They're a lot of misconceptions in what the Obi of Onitsha said earlier probably by mischief makers to cause confusion and to sow a seed of discord.
There was never a time the Igwe claimed that Onitsha people are not Igbos, infact, he used Igbos to describe the Onitsha people living in different parts of the country.
There were several lies in what the previous poster posted earlier for instance, he claimed that the Igwe refused to use the word "one family because he remembered that it was a slogan of terrorists, having listened to the interview, the Igwe never made such comment" and other numerous lies; How can someone who does not understand Igbo, interpret what was said and subtitled in Igbo language?
Below are unadulterated excerpts(Igbo and English of what the King said)
English How Onitsha came to their present day location today is a very long story. The last place from where we began our journey, that's our ancestors, from where they began their journey to this present day location of Onitsha is Benin, a place they call Benin today, Iduu land. They left Adọ and came to Iduu, that is why we call ourselves Onitsha adọ n'idu (meaning in Igbo language; Ado's Onitsha residing in Iduu).
But the place called Ado is in Ile ìfè in present day. It's not Onitsha who live in Ado, but Igbo, they had misunderstanding and left Ado and came back to Iduu, until they get to River Niger, crossed the river.
But as you know that when a journey starts, when you go a little, some people tend to get tired and when they do, they settle in that location and so on. So when you go from Ado to iduu, to this our present location and beyond it, you'll see Igbos living in those areas, they now speak the language of the people they settled in their land, like the Igbos living in Yoruba land, that stopped their journey halfway, you have Ijebu-Igbo; they are Igbos, there are people called Igbo-mina; they're Igbos. When you go to Benin, through Agbor (in Delta State) and so on, all of them were part of those that started the journey initially to this present day Onitsha. There were some that went beyond Onitsha, when you go to Mbaise (in Imo State), you'll see Onicha-Mbaise, you go to Afikpo (in Ebonyi State), there is Onicha in Afikpo, in Enugu State, along Nsukka, we have Onicha. So, that was how they dispersed to this our present day settings.
So, we Onitsha, the Onitsha residing in the Bank of the Niger River, Onitsha Ado n'idu, that was how we went our own journey.
Now the questions are, how did the Igbos(Onitsha) get to Ado initially? Were they originally from Ado or they came to Ado from another place? if we start discussing that, we may not have enough time to finish it, it will be left for the highly learned professionals to explain it because, what's in it is huge.
You see these things we're discussing now, "was it that the Igbos(Onitsha) left from Eri to Ado and later returned back to this place (present day location of Onitsha) or that the Igbos(Onitsha) went to Ado from Egypt, then from Iduu to this present day location" are all the things that need to be explained (by the professionals).
Past and present Ooni and I were/are in a mutual cooperation, even with my predecessor Igwe Ofala Okagbue and the late Ooni were also in a mutual cooperation, why we are in mutual cooperation is because we all know that we are one.
If you go to Ile ìfè today, there are Igbos (Onitsha) living in the area, they now speak Yoruba, they are a clan and they know there origin, they are the people that didn't embark on the journey at all.
The first market in Ile ìfè is owned by the Igbos, and it is not a disappointment to the Igbos that we are traders today.
Ooni has assured me that when next I come, he(Ooni) will go to their(Igbo) court(ímé Obi) to show me the palace of the Igbo(Onitsha) king in the olden days. So when you start talking about it, you'll realize that we share a lot of things in common. But it is left for the professionals, the Igbos, the Yorubas and others to come together to explain it so as to enable us discover our root and to maintain a proper brotherhood, because when you understand it better, our problems in Nigeria will reduce. We will be doing things together instead of fighting ourselves just as the politicians are fighting themselves.
What happened was that, when the white men were about leaving, our first leaders, our past politicians, the northerners and their leader had their own will. Our father, Nnamdi Azikiwe, wanted to merge the entire Nigeria together, he went to the West, Ado Ogboo, present day Yoruba land, contested and won election, How can an Igbo man(Nnamdi Azikiwe) will come and be a leader in Yoruba land? that's where the problem emanated. Awolowo came out, and the whole thing became as it were, they started dragging the whole thing, instead of merging together (as initially planned by Nnamdi Azikiwe) it became dragging all along.
