tonychristopher: Nonsensical threads like this was exactly why ppl like me joined NL. Yorubas claiming to be ikwere, Anioma, Ika et al. Saying that we Anioma, Ikwerre of the SS are not Igbo seems to make their day, but do we gain anything from them when they try to rewrite our history and say we are Non-Igbo. Big No!

Do not be deceived, for every shred of hate they have for the SE Igbo, they reserve tons for SS Igbo.

Have we forgotten how they shouted- Igbo coup! When 5 brave Majors (4 of whom were Anioma) decided to rid the nation of kleptocrats and ten-percenters. Who has forgotten the Asaba massacre?
How about the break away from the west and the successful creation of the much needed midwest with the backing of the East. Greedy Awo has never forgiven us for that, even in his grave. grin

Listen, Every Emeka, Dozie, Kelechi, Wike, Amaechi, Nzeogwu, Okafor, Anuforo from the SS is Omoibo to their eyes. Except when they want to share crude oil from our region, then they deploy their divide and loot tactics.


Oral history has it that Ezechima our progenitor migrated from Nri, and like a resilient Igboman fought the King of Benin and gave us breath as Western Igbos.

Too much lies have.been told.
I have never hidden my Identity. I am Anioma, Anioma is Igboid. I am lgbo.
We won't let anyone rewrite our history with their Yoruba press.




FROM ANIOMA AND IKA SON \

damn. dozzybaba is Ika. dang I liked that boy, I thought he was Asaba. oh well, I still think the nigg@ is hilarious

agbotaen: 1. i am pure ika and i and majority of ika people will always remain ika , there is no ika king that is part of ohaneze ndigbo or any igbo ethnic group meeting , .

just wanted to remind you to speak for yourself. your own owa king wrote a book professing he and his people are from the NRI kingdom. You need to stop shamelessly dragging people like him into your denials. it's very disrespectful especially to kings like him. People like him obviously don't follow your view thus why make ish about them.. #incase you've forgotten the pages of the book is few pages back and posted by an igbodo, ika, man during you two argument

Another thing agbotean, speak what you know. you've made claim that ika helped nigerian fight against biafran solders. when asked for the proof, you didn't provide any. You've made claim their was never an ika in biafra army and when asked once more for proof, you provided nothing. When provided proof of a general from ika that's was part of biafran army, you disregarded it. when provided proof of a part of the war supposedly fought predominately by ika soliders for the biafran army, again you disregard it. you've made claim no ika king ever agreed they descended from any igbo clan, ex-ika members took you to the cleaners with that by providing a book from one saying they descended from Nri (ironically it's the king of the part of ika you say you are from wrote that). Of course you disregarded it and once again make a claim you can't back up. Remember you claimed all ika were angry at him when the book came out, we asked for proof on that yet again nada from you. now you are once again making a claim you can't back up. you do realize an ika king is part of the voter for all ohaneze president correct? you do realize an ika king helped vote ralph as ohaneze president correct? you do realize that right?

[quote]
Meanwhile, the Anioma people of Delta North have endorsed Raph Uwechue, for the position of President of Ohaneze Ndiigbo, it was learnt.

The decision to endorse Uwechue was reached at a stakeholders meeting at the weekend at the Asagba of Asaba’s palace.

The meeting, involved traditional rulers from communities and distinguished Anioma indigenes in the Delta North District.

According to the royal father, the choice of the Ogwuluzame of Ogwashi-Uku was unanimous .

"Democracy has been part of our system as a people even before it became the trend; which is why we deliberately refrained from imposing any candidate as we consulted with our sons and daughters outside the state (Delta). We were at Abuja, Lagos and lastly Port Harcourt; and in all these places our people endorsed Ambassador Raph Uwechue", the Asagba said .

Earlier, the traditional ruler of Ukwunzu in Oshimili South Local Government Area moved for the endorsement of Uwechue.

He was seconded by the Obi of Akumazi-Umuocha in Ika North East and Igwe of Amai in Ndokwa East.

