Please, e-tribalists should stay away from this thread, i just want only Igbos to throw more light on this assertion. could anybody from Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu state except Anambrians throw more light on this? I ve read it here on Nairaland that Anambrians see themselves more superior than other Igbos but i thought it was just an online thing until my colleagues at work told me that they are more superior than other igbos.

Honestly, I was shocked when I first heard it from the older igbo lady(Anambra too) who is about 54yrs of age but I didn't take her serious until my friend who is from Anambra equally said d same thing on Thursday during our Lunchtime and I asked him why does he thinks/believes that they are more superior than others and his response was : In every family in Anambra, you ll see two to three millionaire or billionaire.

However, I ve been asking myself since I was told on Thursday, how does having two to three millionaire in a family transcend to "we r better than others".

My main purpose here is to gather enough information and knowledge so as to tackle* him on Monday

Tokunbohkinibig:
Please, e-tribalists should stay away from this thread, i just want only Igbos to throw more light on this assertion. could anybody from Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu state except Anambrians throw more light on this? I ve read it here on Nairaland that Anambrians see themselves more superior than other Igbos but i thought it was just an online thing until my colleagues at work told me that they are more superior than other igbos.

Honestly, I was shocked when I first heard it from the older igbo lady(Anambra too) who is about 54yrs of age but I didn't take her serious until my friend who is from Anambra equally said d same thing on Thursday during our Lunchtime and I asked him why does he thinks/believes that they are more superior than others and his response was : In every family in Anambra, you ll see two to three millionaire or billionaire.

However, I ve been asking myself since I was told on Thursday, how does having two to three millionaire in a family transcend to "we r better than others".

My main purpose here is to gather enough information and knowledge so as to tackle* him on Monday

op shut up pls

@Lemon12, I ll eventually shut up either i get a reasonable answer to my question or not. I heard it since Thursday from second person and i just thought i should ask how true this assertion is. It ll be unfair on my own part to believe that without seeking others knowledge. Don't bother your head, I am only seeking knowledge from matured igbos who would not see my question from tribal perspective. If you doubt what was written up there, I could chat him(my friend/colleague) up about this topic on Whatsapp and show you here........

if u are trying to write a book or pamflet about the igbos,the best thing is to go down to the east and live among the igbos,so u can learn whatever u wana learn, but if u are looking for gossip,please try the ladies

Op Í've always wondered the same thing though Í'm also igbo too from delta st...Í had to ask my dad and he said that his colleagues who are from Ànambra claims its because the ofor(kinda like a symbol of authority) that binds all igbos together is in nri,a village in Ànambra.he said that's what they told him but that report is unconfirmed....Ànambra people are well known for their competitive spirit especially when it comes to building houses in their hometown...Op i hope this helps

@achinaboy, I wish I could but it's too late now. However, i might give it a trial whenever i come around. I used to have them as classmates( I attended Sacred Heart Seminary Catholic School and Igbos are almost 15% of d total population), neighbours and girlfriends back in d days there in Nigeria.

But those guys(my classmates) are not Igbos anymore cos the way these guys speak my local dialect not even Yoruba, my local dialect is amazing. You ll only know that they are Igbos by their names.....

@Savigne, God bless u and really appreciate your contribution bro. I just don't want to believe that they are more superior than others but with your dad's explanation as well, I think he is right to a certain extent. He won but i ll pretend on Monday as if nothing happen.

Tokunbohkinibig:
@Savigne, God bless u and really appreciate your contribution bro. I just don't want to believe that they are more superior than others but with your dad's explanation as well, I think he is right to a certain extent. He won but i ll pretend on Monday as if nothing happen.

na story dem dey fyn...dere is no superior or inferior igbo...ndigbo bu ofu...we are one na some tired people go wan dey form boss,matured minds have more important things to think of than to start dwelling on inconsequential things like this...Í have Ímo friends with this same claim of superiority and Í bet you that if we really get down to it,every division will have tangible proof to backup their claims...btw Í'm a lady

Lol @Savigne, while he was trying to convince me about the superior assertion, he cited Imolites as typical inferior igbos and asked him why he used/called Imolites as typical inferior igbos, he claimed they(Imolites) don't help one another unlike Anambrian, they are ingrates etc

I did ask him how many Imolites has he met in his lifetime to ve judged them base on few Imolites he has probably met. According to him, he once accommodated an Imolite few years ago and d Imolite ended up using his(my colleague) house for Fraudulent activities.

@OP, it is not as if Anambra is superior to other Igbos but its just that it is regarded as a royal thing sort of to be from anambra. Just as Americans, Britons, Australians are all English speaking and genetically the same people but being from England kinda attaches this prestige to you and your English accent stands you out from all other English speakers. Same applies to Anambra people and Anambra Igbo.

