I made a mistake getting into Nairaland's Politics section past time my "Tribe is Better than Yours". I'll leave this thread with these words.

I see that Biafrans ( Ex- Lost Tribes of Israel) are looking for territories to add to the Great African Country Biafra that is yet to be, especially an oil rich one like Okoloma, the home of Ibanis. I'll do same if I were you! Happy hunting for route to the sea. You are still Land Padlocked.

mrmayor:

I made a mistake getting into Nairaland's Politics section past time my "Tribe is Better than Yours". I'll leave this thread with these words.

I see that Biafrans ( Ex- Lost Tribes of Israel) are looking for territories to add to the Great African Country Biafra that is yet to be, especially an oil rich one like Okoloma, the home of Ibanis. I'll do same if I were you! Happy hunting for route to the sea. You are still Land Padlocked.

Finally, when all the lies have collapsed like a pack of cards under scrutiny, the revisionists are defeated. But lo, they turn desperate! Their lies have finally unraveled.
But not to worry. As Ndigbo say: Ubochi isi ka akpuo afu onu!(no need worrying about shaving that bushy beard yet, we handle that on the day we shave the head!).

Onlytruth:

Finally, when all the lies have collapsed like a pack of cards under scrutiny, the revisionists are defeated. But lo, they turn desperate! Their lies have finally unraveled. ).

Every knowledgeable Nigerian knew this a long time ago but like someone pointed out earlier on ethnic groupings have been modified to political groupings thereby forcing everyone into a viable ethnic affiliation.bonny is like a mullato asked to choose one citizenship and he chose his preferred option which is either being a distinct ibani or greater IJAW.My own problem is in trying to deny the majority Igbo origin.I never had problem with Ibime's view for once.

all u guys have made me a proud igbo man once again.

kudos to my cousins in ijaw-girl, ibime et al. i admire d mutual respects despite d disagreements in opinions.

i hav enjoyed a healthy and heated but mostly rational arguments even though sentimentality is only a normal part of it. imagine if it were to be an all-comers thread, it would have lost objectivity long ago. despite all d banters, d argument continued wtout anybody loosing his/her top totally. that is kindred spirit at show. now i ask, when will d Nigerian nation be matured for ds kind of healthy debate? not that a group is actually more intelligient than the other, but we still c ourselves as strange bed fellows. if d association had been allowed to coagulate at its natural dynamics, there would have been ds same kind of understanding and mutual respect on d national level. wc is the secret recipe for national advancement.

some things hav been made clear in ds thread

1. the igbo nation is actually larger than d political recognition in map of nigeria.

2. the neighbouring ethnic groups r first cousins and not aliens as d political systems portray

3. none of d above groups is insulated or/and isolated from d other

4. none of d above can succeed with any national cause wtout d backing of the others

based on the above premises, i can reasonably put it forward that the best bet for ndigbo and south-south is recognise their inseperability irrespective of whatever insensitive geo-political groupings may be in place. based on that, it will be easier for them to push for a national constitutional conference together where the existing unfavourable federalism structure can be renegotiated for a fully autonomous states or regional governments. then, issues like state creation, resource control, marginalization, federal allocation problems, quota system and many other unnecessary agitations will be put to final rest. in fact. healthy rivalry will b the order of the day and regions will be forced to make alliances as it suit their common interests with mutual respect to the way of lives of their people. the new nation will be made to grow from a nucleus to a mega-structure at its own pace against the uncomfortable and fake composite that will hardly develop despite all jump-startings. that is the picture of a true federal republic.

umu nnam', ekene m' unu!

mrmayor:

I made a mistake getting into Nairaland's Politics section past time my "Tribe is Better than Yours". I'll leave this thread with these words.

I see that Biafrans ( Ex- Lost Tribes of Israel) are looking for territories to add to the Great African Country Biafra that is yet to be, especially an oil rich one like Okoloma, the home of Ibanis. I'll do same if I were you! Happy hunting for route to the sea. You are still Land Padlocked.

