blues20:


Now you are making sense, but why not back up your claims with facts. I mean academic research work..... This will be more convincing. Besides, most research done in the past do actually point to different direction and dimension of migration.
Its a known fact that migration do not occur on one direction, and wave, but can be from different areas, especially on border communities; with time, they merged to become one entity.
If you come down to Ebonyi State, you will understand what I'm saying.
The point of my argument is that Igbos were already settled.... before other arrivals came in...hence, the language, culture, name and other factors.... serving as evidence. But you can still refute my claims, if you can, with factual researched work.

I've never denied Igbo influence on Anioma but for you to say Igbos were already settled is far fetched. My ethnicity doesn't need any factual research work. I'm Ika and Ika is in me. It's outsiders like you that needs those research works.

Cire80:
I've never denied Igbo influence on Anioma but for you to say Igbos were already settled is far fetched. My ethnicity doesn't need any factual research work. I'm Ika and Ika is in me. It's outsiders like you that needs those research works.

Point of correction, Anioma is a unity tag....Enuani is more Igbotic.... you get my echo... our focus is on Ika. Feelings sometimes can be wrong. If you ask questions, research on documented facts, perhaps you'll get answers different from what you think you know. I was told a lot about my people; from elderly uncles, who I believe know more, but I chose to dig further by myself, and the result I got was far more different from what I have been used to.
Sometimes, most of this tales pass down, are pieced with sentiments, and personal opinion.
There is no community, no matter how small or large comes from one source or direction. #fact.

ehikwe22:
language, yes but language is not a valid point to prove that Igbos were already settled as language shift and acculturation can occur when a minority tribe is bordered by a major tribe (NB: Bini is a minority when brought side by side with Igbo) . There are proves of Igbonization in our languages. Many of the Edo and indigenous Ika words are being replaced by Igbo courtesy of Nollywood, Igbo gospel music, Christianity. Some Ika people in Catholic, protestants, Presbyterian and Baptist churches were thought how to pray in Igbo, though they can't speak Igbo, they can pray in Igbo because that's the language they learned it with; doesn't it sound funny? There are so many factors that contributed to the Igbonization of ika language.

That aside, when you talk about names and culture, don't even go there at all. Our surnames (I'm sure this is what should be used as yardstick), are mostly Edo and our culture is Edo. I'm sure you people know this already but keep on bringing it up.

You are too funny. So you mean that Igbonization of Ika cum edo language started in the last 21st century. How can one know how to pray in a particular language but can't speak the suppose language? That is against simple logic na Before I can pray in Kalabari language, that is not my native tongue, it means I'm thorough in it. You see why you flopped on this one.
That of surnames, would you say that the entire Ika clans do have Edo Surnames, without any pointing Igbo? If yes, do give us example.

blues20:

Point of correction, Anioma is a unity tag....Enuani is more Igbotic.... you get my echo... our focus is on Ika. Feelings sometimes can be wrong. If you ask questions, research on documented facts, perhaps you'll get answers different from what you think you know. I was told a lot about my people; from elderly uncles, who I believe know more, but I chose to dig further by myself, and the result I got was far more different from what I have been used to.
Sometimes, most of this tales pass down, are pieced with sentiments, and personal opinion.
There is no community, no matter how small or large comes from one source or direction. #fact.

Of course, I do research. If I don't research, how would I be able to be bursting all the lies your people have been spewing here? But I don't need to quote any research to prove to you that I'm not Igbo.

blues20:


You are too funny. So you mean that Igbonization of Ika cum edo language started in the last 21st century. How can one know how to pray in a particular language but can't speak the suppose language? That is against simple logic na Before I can pray in Kalabari language, that is not my native tongue, it means I'm thorough in it. You see why you flopped on this one.
That of surnames, would you say that the entire Ika clans do have Edo Surnames, without any pointing Igbo? If yes, do give us example.

I'm Ika and I can tell you that an average Ika man can not speak Igbo. We find it difficult to understand central Igbo. Asking this question is like asking how Nigerians Muslims pray in Arabic or how Nigerian Catholics pray in Latin even when most of them can't speak Arabic

blues20:


You are too funny. So you mean that Igbonization of Ika cum edo language started in the last 21st century. How can one know how to pray in a particular language but can't speak the suppose language? That is against simple logic na Before I can pray in Kalabari language, that is not my native tongue, it means I'm thorough in it. You see why you flopped on this one.
That of surnames, would you say that the entire Ika clans do have Edo Surnames, without any pointing Igbo? If yes, do give us example.

it didn't start in the last 21st century. Before these factors I mentioned, Igbos have been migrating enmass to Ika land but those factors also contributed. I'm Ika and I can tell you that an average Ika man can not speak Igbo. We find it difficult to understand central Igbo. Asking this question is like asking how Nigerians Muslims pray in Arabic or how Nigerian Catholics pray in Latin even when most of them can neither speak nor understand Arabic or Latin. They were thought and most of the prayers follow a particular pattern. I've been to these churches in Ika land and I know what I'm talking about. It's only when they find some words difficult to use in Igbo they put Ika. Some times, the prayers sound absurd because it ends up being neither Ika nor Igbo.

As for the surname, I said most. There's no way all our surnames can be Edo. We have very little percentage of Igbo surnames, some indigenous surnames which can be mixture of Igbo and Edo or Edo and and Ika to form one name. We also have majority of Edo surnames which dates back to 1000 to 700 years ago from Ika history. My reason for bringing in this surname thing is just refute your lies about Ika having Igbo names so that makes us Igbo.

You guys are very funny people. Before you guys quote my comment next time, try to understand what lead to the comment and stop quoting me out of context.

ehikwe22:
I'm Ika and I can tell you that an average Ika man can not speak Igbo. We find it difficult to understand central Igbo. Asking this question is like asking how Nigerians Muslims pray in Arabic or how Nigerian Catholics pray in Latin even when most of them can't speak Arabic

Then how can they understand the Enuani dialect, which is the most dominant dialect in the region? Something is amiss here...

ehikwe22:
it didn't start in the last 21st century. Before these factors I mentioned, Igbos have been migrating enmass to Ika land but those factors also contributed. I'm Ika and I can tell you that an average Ika man can not speak Igbo. We find it difficult to understand central Igbo. Asking this question is like asking how Nigerians Muslims pray in Arabic or how Nigerian Catholics pray in Latin even when most of them can neither speak nor understand Arabic or Latin. They were thought and most of the prayers follow a particular pattern. I've been to these churches in Ika land and I know what I'm talking about. It's only when they find some words difficult to use in Igbo they put Ika. Some times, the prayers sound absurd because it ends up being neither Ika nor Igbo.

As for the surname, I said most. There's no way all our surnames can be Edo. We have very little percentage of Igbo surnames, some indigenous surnames which can be mixture of Igbo and Edo or Edo and and Ika to form one name. We also have majority of Edo surnames which dates back to 1000 to 700 years ago from Ika history. My reason for bringing in this surname thing is just refute your lies about Ika having Igbo names so that makes us Igbo.

You guys are very funny people. Before you guys quote my comment next time, try to understand what lead to the comment and stop quoting me out of context.

How do you mean quating you out of context? Is this not what you typed


"That aside, when you talk about names and culture, don't even go there at all. Our surnames (I'm sure this is what should be used as yardstick), are mostly Edo and our culture is Edo. I'm sure you people know this already but keep on bringing it up"

Ngozi123:


Then how can they understand the Enuani dialect, which is the most dominant dialect in the region? Something is amiss here...

There's a great difference between Enuani and what you speak in the East. Many Enuani speakers can't speak central Igbo but they understand better than us. Reason many pro Igbo Enuani men have been mocked for their language. When others flow in central Igbo, these guys stick to their Enuani because that's all they know and the result is mostly ends in insults. There is no most dominant language in Anioma. Each parts of Anioma has the language that's dominant in their area. When we meet, each sticks to his language. Even if you want to use population as a yardstick, Enuani speakers are not more than Ika that has speakers scattered all over Edo State. Ukwani has high number of speakers as well. I thought we talked about this before.
We understand Enuani very well because Enuani itself is a mixture of Edo, Ika and Igbo and we've been living together for thousand or many hundreds of years. We have shared history, culture and language. I'm sure when you talk about Enuani, you're not talking about your place because even Onitsha don't speak Enuani or maybe their own version is highly diluted.

blues20:


How do you mean quating you out of context? Is this not what you typed


"That aside, when you talk about names and culture, don't even go there at all. Our surnames (I'm sure this is what should be used as yardstick), are mostly Edo and our culture is Edo. I'm sure you people know this already but keep on bringing it up"

and how does that warrant this reply?

blues20:



That of surnames, would you say that the entire Ika clans do have Edo Surnames, without any pointing Igbo? If yes, do give us example.

