Bkayyy:

Palm wine is tapped in the riverine part of the community after which the diochi brings it out to the land on a canoe to the buyers.

They don't buy fresh palm wine (nkwụ enu) from the diochi on land but on canoe.
This is a basic Igbo stuff any Igbo man knows.

I believe SlayerForever and Co knows that

Ose is littered from behind metallurgical institute onitsha.. Along the onitsha owerri Road.. Town's like oba akwuukwu, oraifite, ozubulu okija all have ose along this route.. Anytime I travel to Nnewi, I usually go to Ose oba.. I have forgotten the name of the Ose its behind one filling station after rojenny whr all those trucks park along the road.. That is where they sell undiluted ngwo.... After oba junction before idemili there is another Ose.. The entrance is at That spot where road safety stand... They sell nkwu enu. In this particular Ose..

Bkayyy:

And do they use the water or scared of it?

By the way, what the heck is "put on my reading glasses?"

What is this?

It seems you have short term memory

Are they not living far off from the shore of River Niger?
How many kilometers before you see settlements in both towns?

JavaScript90:
Alex what you are saying is very myopic. Most communities in igboland have swimmable water bodies. In oguta lga only izombe does not have 'swimmable' water body. The rest of the 35+ communities that make up the local government have left large water bodies. Like wise ohaji/egbema LGA. All egbema communities have water bodies. In fact, most communities in igboland have water bodies and swimming is a NORM. Maybe you come from enugu because it is the only State in igboland that I can't associate with Rivers

How much number of the population lives in this rural communities compared to millennia Igbos born and raised in cities with flats and others born outside Igboland, population of rural dwellers are diminishing, it is not just Enugu, it is not about having swimmable waters, most part of Igboland has it, the issue is that most people live in cities and in most part of Igboland, parents does not allow children to go near any body of water deeper than 10 feet.

Igboid:
But there are many riverine Igbo groups.
We call them the Oru/Olu.
The Ogbaru that live by the River Niger, the Oguta by Oguta lake, the Enuani and live along river Niger too.
The Ndokis live by the banks of Imo blue river.
The Omambala who live by Anambra river

All these Igbo clans had all developed riverine culture and are not scared of the River.

Part of the reason Ndiigbo avoided riverine terrain down south is that those Waters were mosquito infested those days and hence living there came with high infant mortality.
Igbos valued farm work, especially Yam cultivation, a man's wealth was measured by his yam barn. You need children growing into adulthood to provide you with labor to farm, living in riverine areas would mean you don't get much of your children growing into adulthood.

Look at the riverine areas of Igboland, they are the most most sparsely populated areas of Igboland.
In Anambra look at the Omambala areas in Anambra East, Anambra West and Ayamelum LGAs. They are very sparsely populated.
Same with Ogbaru areas, except the areas around Okpoko that has become part of Onitsha metro.
In Anioma, look at Ukwuani people who live in swampy lands, they are the least populated.

Look at Bayelsa population.
Very sparse.

Igbo ancestors avoided riverine areas because of the diseases and high infant mortality they brought.

This is very very true. I believe it was Laird or Lander, I can't remember exactly who documented the diseases of people around the Niger" in 1820s or something like that. He first documented the diseases he encountered and reckoned that areas in Igbo hinterland was cleaner, healthier and neater... while those on the banks of the rivers and the water/canoe dwelling tribes like Ijos and the coastal inhabitants of New calabar suffered from a lot of tropical diseases and high infant mortality because of mosquitoes and other water related diseases.

The white men could not conquer Africa for a long time because the diseases kill them first even before the people kill the remaining ones weakened by mosquitoe borne diseases. The discovery of quinine marked the victory of Europe over Africa, especially the sub-sahara.

As for the Igbos, you are correct, the water dwelling Igbos were called Orus or Olus. The place names still exist all over those areas. and they were very influential in shaping those areas.

The Oru dieties were adopted by other coastal tribes. Around Bayelsa and Rivers. Once, you hear Oru this or Oru that, it's based off of the water diety*. Especially in amongst Engenni, Urhobo, Ijaw etc.

and for the OP, Alexbells, he talks with so much misinformation. That's what you get when you do no research before talking about something you know nothing about.

