odumchi:

All I'm trying to avoid is engaging in an encircling argument because that would be a waste of time.

You have to understand that due to the constraints of time, there are certain things that you would have to take my word for if we are to maintain this conversation, or else you might as well tell me to provide evidence that I am a human being.

Ask any Igbo person what the nick name of the Aro is and they will tell you just like I have. Here is an excerpt from a document by Mazi Ben Ezumah (which I don't completely concur with but had to bring up just to quench your doubt) that should be sufficient evidence of the significance of the term "Aro oke Igbo":

"Every Aro indigene is a proud person due to the fact that we are the cultural chief in all Iboland. Our culture is being exemplarily practiced in all Iboland and this is how the 'Aro Okigbo' came about".


http://www.aronewsonline.com/files/Articles.doc

Now can we move on?

I guess you mean circular rather than encircling

It should have been obvious to you from the beginning that I am not prepared to take anyone's word for it.That is the essence or nub of my posts so don't bother to engage me next time if all you have to offer is weak,watery waffle. Your human being analogy is a bit silly since the two ideas are not of the same order of controversy or contention and will only make good sense to you. Asking you to provide proof you are not a telephone and proof that the term IGBO had common currency before colonization seem substantially different to me

There never was any "we" so feel free to move in any direction YOU please. Just remember YOU called ME out not the other way round. I am only responding to whatt you write when you quote me. If you don't like it ,I suggest you ignore me,like I have told you in the past. Do not expect that you will publish unverifiable claims without demur.
i have not disputed the nickname i just asked for evidence of its origins in time. You say ask ,any Igbo person but I am questiong whether there was any significant Interaction between Igbos such as those as far apart as Onicha and Obigbo eg in Precolonial times as well as how widespread the term ;Igbo was in that era and what evidence there is about this. This are reasonable questions of historical inquiry and very different from whether you are a plantain or potato!

aribisala0:
proof that the term IGBO had common currency before colonization.

Okay, I've supplied you with sufficient evidence.

aribisala0:
You say ask ,any Igbo person but I am questiong whether there was any significant Interaction between Igbos such as those as far apart as Onicha and Obigbo eg in Precolonial times as well as how widespread the term ;Igbo was in that era and what evidence there is about this. This are reasonable questions of historical inquiry and very different from whether you are a plantain or potato!

Prior to the year 1900, much of what is now eastern Nigeria was connected economically. The Igbo not only experienced massive inter-ethnic interaction but developed cross-ethnic relations with the Ibibio-Efik, the Ijaw, the Igala, and the Edo.

This map dates before the year 1900:
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Igbo_Trade_Routes_before_1900.svg[/img]

I believe you miss the point completely.

I believe you miss the point completely. Not just eastern Nigeria but ALL of Nigeria and even beyond were connected. Excavation at Nri unearthed beads that were of Arab origin so trading links are not in doubt . The issue is whether NATIONHOOD among the "IGBO" in those times extended across MODERN Igboland EVER or whether there was EVER such consciousness or was Nation restricted to the clan level. In other words was there ever a SINGLE Igbo Nation or an ATTEMPT to create one in PreColonial times

aribisala0: I believe you miss the point completely. Not just eastern Nigeria but ALL of Nigeria and even beyond were connected. Excavation at Nri unearthed beads that were of Arab origin so trading links are not in doubt . The issue is whether NATIONHOOD among the "IGBO" in those times extended across MODERN Igboland EVER or whether there was EVER such consciousness or was Nation restricted to the clan level. In other words was there ever a SINGLE Igbo Nation or an ATTEMPT to create one in PreColonial times

Lol. Achuo gi na enwe i laa na adaka.

This is a complex topic but let me attempt to explain to you my understanding of it...

odumchi:

Lol. Achuo gi na enwe i laa na adaka.

This is a complex topic but let me attempt to explain to you my understanding of it...

Since we are not discussing DARWINISM i suggest we dispense with SIMIAN references

This is my understanding of it:

The people known as the Igbo are not a single people. The Igbo people are a nation in the sense that they are a collection of peoples who are related but not necessarily by blood.

