₦airaland Forum

Wulfruna:
The Igbos you met answering your surname must be Nsukka Igbos. That's the only part of Igboland that has Idoko, plus other Igala names like Onoja and Asadu (from Achadu), etc.

laudate:
Continue, telling us your tall tales and disjointed stories. We are watching and laughing silently at your attempt to deceive yourself, especially as it is quite clear, that you cannot deceive the rest of us.

MEILYN:
Speak for yourself. I don't owe you anything neither do I have any reason to lie.

(considering the fact that I asked you for nothing in the first place! )

laudate:
You are right. You owe me nothing, (considering the fact that I asked you for nothing in the first place! ) which is why your attempts to lie and whitewash those lies, are really glaring! In this age of information, ignorance is a choice. No one should stop you from choosing to be ignorant.

MEILYN:
Well, as much as I think I have no reason to explain anything to you, I really think your idiocy on this platform needs to be checked. You think I was lying when I said I am from Kogi State and I have lived in Lagos all my life.

Lol, here are my birth certificate and state of origin certificate. This will clearly keep you in Check. Why you think I am lying baffles me, maybe everyone should have a Yoruba friend according to you.

They will be deleted soon though..

MEILYN:
Why you think I beg Yoruba boys to be my friends is appalling. Lol, the opposite is the case. To be honest, Yoruba boys in this part of Lagos tend to influence boys like me in bad ways. Had I moved with Yoruba boys from a very young age I would have been a nuisance. Their attitude and way of life is not something I would like to admire.

I only associate with people who add value and no Yoruba boy in my area has ever showed such sign.

Now, I don't think I will reply you anymore. I know you to be a trouble maker. Is it by force to have a Yoruba friend? Like I said earlier, I relate with Yorubas on street level, there's no personal relationship in anyway.

Ohhhh, my sister's husband and I are friends because we are family.

2 of my sisters got married to Yoruba men and I relate with only one. The other guy and I have nothing to talk about .

3 of my sisters got married to Igbo men and we relate very well. They add value to my life, period!

I was born in Lagos and I don't even understand Yoruba, even the simplest Yoruba. That tells you I don't have Yoruba friends.

MEILYN:
I met someone from Anambra with that name. Please don't jump to conclusions.

laudate:
You are right. You owe me nothing, (considering the fact that I asked you for nothing in the first place! ) which is why your attempts to lie and whitewash those lies, are really glaring! In this age of information, ignorance is a choice. No one should stop you from choosing to be ignorant.

Probz:
Do you speak Igala yourself laudate?

laudate:
Why do you want to know? By the way, don't you think you are rather too old to keep following me around on NL? Quit stalking me, pls!

But wait first, what sort of a jerk does that?

Probz:
Only I wouldn't expect you to lay into and insult an Igala man when you barely know anything about Igala.

Wait first, have you counted how many Igala people have Yoruba friends?

I highly doubt it. Instead you're here telling an Igala man he's lying about his experiences. But wait first, what sort of a jerk does that?

MEILYN:
Speak for yourself. I don't owe you anything neither do I have any reason to lie.

laudate:
Can you listen to yourself? So if an Igala man is barking up the wrong tree and spewing lies, I should applaud his folly? Is he a mini-god? What da heck is that about? I call it as I see it, and have no apologies for it. Go back and read through his posts, and all my responses to him. His lies were too glaring.

Anyway, if you want to support his lies, please jump on his bandwagon and give him a pat on the back. It only shows that you value falsehood more than truth! I know too many Igalas born in Lagos, that have Yoruba friends. Weren't you the clown arguing that Igala language was 60% Yoruboid, or something like that, in another thread? Now, kindly get off my mentions, you toddler!

Probz:
There's a difference between true mate and aquintance for one thing. You know literal thinking's a symptom of Asperger's Syndrome so I'd expect it to pass you right by.