Ogbuefi2020:
Igbos hated water since ancient times. Igala and Nupe controlled river niger deep into igboland. Onitsha was an igala fishing camp, obosi and others who owned the place live far from the shore. Igalas transported onitsha and oguta from Illah. if you check the map you will see that asaba is some distance away from the niger. If you live near water in igboland you will earn a derogatory name "mbammiri". Apart from water with it's magroves, we also hate the Savannah vegetation. The natural habitat of the igbos is the Rain Forest which is where palm tree flourish. Our main occupation is gathering and processing Forest products, we were not into fishing or cultivation of arable lands

Chaii another low budget historian. With empty head induced history.... Your ancestors didn't farm the land mine did... Up till now. My father and every member of my community in Nnewi who own land still farm.. They pay laborers to farm nowadays.. Unlike wen I was growing up wen I dreaded rainy season because of constant farming... I had to run to boarding school...


Innoson... Gabros.. Emenike the owner of tummy tummy noodles still farm.. I don't want to mention commercial farmers like coscharis..

Ekealterego:


This is very very true. I believe it was Laird or Lander, I can't remember exactly who documented the diseases of people around the Niger" in 1820s or something like that. He first documented the diseases he encountered and reckoned that areas in Igbo hinterland was cleaner, healthier and neater... while those on the banks of the rivers and the water/canoe dwelling tribes like Ijos and the coastal inhabitants of New calabar suffered from a lot of tropical diseases and high infant mortality because of mosquitoes and other water related diseases.

The white men could not conquer Africa for a long time because the diseases kill them first even before the people kill the remaining ones weakened by mosquitoe borne diseases. The discovery of quinine marked the victory of Europe over Africa, especially the sub-sahara.

As for the Igbos, you are correct, the water dwelling Igbos were called Orus or Olus. The place names still exist all over those areas. and they were very influential in shaping those areas.

The Oru dieties were adopted by other coastal tribes. Around Bayelsa and Rivers. Once, you hear Oru this or Oru that, it's based off of the water dirty. Especially in amongst Engenni, Urhobo, Ijaw etc.

and for the OP, Alexbells, he talks with so much misinformation. That's what you get when you do no research before talking about something you know nothing about.

I'm this scenario, I did state my observation, the best you can do is come up with intelligent arguments and not act with complex like the observation holds no validity, he had a point which buttressed my observations and how then can you attest to the point he raised in support of my observations but made my observations seem totally invalid, you are nothing short of blind mischievously ignorant

AlexBells:

How much number of the population lives in this rural communities compared to millennia Igbos born and raised in cities with flats and others born outside Igboland, population of rural dwellers are diminishing, it is not just Enugu, it is not about having swimmable waters, most part of Igboland has it, the issue is that most people live in cities and in most part of Igboland, parents does not allow children to go near any body of water deeper than 10 feet.

This particular issue you are talking about here is a national problem not an igbo problem. People fear that their children will drawn and that is normal. Even my grandmother do don't like us(I and my siblings) going to the river when we come back for holidays. But it is a NORM for the entire village youths including youths from neighbouring izombe to come to our river to swin.
So you are absolutely very wrong. Igbo population from the cities migrated from the village. And in igbo villages with water bodies, swimming is a peer pressure stuff. You must gather in the stream to wash, bath,fish and catch fun .

The picture attached below was taken in 2016. I was already feeling like a big boy so I didn't want to enter water lol.
I might create a counter thread for this

chiefobdk2:


Chaii another low budget historian. With empty head induced history.... Your ancestors didn't farm the land mine did... Up till now. My father and every member of my community in Nnewi who own land still farm.. They pay laborers to farm nowadays.. Unlike wen I was growing up wen I dreaded rainy season because of constant farming... I had to run to boarding school...


Innoson... Gabros.. Emenike the owner of tummy tummy noodles still farm.. I don't want to mention commercial farmers like coscharis..

I didn't say that igbos didn't farm but farming was not the main occupation since forested areas with poor soil and dense population is unsuitable for farming. The main farming tribes in Nigeria live in the sparsely populated Savannah region. Igala, tiv, jukun, gwari etc

AlexBells:

How much number of the population lives in this rural communities compared to millennia Igbos born and raised in cities with flats and others born outside Igboland, population of rural dwellers are diminishing, it is not just Enugu, it is not about having swimmable waters, most part of Igboland has it, the issue is that most people live in cities and in most part of Igboland, parents does not allow children to go near any body of water deeper than 10 feet.

You need to get your line of thoughts and arguments together. First you said Igbos are aquabophic in a historical context, then when you were proven wrong, you switched to saying you are referring to children living in flats in the cities.

