₦airaland Forum

Sometimes I begin to wonder what the future holds for a country like Nigeria. A country so rich and so blessed and yet the people are poor and finished. It's a shame that we celebrate criminals and stone the upright. How can a human being embezzle such an outrageous amount at the detriment of over 150m Nigerians? Take a walk down the street and see how many are jobless, hungry, homeless and helpless and yet someone can steal this amount without his or her conscience pricking him or her. Nigeria needs a Mohammed Bouazizi and the type of revolution that swept the arab world. So many people would have to die and so many evil structures have to be uprooted. Secession is not what we need now for those of us clamouring for secession but rather a revolution and a very bloody revolution. For how long are we going to continue like this? For how long are we going to realize that Nigeria belongs to all of us and not a few set of individuals?

I rest my case.

Where's mulattoclaro?

Departed ancestors and “the Head” are worshipped in Benin Kingdom, just as the Benin people believe in the concept of the guardian spirit. The departed ancestors may be
parents, heroes, heroines, chiefs or Obas.

The belief within the Benin cosmos is that the departed ancestors are still living members of the extended family. An art/cultural historian, High Priest Osemwegie
Ebohon, in his article entitled “1400 Years of Benin Kingdom: From the Ogisos
to Oba Erediauwa”, noted that death only physically separates the dead from the
living. The belief in life in the hereafter or life after death is not just
widespread among the people but is engraved in the deepest part of their
thought. This may partly be the reason Ebohon noted that even after physical
death the people still maintain links with the departed. “Spiritually, they are
still communing with members of their families here on earth,” he wrote.

According to Ebohon, these ancestors live in the spirit world, Eguae Osanobua-Eguaosa, with God and have God’s ears. “Therefore, it is wise to pray through them to
God for assistance in the arduous journey through life. In fact, these
ancestors are even deified. They are consulted daily, routinely or during
important occasions and sacrifices are offered to them for such life-making
assistance,” he added. Whether it is daily, routinely or on special occasions,
the traditional diviner is said to be always at hand to find out the wishes,
orders, pleas, moods and emotional feelings of ancestors on request. “No Bini
ignores these because the ancestors by fiat can cause pain, illness, poverty,
impotence, insanity, infertility, childlessness, accidents, poor crop yields
and even death for any transgression against them.

“The power, influence and authority of the ancestors are never ridiculed, questioned or challenged by the Binis in secret or in public,” Ebohon stated. To the
traditional Benin, it is considered a sacrilege to go contrary to this deeply
held belief. How then does the traditional Benin commune with their ancestors?
“Homage is paid to the ancestors at meal or drinking times by descendants through
the ritual practice of throwing food pieces and pouring libation to them before
the first bite or drink is taken. It is a rule that the ancestors must eat and,
or drink first before living descendant,” Ebohon explained. Homage-paying is
not an all-male affair. The females, too, are involved. The art/cultural
historian said: “Females that have lost their parents or any of their parents
could give libation to their immediate ancestors.”

There are three platforms for the worship of ancestors in Benin Kingdom. Ebohon identified these platforms as the family altar, the palace altar and the
communal altar. The family altar is where the eldest surviving male child, as
chief priest, prays and intercedes on behalf of the family members to his
departed father. The palace altar (or altars) is where a reigning Oba worships
his departed Obas. A communal altar, as the name suggests, belongs to the
community and it is where departed great elders in the community are
collectively worshipped during certain festivals. At the community level, the
Odionwere (eldest male) leads the worship. Similarly, Benin people regard the
human head as more than a biological entity. To them, as Ebohon puts it, the
human head is an altar through which God can be worshipped for conferring success
on a person in life or for approaching God to get His blessings. “Success in
life, among the Binis, is interpreted to mean that one has a good steering
compass in the head. So, the Binis say you have a good head (Uhunnoma).”

The annual Ugie festival, usually celebrated every December, is said to incorporate head worship for the Oba, the royal family, palace chiefs and all sons and daughters
of Benin Kingdom. It is also said that ancestral worship has a segment that is
devoted to head worship. Ebohon further explained that to celebrate head
worship as a religious practice, Benin people had a special commemorative head
carving called “Uhunmwan Elao” kept in ancestral altars. Besides, he said there
was an ancestral wooden staff of authority known as “Ukhurhe” with a carved
human head on it, which is equally placed on the altars. Sometimes, according
to him, there are rectangular bells (Eroro) with metallic human head found on
these altars.

Belief in the existence of a guardian spirit among the Benin people is very common. They call the guardian spirit Ehi. Ebohon stated: “It is Ehi’s responsibility to
help one’s head pilot a person through life. In other words, Ehi or the
guardian spirit is a form of helper. Its mandate is to give support to a person
so as to enable him achieve his destiny on earth, already chosen in the spirit
world with God and the guardian spirit in attendance. Invariably, the Binis
believe that the person in the spirit world chooses a person’s station in life.
“Therefore, on earth, he cannot rewrite his destiny, part of which determines
the day, week and month on or in which he is born; or the family and
geographical location into which or within which he is born. To explain this
fact, the Binis have a saying: “Aise Agbon ri Oba, erinmwin a ke rioe re”. It
means one cannot just become a king on earth unless one is ordained from the
spirit world.” The guardian spirit, Ebohon continued, is propitiated through
the medium of head worship while an Oba of Benin normally appointed a chief to
be in charge of his Ehi (Ehi Oba). The duty of the chief, it is said, is to
undertake the worship of the Oba’s Ehi the Oba’s behalf. The Benin names, which
are said to celebrate this factor of Ehi, include Ehiosuomwan, Ehimwenma,
Ehigiamusoe, Obehi, Ehigbokan, Ehimua, Ehiogie (Ehigie), Ehigiegba and
Ehimanmiegbo.