Me arguing that Igala was Yoruboid? Yup. Did the Igala man put me wrong or re-affirm me and tell you that I was correct, hm?

laudate:
Do you honestly expect an answer from me? Or have you started experiencing symptoms of this so-called Asperger's Syndrome that you just claimed to be suffering from?

Probz:
I said you're the one suffering from Asperger's mate.

Igala's Yoruboid and any Igala person here would readily confirm that.

laudate:
For you to know so much about Asperger's syndrome, it means you have already suffered from it. Accept my sympathy. And direct your statements about Igala being Yoruboid to that juvenile loser, who claimed to have lived in Lagos all his life, and yet has no Yoruba friends within the city. Even those who attend public schools in Lagos, have friends among the citizenry. Like I said earlier, I have never met an Igala man who has lived in Lagos all his life, that does not have Yoruba friends. Now, can you kindly get off my mentions, you toddler?

Probz:
If you want me to stop talking to you, stop talking to me. You're not always gonna have the last word.

You sound like a total spaz when you *request* for people to get off your mentions.

MEILYN:
This is a lovely thread, I must say I have learned a lot. I enjoyed reading from the beginning to the end.

I am an Igala boy from Olamaboro LGA of Kogi State. My surname is Idoko, I got curious when I saw Igbos bearing my surname, so I decided to do a research for myself.

Trust me, I relate well with Igbos. I have lived in Lagos all my life and I still don't have a youruba friend. I love Igbo food and people mistake me for an Igbo guy every time. Nobody needs to tell me that there's a connection between the Igalas and Igbos

cheruv:
mmm...does kogi broadcast news in Igbo for kogite Igbos??
anyway its good knowing igalas there speak Igbo but all that remains is for them to be Igbonized..after all they're descendants of Igala warriors left after the atta Igala was defeated at lake Omeluigala.

God bless Igbo land

Klinee:
That is igala language not igbo

Emmydann:
" kabe enable" is not a igala word at all except if ur igala is different from our own in kogi

Emmydann:
" kabe enable" is not a igala word at all except if ur igala is different from our own in kogi

Emmydann:
we don't hv any Igbo who is a idigine of kogi state

Wulfruna:
Even the type of Igala spoken in Ibaji has differences from the one spoken in the interior of Kogi. How much more the type spoken by the Igala in Anambra? Dialects differ. I suspect 'Kabe inale' betrays some Igbo influence.

Emmydann:
mind u,,,,in kogi we do understand all d igala spoken,,,,,the twisting of d tongue could b different but not d spelling,,,,,,,,,,the igala bible used in a church in ankpa is still dsame used in ibaji,dekina and d rest part

kingsmaila:
The Government should reunite us with our people in a State that is Kogi to avoid marginalization. Please our people in Nzam Anambra state should be patient as the time for our unity will surely come.

Klinee:
Some of u did not know that the word ANAMBRA which is purely pronouced OMAOBALA is igala language. There is a town along the river OMAOBALA(ANAMBRA) called OBALE. Its believed that river omaobala is own by the SONS OF OBALE(oma-obale river). OMA means sons in igala language. For example if the sons of tabletman have a house, people may refer the house as "UMU TABLETMAN HOUSE". River OMAOBALA was misinterpreted by the whitemen so they wrote ANAMBRA.

vivienbabe:
I'm following this intense discussion with great admiration. I thank the OP for bringing up this community in the social media. I have since been scouting for more information on Nzam community, but am a little confused because i found out that this community has an Igbo monarch as well.
Then i stumbled on an article written many years ago by a soldier who was stationed there during the civil war. His observations about Nzam was also quite illuminating.

Please, I will like the OP to shade more light on the bolded parts of the article for my knowledge enrichment. Is Nzam Igbo or Igala or both?READ THE ARTICLE BELOW:

A FISH CALLED BIAFRA

Biafra was not death and sorrow all the time. In the mist of all the uncertainties, there was ‘normal' life going on. After my Red Cross assignment at Iyienu hospital Ogidi, I came back to Achi for a one-week break before undertaking my second assignment, this time I was posted to Nzam.