When I said mostly, does it in any suggest only Edo and no Igbo at all? If I should give percentage, all the surnames that aree 100 years old is about 50% Edo, 10% purely indigenous without Edo or Igbo influence, 20% Igbo, then we can share the rest with indigenous names fused With Igbo and Bini. But at times goes on, the Edo and Ika indigenous names are fading away. Even the Ika names that sound Igboid are being replaced with the SE version of that same name. This is just the reality of what's happening in Ika. Now you hear chi sounding names in Ika whereas there is no chi in our language

ehikwe22:

When I said mostly, does it in any suggest only Edo and no Igbo at all? If I should give percentage, all the surnames that aree 100 years old is about 50% Edo, 10% purely indigenous without Edo or Igbo influence, 20% Igbo, then we can share the rest with indigenous names fused With Igbo and Bini. But at times goes on, the Edo and Ika indigenous names are fading away. Even the Ika names that sound Igboid are being replaced with the SE version of that same name. This is just the reality of what's happening in Ika. Now you hear chi sounding names in Ika whereas there is no chi in our language

Cmon guys go easy on the barefaced lies
Here the name of your most prominent king
http://nigeriamonarchs.photoshelter.com/image/I0000ClFwpeMWeCE

...the Obi of Agbor is...wait for it...
His Royal Majesty Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi the First (Keagborekuzi I).


Hopefully you will not be shameless enough to deny that Chuku(Ika dialect)=Chi Ukwu (SE Igbo dialect)
Question for you all revisionists...
How did chi get into your land, language and names?
Apparently according to you guys, Igbos started migrating enmass into Ika regions during the colonial periods or is it the 60s?
Or according to some who have starting backtracking...there was or is nothing Igbo in Ika land before the colonials came.
What is the chi doing in the name of your Obi or is it Dein now?
Who interpreted what chi meant to the descendants of Bini princes (abi no be so)?
Are you lots ignorant of how language works?

ehikwe22:
it didn't start in the last 21st century. Before these factors I mentioned, Igbos have been migrating enmass to Ika land but those factors also contributed. I'm Ika and I can tell you that an average Ika man can not speak Igbo. We find it difficult to understand central Igbo. Asking this question is like asking how Nigerians Muslims pray in Arabic or how Nigerian Catholics pray in Latin even when most of them can neither speak nor understand Arabic or Latin. They were thought and most of the prayers follow a particular pattern. I've been to these churches in Ika land and I know what I'm talking about. It's only when they find some words difficult to use in Igbo they put Ika. Some times, the prayers sound absurd because it ends up being neither Ika nor Igbo.

As for the surname, I said most. There's no way all our surnames can be Edo. We have very little percentage of Igbo surnames, some indigenous surnames which can be mixture of Igbo and Edo or Edo and and Ika to form one name. We also have majority of Edo surnames which dates back to 1000 to 700 years ago from Ika history. My reason for bringing in this surname thing is just refute your lies about Ika having Igbo names so that makes us Igbo.

You guys are very funny people. Before you guys quote my comment next time, try to understand what lead to the comment and stop quoting me out of context.

The problem with you guys is akin to the delusion of the African American slave who calls other dark skin folks "nigger" because he grew up
among a white majority. Funny thing is that he/she might have been brought up that way by his/her parents and told there are "real" differences
between them and the "other" black folks when infact...there is none.
For those of you who have imbibed the habit of attributing "Igbo" to "Igbon" to mean slavery or slave whatever,
your names, traditions and language sadly betrays you.
It will earn you no points at all, calling it a derogatory name, since the most famous "Igbo" slave (Olaudah Equiano) is from the so called Anioma/Ika lands.
Moreover, slavery was not unique to Igbos as even more detailed slavery cultures was practiced by the Binis, Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani etc.
This is not to mention the direct slave dealers like the Ijaws, Kalabaris and the Itshekiris etc.
They all had extensive slave based societies when infact the Igbos had none, bar the Arochukwu slave raids into the hinterlands.
So the hint is to get your facts right.

It it is clear you Ikas have been taught wrongly or have inherited a history that was based on inaccurate geneologies.
I will attempt to re iterate the points I have been arguing for since I picked interest in this topic.
Across the Niger is a diverse group and community of people speaking various dialects of what you call your "Ika" language.
This language is recognized by both the natives and the so called Ikas as the "Igbo" language.
The Igbos are bordered by Igallas, Idomas, Ekoi, Kalabaris, Annangs, Efiks, Ijaws etc.
None of these bordering ethnic groups have any notable or significant Igbo presence in their language, culture or tradition.
On the other hand, the so called Ikas/Aniomas of today have an overwhelmingly Igbo presence in their language, cultures and tradition.
With possible and provable migrations from the neighbouring Bini empire, the Igallas and the eastern Yorubas, the core of what is
Ika/Anioma has remained Igbo before, during and after the colonial periods.
These are provable facts.
As visible in other cultures, powerful kingdoms and empires influence lesser cultures socio-culturally and politically.
Hence you have Bini styled kingships in Anioma bearing fullblown Igbo names.
Nduka Ezeagwuna has no relationship to anything Bini or Yoruba or Igalla.
It is unapologetically Igbo and give to a son by an Igbo speaking father.
Why the father forgot royal, superior and more fantastic Bini names is clearly anyone's guess.
So, claims to Bini origin has not even began to erode the core Igbo root of what is called Anioma or Ika today.

In summary, its either all these Ika/Anioma revisionists are not aware that what they speak is just a dialect of the wider Igbo language spoken across the Niger,
or they are deliberately suffering from a serious case of selective amnesia.
For the records, what Ika/Anioma speaks as a language has been proven to be a dialect of the wider Igbo dialects spoken across the Niger.
Igbo presence and inheritance in Ika/Anioma was not as a result of colonization or immigration (funny some people shamelessly bring up that).

Now, you can claim any identity you want, but please stop twiddling with shared history.
It is distasteful and will only end up creating more confusion for you and your posterity.
For whatever reasons you guys have decided to draw away from the Igbo tag, it does not do away with the fact that the core of what is
called Ika/Anioma today is still most closely identified with your neighbours across the Niger.
And yes not even Bini that is contiguous with Ika/Anioma land..shares more in terms of language, tradition and culture than the SE Igbos.
And that is a fact.
Ofcourse as one poster noted...you are free to counter with facts and not "take it from me" statements.

ehikwe22:

There's a great difference between Enuani and what you speak in the East. Many Enuani speakers can't speak central Igbo but they understand better than us. Reason many pro Igbo Enuani men have been mocked for their language. When others flow in central Igbo, these guys stick to their Enuani because that's all they know and the result is mostly ends in insults. There is no most dominant language in Anioma. Each parts of Anioma has the language that's dominant in their area. When we meet, each sticks to his language. Even if you want to use population as a yardstick, Enuani speakers are not more than Ika that has speakers scattered all over Edo State. Ukwani has high number of speakers as well. I thought we talked about this before.
We understand Enuani very well because Enuani itself is a mixture of Edo, Ika and Igbo and we've been living together for thousand or many hundreds of years. We have shared history, culture and language. I'm sure when you talk about Enuani, you're not talking about your place because even Onitsha don't speak Enuani or maybe their own version is highly diluted.

Not really. In fact, my village dialect is so similar to the Enuani dialect in Delta State that it's actually classed in the same group as it. I am from the South-East. Enuani is an Igbo dialect and you can understand it therefore you can understand Igbo. Then again, I'm not so sure that you're actually from Anioma so perhaps you don't.

Enuani is the dominant dialect of the region as most speakers can understand it to an extent. Look at the Umuanioma website for proof. Yes, Onitsha people do speak a branch of Enuani. So much so that it is actually considered an Enuani dialect. There are other Enuani people outside of Delta and Anambra states too, I believe.

