The Ibibio word "Nyibi" which means turn in English, is the root of Nyibidi. Nyibidi means turning. The Ekoi/Ejagham say Nchibidi or Nchibiddy, but it's only a corruption of the Ibibio word, Nyibidi. The play was usually accompanied with drummings. The drum is called Ibit. The drum for the ruling Crown is called Ibit Itam. Itam means crown, hat, or headgear. Ekpe was indeed the governing deity and Ibit Itam was one of their major plays. Ukara means governance or government in Ibibio. Ukara cloth is worn by those in the government of Ekpe. The Ekpe and even Ekpo masquerade of old used to dance in a circular motion in order to induce a trance-like effect or feeling. Hence Nyibidi. Ibibio is the largest language of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom territories. Efik, Ekoi, Annang, Oron, Eket, Qua, Ibeno, Okobo, etc. are all variations of Ibibio. The Ibibio owned and controlled Arochukwu until they lost it in 1634 to the allied forces of the migrating Igbo and the Akpa. The Igbo slaves of the Ibibio rebelled and joined forces with the Akpa who were themselves of Ibibio origin. The Ibibios left both Arochukwu and their ancient Long Juju, but those who remained continued to run the oracles and influence the Igbo converts/practitioners of Ekpe.

The Ibibios and Efiks taught Nsibidi to the Igbos through the Ekpe society. The chief language used in Ekpe is Ibibio. The Ibibios and Efiks knew Arochukwu as Ibom and Mbot Abasi. Mbot means creation. Abasi means God. Therefore, Mbot Abasi means the creation of God or, simply, the people of God. I understand that the Igbos kept the original Ibibio name for Arochukwu, but merely translated it into Igbo language. So, MBOT ABASI(Ibibio for God's creation or the people of God) became ARO CHUKWU which literally means GOD'S CREATION or GOD'S PEOPLE in the IGBO LANGUAGE. While in Arochukwu, the Ibibio leaders had a secret society called Ekpe. Ekpe means leopard or lion. They also practise the Ekpo divination. The leadership operated (and still does)in an esoteric manner. Only members are privy to the innerworkings of the group. They developed an elaborate system of logograms through which their ideas, knowledge, and activities awere recorded. Nyibidi which means turning (going in circles), evolved into Nsibidi. Nsibidi is Ibibio for what is at play or, what's playing? Nso = what. I (as in letter "e" = is. Bidi = play or playing. NSO-I-BIDI (NSIBIDI) or NSO-I-BIRI(NSIBIRI) means what's playing? What's at play?

Therefore, Nsibidi means what is playing or, what's at play? Nsibidi was later adopted as the name for the writings associated with Ekpe society. It is true that the Europeans found most of the Nsibidi script among the Ekoi, but it is really of Ibibio origin. Nsibidi is sometimes used in secular settings for communicating messages of love, friendship, business, etc. The Igbos could not fully adapt Nsibidi because translation from Ibibio into Igbo had too many constraints. Original meanings of Ekpe society's Nsibidi often got lost in translation.

"There was no war between Aros and Ibibio -what happened was what one would accurately describe as a coup. The Aros who were assistants (slave by Europeans) at the Ibritam Shrine organized a coup with the help of Ekoi, Akunakuna and Igbos and seized the shrine from their Ibibio masters. Talbot** put the date at 1300 -1400 based on the geneology and calculation of the ages of relatives of informant who claims their forebears were in charge of this shrine -we dispute this because the informant forebears couldn't have been incharge since religious affairs in Ibibio land was entrusted to the group known as Annang today ,and this informant came from a different group. However, Talbot also based his date from Aro informant. We still think that the date was much earlier. However the consensus is that the Aros were in possession of the shrine before trade with the Portuguese and later Slave trade with Efik and later the Ijaws-Bonny and kalabari when Ibibios prohibited transportation of people across their territory."

This Pageant is a Scam, a Fraud, and Unprofessional !!!


The event is about beauty and the promotion of culture. How come most of the contestants adorned their heads with the so-called Brazilian hairs or, should I say, Brazilian wigs? Where are their beautiful African hairstyles for us and the rest of the world to see and appreciate? During beauty pageants, nations of the world showcase aspects of their cultures and heritage. What are the Nigerian people showcasing to the world? Imported hair strands harvested from likely diseased heads of dead Indian, European, Mongolian, Mexican, Chinese, and European-American women? Yes, some of the expensive hair strands were harvested from the heads of healthy women and horsetails, but it still doesn't negate the fact that the hairs are not natural to the bodies of the otherwise beautiful contestants. Our women are making a grievous mistake by constantly preferring hairs with long strands to other styles. It's as if they're subliminally saying that Indo-European hairs and therefore, beauty standards, are better and more desirable. So, should African men dump African women and start marrying women of other races since their women keep trying to look like Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Turkish Arabs, Filippinos, Mexicans, Tongans, Indonesians, Malaysians, and even Mongolians? Why is the modern African woman so ashamed and resentful of her physical image? Why the deep, near total rejection of her natural being? And what's responsible for their troubling displays of inferiority complex?