Nzam is a unique Igbo town. Unique is so many ways. For instance they are a bilingual people. I do not know about these days, but during the hostilities when I was there I discovered that every Nzam person apart from speaking Igbo as their mother tongue, also spoke Igala, the language of the ethnic Igalas bordering Igboland in the North. This may have to do with the movement and settlement of people from that area hundreds of years ago, as it is believed that some other Igbo communities along the Niger, in Asaba and Onitsha, may have migrated from Igala.

In the past Niger River was the main trading route between communities along its coast, it also facilitated migration and settlement. It may not be impossible therefore that the Nzam people or a part of them migrated from Igala. But the more common explanation by the people of Nzam regarding their bilingualism was that Nzam mastered Igala language as a trade strategy. Nzam was an important trade post during the boom days of the Niger River trade route. Being located upper north, it was one of the first large Igbo communities the Igala traders arrive in. Through such regular contacts, they learnt their language. When other Igbo traders come in from the hinterland, the Nzam trader becomes the go between, the middlemen. Because of his mastery of both languages the Nzam people were able to make good bargains to their advantage.

Nzam is also rich agriculturally. They have a very rich soil that is watered and at the same time fertilized by the yearly flooding ‘Iji' of the river Niger. Their yams are one of the earliest to be harvested. When I was there it was quite interesting to see partially submerged yam farms. It was also interesting to watch farmers harvest their yams. Anyone who knows about yam farming must agree that it is a tough job, and this includes the harvesting process. It takes a careful digging to successfully get a yam tuber safely dug up. But for the Nzam yam farmer, they practically pull large yam tubers off the soil with ease, sometimes using a canoe, as the farms are often partially submerged.




The uniqueness of Nzam and its environ will be incomplete without mentioning mosquitoes and sand flies. These two were my nightmare apart from the raging war. By daytime the sand flies take over. These tiny, and almost invisible flies can really be big menace. Their stinging multiple bites sends irritating sensation all over your body, and they attack in droves making you slap yourself all over. But wait until the night comes, when their big brother, the mosquito takes over. The Nzam mosquito is a rare breed. I guess it has a tiny sword for proboscis, if not how came it could pierce through army fatigue uniform to reach the skin. Well, it is often said that you can never have it all, this must be the reason Nzam is rich agriculturally.

Another aspect of Nzam and the one I enjoyed most in those days was the river Niger and the abundant fishes therein. Having grown up in dry hilly hinterland of Enugu, the rivers I knew were spring waters, shallow streams, brooks, and water ponds. To suddenly be in a place almost surrounded by a massive body of water was extremely exciting. Luckily near my boarding school before the war in Umunze, there was this stream called ‘Unyo'. We were mandated to fetch water from the stream every morning, ahh! How I hated being woken up as early as 6am by hostile sound of the bell and driven off my bed half awake. The awful sound of many swinging metal buckets could be heard as the boys rush to the stream. Anyway I learnt to swim, thanks to ‘Unyo'. I love swimming and I swam everyday throughout my stay in Nzam, but so does everyone I guess, for I cannot imagine how someone can stay in that area without dipping oneself into River Niger.

Yes the fishes, how can I forget the delicious fresh water fishes from the river. We ate fish on a daily bases, both fresh and dried ones. In Nzam those days, soups are made with so much fish in it that you hardly see the rue. For each bolus of pounded yam, a magnanimous piece of fish to go down with. Such was the case in Nzam. And the war raged on.

Like I mentioned earlier, the yearly flooding of the River Niger enriches the lands along the banks of Anambara River, all the way down to its confluence where it joined the River Niger. All the towns along the river, towns like Otu Ukpo, Orometiti, Mmiatta, Ode. Odekpe, Nzam and others enjoy a yearly soil enrichment which guaranteed good farm harvest, and a constant supply of fresh fish.