LOL

igbo majority, Igbo founders, King Edward. A. W. Dappa Pepple William Dappa III, Perekeule XI,  igbo descent
What matters is what the natives of Bonny consider themselves

Onlytruth:



Nah bro! Here's how I leave it:

(1) Igbo founded or co-founded Bonny and Opobo.
(2) Both have Igbo kings in their lineage.
(3) Majority of Bonny inhabitants speak a form of Igbo language and have Igbo ancestry (accepted by both parties).

Since Igbos are the majority in the WHOLE East, chances are that Bonny was actually founded ONLY by the Igbo as was recorded by all the pre-colonization books referenced.

There is no way a minority tribe of 4 million can lord over a majority tribe of 33 million. It was only briefly possible because Igbo lost the civil war. The post civil war history has already cheated Ndigbo enough. That cheating will not continue. In fact it is already dying a natural death with this huge expose on this thread. So, anyone still thinking of removing Igbo claims to Bonny and Opobo better think twice. 

No one will force Ijaw out of both towns, but Ijaw must forget about forcing Igbo out of both towns.

My last post on this thread
It was fun while it lasted


Abagorogo and co said Igbo is the first language of bonny and Opobo pple-I guess these dayz igbo pple think if you speak igbo-you are igbo
Igbo is just a common language of communication in parts of Bonny
Every Ibani man will tell you Ibani is his Language

I guess the parts of Bonny where the pple speak igbo will be igboland
and the part where they speak Ibani will be Ijaw land 

the Igbo language is spoken in the Northern/west part of Bonny
the part that faces Portharcourt/andoni
while the Southern part of bonny faces the South Alantic Ocean
where Majority of Ibani speakers reside-Finima, Iyama, Kalaibiama
the most important part $$$$

ow11:

I conceded that we are cousins and did not know that even the Amayanabo of Okrika had Igbo ancestry.

Igbo chiefs in Nembe and Okrika can and have become Amanyanabo.

The only exception is Ibani and Kalabari where Perekule and Amakiri families hog the Amanyanaboship amongst their lineage.

As long people understand that Port Harcourt the most important town in the Niger Delta, the town I was raised is safely under Igbo authority.

mrmayor:

I made a mistake getting into Nairaland's Politics section past time my "Tribe is Better than Yours". I'll leave this thread with these words.

Yeah, once the fairytale you were told was proved to be untrue, you ran away in shame, typical brainwashed man.

mrmayor:

I see that Biafrans ( Ex- Lost Tribes of Israel) are looking for territories to add to the Great African Country Biafra that is yet to be, especially an oil rich one like Okoloma, the home of Ibanis. I'll do same if I were you! Happy hunting for route to the sea. You are still Land Padlocked.

ijaw_girl:

the Igbo language is spoken in the Northern/west part of Bonny
the part that faces Portharcourt/andoni
while the Southern part of bonny faces the South Alantic Ocean
where Majority of Ibani speakers reside-Finima, Iyama, Kalaibiama
the most important part $$$$

What still surprises me is how some folks reason. The issue of Bonny is not about oil or resources but it’s about the truth. We’re all educated and matured enough to do independent research to unravel the truth in a contentious issue like this.

Anyway, Anambra or Enugu people do not benefit from the oil in Abia State because it does not belong to them but they are all Igbos. So how will the oil in Bonny benefit someone in Enugu State? Whether Bonny is Igbo or Ibani, the resources in their land belong to them alone; so how does denying your Igboness essential to keeping your resources? Common sense should prevail!

Obiagu1:

Yeah, once the fairytale you’ve been told was proved to be untrue, you ran away in shame, typical brainwashed man.



What still surprises me is how some folks reason. The issue of Bonny is not about oil or resources but it’s about the truth. We’re all educated and matured enough to do independent research to unravel the truth in a contentious issue like this.

Anyway, Anambra or Enugu people do not benefit from the oil in Abia State because it does not belong to them but they are all Igbos. So how will the oil in Bonny benefit someone in Enugu State? Whether Bonny is Igbo or Ibani, the resources in their land belongs to them alone; so how does denying your Igboness essential to keeping your resources? Common sense should prevail!