Prior to colonization, the Igbo organized themselves on the sub-ethnic level and the basic unit of social and political organization was the village community. In parts of Igboland, large sub-ethnicities formed as many groups of villages commonly identified with each other. This phenomena is found among many groups including the Ngwa, the Ika, the Ikwere, and the Aro, however the largest of these sub-ethnicities (population-wise) is Ngwa.

Most groups of the Igbo country existed in independent communities. They didn't identify with each other on the basis of being Igbo, instead they identified each other based on their communal or sub-ethnic name. For example, in Things Fall Apart the people of Umuofia identified as Umuofia while the people of Abame identified as Abame, but to non-Igbo they were identified as Igbo regardless.

If you went to 18th century Igboland and asked a native what language he spoke, the answer would most likely be 'Igbo'. The reason I say most likely is because it could've been possible that certain groups referred to their speech with the same name as their collective group name. For example, if you asked an Ngwa what language he spoke, it's possible that he would've said 'Ngwa'.

The Igbo, for the most part, have always known subconsciously that the general name used to identify them collectively was "Igbo", but amongst themselves they identified sub-ethnically. For example if I existed in 18th century Igboland, I would've been referred to as an Aro by an Ohafia (Igbo town) native but as an Igbo by a Calabar native.

If you went to a place like Arochukwu in the year 1800 and asked a native to identify to you which neighboring communities were Igbo and which were not, they wouldn't have had a difficult time doing so. In fact, in Arochukwu, we commonly identify everyone east of us as "Ibibio" while we refer to those west of us sub-ethnically. The Efik to the east of us do the same; they refer to themselves on the sub-ethnic level while everything from Arochukwu westward is referred to as Igbo.

Unfortunately, this subconsciousness was not strong enough to make the Igbo peoples band together politically, but nevertheless, there is an Igbo nation.

aribisala0:
Since we are not discussing DARWINISM i suggest we dispense with SIMIAN references

I don't know if this was a coincidence or not but, strange enough, I was referring to monkeys in my post.

"Achuo gi na enwe i laa na adaka" literally means "When you are chased from monkeys you return to baboons". It means that you are hopping all over the place. Lol

odumchi: This is my understanding of it:

The people known as the Igbo are not a single people. The Igbo people are a nation in the sense that they are a collection of peoples who are related but not necessarily by blood.

Prior to colonization, the Igbo organized themselves on the sub-ethnic level and the basic unit of social and political organization was the village community. In parts of Igboland, large sub-ethnicities formed as many groups of villages commonly identified with each other. This phenomena is found among many groups including the Ngwa, the Ika, the Ikwere, and the Aro, however the largest of these sub-ethnicities (population-wise) is Ngwa.

Most groups of the Igbo country existed in independent communities. They didn't identify with each other on the basis of being Igbo, instead they identified each other based on their communal or sub-ethnic name. For example, in Things Fall Apart the people of Umuofia identified as Umuofia while the people of Abame identified as Abame, but to non-Igbo they were identified as Igbo regardless.

If you went to 18th century Igboland and asked a native what language he spoke, the answer would most likely be 'Igbo'. The reason I say most likely is because it could've been possible that certain groups referred to their speech with the same name as their collective group name. For example, if you asked an Ngwa what language he spoke, it's possible that he would've said 'Ngwa'.

The Igbo, for the most part, have always known subconsciously that the general name used to identify them collectively was "Igbo", but amongst themselves they identified sub-ethnically. For example if I existed in 18th century Igboland, I would've been referred to as an Aro by an Ohafia (Igbo town) native but as an Igbo by a Calabar native.

If you went to a place like Arochukwu in the year 1800 and asked a native to identify to you which neighboring communities were Igbo and which were not, they wouldn't have had a difficult time doing so. In fact, in Arochukwu, we commonly identify everyone east of us as "Ibibio" while we refer to those west of us sub-ethnically. The Efik to the east of us do the same; they refer to themselves on the sub-ethnic level while everything from Arochukwu westward is referred to as Igbo.

Unfortunately, this subconsciousness was not strong enough to make the Igbo peoples band together politically, but nevertheless, there is an Igbo nation.

