₦airaland Forum

ofwest:
what is the big deal in a psychology student making a 5.0 grade when in today's advanced technological world what is being celebrated in today's world is what you can bring in technologically to improve human life. How many of his types has won Nobel prices for his type of courses rather it has always been for science, technology, engineering and medicine. So we should not be sentimental about trivial issues like this. So the wailing wailers should stop their unwarranted wailing and concentrate on issues at hand.

5.0 CGP in a federal Nigerian institution is a big deal, it shows great discipline, dedication, brilliance, tenacity and adaptability.

All traits needed to succeed in life.

babaireti:
He is an Ibo Man,so what do you expect?

Azubuike Chikere Nwanjoku is an Ikwerre man o!

Though some Ikwerre people proudly embrace being Igbo, but I don't Azubuike had publicly declared any allegiance to the Igbo ethnic group.

https://www.nairaland.com/2657509/meet-kelvin-okafor-artist-whose

This Guy is doing great too, check out his works.

The OP needs his head examined.

The Northern Igbos are Igbos whose indigenous homelands are located at the Northern fringes of Igboland, ie the Nsukka, the NNorthern parts of Ebonyi and Igbos indigenous to Benue state( the Umuezeokoha clan).

Any Igbo resident in Northern Nigeria, is a stranger there and should see himself as a stranger too, cos that's what Northerners there see them as.
It's only delusions and foolishness that will make an Igbo man to start addressing himself as a "Northern Igbo man", simply because he resides in the North.

ExplorerReturns:
Are you the one to pull them down? politics is key. ipob needs to form a strong political party so as to fight for the rights of the people of the old eastern region

I had said that before. IPOB must develop a political wing, a political party, and using it's strong grassroots presence to wrestle power from the current crop of our political jobbers in Abuja.

IPOB would have legitimized her struggle if she achieves this, and can successfully take the struggle to the floors of Senate and house of rep, using her elected members.

It will give the struggle both grassroots and elitist coloration.

balash:
This thrend is so full of tribalism, this fulani people re not purposely doing this Nonsense, it's there tradition that they regard their cattle like human also, and when any harm befall their cattle they revolt, am not saying it's right for them to kill someone but sincerely have known since I was a kid that a fulani herdsman regard a cattle as a human.

Am yoruba but I know that fact, Nigerians are so swift to hurt or kill animals and this people won't take such shits, am not saying it's right to kill but we need to give them their preference also. That been said, 'Fulani herdsman are animal in human skin' that's the fact, let's call a spade a spade, but people should sstop looking foor their trouble. Most times they revolt. And you beleive they do that for no reason, that's a lie. When a yoruba man kill their cattle and run away they attack every yooruba they can see, they revolt like the ancient Roman.

#NoToFulani Cattle Reared In our farmland, if norths no get grass please feed your cattle with fura lol

This one is a typical Yoruba man.

Speaks from both sides of the mouth, making contradictory statements.

I don't know why you are writing long epistles.
The summary of the matter.
- Awo wanted central power, but his treachery of trying to play the North and Zik killed his chances and left him high and dry.

- Awo would attempt a civilian coup to wrestle power from from the center, having failed to do so democratically due to his greed, was caught, tried in a court of justice by a Yoruba judge, found guilty of treason and corrupt practices, and rightly jailed.

- Zik/ NCNC, had no hands in Awo's travails, his greed and desire for central power was his undoing. On the contrary, it was Zik who pleaded that Awo be jailed in Calabar instead of North, for zik feared for the safety of Awo in the Northern. prison, where the Northern youths are rightfully angry with Awo for his greed in trying to usurp Tafawa govt.

-- Awo never wasted time at the opportunity of having central powers( this had been his life long desire, behind the camouflage of a man just comfortable with regional powers) the moment Gowon offered him that option.

-- Awo would later attempt a second civilian coup to oust IBB, was caught again and took his life, rather than accept the option of exile offered to him by IBB.

--Awo was driven by bitterness, greed and lust for central power all his life, and those vices eventually consumed him.