But let us put behind us the past and forge ahead bearing in mind that people answer names like Nkiruka, meaning that the one in front is far more greater. We and the people of the West (ndida anyanwu), Edo Benin and the people of South South today, that is the Ijaws and the Ikwerres, share a lot of things in common. If we come together and form an indivisible one, when we talk, it will be accompanied by a great weight, then the North Will accord us our due respect instead of marginalization and we'll also do same to them.
Igbo
Otu Ọnịcha siri bịa ebe ha nọ taa bụ nnukwu akụkọ. Ebe ikpeazụ anyị si malite njem anyị, bụ nke ahụ bụ ndị nna nna anyị, ebe ha si malite njem ha ruo ugbu a bụ Onitsha, bụ Benin, ebe ha na-akpọ Benin taa, ala Iduu. Ha hapụrụ Adọ wee bịa Iduu, ya mere anyị ji akpọ onwe anyị Onitsha adọ n’idu (nke pụtara n’asụsụ Igbo; Onitsha Ado bi n’Iduu).
Mana ebe a na-akpọ Ado dị n’Ile ìfè. Ọ bụghị Onitsha bi n'Ado, mana Igbo, ha nwere nghọtahie wee hapụ Ado laghachi n'Iduu, ruo mgbe ha rutere River Niger, gafere osimiri.
Ma dị ka ị maara na mgbe njem na-amalite, mgbe ị na-aga ntakịrị, ụfọdụ ndị na-enwekarị ike ọgwụgwụ na mgbe ha mere, ha na-ebi n'ebe ahụ na ihe ndị ọzọ. Ya mere, i si n’Ado gaa iduu, ebe a anyị nọ ugbu a na n’ofe ya, ị ga-ahụ ndị Igbo bi na mpaghara ndị ahụ, ugbu a na-asụ asụsụ ndị ha biri n’ala ha, dị ka ndị Igbo bi n’ala Yoruba. nke kwụsịrị njem ha na ọkara, ị nwere Ijebu-Igbo; ha bu ndi Igbo, o nwere ndi ana akpo Igbo-mina; ha bu ndi Igbo. Ị gaa Benin, site na Agbor (na Delta State) na ihe ndị ọzọ, ha niile so na ndị malitere njem ahụ na mbụ ruo ugbu a Onitsha. Onwere ndi gafeworo Onitsha, iga Mbaise (n'Imo State), I ga ahu Onicha-Mbaise, iga Afikpo (na Ebonyi State), e nwere Onicha na Afikpo, n'Enugu State, tinyere Nsukka. anyi nwere Onicha. Ya mere, otu a ka ha siri gbasaa ruo n'usoro nke anyị taa.
Ya mere, anyi ndi Onitsha, ndi Onitsha bi n'ikpere mmiri Niger, Onitsha Ado n'idu, otu a ka anyi siri jee njem nke anyi.
Ugbua ajuju bu, kedu ka ndi Igbo(Onitsha) siri gaa Ado na mbu? Ha bu ndi Ado ka ha si ebe ozo bia? ọ bụrụ na anyị amalite ikwurịta nke ahụ, anyị nwere ike ọ gaghị enwe oge zuru ezu iji mechaa ya, ọ ga-ahapụ ndị ọkachamara mmụta dị elu ka ha kọwaa ya n'ihi na ihe dị na ya dị ukwuu.
Ị na-ahụ ihe ndị a anyị na-ekwu ugbu a, "ọ bụ na ndị Igbo(Onitsha) siri Eri ga Ado wee laghachi n'ebe a ( ugbu a dị n'Ọnịcha) ma ọ bụ na ndị Igbo(Onitsha) si Egypt gaa Ado. , mgbe ahụ site na Iduu ruo ugbu a ebe a" bụ ihe niile dị mkpa ka a kọwaa (nke ndị ọkachamara).
