoh', and 'Chinyere Owoh' are from Enugu state and meanwhile in the west, the late musician 'Orlando Owoh' hailed from Ondo state. So because someone far off in Ondo state bears 'Owoh', therefore Owoh isn't an authentic Igbo name again? Even though both names have different meanings.

All over Igbo land, the word 'Onicha' exists. Starting from Onicha Olona, Onicha Ugbo in Delta Igbo, to Onicha in Anambra state, to Ezinihite Onicha in Imo state, to Onicha LGA in Ebonyi. In Kogi state, there exists a town named 'Onicha'. Therefore, Onicha which is pervasive all over Igboland is no longer a valid Igbo word, right?

Radoillo: We can go back and forth on this issue and tire ourselves out.

Not all Igbo-sounding names are actually Igbo ( We have demonstrated that with the Ika-Bini name Ovia which you thought was the same as Ofia; and there are many other names used by frontier Igbos which may sound Igbo, but are not). I suggest you look into the ethnohistorical background of some of these names before assigning Igbo origins to them based on the way they sound.

Asogwa is not Mrs Becky's maiden name. Do u know where her husband is from? It would have been great if the 'faceless' Valentine Asogwa had supplied us with the name of his village in Imo.

I never denied that the Igbo (especially Aguleri and Nri) had some influence on Igala people, especially Igalas of the Ibaji district. I only stated that I dont believe Onoja (if he was even a true historical figure) was a son of Eri. The Igala historian you talked about didnot say so.

I have in my possession oral tradition recorded in the 1920s from two different places (one from Igboland, the other from Igalaland), and both records assert that Onoja's mother was Igala and his father an Igbo hunter called Abatamu.

Nri traditions collected in the 1930s by Jeffreys did not say that Onoja was the son of Eri. That claim only appeared later. Onoja and Eri do not even belong to the same time-frame. Onoja is associated with the slave raids of the 17th and 18th centuries; Eri is associated with a far earlier period of history than that. Aguleri was already long-established before Onoja left Idah to found the Aguleri village of Umukete.

I think you rely a lot on Wikipedia and some not-very-reliable websites. I wouldn't if I were you.

bigfrancis21:

Several traditions posits that Onoja was the son of Eri. I'm not here to start arguing who's right or not. My point was that you went too far in your bid to make a point by giving several authentic Igbo names such as Ozioko, Eneh, Onoja, Oboli etc foreign origins. I have a friend from Anambra state who bears Oboli.

Nsukka words established of Igala origin are Asadu, Idoko, Attama, Atta, Momoh etc. A fellow coursemate in engineering who is from Nsukka bears 'Ali' as surname and I thought it rather quite odd for an Igbo name. And yes, its pronounced 'Ali' as you've always known it. The way 'Ali' in 'Mohammed Ali' is pronounced.

I personally know a Barrister Asogwa who works in FUTO from Imo state who is a good friend of my mom and speaks Owerri-like Igbo. I still have his number here on my phone. I also gave you another example of an Imolite who bears Asogwa too by dropping the link.

bigfrancis21:

What Igala slave raids exactly are you talking about? African slave trade or the trans-atlantic slave trade? You have to be specific here. For what its worth, the Igala were not influential whatsoever in the trans-atlantic slave trade. They are not even located anywhere close to the Atlantic ocean to begin with. Notice, I never said African slave trade. I said trans-atlantic slave trade. Both are different things.

bigfrancis21:


I ran a check on Onogu and most the results that came up ALL included him as the son of Eri. You then gave me an article to read which I guess opposes this view and which if I check is in minority compared to the greater amount of sources that say the opposite - Eri was the father of Onoja. You should understand that this is a free world. Everybody is entitled to write a book of his choice of a differing viewpoint. And you are free to pick whose opinion you identify with.

bigfrancis21:


Finally, not all Igbo names have one particular meaning. For example is Onyeishi which you wrote off as Onyeishi(Oga) which also means blind person in Igbo depending on the inflections, or OnyeIshi(Ishi person). The Ogwashi Ukwu people who trace their origins to Nshi(Nri) say that the 'Nshi' in their name, Ogwashi, refers to Nri their founder. I also suggest that you look at the other possible meanings of words before assigning a 'final' and 'binding' meaning to them.