Many things contribute to this fact. History has it that Nri-Igbo Ukwu axis in Anambra is the cradle of the Igbo race, from which other Igbos came from. Many other theories exist that say otherwise anyway. Another thing has to do with the Anambra general dialect. Anambra Igbo is deemed posh, sweet-sounding and classy to speak of all Igbo dialects. When one mentions Anambra general Igbo, one refers specifically to the Onitsha/Awka/Enugwu-Ukwu/Nri Igbo that is used to represent Anambra. When I was growing up I used to follow my dad to many social Igbo gatherings, and I observed that the general Igbo spoken was the anambra dialect, and many non-anambra Igbos all spoke the dialect. This is so because it is somewhat the easiest of Igbo dialects to learn and speak and very easy to understand by all other Igbo groups. The Onitsha man does not need to twist his Igbo for any random Igbo person to understand him. He is easily understood by everyone. On the other hand, an Owerri man or Abakaliki man, in order for an outsider to understand him, has to modify his Igbo to be understood. It has also remained the default dialect in most Igbo speaking movies since the inception of Nollywood till today and non-Anambra Igbos all speak the dialect in the movies. Also, for those Igbos who like to form English-speaking Ajebo and classy chic/guy, they can speak Anambra Igbo and not be regarded as ajepako unlike compared to some concentrated Igbo dialects which when spoken Igbos around you will immediately regard you as 'bush person', i.e 'onye ime obodo'. I did my secondary school in Owerri and my Igbo secondary school teacher was from Anambra and we had 2 Igbo teachers that taught us, the second being from Imo state and each assigned to particular classes. Everybody used to enjoy the Anambra woman's class because of her Igbo and her classes were always very full and students from the other classes assigned to the other Igbo teacher would come to my class during Igbo class time just to listen to the woman speak. Anambra Igbo is admired all over Igboland and when in other states, especially Imo and Abia state, and you speak Anambra Igbo, many would often reply you back in the dialect and want you to speak on so they could enjoy it more. I grew up and also did my NYSC in Owerri, Imo state and countless times have I been admired because of my Anambra Igbo accent. My PPA was Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(ISOPADEC), a commission in charge of all oil producing activities in Imo state but they drafted we corpers out to special schools to impact positively in terms of education to the students. The moment my students knew I was from Anambra, they wouldn't let me be o everyday I came to work. In class, I must speak Anambra Igbo to them or else they'd start making loud noises. I usually told them stories, in Anambra Igbo, and they loved it so much each time I did and they would be going crazy because of the dialect. Some even went out of their way to learn the dialect and once I stepped into class, they'd start speaking it to me...and I'd be like... . I also remember making a call one day to my distant cousin from the same village, I had just bought credit from the store woman and stood nearby making the call in my dialect, and next thing she and her husband came out of their store, to look for that anambra guy speaking this Anambra Igbo, and when they saw it was me and refused to go inside again o but stood there listening to my conversation. When I noticed what was happening, trust me nau , I even increased my tempo and blasted the thing the more...they just stood there smiling at me. Once I dropped the call, they walked back inside their store smiling. Aha, I just made someone's day. Or how many times have I gotten away with great deals and bargains at Owerri main market just because I spoke Anambra Igbo. Immediately they knew i'm from Anambra they'll be like...'nwa anambra!'...and tended to ease up and gave me much better deals. Even my mom was loved greatly at FUTO Owerri where she worked just because she's from Anambra...'nwanyi Anambra' as they would fondly call her.

Anambra people are also known by other Igbos to be hardworking, have money, or good at business and Imolites the ones going to school the most in Igboland. Many high profile Igbo indigenes tend to come from Anambra such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Cosmas Maduka aka Cosharis, owner of Ekene dili Chukwu Motors, Ifesinachi Motors, owner of Innoson motors, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Philip Emeagwali(aka father of the Internet), Pete Edochie, Oge Okoye, P Square, Flavour etc are all from Anambra. Last year, one of our family friends from Ebonyi state told me how majority of the real estate properties and high-profile buildings and houses in Abakaliki are owned by Anambra people. It is the desire of many non-anambra girls to marry an Anambra man because they believe they would not suffer financially. Anambra men and women make very good husbands and wives too.

And also, anambra people help each other a lot! We call it, 'ime nwanne' ie 'brotherly relationships'. This is one big difference I noticed between Anambrarians and Imolites. Anambra people tend to be nicer and kinder. It is common to find a selfless person or an averagely rich man/woman in Anambra training orphans, less-priviledged people, distant relations or people not related to him in anyway all through primary, secondary and university, feeding and clothing them in addition. This is quite rare to find in Imo state. In Enugu township(formerly Anambra's state capital and still retains mainly Anambra Igbo, many Anambra people live there, and the Anambra attitude) or Awka(capital of Anambra state), you can literally run out of transport money on the streets and walk up to people to plead for money and before you reach the 3rd person you would have found someone who would give you the money you need in full, however in Imo state you would have to reach the 15th or 20th person to find someone willing to help you out. Being kind is a rarity in Imo state but a normal thing in Enugu or Anambra state.

It is not my intention to extol anambra state or anambra Igbo over other dialects but I am giving you an insider's view, as an Igbo person born and bred in Igboland, of the extra attention given to Anambra state and people in Igboland by other Igbos.

Where is this divisive trend among Igbos coming from?

This sort of self-praise is an exercise in vanity that should be checked! I have some blood ties with Anambra (though mostly from Enugu), and I think your post is ridiculous.

bigfrancis21:
@OP, it is not as if Anambra is superior to other Igbos but its just that it is regarded as a royal thing sort of to be from anambra. Just as Americans, Britons, Australians are all English speaking and genetically the same people but being from England kinda attaches this prestige to you and your English accent stands you out from all other English speakers. Same applies to Anambra people and Anambra Igbo.