Ugomba:
will you shut up pls, we delta Igbos have warned you benin people to stop bringing your benin crap inorder to falsely rewrite our history and claim Asaba.. Heads will ROLL if you people dare us.

hahahaha. See who's talking. Can you withstand the binis when it comes to fighting? Mind you, you're not from from the binis cos you share a boundary with Oriohimwon and it won't be difficult pouncing on your sorry asses. Ordinary igala youths that are giving you problems in anambra you've not been able to handle and you're thinking of engaging the binis. You'll die in great numbers this time. Try yourself. We are watching and waiting for you.

Why is it that it's only the igbos that are complaining?

Are you new to this? Nigeria is the worst country on earth to come from. A country where nothing works. FFK might be controversial but this time he's making sense. The only happiness I have is that I have dual citizenship.

This was how Jim Jones led over 700 brainwashed of his followers to an early death. We are watching.

Duru1:
Both poster and author of the above crap are irrefutable pantaloons. From the write-up, it is easy to ascertain that western education has failed the moronic dingbats woefully. One wonders if cultural education also did a number on the wags. Why did so called Ikwerre not claim to have migrated from Eshan or even Urhobo? If these ninnies where given a home training of sort, they would have realized that the word – “Akalaka” does not exist in Edo or Bini vernacular. In addition, they jackasses would also realized that the so-called –“Ikwerre” is not the actual name. In fact, the word – “Iwhnuruọhna” is a body of idiocy. I guess shame has disappeared in Nigeria.
Akalaka or Akaraka, depending on the Igbo dialect in usage, is destiny, thus, natural and birth lines on someone’s palm. Not really do I give a ratass about the so-called Ikwerre but as a red blooded Igbo man, I had rather choose to have come from Ibibio, Annang, Ogoni or Okirika than from a group of people known for backstabbing and sellout such as Edo or Bini.

at what point has edo or bini been backstabbing or a sell out set of people. Guy shut up if you have nothing to say.

Amansu:

You see what I mean?
You have not gone anywhere yet, you people are already trading insults.
At this rate, war is the next definite stage.

let the war come. We are ready. I'll personally fight on the side of the Nigerian army when that day comes and I'll behead any igbo I see and occupy their properties. These igbos are a curse.

jmoore:

Educated illiterates!!!!

Common sense you can't afford.

Ndi ara na ndi nzuzu!!!

same to your useless father.

brize:
But they are Biafrans(Biafra is not an igbo affair) thats one point they want you to understand but it seems you love playing around the bush...... Cool down bro, Biafra will come

you'll only see biafra in your dreams flattie. You'll die in great numbers this time around. Ikwerres are Edos and nor igbos.

FKO81:
[b]Ikwerre people

This article is about the Ikwerre as a native ethnic group. For the language, see Ikwerre language. For the local government area, see Ikwerre, Rivers State.

The Ikwerre (also spelt Ikwere) are one of the many native ethnic groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. They are a subgroup of the Igbo people, although a small minority for political expediency now dispute this account, claiming their history was rewritten during the colonial period because of the dominance of the larger Igbo group. The Ikwerre are said to be related or share common ancestry with the Ogba and Ekpeye people (Akalaka brothers).[citation needed] They trace their origins to Owerri, Ohaji, Etche, and Ngwa areas of Igboland. They constitute the majority of Rivers state, although there are other populations in neighboring states. The Ikwerre speak the Ikwerre dialect, a dialect part of the many diverse Igbo dialects,[4] and are predominantly settled in the Ikwerre, Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt and Emohua local government areas. They are traditionally farmers, fishermen and hunters, but in recent times, the environmental degradation and urban sprawl associated with oil exploration and exploitation has caused a sharp decline in the amount of farmland, forests and rivers available for their traditional occupations.
The Ikwerre exist in well-delineated clans, with each clan having its own Paramount Ruler, therefore, the Ikwerre do not have an overall paramount ruler or King, but designated kings/ruler/leader mostly approved by its constituents. Although all paramount rulers in ikwerre are united in what is known as Ogbakor Ikwerre which is an association of Ikwerre traditional rulers. A total of 92 oil wells, producing an estimated 100,000 barrels of crude daily, are located in Ikwerreland. The Ikwerre therefore play host to several multinational oil-producing and servicing companies, in addition to many other industries and establishments. Despite these, the Ikwerre, like nearly all other minorities of the Niger Delta, frequently complain of marginalisation by the oil operatives. The University of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, the three campuses of the Rivers State College of Education, as well as the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, are all sited on Ikwerreland

Origin

[b]The Ikwerre are considered by a great majority of scholars as a subgroup of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria,
There are several theories over the origin, and the strongest and most widely accepted one is the theory linking the Ikwerre to an Igbo origin] They would be descendents from an Igbo migration from Awka and Orlu areas towards South. Igbo scholars take Ikwerre as part of the Southern Igbo. Amadi, an Ikwerre scholar, says that the Igbo origin theory has some support even inside Ikwerre themselves, with Ikwerre would be descendants of a migration of Arochukwu Igbo, with Okpo Nwagidi being the leader of the Ikwerre tribe. Before the civil war, there had been dissident voices that claimed that Ikwerre could have migrated from Owerri, Ohaji, Ngwa, and Etche areas of Igboland.[5] But when Port Harcourt was conquered by Nigeria during the Biafran War and the Igbo people from other parts of Igboland fled the territory, a UN report says that the Ikwerre decided to claim that the Ikwerre were non-Igbo for convenience.The Ikwerre are recognized officially as a separate group in the 1979 Nigerian Constitution[/b]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikwerre_people#cite_note-ihemere-5

Ikweres are Edos and not igbos kill yourself.

firstEVA:
Ikweres speak like Igbos, that's where the misconception came from.

