By CHIMAOBI UCHENDU Friday, February 11 , 2011 Contrary to insinuations that Sierra Leone paraded Nigerian-born players against Eagles on Wednesday at the Teslim Balogun Staduim in an international friendly match, Daily Sunsports can authoritatively report that the players in question have no roots in Nigeria. In an interview with Obi Metzeger and Ayo King, they vehemently refused to be linked with Nigeria insisting that they are from Sierra Leone. Obi said in his native dialet the name Obi which translates to king for male and hinted that it is a common name in his community. When this reporter reminded him that the translation of his name also means the same thing in the Igbo-speaking part of Nigeria, he waved it off, saying it must be a co-incidence. “ I was born a Sierra Leonian and I have no other country”, he started. “My parents are still alive and they have not said otherwise. “No one has told me that we migrated from Nigeria and I won’t accept that even if I am told. “The name Obi is a common name in my tribe. I am from an ethnic group in the capital Freetown. “It means King and I suspect that my parents want me to be a king that was why they named me Obi. “It is interesting to hear that an ethnic group in Nigeria bears the same name and it means the same thing for them just as my people and I will like to visit the people somedays in my life. “But the issue of me being a Nigerian is out of it. I’m a free born of Freetown, he remarked. Corroborating Obis story, Ayo King, who was also listed for the match, told Daily Sunsports that he is not a Yoruba man but that his people in Sierra Leone bears the name.

No kid in Igboland bears 'Obi' that means king. The ones that you see are the 'Obi' pet names that mean 'heart'. I thought this nigerian accusers knew better.

please tell me we have ijaws in Sierra Leone. they will surely be MENDING some lives over there  

hmm . . . . I guess we have found where the Lost tribe of Ibos went then. Anyone denying "OBI" in Ibo means King, needs to get his medulla checked. lol

excanny:

No kid in Igboland bears 'Obi' that means king. The ones that you see are the 'Obi' pet names that mean 'heart'. I thought this nigerian accusers knew better.

there are kids that bear Obi in igboland

Obibuogu, Obiagu, Saint Obi, etc

na wa for all this claim claim our people are so fond of doing.

dont see the use, really, but folks should knock themselves out.

if the guy says he's not nigerian, then he isnt?

John Obi Mikel,Eze Chukwumela Obi,Chike Obi are examples.

Koffi Olomide is a Ghanian and Nigerian.LMFAO!

alj harem:

there are kids that bear Obi in igboland

Obibuogu, Obiagu, Saint Obi, etc

There are 2 meanings to the Igbo word 'Obi'. One means 'king', the other means 'heart', pronounced differently. Nobody bears the former as a proper name.

That's why I wrote that those claiming the guy is nigerian based on his supposedly 'nigerian' name are not smart at all.

^^^^^

ok

but excanny you have to admit i am getting good in igbo language and culture

In an interview with Obi Metzeger and Ayo King, they vehemently refused to be linked with Nigeria insisting that they are from Sierra Leone. Obi said in his native dialet the name Obi which translates to king for male and hinted that it is a common name in his community. When this reporter reminded him that the translation of his name also means the same thing in the Igbo-speaking part of Nigeria, he waved it off, saying it must be a co-incidence. “ I was born a Sierra Leonian and I have no other country”, he started. “My parents are still alive and they have not said otherwise. “No one has told me that we migrated from Nigeria and I won’t accept that even if I am told. “The name Obi is a common name in my tribe. I am from an ethnic group in the capital Freetown. “It means King and I suspect that my parents want me to be a king that was why they named me Obi. “It is interesting to hear that an ethnic group in Nigeria bears the same name and it means the same thing for them just as my people and I will like to visit the people somedays in my life. “But the issue of me being a Nigerian is out of it. I’m a free born of Freetown, he remarked. Corroborating Obis story, Ayo King, who was also listed for the match, told Daily Sunsports that he is not a Yoruba man but that his people in Sierra Leone bears the name.

they dont necessarily have to be nigerian, in the absence of further evidence, or till they say they are.



other languages could also have obi just like okeke and ngozi in central africa.

alj harem:

^^^^^

ok

but excanny you have to admit i am getting good in igbo language and culture

^^^

lol. I must say you are doing good, Alhaji Uche boko Harem.