Ngozi123:


Not really. In fact, my village dialect is so similar to the Enuani dialect in Delta State that it's actually classed in the same group as it. I am from the South-East. Enuani is an Igbo dialect and you can understand it therefore you can understand Igbo. Then again, I'm not so sure that you're actually from Anioma so perhaps you don't.

Enuani is the dominant dialect of the region as most speakers can understand it to an extent. Look at the Umuanioma website for proof. Yes, Onitsha people do speak a branch of Enuani. So much so that it is actually considered an Enuani dialect. There are other Enuani people outside of Delta and Anambra states too, I believe.

That your dialect is classed as Enuani doesn't mean it's the same with the ones spoken in Delta. You know my reason for mentioning the disparity between those spoken in Delta and outside of Delta. The pure undiluted Enuani is a mixture of Bini, Ika and Igbo hence an Ika person can understand it easily.

I'm not going to comment on this most dominant. You guys are so persistent in your ignorance. I've never seen a people like this that keep on following on their wrong notion no matter what facts you present. I told you all Anioma folks understand each other. Please note, anytime I mentioned Anioma, I'm talking about the Anioma in Delta. The problem with you folks is your straight line thinking. It's very funny. But this makes it hard debating with you guys and please, that you saw that in a website doesn't mean that's the fact. Someone is responsible for updating that website and that can be his opinion. And that statement might seem unambiguous but you never can tell except you talk with him. Maybe what he means is that Enuani has the most speakers which I don't believe. I've never lived in Ukwani but I understand it very well. Understanding Enuani doesn't mean understanding Igbo. Come on a fact finding mission to Anioma land verify these things. Stop believing everything you read online

PabloAfricanus:


Cmon guys go easy on the barefaced lies
Here the name of your most prominent king
http://nigeriamonarchs.photoshelter.com/image/I0000ClFwpeMWeCE

...the Obi of Agbor is...wait for it...
His Royal Majesty Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi the First (Keagborekuzi I).


Hopefully you will not be shameless enough to deny that Chuku(Ika dialect)=Chi Ukwu (SE Igbo dialect)
Question for you all revisionists...
How did chi get into your land, language and names?
Apparently according to you guys, Igbos started migrating enmass into Ika regions during the colonial periods or is it the 60s?
Or according to some who have starting backtracking...there was or is nothing Igbo in Ika land before the colonials came.
What is the chi doing in the name of your Obi or is it Dein now?
Who interpreted what chi meant to the descendants of Bini princes (abi no be so)?
Are you lots ignorant of how language works?



The problem with you guys is akin to the delusion of the African American slave who calls other dark skin folks "nigger" because he grew up
among a white majority. Funny thing is that he/she might have been brought up that way by his/her parents and told there are "real" differences
between them and the "other" black folks when infact...there is none.
For those of you who have imbibed the habit of attributing "Igbo" to "Igbon" to mean slavery or slave whatever,
your names, traditions and language sadly betrays you.
It will earn you no points at all, calling it a derogatory name, since the most famous "Igbo" (Olaudah Equiano) is from the so called Anioma/Ika lands.
Moreover, slavery was not unique to Igbos as even more detailed slavery cultures was practiced by the Binis, Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani etc.
This is not to mention the direct slave dealers like the Ijaws, Kalabaris and the Itshekiris etc.
They all had extensive slave based societies when infact the Igbos had none, bar the Arochukwu slave raids into the hinterlands.
So the hint is to get your facts right.

It it is clear you Ikas have been taught wrongly or have inherited a history that was based on inaccurate geneologies.
I will attempt to re iterate the points I have been arguing for since I picked interest in this topic.
Across the Niger is a diverse group and community of people speaking various dialects of what you call your "Ika" language.
This language is recognized by both the natives and the so called Ikas as the "Igbo" language.
The Igbos are bordered by Igallas, Idomas, Ekoi, Kalabaris, Annangs, Efiks, Ijaws etc.
None of these bordering ethnic groups have any notable or significant Igbo presence in their language, culture or tradition.
On the other hand, the so called Ikas/Aniomas of today have an overwhelmingly Igbo presence in their language, cultures and tradition.
With possible and provable migrations from the neighbouring Bini empire, the Igallas and the eastern Yorubas, the core of what is
Ika/Anioma has remained Igbo before, during and after the colonial periods.
These are provable facts.
As visible in other cultures, powerful kingdoms and empires influence lesser cultures socio-culturally and politically.
Hence you have Bini styled kingships in Anioma bearing fullblown Igbo names.
Nduka Ezeagwuna has no relationship to anything Bini or Yoruba or Igalla.
It is unapologetically Igbo and give to a son by an Igbo speaking father.
Why the father forgot royal, superior and more fantastic Bini names is clearly anyone's guess.
So, claims to Bini origin has not even began to erode the core Igbo root of what is called Anioma or Ika today.

In summary, its either all these Ika/Anioma revisionists are not aware that what they speak is just a dialect of the wider Igbo language spoken across the Niger,
or they are deliberately suffering from a serious case of selective amnesia.
For the records, what Ika/Anioma speaks as a language has been proven to be a dialect of the wider Igbo dialects spoken across the Niger.
Igbo presence and inheritance in Ika/Anioma was not as a result of colonization or immigration (funny some people shamelessly bring up that).

Now, you can claim any identity you want, but please stop twiddling with shared history.
It is distasteful and will only end up creating more confusion for you and your posterity.
For whatever reasons you guys have decided to draw away from the Igbo tag, it does not do away with the fact that the core of what is
called Ika/Anioma today is still most closely identified with your neighbours across the Niger.
And yes not even Bini that is contiguous with Ika/Anioma land..shares more in terms of language, tradition and culture than the SE Igbos.
And that is a fact.
Ofcourse as one poster noted...you are free to counter with facts and not "take it from me" statements.

your post is too long and I don't have the time to read such a long post right now. I will read it when I have time and respond to it. Like always, it's going to be filled with many misinformation from lack of in depth knowledge of Ika and deliberate distortions. The problem with you guys is arguing only from an erudite angle but I'm talking based on what I know from childhood till now.

ehikwe22:
That your dialect is classed as Enuani doesn't mean it's the same with the ones spoken in Delta. You know my reason for mentioning the disparity between those spoken in Delta and outside of Delta. The pure undiluted Enuani is a mixture of Bini, Ika and Igbo hence an Ika person can understand it easily.

I'm not going to comment on this most dominant. You guys are so persistent in your ignorance. I've never seen a people like this that keep on following on their wrong notion no matter what facts you present. I told you all Anioma folks understand each other. Please note, anytime I mentioned Anioma, I'm talking about the Anioma in Delta. The problem with you folks is your straight line thinking. It's very funny. But this makes it hard debating with you guys and please, that you saw that in a website doesn't mean that's the fact. Someone is responsible for updating that website and that can be his opinion. And that statement might seem unambiguous but you never can tell except you talk with him. Maybe what he means is that Enuani has the most speakers which I don't believe. I've never lived in Ukwani but I understand it very well. Understanding Enuani doesn't mean understanding Igbo. Come on a fact finding mission to Anioma land verify these things. Stop believing everything you read online

Actually its the other way round.
You Ika/Anioma folks are sooooo persistent in your ignorance.
Its like a grand display of selective amnesia carried to ridiculous heights.
On one hand, you are descended from Bini "princes" and the "Bini empire", never mind that Bini just being a next door neighbour
should historically have made Ikas a colony, settlement or vassal of Bini but that was never historically the case.
On the other hand you have nothing in common with the people you love to call call Igbos or is it Igbon...
But the reality on ground presents undeniable facts that you guys persist to ignore or outrightly deny!
Is it a case of self hatred or inferiority complex? Have you forgotten public records of precolonial history by the British still exist?
Lemme give you examples of how Ikas/Aniomas persist in their ignorance.