God bless you. The igbos are trying so bad to claim the ikwerres.

Chambers Dictionary (William Geddie, ed. 1962) says: “A nation is a body of people marked off by common descent, language, culture, or historical tradition: the people of a tribe.” However, S.O.L. Amadi-Nna (1993) avers that: “A tribe is a group of clans under recognized chiefs and usually claiming common ancestry. Ikwerre can therefore not be a clan but a tribe. The Ikwerres claim a common ancestor. Ikwerre is an independent small tribe.” In the words of K.O. Amadi (1993), “Traditions suggest that Ikwerre is a nickname given to Iwhnuruọhna people…..They have ever since regarded themselves as a distinct group and have happily come a long way in their struggle for self-identity as evidenced by the recognition of their language as one of the Nigerian languages.”

Amadi-Nna (1993) added that: “The Ikwerres are a small but distinct tribe. The Ikwerres have distinct linguistic, social and cultural traits and formations that distinguish them from other close neighbouring tribes like the Ijaws and the Ibos. Majority of the Ikwerre settlements have their roots traceable from the old Benin Empire.” Iwhnurọhna people descended from  the ancient Bini Kingdom. The name of the grand ancestor is Akalaka. Their relations in Rivers State are Ekpeye and Ogba people. The reigning Oba of Benin when Akalaka, the ancestor of Ihruọha (later called Iwhnurọhna) fled was Oba Ewuare (Ogwaro). Akalaka, a member of the Benin royal family, fled in the 13th century on allegation of plotting assassination of the Oba. He died in 1462. Iwhnurọhna his third son settled east of the Sombrero River by 1538 AD, as detailed below.

Chief N.M.T. Solomon (2004), native of Ikodu Ubie in Ekpeyeland, in his narrative draws heavily from the now authenticated written historical records delivered by various informed sources including “Eketu (Weber) of Ubeta, assumed to have lived for over two hundred (200) years as the oldest man in all Ekpeye, Ogba and Iwhnurọhna (or Ikwerre), at that time (and) was asked to narrate the history and customs of Ekpeye people” as unfolded in his lifetime. Here is what he said, which has been validated by the accounts of the current generation through responses to our questionnaires and direct interviews thereby increasing our level of confidence on the data:

Ekpeye, born in Benin, was the first of the three sons of Akalaka. While in Ndoni, he married a second wife to gain the love and favour of the people. The new wife gave birth to a son, which he named Ogba. Akalaka was still in Ndoni when his first wife, the mother of Ekpeye, gave birth to his third son called Ihruoha (Ikwerre).

Similar historical fact by J.N. Olise (1971) averred that: “Akalaka, a member of the Benin royal family, fled with his wife from Benin to Ndoni, a community located close to the River Niger, to save the life of his new born baby (Ekpeye) … While at Ndoni, Akalaka took a second wife. … Akalaka had two sons, Ekpeye – born to him by his Benin wife, and Ogba – born to him by his Ndoni wife. According to F.E. Otuwarikpo (1994): "After the death of Akalaka in 1462 AD, his two sons, Ekpeye and Ogba had conflict, which compelled Ogba, the younger son, to move northwards where he founded Ohiakwo (Obigwe) and settled with his family. Ekpeye who remained at Ula-Ubie had seven sons – Ubie, Akoh, Upata, Igbuduya, Ekpe, Awala and Asa. The last three sons – Ekpe, Awala and Asa – crossed to the other side of Sombreiro River (present day Ikwerreland and settled there since 1538 AD.” He added that: “Ekpe migrated to present day Rumuekpe and spread through Elele (Alimini), Ndele, Rumuji and part of Ibaa. Awala migrated to present day Isiokpo …” 

Amadi-Nna (1993) also said Akalaka migrated with his half brother called Ochichi from the area of Benin Empire. Ochichi sons were Ele (Omerele, now Elele), Elu (Elumuoha, now Omerelu), Egbe (Egbeda) and Mini (Alimini, Isiokpo).

The crucial point here, which is of great importance in tracing the joint origin of the ancestors of the Old Ahoada Division (in the Governor Diete-Spiff administration), is the mention of the number of children that Akalaka had, namely: Ekpeye, Ogba and Ihruọha (Ikwerre). It is noteworthy that the pedigree and name of Ikwerre people, Iwhnurọhna, obviously took its root from this original name – Ihruọha. Chief Solomon therefore establishes a very vital historical link, which has been missing in literature on Ikwerre origin that would assume more significance in the discourses of Ikwerre genealogy in the future – the fact that Akalaka was the direct father of Ihruọha (Ikwerre). Iwhnurọhna, in Ikwere parlance, means the face of the community (town, city or village).

Nigerian colonial history records that the name "Ikwerre" was given by the colonial administration when they wanted to acquire the Rebisi waterfront to build the wharf. Using an Ibo interpreter to talk to the illiterate Rebisi (Port Harcourt) chiefs, they asked them: Would you permit us to use the waterfront to build the wharf for ships to berth? And they answered: A KWERULEM, meaning - "We have agreed." What the white-man was hearing was "Ikwerre," so he recorded it in the official gazette that the IKWERRE PEOPLE have agreed for the colonial administration to build the wharf. And since it was the official record of government, the name Ikwerre became the name of the Iwhnurohna people in all official documentations till date.