EzeUche_:

Well the young man with Obi in his name could be descendants of Igbos. I hear there is a significant amount of Igbos who live in Sierra Leone, due to the slave trade, in which they were repatriated to that country. He could possibly be a descendant of Igbos.

True!

They arent Nigerian but they are problably from yoruba and ibo along


They are creole who descended from ex slaves- they need to geth thier heads checked!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2264916863&v=info#!/group.php?gid=2264916863&v=wall -

Sierre leonean creole group on facebook look at the names of the member and posters Ayo, Akindele, Modupe Olawale, kenhinde,Dehinbo

Although he is not Igbo, his name was likely inherited from Igbo slaves that were in Sierra Leone.

Schon was a German missionary who learnt a variation of Igbo (Isuama ) in Sierra but was soon disappointed when he got to Igbo land because that variation was not readily understood as it was highly adulterated.

Ajayi Crowther was next and he also learnt Igbo in Sierra Leone and actually went with Sierra Leonan Igbo men (Simon Jonas and Taylor) on the second expedition and they acted as interpreters. I can't recall now but I think Taylor was later ordained to remain in Onicha. Although the Isuama Igbo was not widely understood they still based their first publication of bible texts in Igbo on the dialect.  

My point is that his name "Obi" has the roots in Igbo land, but Igbo language and culture in Sierra Leone was not carried forward.

sbeezy8:

They arent Nigerian but they are problably from yoruba and ibo along


They are creole who descended from ex slaves- they need to geth thier heads checked!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2264916863&v=info#!/group.php?gid=2264916863&v=wall -

Sierre leonean creole group on facebook look at the names of the member and posters Ayo, Akindele, Modupe Olawale, kenhinde,Dehinbo

Very correct.I opened the FB page and saw Cheka,Chudi,Akindele and Modupeh.Mix of mostly Yoruba and Igbo there.

Valentine Strasser, Head of State of Sierra Leone from 1992–1996
[size=13pt]Abel Nathaniel Bankole Stronge, [/size] current speaker of parliament of Sierra Leone
Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Sierra Leonean advocate, nationalist, and educationist
[size=13pt]Abioseh Davidson Nicol[/size], author and Sierra Leonean diplomat
Herbert George-Williams, current mayor of Freetown
Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston, Governor-General of Sierra Leone from 1962 to 1967
[size=13pt]Ade Renner Thomas,[/size] former Chief Justice of Sierra Leone
Isaac Wallace-Johnson, Sierra Leonean journalist, activist and politician
Andrew [size=13pt]Juxon-Juwon[/size]-Smith, former commander of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces
Christiana Thorpe, current chief of the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission
Abdul Tejan-Cole, current Commissioner of the Sierra Leone Anti Corruption Commission
Brigadier-General Arthur Nelson-Williams, current Chief of the Defence Staff of The Sierra Leone Armed Forces, the professional head of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the highest ranked military position in Sierra Leone
[size=13pt]David Omoshola Carew, [/size] current Sierra Leone Minister of Trade and Industry
[size=13pt]Ogunlade Davidson[/size], Current Sierra Leone Minister of Energy and Power
Victor [size=13pt]Chukuma [/size] Johnson, member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from the Western Area (APC)
Winstanley [size=13pt]Bankole [/size] Johnson, mayor of Freetown from 2004–2008
Cecil [size=13pt]Osho [/size] Williams, member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from the Western Area (APC)
Victor Reider, member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from the Western Area (APC)
John Henry Malamah Thomas, mayor of Freetown from 1904–1912
Eustace Henry Taylor Cummings, mayor of Freetown from 1948–1954
Christopher Cole, former Sierra Leone's Governor-General and Chief Justice
Prince Harding, Sierra Leone minister of transportation and communication from 2002–2007
Dennis Bright, Sierra Leone's sport minister from 2002–2007
John 'Johnny' Taylor, Creole trader during colonial era
Dr. John Augustus [size=13pt]Abayomi[/size]-Cole, Sierra Leonean medical doctor, herbalist and politician.
Sir Samuel Lewis, first mayor of Freetown
Herbert [size=13pt]Bankole [/size] Bright, was Sierra Leonean medical doctor and politician
William John Campbell, former mayor of Freetown
Tom Carew, Chief of Defence Staff of Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces from April 2000 to November 2003
Edmund Cowan,