For one, the Eze Chima story and lineages...
How some people's imagination came up with the attribution of a Bini prince who have no contact or nothing in common with kingless
and leaderless Igbos bearing an undiluted Igbo name...is simply amazing.
How you completely disregard his obvious Igbo name and the fact that the lineages attributed to him are ALL Igbo speaking communities and call each other "umu eze chima" is also amazing!
What happened to princely Bini names? Mind you by your own admission, the "Igbos" only started immigrating into Ika lands recently.
Even more telling is your admission that all your Ika clans were directly founded and peopled by "Bini princes".
So by your own admission, Igbos if at all found anywhere near Ika lands have always been an inconsequential minority.
So who were the powerful Igbos that changed Eze Chima's name from whatever Bini name he was bearing?
Do not bother with the Khime line cos even you guys know it is a fabrication.
And not only that, completely wiped out Bini language, tradition and culture from your midst...leaving you with clearly Bini styled monarchies?
Even then, not all Ika clans had kings, most of them were formed quite recently as records show.
So then, where did these conquering Igbos come from? And why are you guys speaking an Igbo dialect?

Next, are you not aware the most of all the paraphernalia of monarchy in ALL Anioma clans is borrowed from Bini?
Meaning, it was not native to the Anioma clans?
Keep in mind that Bini is just next door, you do not have to cross any foreign land or territory to enter Bini proper.
All clans, communities and parts of the Bini empire were appointed Enogies by the Oba and are ALL BINI speaking.
Your Onishes, Ologbosheres, Iyasheres etc are all corrupted version of the Bini originals...right next door to you.
From Oguta to Onicha to Agbor...these titles have no meanings in the Ika/Enuani,Ukwuani language you speak.
The only meaning is in the Edo tongue and we all know that.
So a corruption could not have happened if Ika was a part and parcel of the Bini empire.
The Ishans and all Edo dukedoms retained the original names, meanwhile a few miles down south, an Igbo speaking
peoples with Igbo days, practicing Igbo traditions adopted these Bini trappings of monarchy.
If it was not adopted, how do you explain a so called king bearing an Igbo name Nduka Ezeagwuna going to seek relevance or is it
permission to ascend the throne of his fathers? What happened to his Edo lineage or proper Edo name?
Are you not aware of the forceful imposition of Bini tongue on Ika speaking Igbanke people carved into Edo state?
How they are told to drop their...wait for it...Igbo names and language and speak Edo as they are in Edo state?
Are you not aware the Agbor and other Ika clans resisted Bini imperialism and fought wars to block Bini incursion into Ika lands?
If that is not enough evidence to show you that Ika was just influenced socio-culturally and politically by her more powerful neighbor,
then I guess you have a problem with facts.

Finally, the reoccurring decimal in all these claims and counter claims is deliberate display of ignorance on how language and kinship works.
Igbos till date have no kingdoms, armies or royal courts. It was purely made up of autonomous communities run on republican principles.
How did they penetrate and change your language and culture?
And no, your culture is majorly Igbo not Bini as some of you love to claim.
Whatever Bini festival or culture practiced in Ika can be shown to borrowed or adopted.
On one hand, Igbos were nonexistent in Ika lands and were recent migrants...on the other hand Ika language and traditions gave way
to a dominant Igbo presence/culture in Ika land! Make up your minds already!
The persistent confusion is so hilarious!

Summary, you have a SERIOUS IDENTITY CRISIS.From all indications, it is self imposed.
I wont even bother to remind you what transpired 1966-1970. How your Bini kith and kin connived with the Nigerian government to shield and protect you from the greedy and invading Igbo Biafrans. Or how Igbo army officers from the SE like Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna carried out a coup and roped in Anioma Bini people with Igbo sounding names like Onwuatuegwu, Anuforo etc.
For some reason, the Nigerian Army could not differentiate between the SE Igbos and descendants of Bini "princes" in Anioma.
Never mind that over 80% of your surnames are Edo...or is it Igbo?
Even with all your Ologbosheres, Onishes, Iyases and your adas and Bini beads and crowns...they just matched into Asaba after getting directions
from the Oba and invited grown men from Asaba and environs for a grand Nigerian rescue party.
Or was it genocide now? Remind me please? Did the Oba protest the killing of his kith and kin? Or his Enogies?
Na wa for the Nigerian Army, they must be so persistent in their ignorance. Right?

You and your people will have to start with telling yourselves the FACTS you have buried under the persistent ignorant stories you have passed
on to your children.

My 2 cents.

ehikwe22:
your post is too long and I don't have the time to read such a long post right now. I will read it when I have time and respond to it. Like always, it's going to be filled with many misinformation from lack of in depth knowledge of Ika and deliberate distortions. The problem with you guys is arguing only from an erudite angle but I'm talking based on what I know from childhood till now.

What is it that you know from childhood that is factual

ehikwe22:
That your dialect is classed as Enuani doesn't mean it's the same with the ones spoken in Delta. You know my reason for mentioning the disparity between those spoken in Delta and outside of Delta. The pure undiluted Enuani is a mixture of Bini, Ika and Igbo hence an Ika person can understand it easily.

I'm not going to comment on this most dominant. You guys are so persistent in your ignorance. I've never seen a people like this that keep on following on their wrong notion no matter what facts you present. I told you all Anioma folks understand each other. Please note, anytime I mentioned Anioma, I'm talking about the Anioma in Delta. The problem with you folks is your straight line thinking. It's very funny. But this makes it hard debating with you guys and please, that you saw that in a website doesn't mean that's the fact. Someone is responsible for updating that website and that can be his opinion. And that statement might seem unambiguous but you never can tell except you talk with him. Maybe what he means is that Enuani has the most speakers which I don't believe. I've never lived in Ukwani but I understand it very well. Understanding Enuani doesn't mean understanding Igbo. Come on a fact finding mission to Anioma land verify these things. Stop believing everything you read online

1) Read this again and ask yourself if it makes any sense to you.
2) You don't need to comment on it again as it is already clearly mentioned on the UmuAnioma website. Are you saying that the creator(s) of that website are ignorant too?
3) Lol, just lol. Do you even understand the difference between 'language' and 'dialect'? What, in your opinion, qualifies a language?

Here is the UmuAnioma website; click on the "ethnic identity" subheading.
http://www.umuanioma.com/anioma

PabloAfricanus:


Actually its the other way round.
You Ika/Anioma folks are sooooo persistent in your ignorance.
Its like a grand display of selective amnesia carried to ridiculous heights.
On one hand, you are descended from Bini "princes" and the "Bini empire", never mind that Bini just being a next door neighbour
should historically have made Ikas a colony, settlement or vassal of Bini but that was never historically the case.
On the other hand you have nothing in common with the people you love to call call Igbos or is it Igbon...
But the reality on ground presents undeniable facts that you guys persist to ignore or outrightly deny!
Is it a case of self hatred or inferiority complex? Have you forgotten public records of precolonial history by the British still exist?
Lemme give you examples of how Ikas/Aniomas persist in their ignorance.

For one, the Eze Chima story and lineages...
How some people's imagination came up with the attribution of a Bini prince who have no contact or nothing in common with kingless
and leaderless Igbos bearing an undiluted Igbo name...is simply amazing.
How you completely disregard his obvious Igbo name and the fact that the lineages attributed to him are ALL Igbo speaking communities and call each other "umu eze chima" is also amazing!
What happened to princely Bini names? Mind you by your own admission, the "Igbos" only started immigrating into Ika lands recently.
Even more telling is your admission that all your Ika clans were directly founded and peopled by "Bini princes".
So by your own admission, Igbos if at all found anywhere near Ika lands have always been an inconsequential minority.
So who were the powerful Igbos that changed Eze Chima's name from whatever Bini name he was bearing?
Do not bother with the Khime line cos even you guys know it is a fabrication.
And not only that, completely wiped out Bini language, tradition and culture from your midst...leaving you with clearly Bini styled monarchies?
Even then, not all Ika clans had kings, most of them were formed quite recently as records show.
So then, where did these conquering Igbos come from? And why are you guys speaking an Igbo dialect?

Thank you for this post. Even the Bini guy on here that I was talking to acknowledged that Eze Chima was an Igbo man.

PabloAfricanus:


Actually its the other way round.
You Ika/Anioma folks are sooooo persistent in your ignorance.
Its like a grand display of selective amnesia carried to ridiculous heights.
On one hand, you are descended from Bini "princes" and the "Bini empire", never mind that Bini just being a next door neighbour
should historically have made Ikas a colony, settlement or vassal of Bini but that was never historically the case.
On the other hand you have nothing in common with the people you love to call call Igbos or is it Igbon...
But the reality on ground presents undeniable facts that you guys persist to ignore or outrightly deny!
Is it a case of self hatred or inferiority complex? Have you forgotten public records of precolonial history by the British still exist?
Lemme give you examples of how Ikas/Aniomas persist in their ignorance.