IGBO TRIBALISM AND NEPOTISM IN THE SELECTION OF THE CONTESTANTS? SEE THIS LIST OF CONTESTANTS, PLEASE:

Re: Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria 2013 Contestants In Traditional Attire by InvertedHammer: 8:02pm On Jul 17
//


I don't get it.
Is it me or does anyone else find something wrong about this arrangement?

Miss Enugu: Onabu Obehioye-------------IGBO

, Ekiti : Stella Chidinma--------------IGBO

,, Kano: Blessing Obi------------------IGBO

,, Katsina: Jessica Nwachukwu----------IGBO

,, Niger: Chidinma Ozoemena------------IGBO

,, Uyo: Elumelu Uzo--------------------IGBO (That's the greatest insult of all)

,, Plateau: Elizabeth Onyeche----------IGBO

So, somehow, Igbo women won the contest in all of the FIVE IGBO provinces of ABIA, ENUGU, ANAMBRA, IMO, and EBONYI. To make it even better and, in keeping with their usual modus operandi, they miraculously won in the BEAUTY-SATURATED States of Akwa Ibom (herein noted as "UYO", Plateau, Niger, Kano, Katsina, Kano, and Ekiti. Amazing! What should I say, folks? I smell a BIAFRAN FRAUD, my friends.

Sharia law in action!


http://www.break.com/video/ugc/islam-amputation-1770633



http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4c6_1247205700
LiveLeak.com - Sharia Law And Forced Amputations In Nigeria
www.liveleak.com
Sharia Law And Forced Amputations In Nigeria see for yourself!.

The ISLAMIZATION OF NIGERIA: PROJECT 101 !!!

We don't need SHARIA BANKS or sharia-based financial institutions in a supposedly secular Nigeria. I respect Mr. Lamido, but with his graduate diploma in Sharia Legal Studies, I think he'd be better as a Sharia cleric in his domain or even in places like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Iran. Sharia banking systems should never be imported to non-Islamic regions of Nigeria. Sharia banking is nothing but a very clever ploy to spread Sharia law and system of governance all over Nigeria. The first step is to introduce it as an 'innocent, non-threatening' alternative to current banking systems in nations like South Africa and Nigeria. Once it takes hold in these places, then the rest of Africa. After that has been accomplished, the next thing would be the SHARIA GOVERNMENT all over Africa. Islamization projects------through banking and academic institutions----appear to be less threatening, but they're no less dangerous than forced conversions. The Boko Haram Jihadist terror organization was unleashed on Nigerians to carry out landgrabs, forced conversions, and ethnic cleansing of non-muslim Hausa-Fulanis, but besides killing 10, 000 fellow citizens, burning churches, destroying farmlands, and raping christian women, the scheme failed. Step # 2, therefore, is SHARIA BANKING. We vehemently REJECT this ploy. Remember that Mr. Lamido, currently Chairman of Nigeria's central bank, recently froze the bank accounts of christian churches in Nigeria and just two weeks later, he's talking about Sharia and Islamic banking. This is totally unacceptable. http://www.barenakedislam.com/2013/04/26/afghanistan-sharia-law-in-action/

Akwa Ibom and Cross River men date and very often, marry women of other ethnicities, too. Personally, I prefer our women to all others. Nigerians know that having Akwa Ibom and Cross River girls as significant others generally means a man will most likely have or experience a relatively HAPPY and PEACEFUL RELATIONSHIP. Who wants a deceptive, superaggressive, MONEY-HUNGRY 'MAN EATER' for wife or soulmate? No, Akwa Ibom and Cross River girls are NOT CHEAP in any way, form, or shape. What's the author's meaning of CHEAP? Our women are known to be very nurturing, God-fearing, decent, and loving. That's not saying they're perfect. It just means they are, in comparison to those outside of their race, less morally corrupt. Akwa Ibom or Cross River women of exemplary character abound and that's wonderful. Our women are not raised or taught to sell LOVE because it is something SACRED. When they fall in love, it's purely based on TRUST. Typically, AKWA-CROSS WOMEN tend to believe that their lovers are well-meaning, honest, trustworthy, dependable, and God-fearing men. They generally give and trust that others would do likewise. Love for sale? No, it's not, and will never be their way or style. Unfortunately, many people don't hold similar views and values. To some, if a woman fails to make financial or material demands before inviting a man into her life, she is "cheap." Yes, 'cheap' also means gullible and weak. They take kindness, lack of craftiness, refusal to financially exploit men, innocence, and clean, uncorrupted love for weakness. In their warped and very twisted mindsets of vice and debauchery, women must bare their bodies, wear Brazilian hair wigs, and sell their bodies---prostitute themselves to the highest bidder in order to be considered 'cool', 'swaggerlicious', and 'sophisticated'. Idiok mkpo! God, forbid! I'm especially proud of our women for refusing to follow in the devilish footsteps of those whose men so shamelessly traffic them within and outside Nigerian borders. Our AKWA-CROSS women are, on average, the MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN in NIGERIA !!! You all know it, too. You cannot deny that reality, can you? Their deep beauty and loving ways explain why men from outside the region literally 'troop' in, year round, to find wives, lovers, and soulmates. Look, it's happening even as you're reading this write-up. Now, don't you wish your women were HOT, BEAUTIFUL, and LOVING like our Akwa Ibom and Cross River ladies? Below, please see photos of beautiful and happy AKWA-CROSS ladies in their Ankara outfits. Also, see photo of fashion designer, Miss Ituen---dressed in yellow.