Krios arent confused about their roots these guys are young AND DUMB.

Silly dudes, they are just decendants of Igbos and Yoruba slaves.

My aunt by marriage is Efik-Ibibio from Sierra Leone and one of her relatives is an Igbo man from Awka (Oka) but he is also from Sierra Leone. I was shocked when he told us "I am from your native town Awka and we are Igbos of Sierra Leone." According to him the Igbos of Sierra Leone don't really intermarry so much with other ethnic groups and they are "usually the light-skin ones" tho he was actually dark in complexion.

udezue:

Silly dudes, they are just decendants of Igbos and Yoruba slaves.

My aunt by marriage is Efik-Ibibio from Sierra Leone and one of her relatives is an Igbo man from Awka (Oka) but he is also from Sierra Leone. I was shocked when he told us "I am from your native town Awka and we are Igbos of Sierra Leone." According to him the Igbos of Sierra Leone don't really intermarry so much with other ethnic groups and they are "usually the light-skin ones" tho he was actually dark in complexion.

not true!!!

mukina2:

not true!!!

dont mind that kokonbilington!

carlton OKORO cole darksin
blyden so black he dey purple

@topic doesnt really matter cause me being from Lagos i KNOW that their has always been krios in sierre and Nigeria and krios KNOW that also, these dudes are just young and dum,b.

[size=13pt]Categories: Feb-18-08
Date: Feb 18, 2008
Title: “Foulah Tong”: Creole or Yoruba land

Alhaji Abu Bakar Hamid[/size]

What is now the heartland of the Eastend stretching off from main Kissy Road overlooking the Queen Elizabeth II quay and dreaded for its nerve racking - jostling traffic of vehicles, motor bikes and people was in the early 1700s a lush green hilly slope on which densely populated pastoral Foulah traders grazed their cows – hence the name Fullah Tong. They did not occupy the land for long.