Thanks

However the posers put forward by the OP that Zik blighted the future of the South with his countless alliances and rather worthless compromises with the North remain unaddressed by our Igbo brothers. If Zik had not been so naively to keep seeking the inclusion of the North as part of Nigeria, the question of Awolowo staging a coup, Biafra War decimating Igbos, Ojukwu did this and that, today's Yoruba vs Igbo antipathy and all what not would not have been. Zik messed up the entire South, simple and Short!

Let it be known that it was the greedy Awo who was too eager to play at the center, ended up playing treacherous game of using Akintola to try to form alliance with the North, while same time trying to sound out Zik that left him empty handed and forced zik to ally with the North.

Awo also introduced tribal politics in the western house, killing any chance of southern unity there too.

I think SLS article captured those points well.

Moreover SLS lied for claiming that Yorubas were guilty of the first attempt to take over power by unconstitutional means in his obvious reference to Awo's alleged coup. The actual first and successful attempt to bypass constitutional provisions to take over power was by the Hausa-Igbo collusion of Zik/Balewa/Ahmadu Bello NPC-NCNC coalition government when they re-appointed their ally and stooge, Akintola, as premier of the Western Region without any election as against the Western Region's constitution then.

The decision to crip the wings of Awo was that of NPC and not NCNC, your fast move to rope NCNC into that was typical of your ilks( Yorubas), always eager to lay the troubles youcreated for yourselves at the feet of the Igbo man, rather than face your northern friends, who you happen to be fellow muslims with.

It was Tafawa Balewa that made it clear that he was out to conquer the western region, Akintola was your Afonja,and from my understanding, his political wing more than politically matched Awo's.

And Yes, he ( Awo) Committed the first civilian coup, was found guilty of treason and other corruption charges in a court of justice, and rightly jailed.

SLS is right with that bit of history, and his summation of Yoruba, as the problem with Nigeria.

. If GEJ were wise, he would have steered a middle course between Yorubas and Igbos knowing fully well that these two tribes don't see eye to eye. But as a SS person who should be neutral he tilted too much towards the Igbos and so lost the Yoruba solidarity he acquired in 2011. Due to his excessive desire to please the Core North

Do you mind explaining what you mean by the above vomit.

So, OP.

In summary, Ndiigbo need no peace or war with Yorubas, what Ndiigbo need urgently is an international boundary, forever separating us from Yorubas.

Obiagelli:
Reserves are goverment owned. Its like saying all southerners (lecturers and doctors) should leave every goverment institution in the north.

Nonsense.
Cattle rearing is their business, a very lucrative one, and they must pay for it. Just as Igbo traders scattered all over Nigeria, pay for theirs. I have never heard of FG creating Trading reserves for Ndiigbo in the North.

Land is a factor of production, Fulani herdsmen must know this and be ready to pay for them.

This their plan of using their son in power to establish military camps all over Igboland will be resisted.

No Iota of Igboland will be used for grazing reserve, any Igbo governor that allows this will die politically, and that policy reversed by thesuccessor.

Better mind yourself.

Adadio:
The reconciliation may not have been perfect,just as all human arrangements tend to be.The areas that tend to create friction are constantly smothered.Focus for us at this time should be talk and actions that bind.Maybe we should learn from the European example,or what do you think?

You are not a good Student of history.

Germany was the aggressor that woke up one morning, declared herself of a special breed and went on trying to
Conquer and and rule the world, Easterners on the other hand were no aggressors, their main crime remain their constant demand for independent existence.


Germany remained a free independent nation after the war, when it would have been easy for the allied forces to balkanize Germany, by given its southern borders to France, and then given out the rest to whoever they. please, their justification will be that that's the only way to solve the German problem. Instead they pumped money into Germany cos they recognized a very talented European breed in them capable of spear heading the Caucasian drive for total world control, but in exchange, they closely monitored Germany to make sure she doesn't go into weapon production again.