A chieftain of the Anioma movement and heir apparent of Utchi kingdom, Ndokwa East of Delta state, Igwe Nzekwe, commended the unity of purpose prevailing among communities and groups of the Anioma nation, leading to the choice of Uwechue for President of Ohaneze Ndiigbo.[\quote]
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=70923

dude shut the f2k up, go write a damn book and spare all us your figment of imagination. you f2ked a thread meant for delta igbo. If you do not see yourself as a delta igbo, there is no reason for you to be here, writing long stories, yes i call them stories because majority of your words are your own made up stories, disrupting a thread meant for us.

Igbos are great liars. I wil not believe Obi of Akumazi is in Ohaneze until I see the evidence. Even if he is, it's not a big deal except that nobody can be in Ohaneze and Onu Ika at the same time, becos you are either Igbo or Ika. But that doesnt mean That we do not have any relationshp with igbo, I view the Igbos as the cousins of Ika and to some extent Anioma.

It's only about 30% of Asaba, Ibusa and Ogwashi Uku that say they are Igbo while another 30% are convinced they are not igbo. The remaining % are indifferent. As am typing this comment am in Asaba and many of my friends in Asaba are from Aniocha/Oshimili and many of them say they are not igbo. You say we should stop speaking for Ika, while you are speaking for Asab/Ogwashi. Infact, I have seen and read many interviews granted some Aniocha/Oshimili elite, some say they are igbo while some say they are not; some are not even happy with Uwechue. So, while generalise that all Aniocha/Oshimili accept they are igbos. I knw that Anioma has some level of affinity with Igbo but that doesnt mean we are Igbos.

[b][/b][quote author=agbotaen]
7. i predict that if delta north will become governor of delta state , it will come from either ika area or ndokwa/ukwani area, because of several reasons.


Quote

I believe that every man has the right to be who he chooses to be.Anioma have a right to assert their ethnic independence but with predictions like this I shudder for Anioma Unity.What happens to our Aniocha and Oshimili brothers?

Anioma is not an ethnic group for christ sake...
Ignorance is a disease.

Idun'oba ehis:
It's only about 30% of Asaba, Ibusa and Ogwashi Uku that say they are Igbo while another 30% are convinced they are not igbo. The remaining % are indifferent. As am typing this comment am in Asaba and many of my friends in Asaba are from Aniocha/Oshimili and many of them say they are not igbo. You say we should stop speaking for Ika, while you are speaking for Asab/Ogwashi. Infact, I have seen and read many interviews granted some Aniocha/Oshimili elite, some say they are igbo while some say they are not; some are not even happy with Uwechue. So, while generalise that all Aniocha/Oshimili accept they are igbos. I knw that Anioma has some level of affinity with Igbo but that doesnt mean we are Igbos.

you have started lying again.. Asaba and no part of oshimili land can say they are not igbo..We know who we are so biko face ika

igbo boy:

you have started lying again.. Asaba and no part of oshimili land can say they are not igbo..We know who we are so biko face ika

Anioma is not an ethnic group but made up of closely-related ethnic groups, but, they can be called an ethnic group same way you call Igbo an ethnic group. Though, there are more Igbo acceptance in Oshimili, especialy (Asaba/Ibuza)than any other Anioma area, there are many peopl from this places (I gave the estimated percentage) that are either convinced they are not Igbos or are indifferent. Many Oshimili elites are pro-anioma, while the politicians that have the intention of going federal or those that think the Igbos wil support the state creation have no other option than to accept and urge others to becos of the igbo population.

Idun'oba ehis:

Anioma is not an ethnic group but made up of closely-related ethnic groups, but, they can be called an ethnic group same way you call Igbo an ethnic group. Though, there are more Igbo acceptance in Oshimili, especialy (Asaba/Ibuza)than any other Anioma area , there are many peopl from this places (I gave the estimated percentage) that are either convinced they are not Igbos or are indifferent. Many Oshimili elites are pro-anioma, while the politicians that have the intention of going federal or those that think the Igbos wil support the state creation have no other option than to accept and urge others to becos of the igbo population.

igbo acceptance hahahaha,,, come and tell my grandma for village say she no be igbo. abeg according to terry g - ChopChickenAndDie
Anioma this, Anioma that. Anioma is not an ethnic group boy. My grandmother never used or heard the word anioma growing up but Oshimili she knew.