I was once privileged to observe a fish harvest. Before this time I never heard anything about fish

farming, and I am not sure it has been introduced anywhere in the then Eastern Nigeria

before the civil war. Even if it had been, it was still uncommon. But the people of Nzam and its

surrounding did not need anyone to teach them fish farming, for their forefathers have been practicing that from day one and albeit in the most natural way. Traditional fish farming in Nzam and its surrounding goes like this; Keeping in mind that the ‘Iji', the yearly flooding, takes place during the rainy season, they have studied its pattern, they know the right spots to dig a trough to hold up a reasonable amount of water. The Iji when it comes, brings in a large variety of fishes that get trapped in the trough after it had receded. Tree branches and leaves are then cut and dumped in the through now turned pond, to make it as inhabitable as possible for the fishes. On a daily bases remains of food and other biological refuse are dumped in the pond, for instance cassava and yam peelings. These become a source of food for the fishes. Thus the fishes are fed fat before they are harvested. The harvesting takes place during the later part of dry season, say around mid January. It was one of such harvesting I witnessed during the civil war in a village in Nzam. This was a pond owned by a family I got to know at that time. They invited me to join in the fish harvest; they also invited other friends as it is customary in Igboland. By the time I arrived at the pond, young men in two canoes were already clearing the pond by removing the tree branches, trunks, and other foliage put in there to provide shelter for the fishes. Soon after, the actual harvest started. The harvest team armed with a long fishing net swept the entire pond from end to end, and from the final outlet, they scooped out the largest quantity of fish I saw for the first time in my life. That was extremely exciting for me being a hinterland person. The variety of fishes from that pond, was another thing that struck me apart from the quantity, it was simply amazing.

After pulling the fishes out, I was told that every one is now free to try their luck if they can find some take-home fishes from the pond. One of the sons of the owner of the pond opted to fish on my behalf, and you cannot imagine what sizes and quantity of fish I went back to the camp with that day. At the time the men were busy getting the fishes, by the right end of the pond the women were busy setting up a makeshift kitchen and a massive drying ramp, and when the fishes were all brought out of the water, the fire of the drying ramp was ready, and the fishes were carried by the women and set on a long row of dying ramp under the heat of the burning coke. Everywhere smelt fish. The evening came to an end after a delicious feast of pounded yam and fish studded yummy Nsala soup, washed down with some of the best ‘Ayigo' – raffia palm-wine. I came home to the camp that day feeling real good, and I slept so deep that I for once didn't bother about the sword mouthed mosquitoes of Nzam. And still the war ragged on.

The next day was a Sunday, you know the saying ‘Lazy like a Sunday morning' or was it a song title? Well, that was how I felt, and did I sleep long and tight? Then suddenly there was some commotion outside, and one thing you learn in a war situation is not to take anything for granted. Whenever you look outside and many people are moving, looking, acting, or talking in a particular manner you have to quickly get out to know what is amiss. It could be an air raid for instance. And this what is called being vigilant. Well, I quickly went out to find out what was going on, and what I found was one big mystery. Some people were digging a toilet pit behind the building, in the process they dug up a life fish from about six feet under the earth. How could that be possible? I was saying something like, no way, this must be a joke. A crowed gathered to observe this miracle. The poor fish was breathing slowly with the eyes still closed. In all the excitement, I suddenly observed that the Nzam indigenes in the crowd were simply having a big laugh out of the whole thing. One of them observed that this is a common thing. It was from him I learnt that this particular specie of mudskipper could survive extreme draught for years, and under the most difficult condition. It goes into an inactive mode until the condition becomes conducive. Years later after the war ended I was reminiscing on my wartime experiences, and the thoughts about this fish crossed my mind. And I found myself saying ‘this is what survival is all about, and Biafra was all about survival, a war of survival of a people, the Igbo people. Then I said to myself, ‘Biafra was that fish, and the fish Biafra, and I further mused ‘A Fish Called Biafra.

Ikechukwu Ude-Chime

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