Similar cases of Anglicization of native names in the Niger Delta region by the colonial administration are Benin for Bini, Okrika for Wakrike, Degema for Udekema, Abonnema for Obonoma, Brass for Gbara sni, Bonny for Ibani, Pepple for Perekule, Ahoada for Ehuda, etc

Even so, “… there were dissenting voices, … who believed that Ikwerre origins lay outside Igbo land, … in the Benin Kingdom of old. It is, therefore, obvious that the interminable debate about Ikwerre origins and migrations including the repudiation of the Igbo tradition is not a phenomenon of the post-civil war period. The controversy, as it were, is not necessarily the product of the present political realities wherein groups which hitherto were seen to have cultural affinities now find themselves in different states or administrative systems.”  -- K.O. Amadi (1993)

The Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, a cultural organization of Ikwerre people, in a paper presented to the Human Rights Violation Commission headed by Rtd. Justice Chukwudifu Oputa on 10 October 2001, said: “Ikwerre ethnic nationality is not and has never been a sub-group of any other tribe in Nigeria including Ndi-Igbo. There is no doubt that the advent of the British and later regionalization put Ndi-Igbo at the helm of affairs in Eastern Nigeria. This brought Ndi-Igbo into Ikwerre land. In course of time, the Igbo took advantage of their position in the then Eastern Regional Government to grab land in Ikwerre and occupy political positions such as the mayor of Port Harcourt. In the process, Ikwerre along with other minority groups were marginalized and driven to the background.”

Professor Godwin Tasie noted that in 1913 the Rt Rev Herbert Tugwell, the Anglican Bishop on the Niger, undertook an experimentation tour of Ikwerre towns and villages assumed to be Ibo-speaking to test the Union Ibo Bible Nso being introduced in Iboland. "Tugwell discovered from the tests he carried out that although the Ikwerre were often regarded  as Ibo… the Union Ibo Bible translation, surprisingly, was not easily understood by the Ikwere." This is obviously why Igbo vernacular was compulsorily introduced and taught in all schools in Ikwerreland before the Nigerian Civil War to the assimilation (i.e. destruction) of the Ikwere language.

This also obviously led to the Rumuomasi Declaration in 1965. " … in their meeting at Rumuomasi in 1965 the Ikwerre had, under the umbrella of a highly promising new body that was to get the Ikwerre together as a people of new and clearer vision, they had declared themselves as a people of the distinct identity of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality - not Ibo, not Ijo, not anything else but Ikwerre, Iwhnurọhna. This was the historic Rumuomasi Declaration of 1965 (G.O.M. Tasie, 2000). The full implication is that Ikwere people began to assert themselves forcefully as an ethnic nationality of their own and not Ibos or Ijos, and efforts were made to revert to the original Ikwere names for families, villages, communities and landmarks. For instance, there was the change from Umuola to Rumuola, Umuoro to Rumuoro, Umukrushi to Rumuokwurusi,  just to name a few.




T O N Y   E N Y I A,  PhD, MNIM                                                                        
CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
IWHNURỌHNA CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Saturday, 5 February 2011

Chambers Dictionary (William Geddie, ed. 1962) says: “A nation is a body of people marked off by common descent, language, culture, or historical tradition: the people of a tribe.” However, S.O.L. Amadi-Nna (1993) avers that: “A tribe is a group of clans under recognized chiefs and usually claiming common ancestry. Ikwerre can therefore not be a clan but a tribe. The Ikwerres claim a common ancestor. Ikwerre is an independent small tribe.” In the words of K.O. Amadi (1993), “Traditions suggest that Ikwerre is a nickname given to Iwhnuruọhna people…..They have ever since regarded themselves as a distinct group and have happily come a long way in their struggle for self-identity as evidenced by the recognition of their language as one of the Nigerian languages.”

Amadi-Nna (1993) added that: “The Ikwerres are a small but distinct tribe. The Ikwerres have distinct linguistic, social and cultural traits and formations that distinguish them from other close neighbouring tribes like the Ijaws and the Ibos. Majority of the Ikwerre settlements have their roots traceable from the old Benin Empire.” Iwhnurọhna people descended from  the ancient Bini Kingdom. The name of the grand ancestor is Akalaka. Their relations in Rivers State are Ekpeye and Ogba people. The reigning Oba of Benin when Akalaka, the ancestor of Ihruọha (later called Iwhnurọhna) fled was Oba Ewuare (Ogwaro). Akalaka, a member of the Benin royal family, fled in the 13th century on allegation of plotting assassination of the Oba. He died in 1462. Iwhnurọhna his third son settled east of the Sombrero River by 1538 AD, as detailed below.

Chief N.M.T. Solomon (2004), native of Ikodu Ubie in Ekpeyeland, in his narrative draws heavily from the now authenticated written historical records delivered by various informed sources including “Eketu (Weber) of Ubeta, assumed to have lived for over two hundred (200) years as the oldest man in all Ekpeye, Ogba and Iwhnurọhna (or Ikwerre), at that time (and) was asked to narrate the history and customs of Ekpeye people” as unfolded in his lifetime. Here is what he said, which has been validated by the accounts of the current generation through responses to our questionnaires and direct interviews thereby increasing our level of confidence on the data:

Ekpeye, born in Benin, was the first of the three sons of Akalaka. While in Ndoni, he married a second wife to gain the love and favour of the people. The new wife gave birth to a son, which he named Ogba. Akalaka was still in Ndoni when his first wife, the mother of Ekpeye, gave birth to his third son called Ihruoha (Ikwerre).