Obiagu1,

Thank you. This thread is about unraveling the truth about Igbo influence and cultural, as well as, trade expansion within Nigeria. However, too many pedestrian minds hold the view that any exercise to undo the lies of the Nigerian government propaganda machine during the Biafra-Nigeria War is simply an exercise in search of oil.

Unfortunately, this oil-centric worldview has done more harm to its subscribers than good. The fact is that Alaigbo has oil - no question. So, I don't see how a thread about defining the extent of Alaigbo becomes a clandestine effort at oil exploration. Laughable.

On the issue of being landlocked. Again, this is a vestige of Federal Nigeria's inferior but welcoming (to the most gullible of course) propaganda tool. One of the most significant, though unfortunate, trades within the last 400 years in the Niger-Delta was the slave trade. Clearly, the slave trade was the first form of large-scale international/maritime trade in the Niger-Delta, and access to the sea was necessary to carry out this trade. Well, how is it that a "landlocked" group was able to dominate the trade to the extent that their people (think King Jaja of Opobo) and their language (think Bonny Igbo) overwhelmed the entire coastal regions of the Niger-Delta. The way some simpletons cry "landlocked" here, one would think that the "Eboes" would have found it terribly difficult to participate in this maritime trade of international scale. But did it? Of course it didn't!

The fact is that no amount of lies can stop a group determined to succeed in a given form of business. Post-Biafra, the squeamish cries of "landlocked" have no immediate military connotations, rather they point to some sort of economic/commercial disadvantage. Well, I don't see how this ill-informed "landlocked" view has negatively impacted Igbo commerce, economics or trade, before now or how it will in the future.

Thank you.

Doing some research on the Igbo-Idoma connexion!

Will post soon.

Let's leave the Bonny and Opobo inhabitants to decide where they are from. That is what matters after all. To gradually start closing this thread let's leave it at this: Igboland's boundaries end where Igbo communities end, and Igbo communities are those that identify as such. This is fair, I think.

ijaw_girl:

Abagorogo and co said Igbo is the first language of bonny and Opobo pple-I guess these dayz igbo pple think if you speak igbo-you are igbo
Igbo is just a common language of communication in parts of Bonny
Every Ibani man will tell you Ibani is his Language

I guess the parts of Bonny where the pple speak igbo will be igboland
and the part where they speak Ibani will be Ijaw land  

the Igbo language is spoken in the Northern/west part of Bonny
the part that faces Portharcourt/andoni
while the Southern part of bonny faces the South Alantic Ocean
where Majority of Ibani speakers reside-Finima, Iyama, Kalaibiama
the most important part $$$$

Still beats me how someone with a paternal grandfather who has an Igbo name, speaks Igbo(some form of it), and has many cultures similar to those of Igbos will suddendly turn around and mount a baseless campaign to show that he's not Igbo.
Being Igbo used to be quite detrimental to people's lives, I understand, but don't worry folks, the war ended a long time ago.

Deleted

A democracy is where the will of the majority is carried out, but the interest of the minority is rigorously protected.

ijaw_girl:

My last post on this thread
It was fun while it lasted


Abagorogo and co said Igbo is the first language of bonny and Opobo pple-I guess these dayz igbo pple think if you speak igbo-you are igbo
Igbo is just a common language of communication in parts of Bonny
Every Ibani man will tell you Ibani is his Language

I guess the parts of Bonny where the pple speak igbo will be igboland
and the part where they speak Ibani will be Ijaw land 

the Igbo language is spoken in the Northern/west part of Bonny
the part that faces Portharcourt/andoni
while the Southern part of bonny faces the South Alantic Ocean
where Majority of Ibani speakers reside-Finima, Iyama, Kalaibiama
the most important part $$$$

I do not have time for abuses for it is a move of desperation when facts become elusive.

@ow11


I have no intention to make mockery of any group or groups of people in Nigeria. However, I have to make sure that history is used to confront those persons who are bent in distortion of recorded events to suit their ridiculous ends.

Fact: There was no ethnic group called Ijo. The Portuguese had described certain people they met at the islands of Rio Real as Jos. This Jos, people of the river, metamorphosed into Ijo.