This just about explains it.

odumchi: This is my understanding of it:

The people known as the Igbo are not a single people. The Igbo people are a nation in the sense that they are a collection of peoples who are related but not necessarily by blood.

Prior to colonization, the Igbo organized themselves on the sub-ethnic level and the basic unit of social and political organization was the village community. In parts of Igboland, large sub-ethnicities formed as many groups of villages commonly identified with each other. This phenomena is found among many groups including the Ngwa, the Ika, the Ikwere, and the Aro, however the largest of these sub-ethnicities (population-wise) is Ngwa.

Most groups of the Igbo country existed in independent communities. They didn't identify with each other on the basis of being Igbo, instead they identified each other based on their communal or sub-ethnic name. For example, in Things Fall Apart the people of Umuofia identified as Umuofia while the people of Abame identified as Abame, but to non-Igbo they were identified as Igbo regardless.

If you went to 18th century Igboland and asked a native what language he spoke, the answer would most likely be 'Igbo'. The reason I say most likely is because it could've been possible that certain groups referred to their speech with the same name as their collective group name. For example, if you asked an Ngwa what language he spoke, it's possible that he would've said 'Ngwa'.

The Igbo, for the most part, have always known subconsciously that the general name used to identify them collectively was "Igbo", but amongst themselves they identified sub-ethnically. For example if I existed in 18th century Igboland, I would've been referred to as an Aro by an Ohafia (Igbo town) native but as an Igbo by a Calabar native.

If you went to a place like Arochukwu in the year 1800 and asked a native to identify to you which neighboring communities were Igbo and which were not, they wouldn't have had a difficult time doing so. In fact, in Arochukwu, we commonly identify everyone east of us as "Ibibio" while we refer to those west of us sub-ethnically. The Efik to the east of us do the same; they refer to themselves on the sub-ethnic level while everything from Arochukwu westward is referred to as Igbo.

Unfortunately, this subconsciousness was not strong enough to make the Igbo peoples band together politically, but nevertheless, there is an Igbo nation.

You worded your statements nicely and carefully, Odumchi.

c.r.r.o:
@ abagworo thank you for explaining what i ment further....

@ pazienza im sorry you had to feel that way about what i had to saty, but its only evidence to my facts.
what i was trying to say is in general nigeria igbos are noted as being very intelligent hence the frase (igbo play wayo) . and belive me there is nothing wrong with this
, should every1 else in nigeria start getting angry becuase of Gods own doing ? do ikwerre ppl start trying to claim igbo just because of this ? NO. but the small oil in ikwerre land has become
a become problem between igbo and ikwerre ppl . may your right i may no nothing much about the great igbo nation but whom is asking ? from the looks of things it seems most igbos are asking about ikwerre ppl.
At the end of the day are we all not nigeria ? and please i woudnt want to be miss understood i do not know everything about ikwerre and igbo ppl as i may self im not full nigerian although i take to my fathers side
thus im my fathers son an a son of the soil !

few will know that isiokpo kingdom originated from benin kingdom .

Certain postulations on the above post are born out of inherent stupidity or machination of stark ignorance. Before any crude oil was struck in any acreage known to Ikwerre, Owaza wells were producing at the same capacity as Olobiri in 60s.

It is very funny to note that peeps from Isiokpo kingdom who now moronically claim Benin ancestry do not know the meaning of Isiokpo. Some ninnies from Ikwerre who claim Iwhuroha had no basic history of Isiokpo.

pazienza:

This just about explains it.

ChinenyeN:

You worded your statements nicely and carefully, Odumchi.

Thanks guys.