For one, the Eze Chima story and lineages...
How some people's imagination came up with the attribution of a Bini prince who have no contact or nothing in common with kingless
and leaderless Igbos bearing an undiluted Igbo name...is simply amazing.
How you completely disregard his obvious Igbo name and the fact that the lineages attributed to him are ALL Igbo speaking communities and call each other "umu eze chima" is also amazing!
What happened to princely Bini names? Mind you by your own admission, the "Igbos" only started immigrating into Ika lands recently.
Even more telling is your admission that all your Ika clans were directly founded and peopled by "Bini princes".
So by your own admission, Igbos if at all found anywhere near Ika lands have always been an inconsequential minority.
So who were the powerful Igbos that changed Eze Chima's name from whatever Bini name he was bearing?
Do not bother with the Khime line cos even you guys know it is a fabrication.
And not only that, completely wiped out Bini language, tradition and culture from your midst...leaving you with clearly Bini styled monarchies?
Even then, not all Ika clans had kings, most of them were formed quite recently as records show.
So then, where did these conquering Igbos come from? And why are you guys speaking an Igbo dialect?

Next, are you not aware the most of all the paraphernalia of monarchy in ALL Anioma clans is borrowed from Bini?
Meaning, it was not native to the Anioma clans?
Keep in mind that Bini is just next door, you do not have to cross any foreign land or territory to enter Bini proper.
All clans, communities and parts of the Bini empire were appointed Enogies by the Oba and are ALL BINI speaking.
Your Onishes, Ologbosheres, Iyasheres etc are all corrupted version of the Bini originals...right next door to you.
From Oguta to Onicha to Agbor...these titles have no meanings in the Ika/Enuani,Ukwuani language you speak.
The only meaning is in the Edo tongue and we all know that.
So a corruption could not have happened if Ika was a part and parcel of the Bini empire.
The Ishans and all Edo dukedoms retained the original names, meanwhile a few miles down south, an Igbo speaking
peoples with Igbo days, practicing Igbo traditions adopted these Bini trappings of monarchy.
If it was not adopted, how do you explain a so called king bearing an Igbo name Nduka Ezeagwuna going to seek relevance or is it
permission to ascend the throne of his fathers? What happened to his Edo lineage or proper Edo name?
Are you not aware of the forceful imposition of Bini tongue on Ika speaking Igbanke people carved into Edo state?
How they are told to drop their...wait for it...Igbo names and language and speak Edo as they are in Edo state?
Are you not aware the Agbor and other Ika clans resisted Bini imperialism and fought wars to block Bini incursion into Ika lands?
If that is not enough evidence to show you that Ika was just influenced socio-culturally and politically by her more powerful neighbor,
then I guess you have a problem with facts.

Finally, the reoccurring decimal in all these claims and counter claims is deliberate display of ignorance on how language and kinship works.
Igbos till date have no kingdoms, armies or royal courts. It was purely made up of autonomous communities run on republican principles.
How did they penetrate and change your language and culture?
And no, your culture is majorly Igbo not Bini as some of you love to claim.
Whatever Bini festival or culture practiced in Ika can be shown to borrowed or adopted.
On one hand, Igbos were nonexistent in Ika lands and were recent migrants...on the other hand Ika language and traditions gave way
to a dominant Igbo presence/culture in Ika land! Make up your minds already!
The persistent confusion is so hilarious!

Summary, you have a SERIOUS IDENTITY CRISIS.From all indications, it is self imposed.
I wont even bother to remind you what transpired 1966-1970. How your Bini kith and kin connived with the Nigerian government to shield and protect you from the greedy and invading Igbo Biafrans. Or how Igbo army officers from the SE like Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna carried out a coup and roped in Anioma Bini people with Igbo sounding names like Onwuatuegwu, Anuforo etc.
For some reason, the Nigerian Army could not differentiate between the SE Igbos and descendants of Bini "princes" in Anioma.
Never mind that over 80% of your surnames are Edo...or is it Igbo?
Even with all your Ologbosheres, Onishes, Iyases and your adas and Bini beads and crowns...they just matched into Asaba after getting directions
from the Oba and invited grown men from Asaba and environs for a grand Nigerian rescue party.
Or was it genocide now? Remind me please? Did the Oba protest the killing of his kith and kin? Or his Enogies?
Na wa for the Nigerian Army, they must be so persistent in their ignorance. Right?

You and your people will have to start with telling yourselves the FACTS you have buried under the persistent ignorant stories you have passed
on to your children.

My 2 cents.

You can make a good comedian notwithstanding the fact that you hit the damn nail on the head. These Ika claimants here ehikwe and Cire80 thinks we're very big fools here...going by the kinda postulations they're submitting here. The funniest aspect is that they claim there's no "Chi" in Ika, but right there their King who was born in the 1970s goes by name Obi ikenchuku keagborekuzi.
Just look at the litany of BS he's submitting...
1]Igbos did this...Nollywood did that...Catholic did this...Pentecostal did that

Moreover you repeated what I told them earlier.. That the only thing Edo about Anioma is the trappings of monarchy.. The titles and all that bullshit which like you opined am sure what they don't know what the damn thing means. You just reminded me of the joseon Korea and qing China. Korea adopted everything adoptable about China but still knew that under the Chinese veneer, they were Koreans!
And the funnier aspect is that the Edo they cling to sees them as Igbos and didn't hesitate to give them the Igbo treatment(ie pogroms) that other Igbos were receiving nationwide.

Ngozi123:


Thank you for this post. Even the Bini guy on here that I was talking to acknowledged that Eze Chima was an Igbo man.

Even Osita Mordi has his own version of the story surrounding Ezechime. Though I don't believe on his own version, but it shows that the name has a history surrounding it which is probably lost or distorted. What I know is that Ezechime is not his birth name. Some say birth name name was Ikhime which might not be far from the truth. But what we know is that Ezechime is from Bini. Me personally, my Agbor doesn't any connection with Ezechime except though some try to connect him to Agbor. Since Osita Mordi and Iduwe is the person you guys like their work, I will search their version of the history surrounding Ezechime and paste it here and you'll see it doesn't agree with what you guys think.

cheruv:

You can make a good comedian notwithstanding the fact that you hit the damn nail on the head. These Ika claimants here ehikwe and Cire80 thinks we're very big fools here...going by the kinda postulations they're submitting here. The funniest aspect is that they claim there's no "Chi" in Ika, but right there their King who was born in the 1970s goes by name Obi ikenchuku keagborekuzi.
Just look at the litany of BS he's submitting...
1]Igbos did this...Nollywood did that...Catholic did this...Pentecostal did that

Moreover you repeated what I told them earlier.. That the only thing Edo about Anioma is the trappings of monarchy.. The titles and all that bullshit which like you opined am sure what they don't know what the damn thing means. You just reminded me of the joseon Korea and qing China. Korea adopted everything adoptable about China but still knew that under the Chinese veneer, they were Koreans!
And the funnier aspect is that the Edo they cling to sees them as Igbos and didn't hesitate to give them the Igbo treatment(ie pogroms) that other Igbos were receiving nationwide.

Name of God in Ika is Oselobue but some people say chuku. Chuku from all indication is more recent and mostly used by the younger generation. But there is no Chi at all. Ika believe in Ehi as a personal God. and there's a history surrounding it.

PabloAfricanus:


Actually its the other way round.
You Ika/Anioma folks are sooooo persistent in your ignorance.
Its like a grand display of selective amnesia carried to ridiculous heights.
On one hand, you are descended from Bini "princes" and the "Bini empire", never mind that Bini just being a next door neighbour
should historically have made Ikas a colony, settlement or vassal of Bini but that was never historically the case.
On the other hand you have nothing in common with the people you love to call call Igbos or is it Igbon...
But the reality on ground presents undeniable facts that you guys persist to ignore or outrightly deny!
Is it a case of self hatred or inferiority complex? Have you forgotten public records of precolonial history by the British still exist?
Lemme give you examples of how Ikas/Aniomas persist in their ignorance.