Please I dont want to see Ifeanyi Okowa in Oshimili land again o. tell him to face Ika land whenever he touches delta state from Abuja.

igbo boy:

igbo acceptance hahahaha,,, come and tell my grandma for village say she no be igbo. abeg according to terry g - ChopChickenAndDie
Anioma this, Anioma that. Anioma is not an ethnic group boy. My grandmother never used or heard the word anioma growing up but Oshimili she knew.

Please I dont want to see Ifeanyi Okowa in Oshimili land again o. tell him to face Ika land whenever he touches delta state from Abuja.

unfortunately (for you), Okowa is more popular in Aniocha/Oshimili than anywhere else in Anioma land.

Idun'oba ehis:
It's only about 30% of Asaba, Ibusa and Ogwashi Uku that say they are Igbo while another 30% are convinced they are not igbo. The remaining % are indifferent. As am typing this comment am in Asaba and many of my friends in Asaba are from Aniocha/Oshimili and many of them say they are not igbo. You say we should stop speaking for Ika, while you are speaking for Asab/Ogwashi. Infact, I have seen and read many interviews granted some Aniocha/Oshimili elite, some say they are igbo while some say they are not; some are not even happy with Uwechue. So, while generalise that all Aniocha/Oshimili accept they are igbos. I knw that Anioma has some level of affinity with Igbo but that doesnt mean we are Igbos.

There are no Igbo denials in Aniocha and Oshimili but smoe do in Ika and Ndokwa but are in minority. Stop this nonsense here piggy.

@ngodiga
If you say there are no igbo denials Aniocha/Oshimili and that a little denial in Ika and Ndokwa, that means you are either blind or deluded. What will you gain in coming on the internet to claim you have won a battle you havent even started?

Idun'oba ehis:

unfortunately (for you), Okowa is more popular in Aniocha/Oshimili than anywhere else in Anioma land.

ok o.. ayaf heard

hmmmm my brother live and let live. Leave the sons of benin fugitives and wonderers in our middst and i know for sure that its minute percentage of ika deny igbo. These are benin sons are irrelevant. They should leave us leave our names, leave our culture,leave our traditions and lea e do not hate God for making you igbo. But to the igbo benin wanna be know one thing. You are fake igbo

1. why igbo people like to lie like this , if you pretend not to know the stance of majority of ikas during the civil war ? where did the nigerian troops kill people and destroy things in anioma,? it is in the aniocha/ oshimili axis . you want to know why ? it is because many of their communities accepted that they were igbos and heavily fought on the side of biafra .
2. majority of ika people including all our kings , rejected the notion that they were igbos and also assisted the nigeria troops to expell biafra from ika land.
3. there were quite some few ika people who fought for biafra , but they were in minority , while the majority fought against biafra.,and that was why ika did not suffer any major disaster during the war , with the exception of some areas like igbodo /ekwuoma , who had many igbo migrants and supported biafra ,and they also did suffer.
4. let it be noted that in or family album , we have pictures of muritala mohammed ,during the war and he resided in owa kingdom, and the owa people and umunede and other ikas gave him total support , infact muritala was giving the title of ojeba of owa kingdom as at that time , and he was very friendly with owa people , in a book published by his royal majesty the obi of owa , dr .efeizomor , he said that due to his suppport of the nigeria army , the biafrans declared him wanted dead or alive , and that his ancestors saved him .
5. during the civil war the obi of agbor, umunede, mbiri, otolokpo, owa, igbanke and others were part of the midwest leaders of thought during the civil war with headquarters in benin.
6. it is not all aniocha/oshimili people that claim to be igbo , and why do igbo people always have need to lie ?
1. ebu kingdom is in anioma , but they are igala people predominantly .
2. ugbodu kingdom
3. ukunzun kingdom , please note that before it was a yoruba name called eko efun, later changed to ukunzu and many other yoruba , olukunkmi communities exist in delta north or anioma.
4. of recent the ugbodu kingdom came out to proclaim their yoruba/olukunmi heritage and many igbo propagandists started attacking them , but my question is why do igbos like to be at logger heads with their neighbours ? why do they think they can always use their population to oppress others ?