@ Dede1, just because i said few ppl know the isiokpo kingdom came from benin kingdom does not mean im from there ok!
i beg register that with ur medula 1st b4 you start telling me where im from.

i stated that because isiokpo kingdom originated from benin and many do NOT KNOW i mean to feed ignorance plz check http://www.isiokpo.com/
i have very little to say. like i said b4 i dont know to much about ikwerre and igbo wahala.
But asa for Dede1 its clear that your medula is close to that of an ancient baboon. infact its very clear your one of those nigerians whom come on nairaland
to speak grammer in order to opress those that dont , so ur seen as highly educated or ? look for you info what ever you say was being produced in the 60s is this the same case today ? Do uno that ameria asin USA part has oil ? although they hardly pump or dig for it its there in large quantities.
when they english man went there an realised this fact they wanted there own country (usa) this wasnt americans fighting the english man to leave them alone in america. it was the english man fighting the english man.

ive seen alot of ppl on this forum say silly ikwerre ppl in order to protect themselves during and b4 biafra and so on . has anybody thought if this ? > the ppl ur call silly were actually foolish igbos ? i mean use your head ...... then again that is the magnificent brain God gave the igbos . i really dont see the need for ikwerre and igbo to fight. its just like i dont see need for north and south to fight bcuz of religions both of which were either handed to us by white man or arab man. none is of our origin.

odumchi:

I don't know if this was a coincidence or not but, strange enough, I was referring to monkeys in my post.

"Achuo gi na enwe i laa na adaka" literally means "When you are chased from monkeys you return to baboons". It means that you are hopping all over the place. Lol

NOT a coincidence bro!I understood but this is an English forum and an Ikwerre thread.Let us communicate in English

odumchi: This is my understanding of it:

The people known as the Igbo are not a single people. The Igbo people are a nation in the sense that they are a collection of peoples who are related but not necessarily by blood.

Prior to colonization, the Igbo organized themselves on the sub-ethnic level and the basic unit of social and political organization was the village community. In parts of Igboland, large sub-ethnicities formed as many groups of villages commonly identified with each other. This phenomena is found among many groups including the Ngwa, the Ika, the Ikwere, and the Aro, however the largest of these sub-ethnicities (population-wise) is Ngwa.

Most groups of the Igbo country existed in independent communities. They didn't identify with each other on the basis of being Igbo, instead they identified each other based on their communal or sub-ethnic name. For example, in Things Fall Apart the people of Umuofia identified as Umuofia while the people of Abame identified as Abame, but to non-Igbo they were identified as Igbo regardless.

If you went to 18th century Igboland and asked a native what language he spoke, the answer would most likely be 'Igbo'. The reason I say most likely is because it could've been possible that certain groups referred to their speech with the same name as their collective group name. For example, if you asked an Ngwa what language he spoke, it's possible that he would've said 'Ngwa'.

The Igbo, for the most part, have always known subconsciously that the general name used to identify them collectively was "Igbo", but amongst themselves they identified sub-ethnically. For example if I existed in 18th century Igboland, I would've been referred to as an Aro by an Ohafia (Igbo town) native but as an Igbo by a Calabar native.

If you went to a place like Arochukwu in the year 1800 and asked a native to identify to you which neighboring communities were Igbo and which were not, they wouldn't have had a difficult time doing so. In fact, in Arochukwu, we commonly identify everyone east of us as "Ibibio" while we refer to those west of us sub-ethnically. The Efik to the east of us do the same; they refer to themselves on the sub-ethnic level while everything from Arochukwu westward is referred to as Igbo.

Unfortunately, this subconsciousness was not strong enough to make the Igbo peoples band together politically, but nevertheless, there is an Igbo nation.

I appreciate the candour of your remarks and so I will refrain from spending time on areas where I disagree as my disagreement is simply academic and more along the lines of "HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
What is important is how we relate those points to the Ikwerre.Geographically the Ikwerre are peripheral to the "IGBO NATION" whether or not one believes they are within or outwith. I doubt that Ikwerre people have an "Igbo" consciousness or that they ever did and this has nothing to do with their language or culture per se but I hope you can see why I kept harping on about HOW OLD IS THIS IGBO CONSCIOUSNESS as it would explain why some(EVEN CORE IGBO) do not buy into or did not before BIAFRA if it is a MODERN(less than 200 years old)construct as some claim

aribisala0:
I appreciate the candour of your remarks and so I will refrain from spending time on areas where I disagree as my disagreement is simply academic and more along the lines of "HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
What is important is how we relate those points to the Ikwerre.Geographically the Ikwerre are peripheral to the "IGBO NATION" whether or not one believes they are within or outwith. I doubt that Ikwerre people have an "Igbo" consciousness or that they ever did and this has nothing to do with their language or culture per se but I hope you can see why I kept harping on about HOW OLD IS THIS IGBO CONSCIOUSNESS as it would explain why some(EVEN CORE IGBO) do not buy into or did not before BIAFRA if it is a MODERN(less than 200 years old)construct as some claim

YOUR OWN iJEBU KING and people have on numerous occassions claimed that they are not yorubas. Why not concentrate on that instead of wasting your time on Igbo consciousness.