Fact: Kalabari is not Igbo, Ijo, Ibibio, Ogoni, Annang or Efik. It is a derivative of Portuguese name of Calabarie given to section of Rio Real. Calabarie later became Calabar and New Calabar respectively. The migrants from Obu Amafo founded Elem Calabarie (Elem Kalabari) also known as New Calabar.

Fact: Ende and Opu-koro-ye jointly founded Elem Kalabari (New Calabar) or New Calabarie. Today Emdeme and Korome wards survived in Kabalari. King Kamalu emerged from korome house and was survived by his son King Owerre Daba.

Fact: There was no group of people original called Brass. However, Europeans called the island brass because of brass sheet used by indigenes in making of salt.

Fact: The canoe people are porters to the European explorers and settled in Rio Real. The so-called Ijo language had been associated with Ga people of lower Volta region in Gold Coast.

Fact: Ubani=Culeba=Bani=Bony was founded by people from Azuogo, Ndoki-Azumini. The people was led by Alagbara anglicized Nwagbara.

ezeagu:

Let's leave the Bonny and Opobo inhabitants to decide where they are from. That is what matters after all. To gradually start closing this thread let's leave it at this: Igboland's boundaries end where Igbo communities end, and Igbo communities are those that identify as such. This is fair, I think.

Ordinarily, one would not fault the bolded words. But we are dealing with a peculiar problem (sort of). You can make that argument if there had not been a Nigeria/Biafra war which Ndigbo led and lost. That fact alone led to about half of Igbo peoples denouncing their lineage. So, that argument is not only impractical in this context, but plays into the hands of the victors/revisionists. The case of Bonny Igbo being railroaded into speaking Ibani in schools is just one. There have been several others.
One of the attributes that distinguishes a nation/tribe/people is their ability to keep accurate information about themselves. Such information gathering and maintenance is key to the survival of such tribe.

Normally, this topic should not even arise at all, after all, we are supposed to be ONE people by virtue of our history and heavy intermarriage. This topic shouldn't even arise at all. But we have a situation where our neighbor keeps trying to tell us that we have no sea access, even when we have information which proves that they were recent immigrants to those sea access lands. How else do we explain, for instance, that a people who migrated to areas bordering with, and were frequented by a huge tribe, have been systematically gnawing at the neighbors lands even while retaining the neighbors language of trade, only to turn around to claim a different tribe?

If the Ijaw share a political destiny (as they should) with the Igbo, why would anyone remind them how they came?
Is it our fault that European slave merchants brought them, or that the Oba of Benin was a mean dude and they had to flee from him?
So, like I've said before, we are all Easterners and must necessarily share one destiny. But, when anyone tries to be mean and stab Igbo in the back for whatever reasons, then, we owe no such persons any kindness.

If left to their own devises, even some Ngwa people will claim not to be Igbo, because we still have Nigeria with her civil war issues. That is what we are fighting here.

^^
And that brings me back to the British again!
I have often wondered how the British came to create the regions. Now, after reading some of these pre-colonial accounts of the peoples of Niger delta, I can now understand why the Eastern region came about and the factors that shaped it. I used to wonder why the East did not go beyond Bayelsa state. I can now understand why more.

Biafra has little to nothing to do with the "fragmentation" we are witnessing. So why are people so eager to keep revisiting the topic?

Onlytruth:

Ordinarily, one would not fault the bolded words. But we are dealing with a peculiar problem (sort of). You can make that argument if there had not been a Nigeria/Biafra war which Ndigbo led and lost. That fact alone led to about half of Igbo peoples denouncing their lineage. So, that argument is not only impractical in this context, but plays into the hands of the victors/revisionists. The case of Bonny Igbo being railroaded into speaking Ibani in schools is just one. There have been several others.
One of the attributes that distinguishes a nation/tribe/people is their ability to keep accurate information about themselves. Such information gathering and maintenance is key to the survival of such tribe.

Normally, this topic should not even arise at all, after all, we are supposed to be ONE people by virtue of our history and heavy intermarriage. This topic shouldn't even arise at all. But we have a situation where our neighbor keeps trying to tell us that we have no sea access, even when we have information which proves that they were recent immigrants to those sea access lands. How else do we explain, for instance, that a people who migrated to areas bordering with, and were frequented by a huge tribe, have been systematically gnawing at the neighbors lands even while retaining the neighbors language of trade, only to turn around to claim a different tribe?