For one, the Eze Chima story and lineages...
How some people's imagination came up with the attribution of a Bini prince who have no contact or nothing in common with kingless
and leaderless Igbos bearing an undiluted Igbo name...is simply amazing.
How you completely disregard his obvious Igbo name and the fact that the lineages attributed to him are ALL Igbo speaking communities and call each other "umu eze chima" is also amazing!
What happened to princely Bini names? Mind you by your own admission, the "Igbos" only started immigrating into Ika lands recently.
Even more telling is your admission that all your Ika clans were directly founded and peopled by "Bini princes".
So by your own admission, Igbos if at all found anywhere near Ika lands have always been an inconsequential minority.
So who were the powerful Igbos that changed Eze Chima's name from whatever Bini name he was bearing?
Do not bother with the Khime line cos even you guys know it is a fabrication.
And not only that, completely wiped out Bini language, tradition and culture from your midst...leaving you with clearly Bini styled monarchies?
Even then, not all Ika clans had kings, most of them were formed quite recently as records show.
So then, where did these conquering Igbos come from? And why are you guys speaking an Igbo dialect?

Next, are you not aware the most of all the paraphernalia of monarchy in ALL Anioma clans is borrowed from Bini?
Meaning, it was not native to the Anioma clans?
Keep in mind that Bini is just next door, you do not have to cross any foreign land or territory to enter Bini proper.
All clans, communities and parts of the Bini empire were appointed Enogies by the Oba and are ALL BINI speaking.
Your Onishes, Ologbosheres, Iyasheres etc are all corrupted version of the Bini originals...right next door to you.
From Oguta to Onicha to Agbor...these titles have no meanings in the Ika/Enuani,Ukwuani language you speak.
The only meaning is in the Edo tongue and we all know that.
So a corruption could not have happened if Ika was a part and parcel of the Bini empire.
The Ishans and all Edo dukedoms retained the original names, meanwhile a few miles down south, an Igbo speaking
peoples with Igbo days, practicing Igbo traditions adopted these Bini trappings of monarchy.
If it was not adopted, how do you explain a so called king bearing an Igbo name Nduka Ezeagwuna going to seek relevance or is it
permission to ascend the throne of his fathers? What happened to his Edo lineage or proper Edo name?
Are you not aware of the forceful imposition of Bini tongue on Ika speaking Igbanke people carved into Edo state?
How they are told to drop their...wait for it...Igbo names and language and speak Edo as they are in Edo state?
Are you not aware the Agbor and other Ika clans resisted Bini imperialism and fought wars to block Bini incursion into Ika lands?
If that is not enough evidence to show you that Ika was just influenced socio-culturally and politically by her more powerful neighbor,
then I guess you have a problem with facts.

Finally, the reoccurring decimal in all these claims and counter claims is deliberate display of ignorance on how language and kinship works.
Igbos till date have no kingdoms, armies or royal courts. It was purely made up of autonomous communities run on republican principles.
How did they penetrate and change your language and culture?
And no, your culture is majorly Igbo not Bini as some of you love to claim.
Whatever Bini festival or culture practiced in Ika can be shown to borrowed or adopted.
On one hand, Igbos were nonexistent in Ika lands and were recent migrants...on the other hand Ika language and traditions gave way
to a dominant Igbo presence/culture in Ika land! Make up your minds already!
The persistent confusion is so hilarious!

Summary, you have a SERIOUS IDENTITY CRISIS.From all indications, it is self imposed.
I wont even bother to remind you what transpired 1966-1970. How your Bini kith and kin connived with the Nigerian government to shield and protect you from the greedy and invading Igbo Biafrans. Or how Igbo army officers from the SE like Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna carried out a coup and roped in Anioma Bini people with Igbo sounding names like Onwuatuegwu, Anuforo etc.
For some reason, the Nigerian Army could not differentiate between the SE Igbos and descendants of Bini "princes" in Anioma.
Never mind that over 80% of your surnames are Edo...or is it Igbo?
Even with all your Ologbosheres, Onishes, Iyases and your adas and Bini beads and crowns...they just matched into Asaba after getting directions
from the Oba and invited grown men from Asaba and environs for a grand Nigerian rescue party.
Or was it genocide now? Remind me please? Did the Oba protest the killing of his kith and kin? Or his Enogies?
Na wa for the Nigerian Army, they must be so persistent in their ignorance. Right?

You and your people will have to start with telling yourselves the FACTS you have buried under the persistent ignorant stories you have passed
on to your children.

My 2 cents.

I must confess, this is a masterclass. I'm bookmarking this post.

On one hand, Igbos were nonexistent in Ika lands and were recent migrants...on the other hand Ika language and traditions gave way
to a dominant Igbo presence/culture in Ika land! Make up your minds already! cheesy
The persistent confusion is so hilarious!


This was the sweetest of them all. Well put and succinct.

Cire80:
Name of God in Ika is Oselobue but some people say chuku. Chuku from all indication is more recent and mostly used by the younger generation. But there is no Chi at all. Ika believe in Ehi as a personal God. and there's a history surrounding it.

Oselobue and Chukwu coexist side by side in Ika(based on the Ika wordlist I saw some days ago). How can you say that Chukwu is a recent phenomena when your King who was born in the 1970s has chuku in his personal name
The ehi that you idolize..is it not the same as ashi in enuani and ari in ado(Onicha)?? Like example I've seen Ikas bearing ehinze,which is similar to ahinze enuani peeps bear and also the same as arinze Onicha people normally answer??
Hmmm...you guys should take it easy with the sort of outlandish claims you make here

Cire80:
Name of God in Ika is Oselobue but some people say chuku. Chuku from all indication is more recent and mostly used by the younger generation. But there is no Chi at all. Ika believe in Ehi as a personal God. and there's a history surrounding it.

Dude do yourself a favour and quit with the historical lies.
Annangs, Ibibios, Ijaws all border Igbo lands and have HEAVILY inter-married with SE Igbos...yet none of them have lost any
of their language or culture to Igbos. Neither is there any controversy over them "recently" having adopted Igbo names or what not.
It is quite shameless indeed the way you lots are going about this.
Lots of people in Owa, Agbor and other Ika communities have ALWAYS and STILL do have surnames and first names with "chi","chuku"
suffixes and prefixes.
You cannot claim ignorance of that fact.
To make your postulations even sillier, the outright denials by Ikas should have culminated in the total erasure of anything remotely "Igbo"
in your names and titles.
Lo and behold, the name of Gov Okowa's father is Mr. Arthur Okorie Okowa who recently celebrated his 83rd birthday.
Going back 83 years ago means going back to a time before Nigeria gained her independence.
Out of all the 80% Edo names available in Ika, he picked a core Igbo name for his son?
So are you saying Gov Okowa's grandfather was an Igbo immigrant in Owa (following you people's assertion)?
Or by that time, the Igbo dominance was so strong that the Ikas out of fear of the Igbos started adopting Igbo names like it
was going out of fashion?
Or the CBN governor whose name is Ifeanyichuku Emefiele. I could go on and on.
Are Edo names that scarce in Ika land?
Or is it the pesky Igbos again smuggling Igbo names across the border?

Why is that you had to go back to investigate "Igbo" names for further clarification?
Are the names fake or not real? Maybe they are NOT supposed to be Igbo names?
Gross ignorance or selective amnesia again of your Igbo heritage...its a recurring feature among you Ika folks.
All the Umu Eze Chima clans have been calling the name of their progenitor Eze Chima from time immemorial.
Do you know something they do not, I mean why you have to come up with Ikhime, Khime or even Cheime?
Have you reached out to them to correct the error and revert to the "correct" Edo form of "Khime" yet?

You guys should get a grip and quit making yourselves look silly.
We get it, you hate Igbos and don't want to have anything to do with them.
That's allowed, but don't go messing around with history.
You will hurt yourself and your posterity...that's besides making complete fools of yourselves.

https://www.nairaland.com/251901/ika-people

The story of Mbiri people in the above article, epitomizes the inferiority complex issues that fueled the identity crisis in Ika we witness today. History had been distorted by great great grandfathers to fit into perceived Superior Bini culture, and then continuously passed down to generations after generations who are too ignorant to perceive a manipulation and forgery, when presented with one.
This is a real pity.