Similar historical fact by J.N. Olise (1971) averred that: “Akalaka, a member of the Benin royal family, fled with his wife from Benin to Ndoni, a community located close to the River Niger, to save the life of his new born baby (Ekpeye) … While at Ndoni, Akalaka took a second wife. … Akalaka had two sons, Ekpeye – born to him by his Benin wife, and Ogba – born to him by his Ndoni wife. According to F.E. Otuwarikpo (1994): "After the death of Akalaka in 1462 AD, his two sons, Ekpeye and Ogba had conflict, which compelled Ogba, the younger son, to move northwards where he founded Ohiakwo (Obigwe) and settled with his family. Ekpeye who remained at Ula-Ubie had seven sons – Ubie, Akoh, Upata, Igbuduya, Ekpe, Awala and Asa. The last three sons – Ekpe, Awala and Asa – crossed to the other side of Sombreiro River (present day Ikwerreland and settled there since 1538 AD.” He added that: “Ekpe migrated to present day Rumuekpe and spread through Elele (Alimini), Ndele, Rumuji and part of Ibaa. Awala migrated to present day Isiokpo …” 

Amadi-Nna (1993) also said Akalaka migrated with his half brother called Ochichi from the area of Benin Empire. Ochichi sons were Ele (Omerele, now Elele), Elu (Elumuoha, now Omerelu), Egbe (Egbeda) and Mini (Alimini, Isiokpo).

The crucial point here, which is of great importance in tracing the joint origin of the ancestors of the Old Ahoada Division (in the Governor Diete-Spiff administration), is the mention of the number of children that Akalaka had, namely: Ekpeye, Ogba and Ihruọha (Ikwerre). It is noteworthy that the pedigree and name of Ikwerre people, Iwhnurọhna, obviously took its root from this original name – Ihruọha. Chief Solomon therefore establishes a very vital historical link, which has been missing in literature on Ikwerre origin that would assume more significance in the discourses of Ikwerre genealogy in the future – the fact that Akalaka was the direct father of Ihruọha (Ikwerre). Iwhnurọhna, in Ikwere parlance, means the face of the community (town, city or village).

Nigerian colonial history records that the name "Ikwerre" was given by the colonial administration when they wanted to acquire the Rebisi waterfront to build the wharf. Using an Ibo interpreter to talk to the illiterate Rebisi (Port Harcourt) chiefs, they asked them: Would you permit us to use the waterfront to build the wharf for ships to berth? And they answered: A KWERULEM, meaning - "We have agreed." What the white-man was hearing was "Ikwerre," so he recorded it in the official gazette that the IKWERRE PEOPLE have agreed for the colonial administration to build the wharf. And since it was the official record of government, the name Ikwerre became the name of the Iwhnurohna people in all official documentations till date.

Similar cases of Anglicization of native names in the Niger Delta region by the colonial administration are Benin for Bini, Okrika for Wakrike, Degema for Udekema, Abonnema for Obonoma, Brass for Gbara sni, Bonny for Ibani, Pepple for Perekule, Ahoada for Ehuda, etc

Even so, “… there were dissenting voices, … who believed that Ikwerre origins lay outside Igbo land, … in the Benin Kingdom of old. It is, therefore, obvious that the interminable debate about Ikwerre origins and migrations including the repudiation of the Igbo tradition is not a phenomenon of the post-civil war period. The controversy, as it were, is not necessarily the product of the present political realities wherein groups which hitherto were seen to have cultural affinities now find themselves in different states or administrative systems.”  -- K.O. Amadi (1993)

The Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, a cultural organization of Ikwerre people, in a paper presented to the Human Rights Violation Commission headed by Rtd. Justice Chukwudifu Oputa on 10 October 2001, said: “Ikwerre ethnic nationality is not and has never been a sub-group of any other tribe in Nigeria including Ndi-Igbo. There is no doubt that the advent of the British and later regionalization put Ndi-Igbo at the helm of affairs in Eastern Nigeria. This brought Ndi-Igbo into Ikwerre land. In course of time, the Igbo took advantage of their position in the then Eastern Regional Government to grab land in Ikwerre and occupy political positions such as the mayor of Port Harcourt. In the process, Ikwerre along with other minority groups were marginalized and driven to the background.”

Professor Godwin Tasie noted that in 1913 the Rt Rev Herbert Tugwell, the Anglican Bishop on the Niger, undertook an experimentation tour of Ikwerre towns and villages assumed to be Ibo-speaking to test the Union Ibo Bible Nso being introduced in Iboland. "Tugwell discovered from the tests he carried out that although the Ikwerre were often regarded  as Ibo… the Union Ibo Bible translation, surprisingly, was not easily understood by the Ikwere." This is obviously why Igbo vernacular was compulsorily introduced and taught in all schools in Ikwerreland before the Nigerian Civil War to the assimilation (i.e. destruction) of the Ikwere language.

This also obviously led to the Rumuomasi Declaration in 1965. " … in their meeting at Rumuomasi in 1965 the Ikwerre had, under the umbrella of a highly promising new body that was to get the Ikwerre together as a people of new and clearer vision, they had declared themselves as a people of the distinct identity of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality - not Ibo, not Ijo, not anything else but Ikwerre, Iwhnurọhna. This was the historic Rumuomasi Declaration of 1965 (G.O.M. Tasie, 2000). The full implication is that Ikwere people began to assert themselves forcefully as an ethnic nationality of their own and not Ibos or Ijos, and efforts were made to revert to the original Ikwere names for families, villages, communities and landmarks. For instance, there was the change from Umuola to Rumuola, Umuoro to Rumuoro, Umukrushi to Rumuokwurusi,  just to name a few.




T O N Y   E N Y I A,  PhD, MNIM                                                                        
CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
IWHNURỌHNA CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Saturday, 5 February 2011

I pity you and that your English friend.