Brother, is it not common sense that if did not learn how to swim from childhood or at any point, that one should not go into a large water body? Now, Nigerian cities are just a disappointment, there are not enough swimming pools where people are taught how to swim. For many kids in the past, going to the village to swim was one of the highlights of their holidays.

Check this is Afikpo. see how massive this water body is and you can see children swimming inside.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvoI88aLzOU

JavaScript90:

This particular issue you are talking about here is a national problem not an igbo problem. People fear that their children will drawn and that is normal. Even my grandmother do don't like us(I and my siblings) going to the river when we come back for holidays. But it is a NORM for the entire village youths including youths from neighbouring izombe to come to our river to swin.
So you are absolutely very wrong. Igbo population from the cities migrated from the village. And in igbo villages with water bodies, swimming is a peer pressure stuff. You must gather in the stream to wash, bath,fish and catch fun .

The picture attached below was taken in 2016. I was already feeling like a big boy so I didn't want to enter water lol.
I might create a counter thread for this

You are making your studies with a flawed sample, in fact most Igbo city dwellers did not migrate to the cities but majority of the millennial kids were born and raised in the cities, if you migrated from the village then you belong to the lucky generations but most other Igbos born between 1995 to present was born in the cities or spent better part of their childhood in the cities,

I know some of my friends in Enugu, they were born here and some from Anambra they had never visited home since they were born, so take account of more samples and this your village even have a culture rutted in the waters and your village does not represent up to 1% of AlaIgbo so how do you use your village as a Yardstick.

Even if you look at the responses here, you would figure out that while I'm from Nsukka there others from Anioma which supported my observations so in this case, my observations is way far more valid than your village account

Ekealterego:


You need to get your line of thoughts and arguments together. First you said Igbos are aquabophic in a historical context, then when you were proven wrong, you switched to saying you are referring to children living in flats in the cities.

Brother, is it not common sense that if did not learn how to swim from childhood or at any point, that one should not go into a large water body? Now, Nigerian cities are just a disappointment, there are not enough swimming pools where people are taught how to swim. For many kids in the past, going to the village to swim was one of the highlights of their holidays.

Check this is Afikpo. see how massive this water body is and you can see children swimming inside.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvoI88aLzOU

Are you not exactly stating what I said, look at that fine, large water bodies, no highrise near it, are you trying to tell me that if that water was in Lagos or let's say Florida that it would remain that way all these while, why are estates developers not going there, why would it be that single tourist and that rickety canoe sailing it, abeg you people should not be picking holes in your own argument

AlexBells:

You are making your studies with a flawed sample, in fact most Igbo city dwellers did not migrate to the cities but majority of the millennial kids were born and raised in the cities, if you migrated from the village then you belong to the lucky generations but most other Igbos born between 1995 to present was born in the cities or spent better part of their childhood in the cities,

I know some of my friends in Enugu, they were born here and some from Anambra they had never visited home since they were born, so take account of more samples and this your village even have a culture rutted in the waters and your village does not represent up to 1% of AlaIgbo so how do you use your village as a Yardstick.

Even if you look at the responses here, you would figure out that while I'm from Nsukka there others from Anioma which supported my observations so in this case, my observations is way far more valid than your village account

I was actually born at obiakpor egbema but when I was still 2 years old my father was transferred to the aba branch of the now defunct Savannah bank. As you can see I lived and spent my life in aba City but as a normal tradition for every igbos, we visit home every year for Christmas. Now most igbos born in the city comes back during Xmas and learns how to swin in the village. This is something normal for every igbo child during Christmas

Ogbuefi2020:

I didn't say that igbos didn't farm but farming was not the main occupation since forested areas with poor soil and dense population is unsuitable for farming. The main farming tribes in Nigeria live in the sparsely populated Savannah region. Igala, tiv, jukun, gwari etc

You are dense.
Igbos didn't farm you said, so how did you think we fed our massive population?
You think you can feed millions on just fruits?

Igala, Tiv, Jukuns and gwari were Minorities for a reason.
They didn't have enough to feed their people.
Heavy population can only be sustained by food security.
Ndiigbo had that and the population balooned.