Today, without owning vast empires in the past, no crude oil, Germany is the biggest Economy in Europe.
The Allied force if blinded by greed and envy would have hid behind the WW2 and stunted Germany's growth, but they were wiser than that.

Ndiigbo can always reconcile with Ndi Yoruba as an independent nation, anything less than that is a monumental waste of time.

[quote author=Berrymoss post=43796926][/quote]I have visited Igbere three times, and I was impressed with Each visit.

All my Igbere Friends are great hustlers and all richer than me, if his Ezi are poor, then it must be because they are lazy, they should get up their fat asses and start behaving like real Igbere men and women.

Berrymoss:
Funny I wish he would help the people from his father's compound. The poverty level in that place is beyond human comprehension.

Poverty level high in Igbere? Madam Abeg fear God.

Igbere is a rich town with many Giants in different endeavors of life.
I doubt you even know where Igbere is.

How can you associate the mighty Igbo - ere( those that couldn't be sold by Igbos) with poverty? Aru.

My verdict is that there are presently two fronts in Anioma, the proudly Igbo front currently led by Osita Mordi, and the anti Igbo front led by lauretta Onochie and Emeka Esogbue, who are political jobbers looking out for their belies.

I believe in the end, the light led by Mr Mordi, will overcome, because the truth always triumph over darkness.

[b] 5. It was because of our Igboness as Anioma people that prompted several Deltans to declare the Anioma section of the state as if they are appendages. Accusations such as Aniomas as parasites; or do not fit and so on was prominent. Some of these detractors indulged in balkanizing the Anioma area whenever it is convenient for them. Even in Etaghene’s submission, he deliberately separated the Ukwuani(lowland) from their Enuani(upland) kith and kin. A case of divide and conquer. Since 1966 when the second coup was carried out till just last year, 2015 a period of 49 years, the Aniomas whether through the military or civilian capacity were not allowed to govern their own state be it Midwest, Bendel or Delta. This is despite the rich human capital of the area. While some of our co-Bendelites or co-Deltans did not see anything abnormal with such a phenomenon , it was often the eastern Igbo people which Ben Etaghene vainly tries to divorce from the Anioma people that often frowned at such display of insensitivity. They had often declared that no resources will be wasted in developing Anioma as part of Delta State. This clearly explains why the Anioma area remains under-developed compared to Ben Etaghene’s Urhobo area simply because they had held power and used the spoils of office to divert development to their own area.
6. The profile of Anioma seems to be gaining ground recently. The area seems to be growing quite fast and it is gradually being realized that Anioma which was once considered not properly fit into Delta or had experience mass murder while its non-Igbo Midwest administrators looked the other way is now the “beautiful bride”. Anioma now ranks third after the Ijaw and Itsekiri in oil and gas production in Delta State. Kwale is gradually becoming a second oil city in Delta State while Asaba which hosts the largest concentration of non-oil and gas industries in the state is gradually becoming one of Nigeria’s center of growth and the third most important city of Nollywood after Lagos and Enugu. In politics, entertainment, sports and many facets of life, the Aniomas seems to have bounced back and all these seem to have tempted Ben Etaghene to now speak on behalf of Anioma people.
7. Considering the age of Ben Etaghene( he claimed he worked for a German newspaper in the early 1970s), one would have asked why he never wrote anything like this suggesting that other Deltans should support an Anioma person to be the Gov of their own Delta state. He never wrote it. He suddenly found his pen when the issue of Anioma and its possible inclusion in Biafra was brought up. The simple fact is that the Midwest Igbos (Aniomas) or the Midwest-Western Ijaws of Delta, Edo and Ondo States cannot be divorced from the decision and will of their linguistic kith and kin in the old Eastern Nigeria. This ethnic question was a major issue during the war deployed by both sides; the present division of Anioma territory into Delta, Edo, Rivers and Bayelsa States cannot override it and this should also be the focus whenever Nigeria agrees to address the Biafran question.
8. Whatever Dr Okowa said about Anioma should not be deemed as binding. He is the Gov of the entire Delta State. Therefore, whatever he said or suggested that Aniomas do not belong to the SE but are Deltans should be seen as a reasonable response or comment by someone elected to govern a state which includes other people besides Anioma people. And who is interested in his re-election in 2019. His statements therefore cannot be the position of the Anioma people.
9. I will suggest that Ben Etaghene should use his energy in more sensible ventures which directly concerns him. In August of last year, 2015 a young Urhobo girl Ese Oruru, just 13 years was abducted and possibly hypnotized and transported to Kano; forcefully converted to Islam and sexually molested. Now 14, she is an expectant mother. This is what the likes of fellow Urhobo like Mr Etaghene should write on and leave the Anioma people alone. The campaign by IPOB may or may not lead to a new country but issues like the mass abduction of little girls, incarceration in various Emirs palaces, forced conversion to Islam and sexually molestation is what drives the agitation by IPOB. [/b]