6. ika is a people that came to ika land from different ethnic nations at different times and now have fused together to be ika , some ikas came from benin, ishan, ora, ndokwa, igbo,aniocha,and even yoruba , but have fussesed together to be ika, but the major foundation of ika land was laid by people from benin /ishan, before others came.and ika people wish to remain ika , the highest socio- cultural group is ogua/onu ika , majority of ika people and 100 percent of ika kings do not belong to any other ethnic organisation except onu ika, they do not belong to ohaneze ndigbo .
7. if you want to learn correct owa history avail your self of the book , ndiowa and her monarch , that is a book written by committees set up by the whole owa kingdom, and also check www.ndiowa.com . owa people refer to themselves as ika people and never as igbo .
2. intelligence report written in 1913 , by the british about owa , said that owa kingdom was founded by benin and igbo influence, in 1932 another intelligence report said the same thing , that owa has a dual foundation of both edo and igbo foundation.
3. the great german , african historian oli bierer who visited agbor in 1950s , said that agbor/ika is the land of west meet east, and that our culture draws from the benin and igbo culture and that ika/agbor was a facinating ancient land.
4. from all intent and purpose owa kingdom was founded by the binis/ishans around the 6/7th century as the migrated from ikoha led by adagba who was a native of ovia in benin, and ugbasogun from benin.
8. if i say that ika or ndokwa will produce the governor , if it is zoned or shifted to delta north , i know what am saying , but i will give only few reasons, it is from these two axis that we have strong political figures in anioma , now that can appeal to the rest of deltans , and you do not win elections by appealing to only your ethnic group , as delta is a multi ethnic state and any one that will lead must appeal to uhrobos, isoko, ijaws and the aniomas , and right now it is the ndokwa and ika politicians that have that appeal .
9. okowa is right now one of the most popular politician in delta state and the topmost political office holder in delta north or anioma area and there is nothing you can do about that and you cant even stop him from going any where in oshimili /aniocha area , sorry ooooooooooooooo.
or some of the projects he has helped to attract in your area , you wan destroy am ? bad belle no good oooooooooo,
abeg clap for ika people , we no de come last for delta politics, we are always the bride that must be won , .

10. oga igbo man, the beautiful thing about me is that my ancestors and lineage helped to build owa and they were some of the founders of owa kingdom, so i be son of the soil and not only that i am a descendant of the great obi igbedigin no gidigan , who ruled owa , and prince omigie and agbontaen of idumu-izomor village in owa- oyibu , go and ask of igbedigins lineage or omigie , we have produced great military men like anuku who was the first nigeria naval officer to be trained abroad and first biafra navy commander, edward anuku minister in western nigeria, sam ebonka former deputy governor of delta state, kuti okoro , assistant commisioner of police, chief francis anuku the former chairman of old ika local government, patrick acha, the former chief librarian of college of education agbor, chukwuma ayetin the edionma of alizomor , chief egbai ihama of owa kingdom, chief morka ohormi the late ihama of owa, major general ugo buzugbe the secretary to nigeria army and many others ,uwa ogboi the teacher who wrote many books on ika language, aiguoba agbontaen ,the late professor of economics , university of benin, and others.

^^^ did we not tell this man to go write a book and save all of us stories of his figment of imagination. Dude I think i speak for most people when i say most care little about your jibbles. Do I look like a SE Igbo that listen to the BS you write? as far as I'm concerned, you're musiwa of anioma and till date, I don't get why SE pays mind to you. All i care about is when you lie against your own kings, biafran soliders from ika, etc. liars are not liked in my opinion therefore, I'll be there to shut your lies up with link to back me up.
btw: spare us your fake links. did you honestly think noone would click on it. mtcheww

lastly like you've been lying against your kings, against igbodo peeps, etc, don't lie against aniocha/oshimili peeps especially Asaba. We are not and have never been like you peeps. We don't share your ideology, we ain't yaba left patients like you lots. keep us out of una denial show of shame. Abi, una no know how to speak for yourselves? stay in your ika area and let us mind our area. ogini kwa. mtchewww. villagers talking for their superiors. I don see it all

igbo boy: Anioma is not an ethnic group for christ sake...
Ignorance is a disease.