Many things contribute to this fact. History has it that Nri-Igbo Ukwu axis in Anambra is the cradle of the Igbo race, from which other Igbos came from. Many other theories exist that say otherwise anyway. Another thing has to do with the Anambra general dialect. Anambra Igbo is deemed posh, sweet-sounding and classy to speak of all Igbo dialects. When one mentions Anambra general Igbo, one refers specifically to the Onitsha/Awka/Enugwu-Ukwu/Nri Igbo that is used to represent Anambra. When I was growing up I used to follow my dad to many social Igbo gatherings, and I observed that the general Igbo spoken was the anambra dialect, and many non-anambra Igbos all spoke the dialect. This is so because it is somewhat the easiest of Igbo dialects to learn and speak and very easy to understand by all other Igbo groups. The Onitsha man does not need to twist his Igbo for any random Igbo person to understand him. He is easily understood by everyone. On the other hand, an Owerri man or Abakaliki man, in order for an outsider to understand him, has to modify his Igbo to be understood. It has also remained the default dialect in most Igbo speaking movies since the inception of Nollywood till today and non-Anambra Igbos all speak the dialect in the movies. Also, for those Igbos who like to form English-speaking Ajebo and classy chic/guy, they can speak Anambra Igbo and not be regarded as ajepako unlike compared to some concentrated Igbo dialects which when spoken Igbos around you will immediately regard you as 'bush person', i.e 'onye ime obodo'. I did my secondary school in Owerri and my Igbo secondary school teacher was from Anambra and we had 2 Igbo teachers that taught us, the second being from Imo state and each assigned to particular classes. Everybody used to enjoy the Anambra woman's class because of her Igbo and her classes were always very full and students from the other classes assigned to the other Igbo teacher would come to my class during Igbo class time just to listen to the woman speak. Anambra Igbo is admired all over Igboland and when in other states, especially Imo and Abia state, and you speak Anambra Igbo, many would often reply you back in the dialect and want you to speak on so they could enjoy it more. I grew up and also did my NYSC in Owerri, Imo state and countless times have I been admired because of my Anambra Igbo accent. My PPA was Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(ISOPADEC), a commission in charge of all oil producing activities in Imo state but they drafted we corpers out to special schools to impact positively in terms of education to the students. The moment my students knew I was from Anambra, they wouldn't let me be o everyday I came to work. In class, I must speak Anambra Igbo to them or else they'd start making loud noises. I usually told them stories, in Anambra Igbo, and they loved it so much each time I did and they would be going crazy because of the dialect. Some even went out of their way to learn the dialect and once I stepped into class, they'd start speaking it to me...and I'd be like... . I also remember making a call one day to my distant cousin from the same village, I had just bought credit from the store woman and stood nearby making the call in my dialect, and next thing she and her husband came out of their store, to look for that anambra guy speaking this Anambra Igbo, and when they saw it was me and refused to go inside again o but stood there listening to my conversation. When I noticed what was happening, trust me nau , I even increased my tempo and blasted the thing the more...they just stood there smiling at me. Once I dropped the call, they walked back inside their store smiling. Aha, I just made someone's day. Or how many times have I gotten away with great deals and bargains at Owerri main market just because I spoke Anambra Igbo. Immediately they knew i'm from Anambra they'll be like...'nwa anambra!'...and tended to ease up and gave me much better deals. Even my mom was loved greatly at FUTO Owerri where she worked just because she's from Anambra...'nwanyi Anambra' as they would fondly call her.

Anambra people are also known by other Igbos to be hardworking, have money, or good at business and Imolites the ones going to school the most in Igboland. Many high profile Igbo indigenes tend to come from Anambra such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Cosmas Maduka aka Cosharis, owner of Ekene dili Chukwu Motors, Ifesinachi Motors, owner of Innoson motors, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Philip Emeagwali(aka father of the Internet), Pete Edochie, Oge Okoye, P Square, Flavour etc are all from Anambra. Last year, one of our family friends from Ebonyi state told me how majority of the real estate properties and high-profile buildings and houses in Abakaliki are owned by Anambra people. It is the desire of many non-anambra girls to marry an Anambra man because they believe they would not suffer financially. Anambra men and women make very good husbands and wives too.

And also, anambra people help each other a lot! We call it, 'ime nwanne' ie 'brotherly relationships'. This is one big difference I noticed between Anambrarians and Imolites. Anambra people tend to be nicer and kinder. It is common to find a selfless person or an averagely rich man/woman in Anambra training orphans, less-priviledged people, distant relations or people not related to him in anyway all through primary, secondary and university, feeding and clothing them in addition. This is quite rare to find in Imo state. In Enugu township(formerly Anambra's state capital and still retains mainly Anambra Igbo, many Anambra people live there, and the Anambra attitude) or Awka(capital of Anambra state), you can literally run out of transport money on the streets and walk up to people to plead for money and before you reach the 3rd person you would have found someone who would give you the money you need in full, however in Imo state you would have to reach the 15th or 20th person to find someone willing to help you out. Being kind is a rarity in Imo state but a normal thing in Enugu or Anambra state.

It is not my intention to extol anambra state or anambra Igbo but I am giving you an insider's view, as an Igbo person born and bred in Igboland, of the extra attention given to Anambra state and people in Igboland by other Igbos.

@Bigfrancis21, God bless for that comprehensive and well detailed explanation. Every bit of that was really enjoyed and understood by me. And like I said earlier, my colleague won.

However, I don't think it's a superior thing, it's just that prestige attached to the fact that other Igbos prefer Anambra dialect to theirs because it sounds more posh and sweet sounding.

Finally, the good thing about all this is d fact that Igbos stick together when there is need for it except Politics; there is nothing like Anambrians or Imolites, superiority or inferiority. Nice one.

@Chulla, with the above contributions from Francisone and d other guy, I have realised that the assertion is nothing special, there is no big deal about it.