[b] 3. These confusionists often invoke the claims of “common ancestry” to deceive some gullible Anioma people that they are less Igbo. If indeed such “common ancestry” was so important, it would have been the case when the war broke out. Anioma people were accused of being sympathetic to their “brothers” from the East and the result was that thousands were killed. And the fortunes of Aniomas politically, socially and economically had a nosedive. If there is such “common ancestry” , the closest to the Anioma people are the people of Onitsha, Ogbaru and Oguta in the core Igbo States of Anambra and Imo and as such it would be natural for Anioma people to identify with those they have such “common ancestry” with. This by extension ties them more to the East even though they had always been in the Midwest. Prof Ben Nwabueze, which the writer referred indirectly as an Igbo man comes from the the same area of common ancestry with Anioma people. Prof Nwabueze is from Atani which is also called “Akriatani” and its ancestrally linked to Akarai clan of Ndokwa East in Anioma which for Mr Etaghene’s convenience should not be considered as Biafra.
4. If Anioma had no link at all with Biafra , what would the Ben Etaghene of this world talk about the thousands of Anioma volunteers that fought in the Biafra war? Some of the most important soldiers on the Biafran side were of Anioma origin such as Nwawo, Nzeogwu, Anuku, Ossai, Trimnell, Morah, Igboba, Achuzie, Nzefili, Okwechime, and so many others. So what the likes of Ben Etaghene wants is for us to pretend that the scenario which I just explained never happened. It will be disservice to the efforts of these great men (and possibly women) and the memories of those who lost their lives. [/b]

[b] HomeAnioma Is Igbo And Could Be Part Of Biafra: Response From Anioma Community To Ben Etaghene- by Osita Mordi
Anioma Is Igbo And Could Be Part Of Biafra: Response From Anioma Community To Ben Etaghene- by Osita Mordi

Image March 10, 2016 Ike A. Offor News
RE- ANIOMA NOT PART OF BIAFRA.
by one Ben Etaghene from Sapele culled from Vanguard Newspapers of 3/3/2016.

__________________________________________________________

RESPONSE

1. It is strange for one Mr Ben Etaghene, an Okpe-Urhobo man from Sapele telling Nigerians whether Anioma is a part of Biafra or not. Since he is not an Anioma indigene, he has no locus standi to get involved in an issue which does not concern him. Many misunderstand Biafra to mean Igbo. But if we assume that its only Igbo (which its not), the fact is that we cannot divorce the Anioma out of it. There have been many examples across the world and indeed Africa where ethnic and linguistic ties overrides any boundary domestic or international in questions like this. Let me give some examples. In Rwanda, the Tutsi and Hutu conflict spilled over to parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo where both groups also occupy. In the Balkans , the Bosnian question got involved the sovereign nations of Serbia and Croatia since there are Bosnian Serbs snd Croats. Even in the Nigerian Civil war, the Anioma area was involved and some of the atrocities of the war committed in the area.