Don't mind them. Osadebe created a word and this people shouting it's an ethnic group. I don't know whose been giving yaba left patients laptop but whoever it is needs to be slapped.

I don't agree with your believes on anioma, I see anioma as something to call myself but I ain't stupid enough to think it's an ethnic group. Igbo na my tribe, anioma na nickname created by osadebe.

Whoever out there giving yaba left patients laptop, see wetin you dey cause. you see am?

agbotaen:

8. if i say that ika or ndokwa will produce the governor , if it is zoned or shifted to delta north , i know what am saying , but i will give only few reasons, it is from these two axis that we have strong political figures in anioma , now that can appeal to the rest of deltans , and you do not win elections by appealing to only your ethnic group , as delta is a multi ethnic state and any one that will lead must appeal to uhrobos, isoko, ijaws and the aniomas , and right now it is the ndokwa and ika politicians that have that appeal .
9. okowa is right now one of the most popular politician in delta state and the topmost political office holder in delta north or anioma area and there is nothing you can do about that.

Seriously?How did u measure their individual acceptance.How do we measure a Prof Pat Utomi against Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and say the senator stands high above?I beg to disagree.Anioma is one.Delta State deserves the best.

1. i will not argue with sentimental people , utomi might be popular in lagos , where he lives , but in delta politics , he does not have a grassroot appeal or may be he will win only in aniocha/oshimili area, it is a known truth that okowa is one of the greatest grassroots politician in delta state , and obielum from ndokwa is also a great grass root politician , what will happen to utormi is like what happened to festus keyamo who thought because he was popular in lagos will win an election in delta central and he lost his party primaries ,
2/ for the records , okowa is now the highest political office holder in delta north being a senator of the federal republic, he has been a councilor , secretary to local govt., chairman of local govt., a commissioner , secretary to delta state govt and finally a senator,
3/ okowa was the runners up for the election that brought gov. uduahan into power ,and was also one of the key players in his re-elections.
4. to win an election for governor in delta state , you need to appeal to other ethnicities , and in ika we have men like chief of staff , festus okunbor , sam obi , cairo ojougboh, godson echegile eguabor and ifeanyi okowa , and these men are movers and shakers of delta politics .
5. pat utormi was rejected by igbo people during the 2007 , elections for the presidency , where oheneze leaders , even questioned his igboship , and his name utormi , which they felt was not igbo , and its true , although utormi identifies himself as igbo , so na wao ooo?

6. if all igbodo people love igbo so much , why did they chase the wife of their obi from ebonyi state ? and called her a foreigner ?
the thing is that igbodo falls into parts that genuinely believes they are ika and those that believe they are igbo , and that goes for ekwuoma too , and they speak ika and aniocha , though their ika seems very different from what we speak .
7. the igbo man cannever speak for ika and that is just that, ika people do not lie , we abhour lies and useless propaganda , there are some few ikas that fought for biafra like anuku , but majority fought against biafra , just like some few yorubas fought for biafra like the banjos , ademuleguns , but majority of yorubas fought against biafra .
8. with all intents and popurse ika is a distinct ethnicity , that is totally different from igbo

1. i dont know why igbos dont want to face reality and leave propaganda ?
2. have ebu in anioma stopped being igala ?
3. have the ugbodu , ukunzun and other olukunmi kingdoms in anioma ceased to be olukunmi yorubas ?
4. has ika people ceased to be ikas ?
5. what roles are ika monarchs like dein of agbor, obi of owa, obi of abavo, and obi of umunede, playing in ohaneze ndigbo ? or have you ever seen them speaking on igbo ethnic issues or advocating for igbo tribe in nigeria?
6. what roles are this key ika men /women like cairo ojougboh, general usiade, general ugo buzugbe, commodor jomo, real admiral eluma, proffs, osaigbovou, proff. okoh, anglican primate dikenriehi okoh, ifeanyi okowa, jim ovia, nduak obaigbena, steve omojafor, anthony omordia, general aigbogun festus, chief festus okunbor , and the rest doing or are they part of your ohaneze or have you seen them talking about propagating igbo at any time ?
let me assist you in answering , they all do not speak for igbo ethnicity but they speak for ika people .
7. the national conference is comming and ika will select elders from ogua/onu ika to represent the ika ethnic nation