PabloAfricanus:


Dude do yourself a favour and quit with the historical lies.
Annangs, Ibibios, Ijaws all border Igbo lands and have HEAVILY inter-married with SE Igbos...yet none of them have lost any
of their language or culture to Igbos. Neither is there any controversy over them "recently" having adopted Igbo names or what not.
It is quite shameless indeed the way you lots are going about this.
Lots of people in Owa, Agbor and other Ika communities have ALWAYS and STILL do have surnames and first names with "chi","chuku"
suffixes and prefixes.
You cannot claim ignorance of that fact.
To make your postulations even sillier, the outright denials by Ikas should have culminated in the total erasure of anything remotely "Igbo"
in your names and titles.
Lo and behold, the name of Gov Okowa's father is Mr. Arthur Okorie Okowa who recently celebrated his 83rd birthday.
Going back 83 years ago means going back to a time before Nigeria gained her independence.
Out of all the 80% Edo names available in Ika, he picked a core Igbo name for his son?
So are you saying Gov Okowa's grandfather was an Igbo immigrant in Owa (following you people's assertion)?
Or by that time, the Igbo dominance was so strong that the Ikas out of fear of the Igbos started adopting Igbo names like it
was going out of fashion?
Or the CBN governor whose name is Ifeanyichuku Emefiele. I could go on and on.
Are Edo names that scarce in Ika land?
Or is it the pesky Igbos again smuggling Igbo names across the border?

Why is that you had to go back to investigate "Igbo" names for further clarification?
Are the names fake or not real? Maybe they are NOT supposed to be Igbo names?
Gross ignorance or selective amnesia again of your Igbo heritage...its a recurring feature among you Ika folks.
All the Umu Eze Chima clans have been calling the name of their progenitor Eze Chima from time immemorial.
Do you know something they do not, I mean why you have to come up with Ikhime, Khime or even Cheime?
Have you reached out to them to correct the error and revert to the "correct" Edo form of "Khime" yet?

You guys should get a grip and quit making yourselves look silly.
We get it, you hate Igbos and don't want to have anything to do with them.
That's allowed, but don't go messing around with history.
You will hurt yourself and your posterity...that's besides making complete fools of yourselves.

I really don't think that that poster is from Anioma. He has a clear agenda and will distort truths in order to promote it. His comments about Onitsha people were laughable, quite frankly.

Ngozi123:


I really don't think that that poster is from Anioma. He has a clear agenda and will distort truths in order to promote it. His comments about Onitsha people were laughable, quite frankly.

Yeah I know.
I had an encounter with an inlaw from one of the Anioma clans that spurred me to investigate this phenomenon of Igbo speaking "Bini" princes and their descendants.
It was a discovery of self inflicted amnesia, outright historical fabrications and gross ignorance...not to mention extreme bigotry.
The Onicha case was saddening really. You see grown, learned men embellishing stories that cannot stand the slightest historical scrutiny.
Aspirants to the Obi throne required to recite the geneology of their Bini fugitive ancestor whose name happens to be Eze Chima.
Ask them why Eze Chima and they dodge and dodge with more funny stories.
And the funniest thing is they love the Igbo language and cultures they sooo love to hate!
Self confessed fugitives and settlers from their beloved Bini, who ran for their dear lives to Igbo lands doing all they can to glorify the people who ejected them and denigrating the people who received them and allowed them flourish in their midst.
The favourite past time of Onicha titled men appears to be accusing each other of being "onye Igbo" or making jests of "nwa onye igbo".
All in pristine Igbo language ofcourse...infact it appears the purest form of Anambra Igbo dialect is around the Idemili-Onicha-Awka cluster.
Sometimes I wonder why the Igbos themselves tolerate these people who so love to put them down without remorse.

PabloAfricanus:


Yeah I know.
I had an encounter with an inlaw from one of the Anioma clans that spurred me to investigate this phenomenon of Igbo speaking "Bini" princes and their descendants.
It was a discovery of self inflicted amnesia, outright historical fabrications and gross ignorance...not to mention extreme bigotry.
The Onicha case was saddening really. You see grown, learned men embellishing stories that cannot stand the slightest historical scrutiny.
Aspirants to the Obi throne required to recite the geneology of their Bini fugitive ancestor whose name happens to be Eze Chima.
Ask them why Eze Chima and they dodge and dodge with more funny stories.
And the funniest thing is they love the Igbo language and cultures they sooo love to hate!
Self confessed fugitives and settlers from their beloved Bini, who ran for their dear lives to Igbo lands doing all they can to glorify the people who ejected them and denigrating the people who received them and allowed them flourish in their midst.

The favourite past time of Onicha titled men appears to be accusing each other of being "onye Igbo" or making jests of "nwa onye igbo".
All in pristine Igbo language ofcourse...infact it appears the purest form of Anambra Igbo dialect is around the Idemili-Onicha-Awka cluster.
Sometimes I wonder why the Igbos themselves tolerate these people who so love to put them down with remorse.

We admit that we migrated from the Benin Empire and were once ruled by it but we have always been proud Igbos, which is what that poster was trying to deny. That jest is wrong and I will admit that quite a lot of Onitsha, and some Ogbaru, people think that they are better than other Igbos but that does not mean that they aren't proud of 'wearing the Igbo tag', contrary to what that poster said. That's why I said that there is a double entendre in saying that Onitsha people are some of the proudest Igbos in the world; they are both proud people who happen to be Igbos and proud of their Igbo heritage. The fact that that poster couldn't understand the context of that saying makes me doubt that he's really from anywhere near Onitsha.

Btw, my maternal family are from Imo state and I can tell you that this superiority trait is not restricted to the Onitsha axis. It's something that we Igbos really need to work on if we want to succeed as a group.

UtuhMbadike1:
I am greatly surprised by the content of this discussion. It’s proof of how drastically the beliefs of the Internet world could differ from the realities of the true world.

I am Nnewi South and here’s our general view of the Nri: My ancestors believe the Nri to be immigrants. We have an unmistakable view of them as being “other”—i.e. “foreign/non-Igbo”. This isn’t contestable among my folk, but is not at all negative because in Amichi, my maternal hometown, the Nri are invited to “cleanse” the land, most likely from nearby Oraeri although there is also an Nri community within Amichi itself, called “Umu-nri Ebenasa Amichi” and located right on the borders between Amichi, Osumenyi and my hometown of Utuh-Mbadike. Amichi has its centrally located Eke market, but the Umu-nri Ebenasa has its own small Nkwo market—and there’s a palpable element of isolation to that Nkwo market (full name: Nkwo-Agu Umu-nri Ebenasa Amichi).

The story is much deeper than that, but I know for a fact, as a man who grew up next to his ancestors, that the Nri are secondary settlers wherever they are found in Igbo-land. Amichi is an Okotu town related to Osumenyi, Ogbodi, the Adazis, etc. and I am a “nwadiana” there, hence I am aware that my mother’s people, as the true owners of the land, are not excited to intermarry with folks of Umu-nri Ebenasa of the same Amichi.

There’s consensus across the entire southern Anambra—from Nnewi through Aguata and ending in Orumba—that the Nri were “foreign-turned-Igbo”. I am therefore surprised to discover here proof of what seems a serious attempt to elevate the Nri at the expense of their own hosts. And when a debater linked to Nri says here that “Igbo and Igala are related” I hope he or she is aware that 1) it isn’t a flattering declaration to any Igbo person who is clear about his aboriginal identity; and 2) the right statement would be that “the Nri and Igala are related/cousins”.

To the Igbo of the interior, the Igala is as foreign as the Bini. The Idoma is in fact closer. And as you can imagine, we are just as clear as to the origin of the Onitsha folks and of most of their neighbouring towns. Ancestors, modest and tolerant, may not speak frequently of these heavy matters to the young, until a need arises—for example on the question of marrying into a certain clan; that is when they sit you down and tell you who is who in your State, local government, and town.

I will just end by pointing out that if wealth accumulation and modesty—the two hallmarks of the true Igbo entity—are held up as the ultimate standard for counting or discounting one as “purely aboriginal Igbo”, then the Nri and most of their northern Anambra hosts are clearly immigrants from a different ethnicity/nation. The two wealth belts of the Igbo—1) from Anaocha/Idemmili down to Nnewi and ending right around Orlu; 2) the Bende area of Abia State—clearly leave out much of the Nri and their northern Anambra hosts. While they evidently are among the noisiest and the least modest of Igbo folks.