We can sometimes visit archives to get unbiased information.

c.r.r.o:
@ Dede1, just because i said few ppl know the isiokpo kingdom came from benin kingdom does not mean im from there ok!
i beg register that with ur medula 1st b4 you start telling me where im from.

i stated that because isiokpo kingdom originated from benin and many do NOT KNOW i mean to feed ignorance plz check http://www.isiokpo.com/
i have very little to say. like i said b4 i dont know to much about ikwerre and igbo wahala.
But asa for Dede1 its clear that your medula is close to that of an ancient baboon. infact its very clear your one of those nigerians whom come on nairaland
to speak grammer in order to opress those that dont , so ur seen as highly educated or ? look for you info what ever you say was being produced in the 60s is this the same case today ? Do uno that ameria asin USA part has oil ? although they hardly pump or dig for it its there in large quantities.
when they english man went there an realised this fact they wanted there own country (usa) this wasnt americans fighting the english man to leave them alone in america. it was the english man fighting the english man.

ive seen alot of ppl on this forum say silly ikwerre ppl in order to protect themselves during and b4 biafra and so on . has anybody thought if this ? > the ppl ur call silly were actually foolish igbos ? i mean use your head ...... then again that is the magnificent brain God gave the igbos . i really dont see the need for ikwerre and igbo to fight. its just like i dont see need for north and south to fight bcuz of religions both of which were either handed to us by white man or arab man. none is of our origin.

I really do not think your post deserved a response talk less trading verbal insult with a numbskull such as you. Are you hopelesslly irredeemable to have included a link showing jokers at denial contest? My aunt is married to a man from Umademe and I am very at home to areas in discussion. I could not believe myself that Obigbo will one day be called Oyigbo (very Yoruba sounding) talk less of the certain sons of Obigbo who parades themselves as leaders putting junks about their Benin ancestry. I guess the Obigbo peeps have learnt the act of self denial from Ikwerre. Eche is supposedly elder brother to Ikwerre yet Eche peeps doggedly maintain their Igbo ancestry.

I do not give a rat arse what Ikwerre people think about their migratory point but one thing is certain that few Ikwerre peeps claimed they are not Igbo. It is crass irresponsibility on your part to raise unfounded analogy. When war comes, Ikwerre will defend itself and Ndigbo should have no business fighting Ikwerre.

Abagworo: We can sometimes visit archives to get unbiased information.

I tend to have fun reading your posts at times. However, you must be alert with the historical facts found in achieved states. If you look deeply, you can begin to understand the true name of Ikwerri not modern day “Ikwerre” and Okpo-Mbu-tolu could be Okpo-mba-itolu. Remember that the said migration from Umuneoha in Mbaitolu LGA to Ozuzu has noted connection of Arochukwu peeps too. I guess the so-called Iwhuruoha could have something to do with Umunneoha after all instead of Ewuare.

Dede1:

I tend to have fun reading your posts at times. However, you must be alert with the historical facts found in achieved states. If you look deeply, you can begin to understand the true name of Ikwerri not modern day “Ikwerre” and Okpo-Mbu-tolu could be Okpo-mba-itolu. Remember that the said migration from Umuneoha in Mbaitolu LGA to Ozuzu has noted connection of Arochukwu peeps too. I guess the so-called Iwhuruoha could have something to do with Umunneoha after all instead of Ewuare.

@dede1, I searched for the archive because I had knowledge of it. Its "Mgbu tolu" and not "Mba itoli". Today you can still find Mgbuoba, Alimgbu, Mgbuesilaru and more in Ikwerreland. My picture was aimed at putting to rest some lies but not proving that Ikwerres are Igbos today because they are not. My reason is because they have developed independent ethnic consciousness mostly after the war.