It's just like a Yoruba guy from Oyo/Ile-Ife saying Oyo/Ife people are more superior than other Yorubas cos the existence of Yorubas or whatever started from Oyo or Ile-Ife. To a certain extent, he would be right to pride himself as a someone from where all Yorubas originated from but that does not mean he is more superior than others; it's just that prestige attached to the fact that he is from that well and culturally respected place. Simple

There's nothing like other parts of igbo prefering the onitsha(anambra) dialect. As far as facts are concerned, people who make use of the onitsha dialect are those who don't assert to communicate in proper igbo language. Look at it in this light, onitsha dialect is the pidgin variation of proper igbo language which is why it is not represented in igbo written journals, bibles, dictionaries, etc. Get igbo waec past question series and you'll see for yourself. The widespread use of the onitsha dialect is just a recent trend. It's just as we Nigerians are witnessing the increasing number of people embracing our pidgin variation of english. Regular anambra dialect sounds weird and comical. It has that L and R factor (e.g 'load' instead of 'road'). No one aspiring to be classy would want to be heard making such arrant errors. Also this insinuation of a cradle of igbo race is wrong; igbo is but a cluster of different groups. The irony of it all is that most of the officially accredited customs, dress codes, vocabulary of the igbos are mostly derived from the Imo/Abia bloc.

A post said ladies from other states aspired to wed men from anambra as it was a guarantee to financial bloom. Now that's what properly functioning brains categorize as 'insane hallucinations'. Op i don't expect you to believe what the senseless one wrote.

Am from Anambra too, but I think that is not true

bigfrancis21:
@OP, it is not as if Anambra is superior to other Igbos but its just that it is regarded as a royal thing sort of to be from anambra. Just as Americans, Britons, Australians are all English speaking and genetically the same people but being from England kinda attaches this prestige to you and your English accent stands you out from all other English speakers. Same applies to Anambra people and Anambra Igbo.

Many things contribute to this fact. History has it that Nri-Igbo Ukwu axis in Anambra is the cradle of the Igbo race, from which other Igbos came from. Many other theories exist that say otherwise anyway. Another thing has to do with the Anambra general dialect. Anambra Igbo is deemed posh, sweet-sounding and classy to speak of all Igbo dialects. When one mentions Anambra general Igbo, one refers specifically to the Onitsha/Awka/Enugwu-Ukwu/Nri Igbo that is used to represent Anambra. When I was growing up I used to follow my dad to many social Igbo gatherings, and I observed that the general Igbo spoken was the anambra dialect, and many non-anambra Igbos all spoke the dialect. This is so because it is somewhat the easiest of Igbo dialects to learn and speak and very easy to understand by all other Igbo groups. The Onitsha man does not need to twist his Igbo for any random Igbo person to understand him. He is easily understood by everyone. On the other hand, an Owerri man or Abakaliki man, in order for an outsider to understand him, has to modify his Igbo to be understood. It has also remained the default dialect in most Igbo speaking movies since the inception of Nollywood till today and non-Anambra Igbos all speak the dialect in the movies. Also, for those Igbos who like to form English-speaking Ajebo and classy chic/guy, they can speak Anambra Igbo and not be regarded as ajepako unlike compared to some concentrated Igbo dialects which when spoken Igbos around you will immediately regard you as 'bush person', i.e 'onye ime obodo'. I did my secondary school in Owerri and my Igbo secondary school teacher was from Anambra and we had 2 Igbo teachers that taught us, the second being from Imo state and each assigned to particular classes. Everybody used to enjoy the Anambra woman's class because of her Igbo and her classes were always very full and students from the other classes assigned to the other Igbo teacher would come to my class during Igbo class time just to listen to the woman speak. Anambra Igbo is admired all over Igboland and when in other states, especially Imo and Abia state, and you speak Anambra Igbo, many would often reply you back in the dialect and want you to speak on so they could enjoy it more. I grew up and also did my NYSC in Owerri, Imo state and countless times have I been admired because of my Anambra Igbo accent. My PPA was Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(ISOPADEC), a commission in charge of all oil producing activities in Imo state but they drafted we corpers out to special schools to impact positively in terms of education to the students. The moment my students knew I was from Anambra, they wouldn't let me be o everyday I came to work. In class, I must speak Anambra Igbo to them or else they'd start making loud noises. I usually told them stories, in Anambra Igbo, and they loved it so much each time I did and they would be going crazy because of the dialect. Some even went out of their way to learn the dialect and once I stepped into class, they'd start speaking it to me...and I'd be like... . I also remember making a call one day to my distant cousin from the same village, I had just bought credit from the store woman and stood nearby making the call in my dialect, and next thing she and her husband came out of their store, to look for that anambra guy speaking this Anambra Igbo, and when they saw it was me and refused to go inside again o but stood there listening to my conversation. When I noticed what was happening, trust me nau , I even increased my tempo and blasted the thing the more...they just stood there smiling at me. Once I dropped the call, they walked back inside their store smiling. Aha, I just made someone's day. Or how many times have I gotten away with great deals and bargains at Owerri main market just because I spoke Anambra Igbo. Immediately they knew i'm from Anambra they'll be like...'nwa anambra!'...and tended to ease up and gave me much better deals. Even my mom was loved greatly at FUTO Owerri where she worked just because she's from Anambra...'nwanyi Anambra' as they would fondly call her.

Anambra people are also known by other Igbos to be hardworking, have money, or good at business and Imolites the ones going to school the most in Igboland. Many high profile Igbo indigenes tend to come from Anambra such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Cosmas Maduka aka Cosharis, owner of Ekene dili Chukwu Motors, Ifesinachi Motors, owner of Innoson motors, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Philip Emeagwali(aka father of the Internet), Pete Edochie, Oge Okoye, P Square, Flavour etc are all from Anambra. Last year, one of our family friends from Ebonyi state told me how majority of the real estate properties and high-profile buildings and houses in Abakaliki are owned by Anambra people. It is the desire of many non-anambra girls to marry an Anambra man because they believe they would not suffer financially. Anambra men and women make very good husbands and wives too.