JavaScript90:

I was actually born at obiakpor egbema but when I was still 2 years old my father was transferred to the aba branch of the now defunct Savannah bank. As you can see I lived and spent my life in aba City but as a normal tradition for every igbos, we visit home every year for Christmas. Now most igbos born in the city comes back during Xmas and learns how to swin in the village. This is something normal for every igbo child during Christmas

What about those who spend way less time and we are talking about water here, just becuase you are assimilated enough to learn swimming within that short period does not mean everyone else should or could,

There is also apparent discrimination usually between city kids and country side kids, majority of kids who come back find it practically hard to assimilate instantly and most time during Christmas, that's not the best time to learn anything in the village becuase no one really has time then everywhere is simply hot

AlexBells:

Are you not exactly stating what I said, look at that fine, large water bodies, no highrise near it, are you trying to tell me that if that water was in Lagos or let's say Florida that it would remain that way all these while, why are estates developers not going there, why would it be that single tourist and that rickety canoe sailing it, abeg you people should not be picking holes in your own argument

This Is Ehugbo/Afikpo town and a big town for that matter and there is a massive beach developed there.

Secondly, What other city in Nigeria do you have highrise close to the water except for Lagos? Again, in terms of building development, there is a massive difference between building development by sea salt water ocean bordered water bodies and fresh water rivers.

The land is usually marshy and do not make for a great sites for building and it costs a lot because you will need more money for foundations and the houses will generally not last as long. Except if you use wood for the construction.

Secondly there is problem of road construction etc.

From an environmental POV, those marshes near rivers are great source of biodiversity. it is generally good to be left alone.
Note, I don't mean smaller streams or smaller rivers.

Again, I don't think you know how this works... People, allover the worl

Ekealterego:


This Is Ehugbo/Afikpo town and a big town for that matter and there is a massive beach developed there.

Secondly, What other city in Nigeria do you have highrise close to the water except for Lagos? Again, in terms of building development, there is a massive difference between building development by sea salt water ocean bordered water bodies and fresh water rivers.

The land is usually marshy and do not make for a great sites for building and it costs a lot because you will need more money for foundations and the houses will generally not last as long. Except if you use wood for the construction.

Secondly there is problem of road construction etc.

From an environmental POV, those marshes near rivers are great source of biodiversity. it is generally good to be left alone.
Note, I don't mean smaller streams or smaller rivers.

Again, I don't think you know how this works... People, allover the worl

Keep giving me all that scientific and civil engineering crap why people shouldn't live near waters, did your great grand father know about Bio diversify and all the advanced stuff you are saying, whatever the soil feature is, there is solution to it if people are really determined to live there, so however you put it, the situation up there is glaring that we would first give 1000 reason why we shouldn't live near waters than give one reason why we should and that looks like what mass phobia would do

Op I don't think u are right am igbo when we are little kids we usually do go swimming in the small river in our village after fetching water from a spring nearby almost every kid back then in my community knows how to swim.

AlexBells:

Hmmm are you serious, well then you are not in touch with reality honestly about 75% of Igbo population can't swim, that would be the highest of any other nationality South of Nigeria

Stop the lies, that isn't true, biko. Mr statistics . Me self as I'm big, I love the water and my mom's village is filled with all sorts of water bodies, and if you move on a hill in my area you can see the ocean at the far end. So all this is bunkers.

Ekealterego:


This is very very true. I believe it was Laird or Lander, I can't remember exactly who documented the diseases of people around the Niger" in 1820s or something like that. He first documented the diseases he encountered and reckoned that areas in Igbo hinterland was cleaner, healthier and neater... while those on the banks of the rivers and the water/canoe dwelling tribes like Ijos and the coastal inhabitants of New calabar suffered from a lot of tropical diseases and high infant mortality because of mosquitoes and other water related diseases.

The white men could not conquer Africa for a long time because the diseases kill them first even before the people kill the remaining ones weakened by mosquitoe borne diseases. The discovery of quinine marked the victory of Europe over Africa, especially the sub-sahara.

As for the Igbos, you are correct, the water dwelling Igbos were called Orus or Olus. The place names still exist all over those areas. and they were very influential in shaping those areas.

The Oru dieties were adopted by other coastal tribes. Around Bayelsa and Rivers. Once, you hear Oru this or Oru that, it's based off of the water diety*. Especially in amongst Engenni, Urhobo, Ijaw etc.

and for the OP, Alexbells, he talks with so much misinformation. That's what you get when you do no research before talking about something you know nothing about.

True.
The swamps were filled with disease bearing insects.
Mortality there was very high.
The air quality was bad, they were stinking of putridity and saline sometimes. Many got sick just breathing those bad air.
There is this community in Ikwerre called Rumukwuruishi.
It was named so because the area had stinking air and not fit for living those days, those who lived there had no option.
Rumukwuruishi is actually "Umu-Ikulu-ishii" people who breathed smelly air.