Abagworo:

@dede1, I searched for the archive because I had knowledge of it. Its "Mgbu tolu" and not "Mba itoli". Today you can still find Mgbuoba, Alimgbu, Mgbuesilaru and more in Ikwerreland. My picture was aimed at putting to rest some lies but not proving that Ikwerres are Igbos today because they are not. My reason is because they have developed independent ethnic consciousness mostly after the war.

Truly speaking, I do not care what an Ikwerre peep thinks of him/her. My respect still resides with those who termed themselves Igbo. I really do not give a hoot what happens in the so-called Ikwerre land because I have noticed the change from Umu to Rumu. It is only a basement fool will give a benefit of doubt to whatever coinage Ikwerre peeps comes up. Believe me, Ikwerre can be Yoruba for all a change. One of my aunts has a husband from Umademe and since the end of Britain\Biafra war, I have not seen her or her kids and never cared either.

aribisala0:
.Geographically the Ikwerre are peripheral to the "IGBO NATION" whether or not one believes they are within or outwith.

No, they aren't. The Ikwere are as different from the Nike (an Igbo group) as the Abam (another Igbo group) are. People often make it seem as if the Ikwere are a unique group who differ exceptionally from other Igbo groups; they aren't.

The point that I am trying to make is that this talk of Ikwere not being Igbo has no long-term historical base nor does it have any cultural or linguistic base; it is mere politics and anyone that refuses to acknowledge this is making a mistake.

Here is a map of the all the peoples who were identified as Igbo by outsiders:

[img]http://www.ub.uib.no/elpub/1996/h/506001/korieh/map2.gif[/img]

Another one courtesy of our very own Ezeagu:

I was at Yenogoa early this week on a working visit. I was actually invited by a colleague to participate in a procedure. I spent 24hrs at Yenogoa. I was in a hurry to get back to Enugu in time that I rejected all their offers for refreshment. It was when I was waiting to board a bus to Enugu that I noticed how hungry I am. I have to dash to the nearest restaurant. Inside the restaurant, I met 3 ladies who seems to be in their late 20s and early 30s. Since I was unsure if they are Igbos. I opened a conversation with them in English, they responded with pidgin English. I later settled to gulp down their well-prepared delicacy of Akpu and Onugbu soup. While I was eating, those ladies were chatting with an Anambra-type of Igbo dialect. I interjected by remarking that I thought that they were Ijaws. I proceeded to ask which part of Anambra they came from. To my utmost surprise, they told me that the are from River State. So I inquired further by asking them about which place in River State is an Igbo-speaking area. They proudly responded with "Ikwerre". I was so amazed to say the least. The lies I get here from Alj harem, Dayokanu, etc is that there is no Igbo speaking part of River State. There are many Igbo speaking parts, from Ahaoda, Elele, Mbiama, etc. I asked the ladies "why do Ikwerres deny their Igboness?" They responded by telling me that they feel so ashamed by the action of their elder who denies such.
I was also amazed by the way the residents of Yenogoa speaks Igbo as if it was their lingua franca.

ACM10: I was at Yenogoa early this week on a working visit. I was actually invited by a colleague to participate in a procedure. I spent 24hrs at Yenogoa. I was in a hurry to get back to Enugu in time that I rejected all their offers for refreshment. It was when I was waiting to board a bus to Enugu that I noticed how hungry I am. I have to dash to the nearest restaurant. Inside the restaurant, I met 3 ladies who seems to be in their late 20s and early 30s. Since I was unsure if they are Igbos. I opened a conversation with them in English, they responded with pidgin English. I later settled to gulp down their well-prepared delicacy of Akpu and Onugbu soup. While I was eating, those ladies were chatting with an Anambra-type of Igbo dialect. I interjected by remarking that I thought that they were Ijaws. I proceeded to ask which part of Anambra they came from. To my utmost surprise, they told me that the are from River State. So I inquired further by asking them about which place in River State is an Igbo-speaking area. They proudly responded with "Ikwerre". I was so amazed to say the least. The lies I get here from Alj harem, Dayokanu, etc is that there is no Igbo speaking part of River State. There are many Igbo speaking parts, from Ahaoda, Elele, Mbiama, etc. I asked the ladies "why do Ikwerres deny their Igboness?" They responded by telling me that they feel so ashamed by the action of their elder who denies such.
I was also amazed by the way the residents of Yenogoa speaks Igbo as if it was their lingua franca.