If the Ijaw share a political destiny (as they should) with the Igbo, why would anyone remind them how they came?
Is it our fault that European slave merchants brought them, or that the Oba of Benin was a mean dude and they had to flee from him?
So, like I've said before, were are all Easterners and must necessarily share one destiny. But, when anyone tries to be mean and stab Igbo in the back for whatever reasons, then, we owe no such persons any kindness.

If left to their own devises, even some Ngwa people will claim not to be Igbo, because we still have Nigeria with her civil war issues. That is what we are fighting here.

A lot of the posts on this thread have been most informative, prompting at times pauses for reflection on the politics and the fears that have shaped Nigeria, post-Biafra. But now and then, some comments interlace these well thought out posts and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. The bolded, for instance, is one of such distasteful comments.

@ Onlytruth, on what do you base your assertion which I have highlighted? I ask this not only because I find the comment patronising, as it insinuates that the Ngwa as a group are kept by somebody from exercising their freewill, but also because it almost whiffs of ignorance by stating that some Ngwa would rather not be Igbo if given the choice by whoever decides for them what their identity must be.

As an Ngwa man, I find the bolded to be divisive and actually offensive, given that it's coming from somebody who should know much better.

ezeagu:

Let's leave the Bonny and Opobo inhabitants to decide where they are from. That is what matters after all. To gradually start closing this thread let's leave it at this: Igboland's boundaries end where Igbo communities end, and Igbo communities are those that identify as such. This is fair, I think.

The issue of Igboland boundary isn't really an issue to begin with (or at least, it shouldn't be), because anyone familiar with the socio-political dynamics of Nigeria today, would know that [s]he cannot overstretch Igboland boundaries to Bonny and Opobo.

beneli:

A lot of the posts on this thread have been most informative, prompting at times pauses for reflection on the politics and the fears that have shaped Nigeria, post-Biafra. But now and then, some comments interlace these well thought out posts and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. The bolded, for instance, is one of such distasteful comments.

@ Onlytruth, on what do you base your assertion which I have highlighted? I ask this not only because I find the comment patronising, as it insinuates that the Ngwa as a group are kept by somebody from exercising their freewill, but also because it almost whiffs of ignorance by stating that some Ngwa would rather not be Igbo if given the choice by whoever decides for them what their identity must be.

As an Ngwa man, I find the bolded to be divisive and actually offensive, given that it's coming from somebody who should know much better.

Thank You, Dee, for this entire post.

Onlytruth has the habit of making nonsesical comments once in a while.

ChinenyeN:

Biafra has little to nothing to do with the "fragmentation" we are witnessing. So why are people so eager to keep revisiting the topic?

Not sure it is entirley true though even though i feel civil war is a better word.If you really mix with a few people around the disputed axis you will understand.

beneli:

A lot of the posts on this thread have been most informative, prompting at times pauses for reflection on the politics and the fears that have shaped Nigeria, post-Biafra. But now and then, some comments interlace these well thought out posts and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. The bolded, for instance, is one of such distasteful comments.

@ Onlytruth, on what do you base your assertion which I have highlighted? I ask this not only because I find the comment patronising, as it insinuates that the Ngwa as a group [/b]are kept by somebody from exercising their freewill, but also because it almost whiffs of ignorance by stating that some Ngwa would rather not be Igbo if given the choice by whoever decides for them what their identity must be.

As an Ngwa man, I find the bolded to be divisive and actually offensive, given that it's coming from somebody who should know much better.

My comment was informed by [b]ChinenyeN who has spent much of his time on nairaland trying to prove that Ngwa is a distinct ethnic group. If you choose to turn a blind eye to his comments, why do you suddenly wake up to mine? I said "some Ngwa", didn't I?

I stand by my comment 100%.  

People cannot change their ethnicity whimsically. That is dishonesty.