AlexBells:

My concern is that Igbos are not like Damaturu, we live in front of the Atlantic, why do we keep going away from it, you made mention of living in the cities, majority of the population of the Igbos in the South East lives in the Cities not rural areas.

There is a pattern to it, Igbos we live in the Niger Delta Region, our people are deliberately avoiding the water, just like our ancestors, those communities that you talk about as being coastal communities, how many Igbo children are raised there, majority of the Igbos nowadays are raised in the cities and most others in other cities and we usually live in the dry cities, so you need to get this instinctive heredity

The instinct to stay away from danger is how mankind have managed to exist this long. What you call hereditary is likely information passed along from one generation to other. Most toddler will gravitate towards grabbing anything in their sight include grabbing snakes or even putting it in their mouth no matter the species. But as they grow older they are informed of the danger of snake fight. All of a sudden this young child that wants to grab a cobra because so snake of any sake at later stage in life. I strongly believe that this later fear of snake is a combination of information feed to child and what the child experiences around him.

Aren't those living in the coastal not swimming? They do but those that are far off from it are most not likely to because trey know how dangerous it is.

The whole of SE is not criss crossed by large body of water or rivers. There are plenty of communities with just stream or rivers very far away from the communities.

The underlying point is people tend to fear what they are not familiar with. Most Igbos are not living along the coast and those that live in the city has nothing to do with water.

NB: majority of Nigerians still live in the rural area.

AlexBells:

Why I do really think that it is an Igbo thing is that our ancestors spread Northwards instead of towards the Atlantic, and if we wanted given the large number of Igbos, if there were no fear of the Oceans, we could have advanced further towards the Ocean, in Nigeria for instance, Occupation could be tribal,

For instance in the very distant past, the Ijaws were more into fishing, Igbos more into Smithing, farming, weaving, etc, it became a bulk of occupation by strength, in the basic human reacts to greed and fear, fight or flight, in this regards, Igbo ancestors' greed did not take them to the ocean so did the fear most likely, and then if we can't fight it, we flight from it, creating the phobia at the national level, we are not allien to the ocean, our ancestors just avoided it

Our ancestors didn't only spread northward, we have clans like Ikewere, Opobo and the likes who settled even when when Niger Delta was bad lands, filled with swamps and horrifying creatures. Some even tagged it's bushes as evil forest. So they moved far and wide.

AlexBells:

Nobody will take you too serious becuase you are too pro Igbo that it gets to that point where in your views, Igbos have no fault or weaknesses. Always be guided by moderation and truth and realise also that we all have weaknesses

What is pro Igbo .. you're not Igbo dear, I rest my case. You're an impostor.

Ekealterego:


This Is Ehugbo/Afikpo town and a big town for that matter and there is a massive beach developed there.

Secondly, What other city in Nigeria do you have highrise close to the water except for Lagos? Again, in terms of building development, there is a massive difference between building development by sea salt water ocean bordered water bodies and fresh water rivers.

The land is usually marshy and do not make for a great sites for building and it costs a lot because you will need more money for foundations and the houses will generally not last as long. Except if you use wood for the construction.

Secondly there is problem of road construction etc.

From an environmental POV, those marshes near rivers are great source of biodiversity. it is generally good to be left alone.
Note, I don't mean smaller streams or smaller rivers.

Again, I don't think you know how this works... People, allover the worl

It would appear People didn't build close to the water bodies because in the past, River Niger banks covered those lands we see today that appears to exist between River Niger and Asaba town itself.

Firstly, River Niger covered those lands in the past, then with time, River Niger no longer covered them always, but only covered them seasonally. So if you build there , you have dry land in the dry season, but your house gets flooded in the rainy season, so people learnt to give the river a reasonable distance before building.
The shrinking of the banks of the River Niger is not unconnected to the desertification that is happening in the North. Many of the River Niger's previous tributaries in the past have all shrunk. Climate change and population boom in the North that meant that more Rivers are diverted for irrigation programs had taken its toll on the River Niger water volume.

So before people start making these ridiculous claims, they should study history Better.

In Ndokwa East where the ballooning population of the Isoko people Ndokwa people haboured had forced people to start building on these empty lands that were usually left close to River Niger, have resulted to seasonal flooding of people houses.

ThickSharon123:


What is pro Igbo .. you're not Igbo dear, I rest my case. You're an impostor.