According to available data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Joint Tax Board (JTB), between 2010 and 2013, Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Edo, and Akwa Ibom were states that recorded the highest internally generated revenue (IGR). Lagos dominated in 2010, raking in N185.9 billion, Rivers followed with N173.1 billion, while Delta realised N106.4 billion.
Edo raked in N53.53 billion while Akwa Ibom made N35.6 billion.  Jigawa, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Borno and Taraba States dominated the bottom of the table having generated the lowest IGR among the 36 states of the federation. Jigawa recorded only N2.725 billion, while Zamfara accounted for N6.374 billion.
The IGR was realised from Pay-As-You- Earn (PAYE), direct assessment, road taxes and other revenue with PAYE accounting for the highest amount. A breakdown of the Lagos IGR in three years showed that the state recorded N149.9 billion in 2010, which increased to N202.76 billion in 2011 and rose further to N219.2 billion in 2012 and N384.259billion in 2013. Of the N219.2 billion in 2012, Lagos realised the highest revenue of N172.44 billion from workers through the PAYE.
A total of    N4.36 billion came from road taxes, N1.89 billion from direct assessment of companies doing business while N40.513 billion was from other revenue sources. Lagos  State realised  about N120.25 billion from PAYE in 2011; N7.97 billion from direct assessment, and N74.54 billion from other sources, while N104.681 billion came from PAYE in 2010; N7.51 billion from direct sources, and N73.704 billion from other sources.
Rivers State, which came second on the table, realised about N49.59 billion in 2010; N52.711 billion in 2011 and N66.28 billion in 2012 and N87.91billion in 2013.  The state raked in N55.1 billion through PAYE in 2012; N485.9 million through road taxes; N22.075 million through direct tax assessment and N10.668 million through other revenue sources during the year.
Delta State realised N26.1 billion in 2010, N34.75 billion in 2011, N45.5 billion in 2012 and N50.2 billion in 2013. PAYE fetched Delta State over N42.565 billion in 2012. Also, N244.195million was realised from road taxes,    N123.4 million from direct assessment, while N2.635 billion came from other sources.
Edo State realised N10.651 billion in 2010, which increased to N14.764 billion in 2011 and to N18.88 billion in 2012 and further to N18.89 billion in 2013. Similarly, Akwa Ibom raked in N10.133 billion in 2010, N11.678 billion in 2011 and N13.517 billion in 2012 and N15.398 billion in 2013. Kano generated N6.6 billion in 2010, N6.618 in 2011, N11.051 billion in 2012 and N17.142 billion in 2013.
Kaduna was able to generate N11.564 billion in 2010, N9.781 billion in 2011, N11.531 billion in 2012 and N10.932 billion in 2013. In the same vein Enugu internally generated revenue stood at N13.7 billion in 2010 dropped to N7.287 billion in 2011, N12.209 billion in 2012 and N20.203 billion in 2013. Oyo state’s internal revenue which stood at N10.488 billion in 2010 dropped to N8.915 billion in 2011. It however rose to N14.598 billion in 2012 and further to N15.251 billion in 2013.
Jigawa State, realised N1.241 billion in 2010 and N1.482 billion in 2011, but no information was provided in respect of 2012 .Yobe which had N5.96 billion as internally generated revenue in 2010 saw its internal revenue plunge to N2.385 billion in 20111; N1.785 billion in 2012 and rose to N3.072 billion in 2013.

As Nigerian States governors under the auspices of the ‘resurrected’ Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF)led by Rochas Okorocha, Imo State governor, disregarded the smear associated with begging and heads straight for Aso Rock, the nation’s seat of power, to plea financial salvation from President Muhammadu Buhari following their respective states near bankruptcy status; with its resultant backlog of salaries owe workers, mineral resources worth billions of dollars are currently left untouched in soils across the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The ugly situation, which was entrenched by the commercial crude oil discovery, an onshore oilfield in  Oloibiri, a community located in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, then under Rivers State,  was aided by the Nigerian federal structure where an Exclusive List exists which placed the exploration of natural resources at the monopoly of the Federal Government.
The states currently owing workers amidst many untapped natural resources, according to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara.
A Naija247news investigation revealed that Nigeria has over 56 unutilized natural resources that could have made the country the envy of the international community following the grace to grass fall of oil in the international market; with the north topping the list of states with untapped mineral resources.
Plateau State is leading the packs with 22 different minerals, followed by Nasarawa, 21; Kaduna, 19; Sokoto, 12, Ondo, 12; Buachi, 11; Edo, 11; Oyo, 11; Benue, 10; Kogi, 9; Amambra, 9; Kwara, 8, Borno, 8, Delta, 8, Bayelsa, 8; Cross Rivers, 8; Imo, 8; Kano, 7; Akwa Ibom, 7; Abuja, 7; Ogun, 7; Abia, 6; Rivers, 6; Osun, 6; Ekiti, 5; Adamawa, 4; Ebonyi, 3; Enugu, 3; Katsina, 3; Lagos, 3; Niger, 3; Gombe, 2; Yobe, 2; Zamfara, 2; with Jagawa, Kebbi, and Taraba states with 1 piece.
Also revealing, is the global expediency of some of the minerals find in Nigeria’s soil which ranges from: materials for parts of aircraft, sophisticated electronic device, phones, calculators, personal digital assistants, global positioning system units and other small electronic devices; appliances such as television sets and some minerals that are used in many parts of the world for both medical and spiritual healings.