And also, anambra people help each other a lot! We call it, 'ime nwanne' ie 'brotherly relationships'. This is one big difference I noticed between Anambrarians and Imolites. Anambra people tend to be nicer and kinder. It is common to find a selfless person or an averagely rich man/woman in Anambra training orphans, less-priviledged people, distant relations or people not related to him in anyway all through primary, secondary and university, feeding and clothing them in addition. This is quite rare to find in Imo state. In Enugu township(formerly Anambra's state capital and still retains mainly Anambra Igbo, many Anambra people live there, and the Anambra attitude) or Awka(capital of Anambra state), you can literally run out of transport money on the streets and walk up to people to plead for money and before you reach the 3rd person you would have found someone who would give you the money you need in full, however in Imo state you would have to reach the 15th or 20th person to find someone willing to help you out. Being kind is a rarity in Imo state but a normal thing in Enugu or Anambra state.

It is not my intention to extol anambra state or anambra Igbo but I am giving you an insider's view, as an Igbo person born and bred in Igboland, of the extra attention given to Anambra state and people in Igboland by other Igbos.

Eche m na ima ihe?

bigfrancis21:
@OP, it is not as if Anambra is superior to other Igbos but its just that it is regarded as a royal thing sort of to be from anambra. Just as Americans, Britons, Australians are all English speaking and genetically the same people but being from England kinda attaches this prestige to you and your English accent stands you out from all other English speakers. Same applies to Anambra people and Anambra Igbo.

Many things contribute to this fact. History has it that Nri-Igbo Ukwu axis in Anambra is the cradle of the Igbo race, from which other Igbos came from. Many other theories exist that say otherwise anyway. Another thing has to do with the Anambra general dialect. Anambra Igbo is deemed posh, sweet-sounding and classy to speak of all Igbo dialects. When one mentions Anambra general Igbo, one refers specifically to the Onitsha/Awka/Enugwu-Ukwu/Nri Igbo that is used to represent Anambra. When I was growing up I used to follow my dad to many social Igbo gatherings, and I observed that the general Igbo spoken was the anambra dialect, and many non-anambra Igbos all spoke the dialect. This is so because it is somewhat the easiest of Igbo dialects to learn and speak and very easy to understand by all other Igbo groups. The Onitsha man does not need to twist his Igbo for any random Igbo person to understand him. He is easily understood by everyone. On the other hand, an Owerri man or Abakaliki man, in order for an outsider to understand him, has to modify his Igbo to be understood. It has also remained the default dialect in most Igbo speaking movies since the inception of Nollywood till today and non-Anambra Igbos all speak the dialect in the movies. Also, for those Igbos who like to form English-speaking Ajebo and classy chic/guy, they can speak Anambra Igbo and not be regarded as ajepako unlike compared to some concentrated Igbo dialects which when spoken Igbos around you will immediately regard you as 'bush person', i.e 'onye ime obodo'. I did my secondary school in Owerri and my Igbo secondary school teacher was from Anambra and we had 2 Igbo teachers that taught us, the second being from Imo state and each assigned to particular classes. Everybody used to enjoy the Anambra woman's class because of her Igbo and her classes were always very full and students from the other classes assigned to the other Igbo teacher would come to my class during Igbo class time just to listen to the woman speak. Anambra Igbo is admired all over Igboland and when in other states, especially Imo and Abia state, and you speak Anambra Igbo, many would often reply you back in the dialect and want you to speak on so they could enjoy it more. I grew up and also did my NYSC in Owerri, Imo state and countless times have I been admired because of my Anambra Igbo accent. My PPA was Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(ISOPADEC), a commission in charge of all oil producing activities in Imo state but they drafted we corpers out to special schools to impact positively in terms of education to the students. The moment my students knew I was from Anambra, they wouldn't let me be o everyday I came to work. In class, I must speak Anambra Igbo to them or else they'd start making loud noises. I usually told them stories, in Anambra Igbo, and they loved it so much each time I did and they would be going crazy because of the dialect. Some even went out of their way to learn the dialect and once I stepped into class, they'd start speaking it to me...and I'd be like... . I also remember making a call one day to my distant cousin from the same village, I had just bought credit from the store woman and stood nearby making the call in my dialect, and next thing she and her husband came out of their store, to look for that anambra guy speaking this Anambra Igbo, and when they saw it was me and refused to go inside again o but stood there listening to my conversation. When I noticed what was happening, trust me nau , I even increased my tempo and blasted the thing the more...they just stood there smiling at me. Once I dropped the call, they walked back inside their store smiling. Aha, I just made someone's day. Or how many times have I gotten away with great deals and bargains at Owerri main market just because I spoke Anambra Igbo. Immediately they knew i'm from Anambra they'll be like...'nwa anambra!'...and tended to ease up and gave me much better deals. Even my mom was loved greatly at FUTO Owerri where she worked just because she's from Anambra...'nwanyi Anambra' as they would fondly call her.