The Foulah Tong Mosque

What is now the heartland of the Eastend stretching off from main Kissy Road overlooking the Queen Elizabeth II quay and dreaded for its nerve racking - jostling traffic of vehicles, motor bikes and people was in the early 1700s a lush green hilly slope on which densely populated pastoral Foulah traders grazed their cows – hence the name Fullah Tong.
They did not occupy the land for long.
“Freed slaves, recaptives and business people mostly Yoruba’s from Lagos and Abeokuta in Nigeria came into Sierra Leone during the 1700s and from the mouth of the Quay – since the most popular form of transport those days was by sea – they moved into Foulah tong and later spread into Fourah bay and Aberdeen,” Alhaji Abu Bakarr Hamid a revered son of the early Yoruba settlers who has spent the whole of his 58 years in the Foulah tong community recalled.
As the new group of settlers started building houses and cutting down the trees to expand the community, the Foulahs gradually left because the land was no longer suitable for rearing cows.
“They went further east to Kissy which was then still bushy” said Alhaji Hamid.
The Yorubas had founded a home, and Foulah tong became aYoruba hegemony with the culture and everything -Yoruba except the name.
These early Yoruba settlers were mainly Muslims probably that is why the Foulah Tong mosque became the epicenter of the community.
There are very many streets like tree branches shooting out from the main street (Mountain cut) named - First Street, Second Street, Third Street… and it seemed when they were tired of counting they gave typical Yoruba names to the streets, like Haderudeen Street.
Foulah tong in Freetown still bears the relics of colonialism captured in the architecture of the houses.
These houses are either board or stone houses with an upper room attached with a window which is known in local circles as “Kongosa Window” where most times the oldest member of the family who occupies such houses would position themselves to scrutinize every activity that goes on in the community, - and now and then deliver the greeting “e Karroh” (Yoruba word for ‘how are you’) to passers by, mostly when they want to be recognized.
Sadly though, many of these houses were lost, thanks to the January 6 invasion by rebels in Freetown, who burnt them, causing the landscape to now be increasingly dotted with modern architecture.
The Foulah Tong Mosque
The mosque stands stoutly on top of the hill on Mountain cut and Second Street. There had been claims that the mosque was a converted church, but Alhaji Hamid dispelled this.
He disclosed that the mosque was actually built in 1882, further up the mountain and not where it is presently located.
In those days Alhaji Hamid recalled there were serious persecutions in the community by Christians who considered non Christians as pagans.
“So there was a palaver and the Mosque was burnt down by these Christians.”
Another mosque was built opposite the mosque now but was again demolished after some years because it was not big enough.
Finally they built the massive structure which is what is now the Foulah Tong mosque and maintained the 1882 date as its establishment.” Alhaji Hamid narrated.
Amariah Primary School he said was also built in 1887 by Dr Blyden who saw the need for education and that the land was donated for the project by twins - Alhassan and Alusine.
The mosque and the school he said to a large extent came to mold the life, civilization and education of the Yoruba people in the Foulah Tong community.
The Former President of Sierra Leone, Tejan Kabbah was confirmed to have attended the Amariah Primary School, though he was not a Yoruba, others were the late Dr Sanusi Mustapha, Late Justice Nasiru Alghalie, Late Justice Bankole Rashid and Dr Aroun Daniya.
Alhaji said that the school was refurbished in 1997 by Plan International and that the whole community still uses the school’s playground to observe the feast of Eid-ul-ada.
A fading culture
“I think that the failure of the government to recognize Yoruba as one of the national languages was one of the pivotal agents that is killing the Yoruba people and language in this country,” Alhaji argued.
He disclosed that he could not speak the language as fluently as he wished to and it is getting worse with their own children.
“We found out now that we have to claim Creole and speak krio to properly identify ourselves in Sierra Leone other than that we are Yoruba and Nigerians (foreigners).
On the other hand it is actually interesting and peculiar for us Muslim Yorubas to claim ourselves as creoles with Muslim names like Mohamed Cole, Mucktaru Pearce, Osman Thomas, Saptieu King.
The Christian Creoles always think that they are the pure and original Creole people, but actually we are all brothers and sisters and came from the same origin with the same culture.” Alhaji Hamid explained.
He continued that the expanding natures of communities in cities, Freetown not excluded has unknotted the threads that held them as a cultural society.
Alhaji Hamid said that Foulah Tong had become cosmopolitan, in fact a home to many tribes than Yoruba, and that most of their properties have been sold out to other people so with the mix they cannot operate as a different entity with different cultural values but to move on and imbibe the various life styles and culture of other people.
With nostalgia Alhaji revealed that they were the tribe that started “Ashobie” which has been used now by everybody else for weddings and other celebrations.
He pointed out that they have very rich cultural celebrations for naming ceremony -‘Khomojade’, wedding and the observance of the three-day, seven-day and forty-day after burial.
“The unbraided ‘kaftan’ had been our cultural dress and bread and ‘fourah’ the delicacies served in all of our celebrations. The Ojeh and Hunting society was also introduced by the yorubas”
But all of theses are changing now Alhaji sighed, “The western culture is also affecting us, many of our children are overseas and they cannot keep these cultures. We hope that our heritage does not die out completely.
What they still have is the ‘Adikali’, the head of the court and the head of the community all in one.
The present Adikalie is Dr Fadlu Deen and his function is to settle all disputes brought to him ranging from land dispute, family palaver to marital problems but he seldom uses the ‘Tambaleh’ (traditional drum) only to announce the death of a very important personality or the day for pray-days.
However amidst all the changes of landscape, people, and culture Foulah Tong continues to sit on the hills stoically accepting the transformations as they come and waiting for the day its own name will be changed.
By Mohamed Fofanah