Nigerian States, their natural resources and what they owe
Abia
Abia State has gold, lead/zinc, limestone, oil/gas and salt. At the moment, the state has not paid the salaries of workers at the State Teaching Hospital for 9 months. The state is also said to be owing workers of the Hospital Management Board 8 months’ salary; Abia State Universal Basic Education Board,6 months; Abia State Polytechnic,6; local government workers, 4 months; and teachers, three months’ salary arrears.
Abuja
The FCT has buried on its soil: cassiterite, clay, dolomite, gold, lead/zinc, marble and tantalite
Adamawa
Adamawa has bentonite, gypsium, kaolin and magnesite.
Akwa Ibom
The state has clay, lead/zinc, lignite, limestone, oil/gas, salt and uranium; but owes its workers at least three months salaries.
Anambra
Anambra boast of clay, glass-sand, gypsium, iron-ore, lead/zinc, lignite, limestone, phosphate and salt.
Bauchi
Bauchi has buried on its soil: gold, cassiterite (tine ore), columbite, gypsium, wolfram, coal, limestone, lignite, iron-ore and clay.
Bayelsa
The state is sitting on: glay, gypsium, lead/zinc, lignite, limestone, maganese, oil/gas and uranium.
Benue
Bunue has: barite, clay, coal, cemstone, gypsium, iron-ore, and lead/zinc, limestone, marble and salt. Benue owes its worker 5 months of salaries and 4months of pension benefits.
Borno
The insurgence troubled state has: bentonite, clay, diatomite, gypsium, hydro-carbon, kaolin and limestone.
Delta
The state has: clay, glass-sand, gypsium, iron-ore, kaolin, and lignite, marble and oil/gas.
Ebonyi
The state has: gold, lead/zinc and salt. The NLC report was silent on the status of Ebonyi State on the ground that “there was no information.”
Edo
The state has buried on its soil: bitumen, clay dolomite, phosphate, glass-sand, gold, gypsium, iron-ore, lignite, limestone, marble and oil/gas.
Ekiti
The state has: feldspar, granite, kaolin, syenite and tatium. Ekiti is already in arrears of state employee salaries for three months.
Enugu
The state, with ‘Caol City’ as its slogan, has: limestone, coal and lead/zinc. Enugu may have paid the salaries of civil servants till date, but parastatals are owed 12 months’ salaries and pension and gratuity payments haven’t been issued since 2010.
Gombe
Gombe has gemstone and gypsium.
Imo
The state has: gypsium, lead/zinc, lignite, limestone, marcasite, oil/gas, phosphate and salt. Imo State owes its employees salary arrears of at least, 6 months.
Cross River
The state has: barite, lead/zinc, lignite, limestone, manganese, oil/gas, salt and uranium. Cross River is said to owe its employees salary arrears of at least, 6 months.
Jigawa
The state has one natural resource which is butyles. Jigawa owes judiciary workers a month in salary arrears.
Kaduna
Kaduna State has: amethyst, aqua marine, asbestos, clay, flosper, gemstone, gold, graphite, kaolin, hyanite, mica, rock crystal, ruby, sapphire, sihnite, superntinite, Tentalime, Topaz & tourmaline.
Kano
Kano State has: gassiterite, copper, gemstone, glass-sand, lead/zinc, pyrochinre and tantalite. The state is yet to pay newly employed teachers for 3 months.
Kastina
The state has: kaolin, marble and salt.
Kebbi
The state has gold buried on its souls.
Kogi
Kogi State, which currently owes 4 months in arrears of pension and salary payments, has: cole, dolomite, feldspar, gypsium, iron-ore, kaolin, marble, talc and tantalite.
Kwara
The state has: cassiterite, columbite, feldspar, gold, iron-ore, marble, mica and tantalite.
Lagos
Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial city has bitumen, clay and glass-sand buried on its soil.
Nasarawa
The state has buried on its soil: amethyst (topaz garnet), barytex, barite, cassirite, chalcopyrite, clay, columbite, coking coal, dolomite/marble, feldspar, galena, iron-ore, limestone, mica, salt, sapphire, talc, tantalite, tourmaline quartz and zireon.
Niger
The state has: gold, lead/zinc and talc.
Ogun
Ogun State has: bitumen, clay, feldspar, gemstone, kaolin, limestone and phosphate.  At the moment, also owes a month of salary payments and 52 months of unremitted pension deductions to the Pension Fund Administration.
Ondo
Ondo State, which owes a month salary and pension payments, has bitumen, clay, coal, dimension stones, feldspar, gemstone, glass-sand, granite, gypsium, kaolin, limestone and oil/gas buried on its soil.
Osun
The state has: columbite, gold, granite, talc, tantalite and tourmaline. At the moment, Osun, on average, owes 7 months’ in salary and pension payments.
Oyo
Oyo, which owes three months in salaries and between five and 11 months of pension payments, has aqua marine, cassiterite, clay, dolomite, gemstone, gold, kaolin, marble, silimonite, talc and tantalite buried on its soil.
 Pleteau
The state has: barite, bauxite, betonite, bismuth, cassiterite, clay, coal, emeral, fluoride, gemstone, granite, iron-ore, kaolin, lead/zinc, marble, molybdenite, phrochlore, salt, tantalite/columbite, tin and wolfram. Plateau State at the moment, owes 7 months in salaries and pension entitlements.
Rivers
Rivers State, which currently owes its workers one month salaries 4 months worth of pension payments, has clay, class-sand, cignite, marble and oil/gas buried on its soil.
Sokoto
Sokoto State ‘boasts’ of: clay, flakes, gold, granite, gypsium, kaolin, laterite, limestone, phosphate, potash, silica sand and salt.
Taraba
Taraba State haslead/zinc.
Yobe
The state has soda ash and tintomite. The NLC report was also silent on the status of Yobe State on the ground that “there was no information.”
Zamfara
Zamfara has coal, cotton and gold. While the state has paid workers’ salaries up to date, the salaries of workers recruited in 2014 have not been paid.

Chanchit:
Viel gluck bruder, du sprichst und horen ein bischen deutsch jetz.

Ja Bruder. Leider habe ich damit beschäftigt war, bevor

Gejpresident:
pls shut up, who ask u idiot.

I live and school In Melbourne.

you're very stupid. Melbourne my foot Brisbane my ass.

Nigerian universities suck. I'm not trying to blast them but that's the pure truth. I had my Bsc in Nigeria and later did my Masters in Canada and the difference is clear. Their standard and that of Nigeria is like comparing light and darkness. None of my kids would school in Nigeria cos Nigeria has nothing to offer.