2. In the second coup led by Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu (the first coup was actually led by Awo in 1962). It was dubbed “Igbo-coup” and the result was the pogroms which led to the deaths of over 30,000 people. Many of whom were Anioma people from the Midwest. There was no distinction, an Igbo was an Igbo and Nzeogwu who led the “Igbo” coup in the North was an Anioma from Okpanam town. In the Civil war proper, thousands of Anioma civilians were killed because they are Igbos including Sapele, where Ben Etaghene wrote from. This was clearly written in the New York times as follows :- “Federal troops… killed, or stood by while mobs killed, more than 5000 Ibos in Warri, Sapele, Agbor…” (New York Times, 10th January, 1968). The said Ibos killed in those places were Anioma people since their eastern Igbo kith and kin had fled to their region. This excludes
the Asaba genocide which over 2,000 civilian males were executed. Over 20,000 Aniomas were killed during the “liberation of the Midwest” by federal troops often in connivance of local non-Igbo speaking natives which was captured in this report as follows :-“In some areas outside the East… Ibos were killed by local people with at least the acquiescence of the federal forces… 1000 Ibo civilians perished in Benin in this way” (New York Review, 21 December 1967). The likes of prominent Aniomas such as Peter Okocha, an industrialist and politician and Peter Otunuya Odili the former Gov of Rivers State had their parents killed during the war for the simple reason of being Igbos. It is therefore strange after these sad events for anyone to pretend that Anioma people has no connection with that unfortunate war or its legacy. [/b]

Now let's listen to what leading pan Igboist of Anioma extraction, the indomitable Osita Mordi has to say on this issue.

walemoney007:
is the governor of delta state also an edo man

Are the governors of Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi Edos too?

Cos last time I checked, they are all anti Igbo secession for obvious reasons.

tuale4u:
Paul Osuyi is not Edo. It is Anioma. Names like Uwadia are also Anioma name. Ogbemudia is Abioma name. What you failed to understand is dat Anima is also Edoid.

The problen with u IPOB tauts is that u guys have half baked knowledge of tins.

There are alot of Bini sounding names in Kwale, ndokwa, Agbor, etc.

Stop talking trash! Paul Osuyi is not an Anioma man, he is an Edo man.

When issues you know nothing about are being spoken of, wisdom demands that you keep quiet.

Btw, Anioma has always been Igboid, it's only edoid in your deluded mind.

Oxenomy:
You see the kind of woman dumb Igbos marry as wife? You hate Igbos and yet marrying an Igbo man, enjoying his money with that your stinking ewedu mouth? You are the kind of woman that murders her husband and ran away with his money and children .. Anyway I don't Blake you, I only pity the dumb slowpoke that married you.

Worst still, she will raise pure odua kids, who are only Igbos by mere name, and years to come, those her kids whose Igbo genes had been tainted by Odua genes will come to tell us why Ndiigbo should remain in the same geographical space with their Odua and Dan fodio people.

Ala ekwela ngwele gbaa aji. It's not bad enough that our sisters are marrying these strange people, now some people will now contaminate our genetic pool with strange unrelated genes by marrying their women.

Another fake.

https://therepublicannews./2016/03/10/anioma-is-igbo-and-part-of-biafra-response-from-anioma-community-to-ben-etaghene-by-osita-mordi/

A reply from a proud Igbo Anioma man.

Why does everybody think they are experts in telling us who is Igbo and who isn't.

Why won't the Bini man and Urhobo guy, face their front?

The other day, it was one Urhobo man named Ben Etaghene, that chose to write a lengthy article, tellin us why Anioma is not one with SE.