^
do not try reposting. your post was tagged

that's my community right there

was born and raised there

mukina2:

^
do not try reposting. your post was tagged

that's my community right there

was born and raised there

which means you are related to the yorubas

just asking

What is now the heartland of the Eastend stretching off from main Kissy Road overlooking the Queen Elizabeth II quay and dreaded for its nerve racking - jostling traffic of vehicles, motor bikes and people was in the early 1700s a lush green hilly slope on which densely populated pastoral Foulah traders grazed their cows – hence the name Fullah Tong.


They did not occupy the land for long.
“Freed slaves, recaptives and business people mostly Yoruba’s from Lagos and Abeokuta in Nigeria came into Sierra Leone during the 1700s and from the mouth of the Quay – since the most popular form of transport those days was by sea – they moved into Foulah tong and later spread into Fourah bay and Aberdeen,” Alhaji Abu Bakarr Hamid a revered son of the early Yoruba settlers who has spent the whole of his 58 years in the Foulah tong community recalled.
As the new group of settlers started building houses and cutting down the trees to expand the community, the Foulahs gradually left because the land was no longer suitable for rearing cows.
“They went further east to Kissy which was then still bushy” said Alhaji Hamid.

interesting.

excanny:

There are 2 meanings to the Igbo word 'Obi'. One means 'king', the other means 'heart', pronounced differently. Nobody bears the former as a proper name.

That's why I wrote that those claiming the guy is nigerian based on his supposedly 'nigerian' name are not smart at all.

Not true. Obidigbo is a name and means "King(s) have existed here (in the lineage)".

Kobojunkie:

hmm . . . . I guess we have found where the Lost tribe of Ndigbo went then. Anyone denying "OBI" in Igbo means King, needs to get his medulla checked. lol

It's high time you change that keyboard of yours that doesn't enable you to type Igbo.
Ayo King was interviewed as well, he denied any roots with Yoruba or Nigeria. Yet, you didn't guess where the lost tribe of Yorubas went.
Now you know why I hate tribalists.

Kanu is a very common name in Sierra Leone as well. (Looks at EzeUche_)

Igbo descendants have been president twice in Sierra Leone. Irony.

Christopher Okoro Cole
Yahya Kanu

Abagworo:

By CHIMAOBI UCHENDU Friday, February 11 , 2011 Contrary to insinuations that Sierra Leone paraded Nigerian-born  players against Eagles on Wednesday at the Teslim Balogun  Staduim in an  international friendly match, Daily Sunsports  can authoritatively report  that the players in question have  no roots in Nigeria. In an interview with Obi Metzeger and Ayo King, they vehemently refused to be linked with Nigeria insisting that they are  from Sierra  Leone. Obi said in his native dialet the name Obi which translates  to king for  male and hinted that it is a common name in his  community. When this reporter reminded him that the translation of his  name also  means the same thing in the Igbo-speaking part of  Nigeria, he waved it  off, saying it must be a co-incidence.  “ I was born a Sierra Leonian and I  have no other country”,  he started. “My parents are still alive and they  have  not said otherwise. “No one has told me that we migrated from Nigeria and  I won’t accept  that even if I am told. “The name Obi is a common name in my tribe. I am from  an ethnic  group in the capital Freetown. “It means King and I suspect that my parents want me  to be a king that  was why they named me Obi. “It is interesting to hear that an ethnic group in Nigeria  bears the same  name and it means the same thing for them just  as my people and I will  like to visit the people somedays  in my life. “But the issue of me being a Nigerian is out of it.  I’m a free born of  Freetown, he remarked. Corroborating  Obis story, Ayo King, who was also listed for the match, told  Daily Sunsports that he is not a Yoruba man but that his people  in Sierra Leone bears the name.

Why would you visit 'random' people? Oh creoles (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Caribbean, US)! No longer need for any bitterness!