agbotaen: 1. i dont know why igbos dont want to face reality and leave propaganda ?
2. have ebu in anioma stopped being igala ?
3. have the ugbodu , ukunzun and other olukunmi kingdoms in anioma ceased to be olukunmi yorubas ?
4. has ika people ceased to be ikas ?
5. what roles are ika monarchs like dein of agbor, obi of owa, obi of abavo, and obi of umunede, playing in ohaneze ndigbo ? or have you ever seen them speaking on igbo ethnic issues or advocating for igbo tribe in nigeria?
6. what roles are this key ika men /women like cairo ojougboh, general usiade, general ugo buzugbe, commodor jomo, real admiral eluma, proffs, osaigbovou, proff. okoh, anglican primate dikenriehi okoh, ifeanyi okowa, jim ovia, nduak obaigbena, steve omojafor, anthony omordia, general aigbogun festus, chief festus okunbor , and the rest doing or are they part of your ohaneze or have you seen them talking about propagating igbo at any time ?
let me assist you in answering , they all do not speak for igbo ethnicity but they speak for ika people .
7. the national conference is comming and ika will select elders from ogua/onu ika to represent the ika ethnic nation

Am sure you are from Edo state and not from Delta state. Probably from one of those northerners who settled in Edo state long time ago. Your hatred for the Igbos does not show you are from Ika or any part of Delta state. Ika has always been Igbo and belongs to the Igbo family. You a non Deltan is fighting so hard to sow discord in the Igbo family. Ikas are not like that. You are fake.
Go back to your state. You have failed.

@₦1, and Igbo boy, God bless you. Ndigbo of Delta state are proud of you.

how can somebody parot that ika will select their leaders in this conference?thats stupidity. All villages select their reps not the central igbo. We in anambra will select our reps so find another gist son of a benin refugee

1 it is your kingless igbo fathers that are fools , ozuor ,
2/ is your father or fore father from ika , you lieing igbo man ?i am a son of the soil , check me out on owa website on face book , you will see me there , i am a son of the idumu-ezomor royal village in owa-oyibu , i am a descendant of obi igbediin no gidigan , i can trace my lineage to about 700 years and am proud of it , so where is your lineage and tell us your town , you royaless obolo.
3. yes ika is part of igbo family , yet they do not belong to ohaneze , and they are igbo tribe , yet they assisted in chasing your fathers out of their land in 1967 , you make me laugh .
4. we the ikas rejected the igbos , because we are simply not igbo , and we have never been part of igbo , we are our own people , ika nation survived even under great benin empire and we also survived during the war , and so we will always survive and we are doing well .
5. igbos are psychologically traumatised by the civil war , so they always come up with we against them , and what if hausa people attack you , where will you claim to be from , ? the boko haram war is not targeted at igbos , but at all nigerians, so igbos should stop crying more than others , all nigerians have lost people.
6. ika nation is different from any other ethnicity in nigeria, and if igbos love ika so much let them changed their name from igbo to ika nation or tribe,
7. this igbos this , igbo that is a recent thing , the name igbo as a tribe did not exist 200 years ago , it was an invention of the british , and they have also helped the igbos to live a more organised live and in big cities , so they should just restrict themselfs to those delta north area that say they are igbo , if they come to ika nation , they will meet with defeat like they did in 1967 .

Onu Ika Nigeria: Expanding Frontiers Of Peace And Sustainable Development[email][/email][email][/email][email][/email]
There are many ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and one of them is Ika. The people of Ika ethnic nationality are found in the Ika Federal Constituency which is made up of Ika North-East and Ika South local government areas of Delta State. There are 11 autonomous kingdoms within the ethnic nationality and each of them is headed by a traditional ruler who is the supreme custodian of the cultural heritage of his people.