There is no doubt that the propagators of Nri flag-waving are driven by their own painful and in fact understandable need for a permanent resolution to their dilemma of “an Igala origin vs. Igbo identity”. For, the Igbo who are certain of their aboriginal status are usually the most modest and confident of us.

Mind you: my ancestors of Nnewi area do not detest the Nri one bit. But they see them for who they are: migrants from Igala-land who are now fully integrated into the Igbo culture. And we of southern Anambra aren’t alone in making this distinction; I recently spent a few days among the clan of the Eziowelle, Abba, Nimo and Abagana (Njikoka and Idemmili North) and these folks strongly distance themselves from their neighbouring Nri, implying rather diplomatically that “the Nri are from somewhere else”.

Globally, a culture’s purest people are found in the geographical center. As such, one who cares of the purest Igbo kind—least tainted by an outside influence—should look, for example, at an eastern Orsu person. It gets no purer than that, and there are also other such examples.

And lastly: Dear Abagworo/Abagoro, you are in the right and have my full backing, bro! Keep making that noble case. It takes a dangerous degree of bias to look at the attire of the traditional rulers of Nri and their northern Anambra host communities, and not realise by instinct that they are akin to those used by the non-Igbo cultures across the waters or, more importantly, to fail to notice the blatantly immodest and un-Igbo loudness of those regalia. https://www.nairaland.com/1491012/ndigbo-integrated-eri-nri-brother/4#51394578

What an interesting perspective!

Cire80:
I tell you all they do is give direct Igbo translation to any words they come across. It's so funny. This people will argue with you about your age. Very strange people

Hmmmnn.... here is another interesting perspective.

UtuhMbadike1:
....Our ancestors who share boundaries with Otolo taught us that Anaedo has within it more varying tribes than could be counted in one hand’s fingers. Even Otolo, Anaedo’s leading clan/quarter, isn’t a homogeneous group and this is no secret. I won’t call names because you know this to be true as an Anaedo person.

Instead I will give here three mentions with which you may not agree—but that wouldn’t matter:

1.
Anaedo is linked to Ndoni/Ukwuani/Ndokwa (around the Aboh area) via a certain figure known as Mmaku and without whom the Nnewi monarch may not exist today. It is believed that Anaedo’s use of “Obi” is directly connected to this forebear. This isn’t debatable as it’s the widely accepted version of Anaedo history.

But what you are now left to grapple with is the truism that there were three waves of migration which formed the population of the Ukwuani people. The first wave originated from the Benin Kingdom, and in Ukwuani today they are called Umu-akashiada, Ebedei, and Akarai. Then there were the second set, arriving Ukwuani from Nri, and they include Umu-obarauchi, Ndoni, Onya, and Adawai. And then the final wave, involving Benin conquerors and they include the Aboh, Amai, Umukwata, and Ogbe-ani in Utagba-uno clan. The Igala are also present among the Ukwuani. How, now, can you factually and successfully debate the genealogy/ethnicity of Nnewi’s foremost forebear—in the person of Mmaku? He hails from an ethnically diverse place, and could be anything from full Igbo to full Edo/Bini, to multi-ethnic, etc. We may never know. Aboh, his place of origin, is primarily inhabited by the Ukwuani group of Bini/Edo origin. Now put that in your back pocket, and let’s fill up the two remaining front ones.

2.
There exists in Anaedo the Orsu and the Isu—the truly aboriginal Igbo—and let me explain how: Anaedo, as mentioned, was formed by folks arriving from varying directions and origins. There are even those from Agbaja in Abatete—and although the Abatete peoples agree that their town was founded by Okolie Otie, the man’s origin remains disputed. So you will perhaps also have to figure that out: the true origin of Okolie Otie, which to me sounds Aro.

What I am more interested in, is proving to you the existence of both the aboriginal Orsu and Isu in Anaedo—both genealogically and culturally. True intellectuals see beyond the superficial State lines. They get atop their emotions and look facts/markers in the eye. They subdue their Anambra nationalism in search of the truth, because State lines are recent and only skin-deep. The Orsu presence in Anaedo is represented by the “Awor-Oraifite people”. All “Awors”—Awor-Oraifite, Awor-Omamma, Awor-Ezinifite—are unmistakably linked to their ancient Orsu homeland of the aboriginal Igbo—i.e. the Awor-Idemili area of Imo-Anambra border.

With the Orsu presence explained, here’s Anaedo’s Isu connection: the Isu are arguably the largest Igbo tribe and, along with the Orsu and the Orlu peoples, forms the preeminent aboriginal Igbo group.

Sometime in the past, the following remark was shared here on Nairaland, by an Anaedo indigene who, in my unbiased view, has been consistently intellectual with his submissions:

“The Isu founder of Igbouzo was called Umejei, which is interesting, because I noticed in John Alutu’s book that a lot of people in Nnewi’s early history had the prefix ‘Ume’ in their names. I’m convinced it was some of the aboriginal Isu elements in Uruagu who fled during the Isu dispersal that crossed the Niger and founded Igbouzo. I’m not sure mainstream historians have fully recognized this yet, because they keep writing that Umejei came from the Isu north of Awka (Isu-Anaocha).” Link: https://www.nairaland.com/1829096/brief-history-nnewi/4

Now, whether Anaedo’s “Isu” is “indigenous” to Anaedo or migrated from Isu-Anaocha or from some other Isu base, to my Utuh-Mbadike ancestors and elders there’s only one Isu tribe in Igbo-land, and they are found predominantly in Anambra, Imo, and Abia States. As mentioned, they are the largest of all aboriginal Igbo tribes, and are related to the Orsu and Orlu peoples. All three tribes (Orsu/Isu/Orlu) have their ancient/original homeland in the same Orlu axis of Imo State.

3.
To conclude:

Recall that “Ume” prefix mention by our Anaedo intellectual? Keep it in mind, and then read the following Wikipedia excerpt:

“Azia [town in Ihiala LGA] was named after the founder and the father of the inhabitants of the town, Azia Alamatugiugele who according to oral history lived about 1,400 years ago (470-585 A.D). Azia, Orsumoghu, Mbosi and Isseke were the sons of Osunano by his first wife who is the owner of the portion of land that cuts across Azia and Orsumoghu known as Ama-Lolo (Lolo’s farm land). Osunano in turn is a son of Igbonano. Before the coming of the white men, there was a region of the Igbo country called Igbonano. A conglomeration of clans, Igbonano was supposedly located in the area now occupied by some thirty autonomous communities from both Anambra and Imo states. These communities on the western axis of Anambra-Imo border area, till today still have many things in common e.g. similar names of idols ... a set of ozo title prefixes: Ezike, Dara, Duru, Dim, Ume, Ezeani, Ezeahia, Ezeloma and Okpara) etc.”

Lessons/cultural markers from the excerpt:

1) The “Ume” prefix in ancient Anaedo was a cultural feature shared by the Orsu (Azia is Orsu) and Orsu is related to Isu. But beyond the Orsu, the “Ume” prefix is equally commonly used in the entire Nnewi South LGA.
2) The Orsu also bear the prefix “Dim”, which we know is Ikemba Ojukwu’s choice affix (Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu). Another popular Dim in the region is “Dim Agwu-agwu of Ezinifite Nnewi South”.
3) The Nri claim that their Kingdom was founded 900AD, while the founder of the ancient Orsu town of Azia (Azia Alamatugiugele) is said to have lived before 600AD.

Finally:

When you realise that Anaedo, by some definitions, includes Ozubulu (or parts of Ozubulu), then you must equally take into account that parts of Ozubulu is inhabited by a clan originally from my own Utuh-Mbadike.

There you have it. Anaedo is large, and far from being a homogeneous land geneologically and culturally.

I probably won’t have more to share with you guys on this, since you aren't paying for my time.

laudate:


Hmmmnn.... here is another interesting perspective.

Nothing interesting about those heap of gabbage.
Just figments of the writer's imagination with no credible sources to back it up.
Nri history are well documented. For someone to even suggest that Nri is of Igala origin is the highest height of ignorance.
imagine the stupid term used by that writer, " the truly aboriginal Igbos'. What a stupid write up.