Asha, what I meant was that these 'fractions' existed long before the civil war, and they've been relatively in place before, during and especially afterwards. Granted, the civil war heightened the intensity of the 'fraction', but the way a lot of people write, they make it seem as if they're blaming the existence of such 'fractional' sentiment, solely on the civil war, and that's where I disagree.

Onlytruth:

My comment was informed by ChinenyeN who has spent much of his time on nairaland trying to prove that Ngwa is a distinct ethnic group. If you choose to turn a blind eye to his comments, why do you suddenly wake up to mine? I said "some Ngwa", didn't I?

I stand by my comment 100%.  

People cannot change their ethnicity whimsically. That is dishonesty.

Here you go again. . . and you're telling a half-truth, here.

asha 80:

Onlytruth has the habit of making nonsesical comments once in a while.

Not sure it is entirley true though even though i feel civil war is a better word.If you really mix with a few people around the disputed axis you will understand.

So what is nonsensical in my comments? Isn't it the same thing you just observed here? Biafra or civil war,what is the difference?

Please clarify yourself before I take it personal.

Onlytruth:

So what is nonsensical in my comments? Isn't it the same thing you just observed here? Biafra or civil war,what is the difference?

Please clarify yourself before I take it personal.

Taking it personal will not make any difference.Initially when Chinenye was making those claims you are talking about i was also a bit riled up but i was curious enough to seat back and digest where he is coming from and his growing up experience to understand that the real issue is his mindset is a bit like our grand fathers and even our father's who sort of viewed each other differently.Though i really disagreed with him in this thread

Okay which other ngwa person have you seen talk the way he talks?Do you know the number of ngwa people that post in politics section let alone nairaland?What is the difference between him and that Onicha girl on culture section.

asha 80:

Taking it personal will not make any difference.Initially when Chinenye was making those claims you are talking about i was also a bit riled up but i was curious enough to seat back and digest where he is coming from and his growing up experience to understand that the real issue is his mindset is a bit like our grand fathers and even our father's who sort of viewed each other differently.Though i really disagreed with him in this thread

Okay which other ngwa person have you seen talk the way he talks?Do you know the number of ngwa people that post in politics section let alone nairaland?What is the difference between him and that Onicha girl on culture section.

That does not make my comment nonsensical.

I understand your point @ bolded, but ChinenyeN is not an illiterate; in fact, he is quite very educated and makes cunning comments which can have serious ramifications if left unchallenged.
I would have completely ignored him if he were semi-literate.

I would admit that because this is an internet forum, you cannot tell anyone what to say, however, other non-interested readers should not be left with a false impression or information.

You cannot change your ethnicity to suit your schemes. That is dishonesty of the worst kind.
Other Ngwas should rein ChinenyeN in. Period.

Meanwhile I'm moving on.

@Onlytruth: Biko, calm down Nwannem. I and Chinenye has gone through that pathway in the past, but we both agreed that his views does not reflect the views of the entire Ngwa people.
@Asha: It is disrespectful to say that his post was nonsensical.
Our deliberation on the extent of AlaIgbo has been too long. At this juncture, me thinks we should look into the injustice done to Igbo people and Igbo language in Rivers state. For example, why is Igbo language not thought in schools in Rivers state especially Igbo speaking areas?.
Why is there no Igbo language news on NTA Port Harcourt?

Andre Uweh:

@Onlytruth: Biko, calm down Nwannem. I and Chinenye has gone through that pathway in the past, but we both agreed that his views does not reflect the views of the entire Ngwa people.
@Asha: It is disrespectful to say that his post was nonsensical.
Our deliberation on the extent of AlaIgbo has been too long. At this juncture, me thinks we should look into the justice done to Igbo people and Igbo language in Rivers state. For example, why is Igbo language not thought in schools in Rivers state especially Igbo speaking areas?.
Why is there no Igbo language news on NTA Port Harcourt?

Hmm are you sure about that?In ikwerre facebook page the complaint i saw there is that igbo is what is taught in schools and not ikwerre.

asha 80:

Hmm are you sure about that?In ikwerre facebook page the complaint i saw there is that igbo is what is taught in schools and not ikwerre.

Pls can i have a link to this page?