The search has not been easily as a result of language barrier but I know with God on my side I'll get there. Germany is a wonderful country with lots of beautiful women. I'm starting the search properly today. Currently in Hamburg but will be going to Nuremberg later.

European girls are the best if you ask me. I've being enjoying Deutsch Bier und Küche. The Germans are not racist as people tend to think. They're very homely and friendly. Any nairalander who's in Germany can halla. Ich werde warten, von euch zu hören.

Mogidi:
Say goodbye to divide and rule. We can fight our own fights, we don't need the Yorubas tto tell us who to align with. There's a reason Midwest left the Western region in 1963.

Dokubo meeting with MASSOB

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Asari Dokubo is not the spokesperson for us. He doesn't represent us. He's just a sore loser. Wait and see.

There are six geopolitical zones in Nigeria and the South South happens to be part of it. The South south geopolitical zone consists of six states. They are Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. The term South south refers to the Southern most part of the country. The South south is made of the country's Southern minorities which are the Binis, Urhobos, Ijaws, Itsekiris, Isokos, Efiks, Ibibios, Ishans, Afemais, Ikwerres, Kalabaris, Nembes, Epies, Anangs, etc. These ethnic groups share a common history and are not too distinct from each other and they've always lived in peace. The people of South south are the most detribalized set of individuals you'll ever come across. They inter-marry with each other and even before the coming of the Europeans they've never at any point in history been at each others throat. The Binis see the Urhobos as brothers, the Urhobos see the ijaws as brothers, the ijaws see the Isokos as brothers, the Itsekiris see the Okpes as brothers, the Efiks see the Ibibios as brothers, the Ikwerres see the Kalabaris as brothers and they've never been any room for tribal bigotry. The day one of us was elected president we all celebrated irrespective of whether he might not be from my ethnic group or not and when he lost to Buhari we accepted our fate and have moved on. God blessed us with being the breadwinner of Nigeria. 98% of Nigeria's wealth comes from the South south. This is due to the presence of Crude oil found in our lands and in our waters. The six states that make up the South south zone are all oil producing states. The South South is also blessed with access to international waters.

I've come to realise something from those on the other side that over time they've always wanted to cunningly covet our God's given resources to themselves. They claim they're our brothers and that they're fighting for our interest but in the actual sense they are not. The igbos are only trying to force us into an alliance so that they can steal our resources and plunder our riches. They tried to do so during the civil war in the case of Benin city and the Epie people of Bayelsa. The civil war was never a war of liberation for the igbos but it was an avenue they wanted to employ in order to annex other people's land. That war could have been avoided but the greed of the igbos never allowed to know. They know that having south south will boost their economy that was why they wanted to annex our lands.

The number enemy of Nigeria are the igbos and they've never at any point hidden that fact. Igbos are not my brothers. The Urhobos, the ijaws, the ikwerres, Kalabaris, Efiks, Ibibios, Ishans, Itsekiris, Okpes, nembes, Epies etc are my brothers and not the igbos. They only want us in biafra cos of our oil and access to international waters. If not these factors, tell me why would they want to form a country with the people of South south? Simple, to rob us of our resources and make us second class citizens. One of our sons was president and with that is shows that good things are about to come for us. Buhari has kept to his promise and has even us more recognition than even our own son Gej.

South south will never be part of biafra. The earlier they realise that the bitter for them. Any attempt to include us in their map will be met heavily by force.

Guy don't. She doesn't deserve it. Find someone else. Someone neutral would be better.

Seriously I'm beginning to hate these biafrans by the day. People from the South south are not complaining, why is it that it is only the igbos that are trying to take pain killers for another man's headache? South south is made of the Binis, Ijaws, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Efiks, Ibibios, Isokos, Ishans, Afemais, Anangs, Epies, Ikwerres, Kalabaris, Ogonis etc and yet these people are not complaining about being called south south except the igbos. These people have always made it clear that they're not biafrans and don't want to be part of you guys but why can't you biafrans let them be? The only reason the igbos are trying to align themselves with the people of the south south is simply because of two things which is their oil and access to international waters. I don't want to hear that crap of the south east having oil. If you have all these things why are you people still trying to include the south south in your map? It's simple because you know you guys have nothing to offer but numbers that's why you're trying to include them in your map.

Tripleclick:
Which igbo gals... idiotz ... even ur mothers are prostitues

you mean your mothers?

Mcowubaba:
u nd some of ur family members needs more help than most of dis hoes ....

Ps-i won't reply u again ...

same to you.

wapSmart:
Why must you do this.. Why must you attack people with words that can frustrate them. Every tribe have their own flaws be it Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba. Instead of us to fight all these Politicians that came from all the four cardinal point, you are here attacking Igbo.. This has to stop my brother..

you know I've never been spoken to in this manner before. You sound very mature. I promise from now on I'll stop promoting tribalism. Even though I don't know you but this is my promise to you. Nigeria would be a better place if they were more like you.

Brooklynsouth:
they were suyanised okay remember ths war roaming now ll be fought everywhere cos oue people are everywhere just on bomb @ tincan island and apapa the war is over becareful

i pity you. Try yourself and test the full strength of the Nigerian army. You'll die in great numbers this time already.

marenx:
3. Don't THREATEN, advocate, or encourage violent acts against any person, tribe, race, animal, or group.

you're very stupid.

Bunch of jokers. Igbos are petty thieves. Who would want to entrust a position in the hands of a petty thief? These are people that have always shown why they can never be trusted. I thought they said they wanted to engage the Nigerian army. So they are now resorting to prayer warriors? . You yeebos will never cease to amuse me. Try yourself and you'll test the full strength of the Nigerian army.