As a result of the need to promote harmonious co-existence within and among the various strata or components of the Ika nation as well as to encourage the spirit of love, unity and mutual understanding of all Ika ethnic indigenes wherever they are, the Onu Ika Nigeria was formed by the progressively minded sons and daughters of Ika nation. The Onu Ika Nigeria was also formed to enhance and protect the public image of Ika people generally among others.

The vision of Onu Ika Nigeria, no doubt, is to become the mouthpiece and platform for the promotion of the interest and core values of Ika ethnic nationality and by the same vein, its mission is to promote, nurture and sustain the identity of Ika ethnic persons within the Delta North Senatorial District otherwise known as Anioma geopolitical zone of Delta State within the context of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Since the Onu Ika Nigeria was formed about 17 years ago, it has obviously lived up to its expectation in bringing the people of Ika nation together through the annual Ogwa Ika designed to provide a veritable platform where matters impacting on Ika social life, culture, tradition, education, health, progress and general welfare of sons and daughters of Ika nation are deliberated upon.

Only recently, the 14th Ogwa Ika which featured the 13th Ika Ka Mma Annual Lecture was held at the Ika National Hall, Agbor, headquarters of Ika South local government area of the state. In his goodwill message to the people of Ika nation during the ceremony, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan called on them (t

e people of Ika ethnic nationality) to use their annual gathering (‘Ogwa Ika’) as a platform for promoting greater cohesion, understanding, love and amity among the different communities in Ika land and within individual communities as well.

The governor who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, Dr. Festus Okubor, noted that the call had become necessary in view of some worrisome developments within Ika land, adding that “there is growing intra-community differences and that of kidnapping in the area”.

According to him, with the annual gathering of Ika people, differences should be narrowed, better understanding should be firmly agreed upon, methods of making youths in Ika to engage in more purposeful and productive ventures and becoming watchdogs of good conduct among themselves should be worked out while elders in individual communities could have a mechanism to leverage on this unity that ‘Ogwa Ika’ and ‘Ika Ka Mma’ annual lectures are all geared to attain.

While urging the organizers of the programme (Onu Ika Nigeria) not to relent in their efforts aimed at promoting socio-cultural, economic, environmental and educational development among the Ika people in particular and the nation in general, he said “the theme for this year’s lecture ‘Environmental Degradation: The Need to Pep up Standards for the Ika People’ is quite appropriate as it is in tandem with the environmental programme of our human capital agenda”.

Continuing, Uduaghan said “as a body, you (Onu Ika Nigeria) are in a vintage position to lead the advocacy for change of attitude towards deleterious environmental practices among our people”, adding that he was drawn to this year’s lecture because of his special interest in climate issues.

“It is my hope that at the end of this lecture, we should have succeeded in giving human face to environmental issues, empower our people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promote an understanding that even our local communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues like bush burning, deforestation, converting drainages to

waste dumps, erecting buildings on drainage channels, illegal wood logging among others”, the governor stated.

Speaking further, he said that the state government, in pursuit of its three point agenda, remained committed to sustainable development of the entire state “including the fulfillment of the traditional obligation of providing an enabling environment for the peaceful operation of the private sector, pointing out that Ika land has always been known for its disposition towards peace, industry and commercial enterprise of its sons and daughters including well respected and great farmers.

As a state and people, Governor Uduaghan said, we assure all investors that our hands remain wide open to welcome them into the state. “As a state, we have sustained all our environmental programmes which were put in place by my administration. Much has been achieved but we need all the co-operation and understanding of all our people to withstand all the ravages that climate change may bring”, the governor added.

In his remarks, the Chairman at the occasion, Chief Andrew Nwadike stated that with the intensification of oil exploration activities in various locations in Ika land, the prospects of worsening environmental degradation would be compounded. With such marginal oil fields in parts of Abavo, Agbor, Owa and Ute Okpu Kingdoms, Nwadike said, exceptional proactive measures have to be adopted in order to avoid the likely collateral environmental damages whose consequences could be both intimidating and devastating. “Let crude oil drilling in Ika land bring us peace, blessing and prosperity rather than doom and devastation”, he added.