Mụ na Ooni n'oge gara aga na/bụ na anyị na-emekọ ihe ọnụ, ọ bụrụgodị na onye bu ya ụzọ bụ Igwe Ofala Okagbue na onye nwụrụ anwụ Ooni na-emekọ ihe ọnụ, ihe kpatara anyị ji na-emekọ ihe ọnụ bụ maka na anyị niile ma na anyị bụ otu.
Ị gaa n’Ifè taa, e nwere ndị Igbo (Onitsha) bi n’ebe ahụ, ha na-asụ Yoruba ugbu a, ha bụ agbụrụ ma mara na e si malite, ha bụ ndị na-amalitebeghị njem ahụ.
Azụmahịa mbụ dị n’Ile ìfè bụ nke ndị Igbo, ọ bụghịkwa ihe na-ewute ndị Igbo na anyị bụ ndị ahịa taa.
Ooni mesiri m obi ike na mgbe m ga-abia, na ya (Ooni) ga-aga n'ulo ikpe ha (Igbo) (ímé Obi) gosim ulo eze ndi Igbo(Onitsha) n'oge ochie. Ya mere, mgbe ị malitere ikwu banyere ya, ị ga-aghọta na anyị na-ekerịta ọtụtụ ihe jikọrọ. Mana ọ hapụrụ ndị ọkachamara, ndị Igbo, ndị Yoruba na ndị ọzọ ka ha gbakọọ ọnụ ka anyị kọwaa ya ka anyị wee chọpụta mgbọrọgwụ anyị na ijikwa ezigbo nwanne, n’ihi na mgbe ị ghọtara nke ọma, nsogbu anyị na Naijiria ga-ebelata. Anyị ga na-emekọ ihe ọnụ kama ịlụso onwe anyị ọgụ dị ka ndị ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị na-alụso onwe ha ọgụ.
Ihe merenụ bụ na mgbe ndị ọcha na-achọ ịpụ, ndị isi anyị mbụ, ndị ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị anyị gara aga, ndị ugwu na ndị isi ha nwere uche nke ha. Nna anyi, Nnamdi Azikiwe, choro ikpokota Nigeria dum, o gawa odida anyanwu, Ado Ogboo, ala yoruba nke oge a, zọputa ma merie nhọpụta, kedu ka onye igbo(Nnamdi Azikiwe) ga-esi bia buru onye isi na Yoruba. ala? ebe ahụ ka nsogbu si pụta. Awolowo pụtara, ihe niile wee dị ka ọ dị, ha malitere ịdọrọ ihe niile, kama ijikọ ọnụ (dị ka Nnamdi Azikiwe kpara atụmatụ na mbụ) ọ bịara na-adọkpụ.
Ma ka anyị tinye ihe ndị mere n’oge gara aga, buru n’uche na ndị mmadụ na-aza aha ndị dị ka Nkiruka, nke pụtara na nke dị n’ihu ka ukwuu. Anyị na ndị West (ndida anyanwu), Edo Benin na ndị South South taa bụ ndị Ijaw na ndị Ikwere na-ekerịta ọtụtụ ihe. Ọ bụrụ na anyị gbakọta ọnụ ma guzobe nke a na-apụghị ikewa ekewa, mgbe anyị na-ekwu okwu, ọ ga-esonyere ya na nnukwu ibu, mgbe ahụ North ga-enye anyị nkwanye ùgwù anyị kwesịrị ekwesị kama ịkpa ókè na anyị ga-emekwa ha otu ihe ahụ.
It's actually onicha, it was the white man that changed it to Onitsha. And It's actually a surname in Igbo land originating from Ebonyi State. You can make your research.
It's actually onicha, it was the white man that changed it to Onitsha. And It's actually a surname in Igbo land originating from Ebonyi State. You can make your research.
Yes. Onicha . What does it mean in Igbo language? It is the same orisha or orisha