I hope you are not trying to make a point..

ACM10: I was at Yenogoa early this week on a working visit. I was actually invited by a colleague to participate in a procedure. I spent 24hrs at Yenogoa. I was in a hurry to get back to Enugu in time that I rejected all their offers for refreshment. It was when I was waiting to board a bus to Enugu that I noticed how hungry I am. I have to dash to the nearest restaurant. Inside the restaurant, I met 3 ladies who seems to be in their late 20s and early 30s. Since I was unsure if they are Igbos. I opened a conversation with them in English, they responded with pidgin English. I later settled to gulp down their well-prepared delicacy of Akpu and Onugbu soup. While I was eating, those ladies were chatting with an Anambra-type of Igbo dialect. I interjected by remarking that I thought that they were Ijaws. I proceeded to ask which part of Anambra they came from. To my utmost surprise, they told me that the are from River State. So I inquired further by asking them about which place in River State is an Igbo-speaking area. They proudly responded with "Ikwerre". I was so amazed to say the least. The lies I get here from Alj harem, Dayokanu, etc is that there is no Igbo speaking part of River State. There are many Igbo speaking parts, from Ahaoda, Elele, Mbiama, etc. I asked the ladies "why do Ikwerres deny their Igboness?" They responded by telling me that they feel so ashamed by the action of their elder who denies such.
I was also amazed by the way the residents of Yenogoa speaks Igbo as if it was their lingua franca.

I lived in Port-hacourt when i was young and i remember that my mum used to converse in Igbo with Bonny.Opbo people Ndoni and just about every group in Rivers state and never for once have i thought this people were not Igbos because they all listened to Oliver de coque, Osadebe, Oriental brother, bright chimezie and other Igbo musicians like every other Igbos. A huge population of Ikwerre men also has Abia and Imo women as wives and there was no language barrier.

Well here we are conversing in English and many of us love Tupac Madonna Rihanna etc.

I guess we must be English!!

aribisala0: Well here we are conversing in English and many of us love Tupac Madonna Rihanna etc.

I guess we must be English!!

Can you converse in Igbo? Oya, let's roll.

Dede1:

I really do not think your post deserved a response talk less trading verbal insult with a numbskull such as you. Are you hopelesslly irredeemable to have included a link showing jokers at denial contest? My aunt is married to a man from Umademe and I am very at home to areas in discussion. I could not believe myself that Obigbo will one day be called Oyigbo (very Yoruba sounding) talk less of the certain sons of Obigbo who parades themselves as leaders putting junks about their Benin ancestry. I guess the Obigbo peeps have learnt the act of self denial from Ikwerre. Eche is supposedly elder brother to Ikwerre yet Eche peeps doggedly maintain their Igbo ancestry.

I do not give a rat arse what Ikwerre people think about their migratory point but one thing is certain that few Ikwerre peeps claimed they are not Igbo. It is crass irresponsibility on your part to raise unfounded analogy. When war comes, Ikwerre will defend itself and Ndigbo should have no business fighting Ikwerre.

seriuosly Dede1 if we ikwerre ppl dont want to be called igbo and this angers you ? oya go kiss python if that wan no do go hug nepa. oyibo man de look them self as superoir and black man as minor look history. but you as u de do u agree your a minor ? do u accept this rubbish labeling given to us ? obviously not an if oyibo man no like am make him go bite pyphon too cuz u go still de do as u de do. ur just carrying someone eleses cross. if u say ikwerre na igbo , then na igbo men choose to change names of road by putting R infront. na igbo men deny una. an all this na ancestor somthing oh. no be say any of us de there de make decission.

once again one love to nigeria and nigerians as 1 .....