Anambra people are also known by other Igbos to be hardworking, have money, or good at business and Imolites the ones going to school the most in Igboland. Many high profile Igbo indigenes tend to come from Anambra such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Cosmas Maduka aka Cosharis, owner of Ekene dili Chukwu Motors, Ifesinachi Motors, owner of Innoson motors, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Philip Emeagwali(aka father of the Internet), Pete Edochie, Oge Okoye, P Square, Flavour etc are all from Anambra. Last year, one of our family friends from Ebonyi state told me how majority of the real estate properties and high-profile buildings and houses in Abakaliki are owned by Anambra people. It is the desire of many non-anambra girls to marry an Anambra man because they believe they would not suffer financially. Anambra men and women make very good husbands and wives too.

And also, anambra people help each other a lot! We call it, 'ime nwanne' ie 'brotherly relationships'. This is one big difference I noticed between Anambrarians and Imolites. Anambra people tend to be nicer and kinder. It is common to find a selfless person or an averagely rich man/woman in Anambra training orphans, less-priviledged people, distant relations or people not related to him in anyway all through primary, secondary and university, feeding and clothing them in addition. This is quite rare to find in Imo state. In Enugu township(formerly Anambra's state capital and still retains mainly Anambra Igbo, many Anambra people live there, and the Anambra attitude) or Awka(capital of Anambra state), you can literally run out of transport money on the streets and walk up to people to plead for money and before you reach the 3rd person you would have found someone who would give you the money you need in full, however in Imo state you would have to reach the 15th or 20th person to find someone willing to help you out. Being kind is a rarity in Imo state but a normal thing in Enugu or Anambra state.

It is not my intention to extol anambra state or anambra Igbo but I am giving you an insider's view, as an Igbo person born and bred in Igboland, of the extra attention given to Anambra state and people in Igboland by other Igbos.

I agree with you...Anambra is meant to be the light of the Igbo nation. anything that brings succour to Igbos most likely has to be from there.
am an abian who has an imolite mum and also I live in owerri so am quite familiar with her claims. the only part I disagree is the superiority part and as per royalty, the only royal Igbos are those from the house of Eri..hope to marry someone from there too

cheruv:

I agree with you...Anambra is meant to be the light of the Igbo nation. anything that brings succour to Igbos most likely has to be from there.
am an abian who has an imolite mum and also I live in owerri so am quite familiar with her claims. the only part I disagree is the superiority part and as per royalty, the only royal Igbos are those from the house of Eri..hope to marry someone from there too

Thanks bro. Though I didn't say Anambra people were superior. They aren't actually royal in that sense, but just that feeling of esteem that other Igbos hold them at that I tried to qualify using 'royalty sort of'.

Yeah I've heard that a lot, I'm from Anambra and it's something I grew up hearing from different people. I feel like all Igbo people are one and there should be no division, Nigeria is already divided enough

Tokunbohkinibig:
Please, e-tribalists should stay away from this thread, i just want only Igbos to throw more light on this assertion. could anybody from Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu state except Anambrians throw more light on this? I ve read it here on Nairaland that Anambrians see themselves more superior than other Igbos but i thought it was just an online thing until my colleagues at work told me that they are more superior than other igbos.

Honestly, I was shocked when I first heard it from the older igbo lady(Anambra too) who is about 54yrs of age but I didn't take her serious until my friend who is from Anambra equally said d same thing on Thursday during our Lunchtime and I asked him why does he thinks/believes that they are more superior than others and his response was : In every family in Anambra, you ll see two to three millionaire or billionaire.

However, I ve been asking myself since I was told on Thursday, how does having two to three millionaire in a family transcend to "we r better than others".

My main purpose here is to gather enough information and knowledge so as to tackle* him on Monday

I just don't know what is wrong with you yorubas ...the way Ife see themselves as rulers or is it the way egbas see offa and ilorin people as backward and defeated people or is it the way the other see ijebus as fetish and cunny. That's what should be on your mind


So forget that stupid thought

I am anambra and born in IMO

I do not see myself as such


Yorubas and their ways ahaaa

bigfrancis21:
@OP, it is not as if Anambra is superior to other Igbos but its just that it is regarded as a royal thing sort of to be from anambra. Just as Americans, Britons, Australians are all English speaking and genetically the same people but being from England kinda attaches this prestige to you and your English accent stands you out from all other English speakers. Same applies to Anambra people and Anambra Igbo.