Impostor by your definition, I'm Alex Elrufai, there must be Limitations to things especially when there is need for understanding a certain concern, you hide the truth, you only get you harm yourself in the long run especially when this does not have any impact on Igbo outlooks with others

ThickSharon123:


Our ancestors didn't only spread northward, we have clans like Ikewere, Opobo and the likes who settled even when when Niger Delta was bad lands, filled with swamps and horrifying creatures. Some even tagged it's bushes as evil forest. So they moved far and wide.

Opobo is a very special case so leave it out for now, even the said Ikwerre is very much distanced from the sea, if we had affinity to water, Ikwerre could have extended into the sea.

AlexBells:

Impostor by your definition, I'm Alex Elrufai, there must be Limitations to things especially when there is need for understanding a certain concern, you hide the truth, you only get you harm yourself in the long run especially when this does not have any impact on Igbo outlooks with others

Then why does a Fulani have to speak for the Igbo's, Mr. Elrufai? Let me guess, you're half Igbo?

ThickSharon123:


Then why does a Fulani have to speak for the Igbo's, Mr. Elrufai? Let me guess, you're half Igbo?

Biko Ga Nodu Ala Nwanne, I'm pure Igbo abeg, it just these nonsense tribal hatred in Nigeria had made everyone not to care about the truth, even if the devil was Igbo we shall baptise him lol. And funny enough we would begin to progress once we begin to treat issues head on

AlexBells:

Opobo is a very special case so leave it out for now, even the said Ikwerre is very much distanced from the sea, if we had affinity to water, Ikwerre could have extended into the sea.

Hmm, I here you. Your stats is warped and you're doing it to please your lesiure moment. You know nothing about Igbos, what are we even saying you're not Igbo! Which Igbo person would ever demean another Igbo person for being pro-igbo

AlexBells:

Biko Ga Nodu Ala Nwanne, I'm pure Igbo abeg, it just these nonsense tribal hatred in Nigeria had made everyone not to care about the truth, even if the devil was Igbo we shall baptise him lol. And funny enough we would begin to progress once we begin to treat issues head on

You are not Nwoke mu, ... You are an Impostor, no Igbo would ever demean another Igbo for being pro-igbo.

ThickSharon123:


Hmm, I here you. Your stats is warped and you're doing it to please your lesiure moment. You know nothing about Igbos, what are we even saying you're not Igbo! Which Igbo person would ever demean another Igbo person for being pro-igbo

Being pro Igbo does not mean that other people are not human, leave slayerforever he is actually my buddy lol just that he thinks that everyone else is a reincarnation of the devil while we are the only ones made in God's own image, lol, I'm pro Igbo too like "Oginidi" but at least I won't declare war against everyone else especially when I know that deep down we have our own issues,

ThickSharon123:


You are not Nwoke mu, ... You are an Impostor, no Igbo would ever demean another Igbo for being pro-igbo.

Shey I don tell you that I'm Jubril El Rufai, why you still dey stress yourself lol, Nwafor Zukwanu ike biko, no be me and you go defend Igbo with pride still enter Bush, if I must defend AlaIgbo, it shall be for the truth if not for the truth then for humanity but once it is not the truth and nobody would get hurt, Ada/Nwokem, you are on your own lol

AlexBells:

Being pro Igbo does not mean that other people are not human, leave slayerforever he is actually my buddy lol just that he thinks that everyone else is a reincarnation of the devil while we are the only ones made in God's own image, lol, I'm pro Igbo too like "Oginidi" but at least I won't declare war against everyone else especially when I know that deep down we have our own issues,

Sweetheart, Igbos do not have issues. We were brought into a system were cowardice, servitude and ridiculous obesiance was self-forced on us. This is why we are pro-igbo, becuase most idealogies from other tribes are either ancient or not accepted in the present state of the world. This is the reason for the Igbo renaissance.

That said, not to deviate from the subject, Igbos love to swim, infarct a great majority of us love the water.

I'm Ghanaian (Ashanti) but my lovely Igbo mum is from Arochukwu in Abia state. In the past when I came to the village for Christmas, the village kids would drag us to the river to while away the time, and you'll be seeing little kids swimming like submarine jets.

I for myself love the water, and the elders I saw there also love the water. Water is refreshing and it has been known for millennials. This is the reason the human body is made up of 70-80 percent water. So to say Igbos fear water becuase of what not, I'll say it's false. Igbos love the water in some respect, but avoided it becuase of certian issues it has at that time, and they'd also loved the dry land because of their dry crop products. Gbam!!!