Funny enough, the writer of that article Paul Osuyi, is an Edo. What exactly is Edo's interest in Anioma?

we ran independent na­tionhood, they did not meet us as Igbo nation, they met us as different groups of Anioma Kingdoms running their own independent affairs and dealing with their neighbors both culturally and in trade and commerce as they deemed fit. So you cannot wake today now that you are creating Biafra and incorporating Anioma into it, that is not correct.
“During the war, there were families that got caught up, one brother wearing Nigerian army uniform, another brother wearing Biafran army uniform and they all met in the war front. This happened, unfortunately, mostly to Anioma people. So you could say that there has never been that unanimity of opinion about our identity but a number of people having studied what is in our best political interest have come to the realisation that our interests are best protected as Anioma nation and not another definition that anybody may seek to impose on us. We are Anioma people and we will relate with any other ethnic group in the way that we consider it of interest to us as Anioma people whether it is the South-East, or South-West or the North.” ple having studied what is in our best political interest have
Besides, a socio-cultural group for Anioma sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora, Ndi Anioma of Nigeria warned pro-Biafra agitators to desist from including Anioma in their territory.
Ndi Anioma of Nigeria, in a statement jointly signed on behalf of Anioma nation by Lauretta Onochie, Emeka Esogbue, Gloria Adagbon, Emmanuel Nwaokolo, Smart Ajaja, Frank Ofili, Benson Ozour, Harris Pen Ogbolu, Lawrence Egwali, Gregory Ogbolu, Ifeanyi Onwuli and Fidelis Chimokwu, noted that Biafra died permanently in 1970.
“Like most observers who followed the nature of Biafra in 1967, Ndi Anioma is of the view that Biafra died permanently in 1970 with the surrender speech made by Philip Effiong in which he emphatically stated: ‘Biafra ceases to exist’, following Col. Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu’s escape to Ivory Coast.
“In spite of this circumstance, a few resentful people of South-East origin are attempting to exploit a non-existent opportunity to make the present democratic dispensation ungovernable.
“But for posterity, Ndi-Anioma must make its position clear thus: Anioma has never been part of Biafra in history or administration. For record purposes, Anioma was first situated in the Western Region, then Midwestern Region, Bendel State, and now Delta State in the South-South. We cannot for any reason afford to be forcefully strong-armed into any region, outside the region within the South-South geographical zone.
“Henceforward, the representation of Anioma in different maps of Biafra does not and cannot amount to Anioma being part of Biafra. That can only be in the figment of the imagination of desperate irredentist adventurers who creatively made such maps to satisfy their thirst for empire-building. They may make Anioma to exist in their maps, but the world must note that it does not have our consent as we reject that tag vehemently.
“Nnamdi Kanu is not familiar with Anioma region and we cannot remember any contribution he has rendered towards the growth and development of our region. We cannot also remember him attending a mere social function of Anioma people to warrant our people to die for him.
“Frequent announcement that Anioma is part of Biafra on Radio Biafra is far from being a favour because we are not prepared to be drawn into any situation that may threaten the territorial integrity of Nigeria, nor to prosecute any war. Anioma is Anioma, not Biafra,” Ndi Anioma stated.
Besides this stand, is the position of the traditional ruler of Asaba, Asagba (Prof.) Chike Edozien who insists that the unity of Nigeria is no longer negotiable after the fratricidal war that claimed several lives including Asaba na­tives.
“What is the greatness of Asaba? The greatness of Asaba is that it the beginning, the centre of a great country that houses more than one-third of black people in the world. So if you divide Nigeria, Asaba will become the centre of part of that great country, you have diminished Asaba, I don’t want Asaba to be diminished.
“The only issue is that in building this country, like that of Europe, how were the countries in Europe built, one great people are able to conquer the others and imposed their culture on them, and then they become a country.
“That was then, today we are trying to put together more than 200 ethnic groups to become one country, it is not easy, it cannot just happen over night but it does not have to take 60 years. You can shorten the period, but you need the desire to have a great country Nigeria set up the mechanism to study the issues and how to overcome so that everybody has a sense of belonging and there will be justice. As long as there is injustice, there will be agitation for people to get away.
“Nigeria, to the rest of the world is still a collection of 200 tribes, we want Nigeria to become a nation, the president should do something about it. We should try to turn from being 200 or more tribes living together to become a nation. It is not simply thing that one man can do, one military man cannot do it by military fiat, it needs investigation, it needs financial support,” the monarch said.
Meanwhile, in sympathy with his brothers, former Secretary General of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Frank Kokori who hails from Delta central came hard on pro-Biafran groups, saying that they were trivializing a rather serious matter by including areas in the South-South as part of Biafra territory.
Kokori, said that MASSOB and other pro-Biafran agitators were jokers trying to exploit the oil-rich Niger Delta, explaining that during the “civil war, there was no South-South. There were the Eastern region, Midwest region and Western region. The Midwest region comprised Bendel people. The Eastern region extended to Cross River, Bayelsa and Akwa-Ibom of today but that was a long time ago.
“So, we in Delta State have never been part of Biafra. Anything that is Biafran today is purely in the South-East which does not include Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom

http://www.sunnewsonline.ng/stop-dragging-us-into-biafra-anioma-people-of-delta-tell-agitators/

“So, the current Biafra is a land locked area, Igbo speaking South- East, it has nothing to do with the South-South. Our governor men­tioned it but he never gave the police order to stop them from doing their demonstration in Asaba.”
However, the Odua of Ubulu-Okiti Kingdom in Aniocha South council area, Chief Clement Ofuani, sees the demonstrations by pro-Biafran groups as an action within their constitutional right provided they do not infringe on the rights of others.
Odua Ofuani who described the Biafra agitation as a national issue, urged the Federal Government not to resort to the use of force in addressing the issue but to be very tactful in order to avoid what may lead to another Boko Haram.
“It is a very sensitive national issue and the way it is being addressed should be sensitive. We believe that it is not what you apply force to avoid killing people before we end up with another Boko Haram on our hand.
“As long as they carry out the demonstrations, which is their constitutional right, without disturbing other citizens who do not believe in their approach, we do not have issues with them,” Ofuani contended.
Although, Anioma stakeholders continue to hold the view that they are not part of Biafra or the South-East, some of their prominent sons, including the late Ambassador Ralph Uwechue and Col. Joe Achuzia (rtd.) have played prominent roles in the affairs of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaeneze Ndigbo.
While Uwechue who hailed from Ogwuashi-Uku was a former President General of the organisation, Achuzia, a native of Umuezei in Asaba and a commander of Biafran troops during the war, is a former Secretary General of the pan-Igbo body.
The problem of acceptability of the Aniomas as pure Igbo was still there, though not too pronounced during Uwechue’s tenure as the President General of the organisation which he allegedly operated using his personal funds most of the time as result of underlying suspicion by some South-East stakeholders.
Reacting to this development, Ogbueshi Oliko admitted that Aniomas were Igbos but insisted that there was a natural boundary between the South-East and Anioma nation.
“We are Igbos by tribe, the question of that does not arise, but we do not belong to Biafra. Like in Yoruba land, most of the South-West region speak Yoruba but part of Yorubas are in Benin Republic.
“It does not mean that if you are in a country, all of you must speak the same language, other people can be in other areas. Ohaeneze Ndigbo, on the other hand, is a cultural group for all those who speak Igbo language. Yes we are Igbo by language but there is a natural boundary,” he said.
Odua Clement Ofuani toed the same line of argument, saying that the fact that Anioma people share the same linguistic affinity with the people of the South-East does not make Anioma land part of Biafra territory.
“I am sure a lot of these agitators were probably too young at the time of the civil war or were born after the war. So they need to do some research to see the area that was Biafra when Ojukwu constituted it, and he never included any part of what is present day Delta State. We share linguistic affinity with the South-East, that is clear, but in terms of this geo-political struggle, Anioma people are just not part of Biafra.
“There has been a continued effort to carve out our true identity and one that we can be comfortable with in all ramifications culturally, historically and politically. I am sure if you go to Rivers State, the Ikwerre people will tell you that they are not Igbo and there must be a reason for that even though the language from all intents and purposes is Igbo. If you also go to parts of Ndoni, they will also tell you that they are not Igbo even though they share linguistic affinity with Igbo.
“Our heritage of linguistic affinity with Igbo as an ethnic group is not questionable but whether we share the same political direction is a completely different issue because before the colonialists came, we