Many things contribute to this fact. History has it that Nri-Igbo Ukwu axis in Anambra is the cradle of the Igbo race, from which other Igbos came from. Many other theories exist that say otherwise anyway. Another thing has to do with the Anambra general dialect. Anambra Igbo is deemed posh, sweet-sounding and classy to speak of all Igbo dialects. When one mentions Anambra general Igbo, one refers specifically to the Onitsha/Awka/Enugwu-Ukwu/Nri Igbo that is used to represent Anambra. When I was growing up I used to follow my dad to many social Igbo gatherings, and I observed that the general Igbo spoken was the anambra dialect, and many non-anambra Igbos all spoke the dialect. This is so because it is somewhat the easiest of Igbo dialects to learn and speak and very easy to understand by all other Igbo groups. The Onitsha man does not need to twist his Igbo for any random Igbo person to understand him. He is easily understood by everyone. On the other hand, an Owerri man or Abakaliki man, in order for an outsider to understand him, has to modify his Igbo to be understood. It has also remained the default dialect in most Igbo speaking movies since the inception of Nollywood till today and non-Anambra Igbos all speak the dialect in the movies. Also, for those Igbos who like to form English-speaking Ajebo and classy chic/guy, they can speak Anambra Igbo and not be regarded as ajepako unlike compared to some concentrated Igbo dialects which when spoken Igbos around you will immediately regard you as 'bush person', i.e 'onye ime obodo'. I did my secondary school in Owerri and my Igbo secondary school teacher was from Anambra and we had 2 Igbo teachers that taught us, the second being from Imo state and each assigned to particular classes. Everybody used to enjoy the Anambra woman's class because of her Igbo and her classes were always very full and students from the other classes assigned to the other Igbo teacher would come to my class during Igbo class time just to listen to the woman speak. Anambra Igbo is admired all over Igboland and when in other states, especially Imo and Abia state, and you speak Anambra Igbo, many would often reply you back in the dialect and want you to speak on so they could enjoy it more. I grew up and also did my NYSC in Owerri, Imo state and countless times have I been admired because of my Anambra Igbo accent. My PPA was Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(ISOPADEC), a commission in charge of all oil producing activities in Imo state but they drafted we corpers out to special schools to impact positively in terms of education to the students. The moment my students knew I was from Anambra, they wouldn't let me be o everyday I came to work. In class, I must speak Anambra Igbo to them or else they'd start making loud noises. I usually told them stories, in Anambra Igbo, and they loved it so much each time I did and they would be going crazy because of the dialect. Some even went out of their way to learn the dialect and once I stepped into class, they'd start speaking it to me...and I'd be like... . I also remember making a call one day to my distant cousin from the same village, I had just bought credit from the store woman and stood nearby making the call in my dialect, and next thing she and her husband came out of their store, to look for that anambra guy speaking this Anambra Igbo, and when they saw it was me and refused to go inside again o but stood there listening to my conversation. When I noticed what was happening, trust me nau , I even increased my tempo and blasted the thing the more...they just stood there smiling at me. Once I dropped the call, they walked back inside their store smiling. Aha, I just made someone's day. Or how many times have I gotten away with great deals and bargains at Owerri main market just because I spoke Anambra Igbo. Immediately they knew i'm from Anambra they'll be like...'nwa anambra!'...and tended to ease up and gave me much better deals. Even my mom was loved greatly at FUTO Owerri where she worked just because she's from Anambra...'nwanyi Anambra' as they would fondly call her.

Anambra people are also known by other Igbos to be hardworking, have money, or good at business and Imolites the ones going to school the most in Igboland. Many high profile Igbo indigenes tend to come from Anambra such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Cosmas Maduka aka Cosharis, owner of Ekene dili Chukwu Motors, Ifesinachi Motors, owner of Innoson motors, Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Philip Emeagwali(aka father of the Internet), Pete Edochie, Oge Okoye, P Square, Flavour etc are all from Anambra. Last year, one of our family friends from Ebonyi state told me how majority of the real estate properties and high-profile buildings and houses in Abakaliki are owned by Anambra people. It is the desire of many non-anambra girls to marry an Anambra man because they believe they would not suffer financially. Anambra men and women make very good husbands and wives too.

And also, anambra people help each other a lot! We call it, 'ime nwanne' ie 'brotherly relationships'. This is one big difference I noticed between Anambrarians and Imolites. Anambra people tend to be nicer and kinder. It is common to find a selfless person or an averagely rich man/woman in Anambra training orphans, less-priviledged people, distant relations or people not related to him in anyway all through primary, secondary and university, feeding and clothing them in addition. This is quite rare to find in Imo state. In Enugu township(formerly Anambra's state capital and still retains mainly Anambra Igbo, many Anambra people live there, and the Anambra attitude) or Awka(capital of Anambra state), you can literally run out of transport money on the streets and walk up to people to plead for money and before you reach the 3rd person you would have found someone who would give you the money you need in full, however in Imo state you would have to reach the 15th or 20th person to find someone willing to help you out. Being kind is a rarity in Imo state but a normal thing in Enugu or Anambra state.

It is not my intention to extol anambra state or anambra Igbo but I am giving you an insider's view, as an Igbo person born and bred in Igboland, of the extra attention given to Anambra state and people in Igboland by other Igbos.

Nwoke dalu rinne.... anambra are also proud igbos and will never deny their igboness and we hold our culture so dear

Mana chelu... nwa amichi nnewi ka mbu... nwanne madu Onye ebesi na b'anyi ka ibu

Danrizzle:
. The irony of it all is that, most of the officially accredited customs, dress-codes, traditions, vocabulary of the igbos are mostly, derived from the Imo/abia bloc.

I hope the supposed mod bigfrancis1 get to see this post.
Imagine the nonsense he spewed to answer the stupid thread title.
Plus, The most spectacular dialect is even imo dialect

Danrizzle:
A poster said ladies from other states aspired to wed men from anambra, as it was a guarantee to financial bloom.. Now thats what properly functioning brains categorize as 'insane hallucinations'. Op i don't expect you to believe what the senseless one wrote.

I grew up in Owerri bro, and I talked out of experience. My sister went to an all-girls boarding school in Avu, along PH-Owerri expressroad and she would tell you in full details the inner desire of many of her female friends and classmates who are from Imo state.

No one said marrying an Anambra man was a guarantee to wealth. There are many poor anambra people out there equally. The fact is some non-anambra females desire to marry an Anambra man just because of that notion of wealth attached to Anambra people. That doesn't mean they always end up marrying Anambra men. Some still end up marrying a rich Imo man. It just a wish of many. On the other hand, many O-town boys are big boys too. I have many of them as friends and secondary school classmates. It is in Owerri that you'll first find the latest flashy rides in the world, before you'll see them in other states. Owerri is a happening place and a place to have fun if you have money to spend. It is aesthetically finer than Awka, capital of Anambra state. And the people of Imo love going to school a lot.