agbotaen: 1. ika was influenced by both edo and igbo words or sentences and have life of its own, if ika people should drop some igbo names they have then the igbos should be ready to drop all their english names and names they also took from their neighbours like the efik/ibibio names , and igala names , too.
2. some times ika as a language strides between two language of edo and igbo to make meaning , and some times thats how our names are too .although some ika names are outright benin names , while some are outright igbo names like uche, ikenchuku, are igbo , while irabor, usiade and osagie are benin names.
3. then there are ika names that combine both edo and igbo words to form a meaning such as
1. ehiedu- god is guiding me , ehi is edo , while edu is igbo.
2. ekawuku, eka is igbo , while uku is ika , meaning my hand give me wealth,
3. okpohoka , woman is greatest, okpoho is edo while ka is igbo .
4. ikponfinasouya- the dust bin does not refuse suffering , while the rest words in this name is ika /edo, aso -is igbo
5. ehichuidoboro= my god has chased away evil from me, the only igbo word there is chu , that is to chase away.
6. eghowuosihian- money is friend to many people,
7. ehiyemofe , ehi is edo for guardian spirit , wile ofe is also free thing , while yem means gave or give in igbo , so the name means it is god that gave me freely .
8. osemenimghogho- god has made me happy , all the words are edoic but menin is an ika word adopted from igbo , the full name is oselobue menim ghogho.
9. ara gbu edionma -is shortened to agbedion, we do not kill a senior , and the only igbo word there is gbu-meaning kill ,
10. osekogbe , which means god is biggest , from the word oselobue ya ka ogbe
so ika names can some times take two languages and lan at our own meanings , and so are sentences too like,
yasaka gbu ihian , meaning you cannot kill some one, this sentence passes through edo/ika and igbo to form a sentence .

11. igbos should recognise that tribal matters is all about pitching tent where you think that you will be protected and as such all igbo people or yoruba people or ika people pitched their tent in places that will favour them , all nigerian tribe did not exist 200 years ago , this igbo, ika, benin, ishan is a new development , in place of it we had benin empire, oyo empire , and small kingdoms existing on their own as independent entities, so when britsh came they started binding together , tribes are man made and not god made.

tonychristopher: same you have that agbo the village of liyel imoke they are in cross rivers but are igbos

Idun'oba ehis:
More words
Ika Bini English
mkpu - ukpu - cup
evbeni - evbana - right here/there
agbaka - agbaka - crocodile. More stil coming.
agban - agbanwen -jaw
nkhite - ekhite - dog
mwen - mwen - have
eson - asen - spit
ohuhu/okhokho-okhokho - chicken
ba - ba - bright
aba - aba - father
ekpa - ekpo - bag
ye evbeni - ye evbana -right here
evben - evban - here
evbeni - evbana - there
bun - bun - plenty
de - dan - fall
enen - enon - four
eni - eni - elephant
Some words here are similar to igbo but non is exactly like igbo.

Idun'oba ehis:
More words
Ika Bini English
efe - efe - wealth
egogo - egogo-bells
ogua - egua - palace
oba rii egua/ogua (both) The oba is in palace.
Ukhun - ekhun - waist
ekpetitalokun-ekpetihoe - radio
ekpetiughegbe - ekpetiughegbe - television
ekpetin - ekpetin - luggages
Ehi mwen ekpatiughegbe isen - Ehi has five televisions
Ekpetin isen rii aga - there are five luggages on the chairs
esin - esin - horse
etu - etu - bear
etu nii bun (both) this beards are many
fefefe - fefefe- completely
fe - fe -throw
fu - fu - blow air
gedegbe - gedegbe - big, mighty
ogo - ogo - bottle
omomo - omomo - baby
talo - talo - to prolong talk
many stil coming

Idun'oba ehis:
More word
Ika Bini English
Guah-guah-to tell/speak
han - hano - choose
eriri - irri - rope
ukolu - ukonu - kitchen
isiawe - isiawe -groundnut
kakaka - kakaka - empty, dry
koko - koko - gather/save
Okome koko igho/egho (both) - Okome saved money
kuru - kolo - pluck(leaf)
tuhue - tue - pour it(also means lost it in Ika)
ekhere - khere - small
mkpu/ukpu nii rii ekhere/khere (both) - this cup is small
me - me - me
la - la - go
ma - ma - good