LLiKYekoba:
The no 1 Ikwerre man in nigeria Wike Nyesom opened his big talkative mouth on live TV and told the world that Ikwerres are from Bini and have no consanguinity whatsover with the Igbos, yet someone is up there writing long epistles about ikwerre and their quest for survival that forced them to deny their Igbo heritage. Nonsense!

The Anioma Igbos and SE Igbos who have proudly refused to deny their heritage, did they go into extinction?

The Ikwerre issue have been conculsively dealt with, with the facts on ground- THEY ARE NOT IGBOS.

It is my opinion that they should start DELINGUINIZING themselves from the Igbo language, customs and tradition, and start RELINGUINIZING themselves with the Bini language, the language of their ancestors. To prevent any further confusion.

It's a good thing that Igbos are culturally sensitive, even if you speak Igbo fluently than Okeke or Okorie, if he must have any serious dealings with you, he will get to know where you come, down to your kindred.

An Ikwerre man who grew up in Abia state, whom I had a deal with once lied to me that he was from Arochukwu, Abia state. Foolish me couldn't investigate his claims until he swindled me of my hard earned millions. He spoke Owerri and Abia dialects very fluently.
I traced him down his village in Ikwerre, captured him like a thief and sent him to his knackers.

He knew from the onset that once he mentioned 'Ikwerre' to me, the deal was dead as dodo, as it would set alarms in my brain ringing, so he hid his true identity.

Ikwerres are not Igbos period.

Greetings, you have indirectly mentioned me in your post and I wanted to reiterate my opinion.

My Entire write up was to encourage the OP who is an Ikwerre man and his pro igbo type to be more outspoken, and not let their voices get drowned by the anti-igbo ones.

I Also tried to rationalize the beginning of this igbo denial amongst ikwerres after the war as a survival strategy, though the younger generation Ikwerres may not understand the contemporary to have emanated from such. They are just told and have understood that they are not igbos, and considering all the below the belt jabs you might get as an igbo person in nigeria, such a person might find it comfortable to retain the status quo

I also did mention that since there are no incentives per se to keeping an igbo identity within the SS, rather a person from an Igboic speaking clan in the SS is spared from the usual anti igbo rhetoric that an igbo person might get in the SS, and most importantly are allowed to hold top jobs in the oil rich niger delta without being sidelined for fear of being igbo.

I understand that this should feel hurtful to igbos, that a fellow igbo person would do such. But rather than persecute an Ikwerre man for masking his identity to successfuly pull off a business transaction in Aba, why cant igbos do things to bring their people together? To be specific what are you as an Igbo man doing to unite your own people?

As a tribe that has been balkanized as a result of the loss of the war, shouldnt it be something at the forefront of every igbo organisation to create incentivizing campaigns that would unite igbo people, so that people of of igboic decent would be compelled to wear their igbo heritage with pride?

What stops Ohanaze ndigbo from doing something like creating a football tournament for all igbo clans, where the winning team walks with 180m naira, while every other participating team receives 50m naira, or something as simple as a beauty contest for Miss Igboland with huge financial rewards and deals for the winning person and all contestants, obviously sponsors from igboland for such events are in abundance. If these things were being done, this very thread would not exist.

Do you know that Ijaws were also having issues with people of ijoid ancestry denying that they are ijaws but since the creation of Bayelsa state, the government of the state has made it a mission to throw huge money at any organisation or community that is ijaw themed and since then, every tribe around the creeks want to join the IYC, even igbo groups like ndoki people have joined, very soon Oguta people in Imo state will join and the entire igbo people are just watching.

So dont sit and rant on nairaland about igbo clans denying their igboness, do something about, Nothing stops you from announcing that beauty pageant and then go and look for sponsors, igbo and even Ikwerre people would throw money at it.