Speaking further, the Chairman submitted that after a careful forensic audit and rigorous definition of the Ika Nation, the compound name “Ika Ibo” does not exist, saying that you are either Ika or Ibo and not both. According to him, Ika Ibo was merely coined as a protective mechanism for our brothers and sisters across the River Niger during the civil war years, adding that “the clarification becomes very compelling as a device to avoid a gross display of ignorance on the part of our children and grandchildren”.

While applauding members of Onu Ika for their resilience and passionate commitment towards sustainable socio-economic and political development of Ika land, he stressed the need for a symbiotic relationship between them (members of Onu Ika) and the political class from Ika ethnic nationality, pointing out that such a synergy would make for mutual inclusiveness and compact.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Head of the collective leadership of Onu Ika Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Usifoh said that the current leadership of Onu Ika had resolved to resuscitate the dying Ika language as one of the strategies to reinforce the unity of Ika people and clarify their opaque identity among the Anioma people and the Nigeria nation at large.

Usifoh who spoke on a number of strategic focuses of Onu Ika Nigeria, called for the reactivation of animal rearing and the planting of economic trees in Ika land even as he cautioned on the double edge effects of crude oil and gas exploration, adding that the people of Ika nation should be more security conscious.

Delivering the 13th ‘Ika Ka Mma’ annual lecture which has “Environmental Degradation: The Need to Pep up Standards for the Ika People” as its theme, an Associate Professor of Geology in Delta State University, Abraka, Edwin Ozor Adaikpoh defined environmental degradation as a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, thereby reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment.

Adaikpoh said that “this process (environmental degradation) can be entirely natural in origin or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities”, adding that many international organizations have recognized environmental degradation as one of the major threats facing the planet.

On the role of government in controlling environmental degradation, he said “government should ensure that all industries are located far away from cities; enforce strict laws for pollution control in industries as well as vehicles and ensure that all industries set up waste treatment plants”.

Continuing, the lecturer said the public should be educated on the causes and effects of environmental degradation, pointing out that it was of utmost importance for communities to ensure that Memorandum of Understanding were not violated by exploration bodies “and when cash compensation is made, the projects desired must be executed”.





THIS IS AN ARTICLE BY ONU IKA, ON THEIR ANNUAL LECTURES , AND THE WAY MAJORITY OF IKA PEOPLE AND OUR INTELLIGENSIA ,THINK OF IKA , AND SO IF IGBO PEOPLE ARE STILL DELUDING THEM SELVES THAT IKA IS IGBO , WELL GOOD LUCK TO THEM , BUT WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN , THEY WILL BE VERY DISSAPPOINTED

1. THIS article will show some ignorant people on this website that ika has oil , and agriculture , and other minerals , and a great man power that is well educated , oil has been discovered in large commercial quantities in ika land

thanks agbontean.don't mind the ignorance ridden fools. igbons...... eworo ki wuh.

"THIS IS AN ARTICLE BY ONU IKA, ON THEIR ANNUAL LECTURES , AND THE WAY MAJORITY OF IKA PEOPLE AND OUR INTELLIGENSIA ,THINK OF IKA , AND SO IF IGBO PEOPLE ARE STILL DELUDING THEM SELVES THAT IKA IS IGBO , WELL GOOD LUCK TO THEM , BUT WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN , THEY WILL BE VERY DISSAPPOINTED"

When the chips are down,Agbotaen will be disappointed.All the publishers or members of Onu Ika will turn around to proudly claim their igbo heritage or do you think the hausas,yourubas, and other tribes see you differently other than igboDo you also think they will spare you when the stakes are high?Abeg make i hear something!..Wish i knew you Agbotaen,irrespective of the fact that i am from Aniocha South,I would discriminate against you cos your ideas are just silly!.You and your kinds are the people setting us back in our Igbo speaking part of delta.I have met your type before and i was almost crucified for being a proud igbo man