InyinyaAgbaOku:

I hope the supposed mod bigfrancis1 get to see this post.
Imagine the nonsense he spewed to answer the stupid thread title.
Plus, The most spectacular dialect is even imo dialect

In your attempt to condemn my opinion as being divisive of the Igbo people and by claiming the bold sentence didn't you just commit the same offence that you're accusing me of?

bigfrancis21:


In your attempt to condemn my opinion as being divisive of the Igbo people and by claiming the bold sentence didn't you just commit the same offence that you're accusing me of?

Am not from imo ..
But Ada Mbano movie was made spectacular by the dialects, and that's why all its series sold.
Again like sb said, what we know today as Igbo customs and traditions were largely pulled from Abia stock.
If one wants to sound divisive, you do so with the truest points.

Danrizzle:
There's nothing like other parts of igbo prefering the onitsha(anambra) dialect. As far as proper investigation is concerned, people who make use of the onitsha dialect are those who don't assert to communicate in proper igbo language. Look at it in this light... onitsha dialect is the pidgin variation of proper igbo language and thats why its not represented in igbo written journals, bibles, dictionaries, etc, get the igbo waec past question series and you'll see for yourself. The wide-spread use of the onitsha dialect is just a recent innovation. Its just as we nigerians are witnessing the increasing number of people embracing our pidgin variation of english. Proper anambra dialect sounds weird and comical.. it has that L and R factor(e.g 'load' instead of 'road', So no one aspiring to be classy would want to be heard making such errors. And also this insinuation of a cradle of igbo race is wrong., igbo is but a cluster of different groups. The irony of it all is that, most of the officially accredited customs, dress-codes, traditions, vocabulary of the igbos are mostly, derived from the Imo/abia bloc.

Which one is the proper Igbo language? Who speaks the proper Igbo language? No Igbo dialect is proper. Each Igbo group speaks its own dialect and there's no proper Igbo dialect. Igbo Izugbe is only a recent construct of mainly Umuahia Igbo(vocabulary) + Onitsha Igbo(sentence structure and a few vocabulary) adopted to have a standard and common Igbo dialect among all Igbo groups. You need to go back in histroy to learn about the journey and travails of finding a common Igbo dialect for all Igbo groups. During the formative years of christianity in Igboland, Onitsha Igbo had been initially adopted to be a central Igbo dialect but was not always understood by some Igbo groups. A few other dialects were tried and they failed too. Union Igbo(a combined Igbo construct like Central Igbo but with visible Ebonyi Igbo influence) was invented but failed to be adopted. Central Igbo(Igbo Izugbe) was the last attempt made in finding a long lasting solution and was adopted as official Igbo orthography by the federal government after the civil war.

Yes, some Onitsha speakers carry on the L-R code switching factor into their English language but not everybody does that. Many anambra speakers speak fluent English without the interference of 'L' and 'R' switching here and there.

InyinyaAgbaOku:


Am not from imo ..
But Ada Mbano movie was made spectacular by the dialects, and that's why all its series sold.
Again like sb said, what we know today as Igbo customs and traditions were largely pulled from Abia stock.
If one wants to sound divisive, you do so with the truest points.

Remember, Ada Mbano was supposed to represent a village and uncouth girl who had little exposure to modern civilization and Mbano dialect was chosen in that regard. I'm wondering, why wasn't any anambra Igbo dialect used instead? The lead actress is from Anambra and it would have been easier for her to speak her dialect but she was required to speak Mbano instead. I am not implying anything here. I am just saying.

The Ada Mbano movie was made spectacular by its storyline(people say it is the Igbo version of Yoruba Jennifa of similar storyline which sold huundreds of thousands of copies in the market), spectacular of the lead actress and finally the dialect that served to give the movie its unique feature that many people loved.

bigfrancis21:


Remember, Ada Mbano was supposed to represent a village and uncouth girl who had little exposure to modern civilization and Mbano dialect was chosen in that regard. I'm wondering, why wasn't any anambra Igbo dialect used instead? The lead actress is from Anambra and it would have been easier for her to speak her dialect but she was required to speak Mbano instead. I am not implying anything here. I am just saying.

The Ada Mbano movie was made spectacular by its storyline(people say it is the Igbo version of Yoruba Jennifa), spectacular of the lead actress and finally the dialect that served to give the movie its unique feature that many people loved.

which storyline?
what's tangible about the storyline?
Dude, the dialect sold the movie full stop.
All the igbo movies spoken in anambra never got this attention.

Nothing is an Igbo version of anything even if they have the same concept. How many non yorubaa watched jenifa, that will make igbos accept the movie more?
Let me pretend I didn't see that civilization part of your post.

InyinyaAgbaOku:


which storyline?
what's tangible about the storyline?
Dude, the dialect sold the movie full stop.
All the igbo movies spoken in anambra never got this attention.

Nothing is an Igbo version of anything even if they have the same concept. How many non yorubaa watched jenifa, that will make igbos accept the movie more?
Let me pretend I didn't see that civilization part of your post.

How about Nneka the pretty Serpent, Living in Bondage, Ahanna...Igbo movies that brought Nollywood to limelight and fame? I'll pretend I didn't see that statement of yours.

bigfrancis21:


How about Nneka the pretty Serpent, Living in Bondage, Ahanna...Igbo movies that brought Nollywood to limelight and fame? I'll pretend I didn't see that statement of yours.

Their storylines sold them not the dialect.
how can you compare the great storylines of those old nollywood with ada mbano?
If to say she didn't speak mbano, that movie wouldn't have series because the storyline alone is even crappy.
What is special about a gal leaving a village to join loose gals in the city? na today?