Here's the link to a video that might titilate your jealous mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSxNsr4wmA

In 1959, the late great R & B singer, Wilbert Harrison released a big hit titled 'Kansas City'. He obviously had heard about the jazz-crazed Kansas City and its population of beautiful women. In the song, he talked about going to Kansas City and getting himself one of its "crazy little women." If you're a great guy, our lovely AKWA-CROSS women will not deny you a chance at true love. Just don't think they're cheap and gullible because you might get your feelings hurt. ONE LOVE, people!

Link to Wilbert Harrison's 'Kansas City':


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UonBS_mvW-E

And AKWA-CROSS' own late great ETUBOM REX WILLIAMS:

'KUDARA ERERIMBOT'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38aceNY_wKY

'IF WE DON'T RULE NIGERIA, THEN WE MUST TEAR IT APART'


As the threats of violence and civil war gather momentum, I'll strongly advise all peace-loving and patriotic Nigerians to be ever more vigilant. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE you suspect of having VIOLENT INCLINATIONS motivated by ETHNIC HATRED, RELIGION, or PARTY AFFILIATIONS----even if you've been friends with him or her for a long time. Those are the people who are most likely to SET YOU UP for their BRETHREN to INFLICT HARM UPON or, worse still, MURDER. It has happened before. So, be careful out there. If you have weapons for your personal protection, please make sure they are in good working condition, fully registered with the authorities, and stored in places where children cannot gain access. Rule # 1 = SAFETY. DO NOT FALL for any form of POLITICAL or RELIGIOUS INTIMIDATIONS. Always be prepared to PROTECT YOURSELF. Report all suspicious persons to your local police officers.

AMAH JONES PRESENTS

THE FINANCIAL TERRORISTS OF NIGERIA !!


I commend Nigeria's military and investigative services for doing a marvellous job in rounding up these villains. Oh, how I wish the REAL FINANCIAL TERRORISTS of NIGERIA are rounded up and pubicly displayed for all to see, too. The men and women who regularly BILK the nation out of MILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars unabashedly revel in their parasitic opulence sponsored by official curruption. Everyone wants to get RICH very QUICKLY without having to break a sweat and Nigeria is the one place on earth where it really happens on a regular basis. There are State Governors who INFLATE CONTRACT BUDGETS as a way to FLEECE their respective provinces, but cleverly cover their tracks by bamboozling the gullible public with catchy slogans designed to obscure their mediocrity but highlight litanies of false accomplishments. Their illicit gains are usually siphoned off to secret accounts in foreign nations where the funds are used to entertain concubines and acquire ultra-expensive real estate, private jets, jewelries, etc. The cities of London, Dubai, Singapore, New York, Atlanta, and Houston, Texas are replete with such investments. We have people who rake in $ 50 billion annually from petroleum exports made possible by drilling the OIL BLOCKS illegally alloted to them, yet no one seems to have the fortitude to confront them. Nigeria is now a place where so many people;men, women, boys and girls shun real work. It seems as if a considerable segment of the population have now elevated SWINDLING to a professional status. It has become the preferred career for many who proudly extol the virtues of laziness and corruption. So, from top to bottom, Nigerians want to make what Americans call EASY MONEY. People just don't want to work, but they want to live in glitzy opulence. Guess what? They do, but there's a catch. For the country as a whole, it is unsustainable. Something has got to give and, I'm afraid, untold hardship awaits Nigerians in the future. If the country must survive beyond 2015, ALL OIL BLOCKS MUST RETURN TO THE PEOPLE !!!

2 minutes ago · Edited · Like

Amah Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCyQOJxWOkA

Rickie Lee Jones: Easy Money

This is from Rickie Lee Jones' 1992 concert at the Wiltern Theatre.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/efcc-nabs-20-suspected-yahoo-yahoo-boys-in-benin/

The Bakassi Peninsula is not a part of Nigeria's Southeast as currently politically constituted. The Cross River and Akwa Ibom people are one and the same and, should therefore, unite to work for a lasting solution to the issues dogging their displaced citizens.

IBIBIO CIVILIZATION OF MBOT ABASI a.k.a. AROCHUKWU.



IN IBIBIO: MBOT = CREATION or PEOPLE. ABASI = GOD. Therefore, MBOT ABASI = God's Creation or the people of God.

IN IGBO/ARO: ARO(according to my interpreter) = Creation or PEOPLE. CHUKWU = GOD. Therefore, AROCHUKWU = God's Creation or the people of God.

That means after the Igbo/Aros captured the city from its original Ibibio owners, they simply translated MBOT ABASI into its equivalent, AROCHUKWU, in IGBO.


The Ibibio word "Nyibi" which means turn in English, is the root of Nyibidi. Nyibidi means turning. The play was usually accompanied with drummings. The drum is called Ibit. The drum for the ruling Crown is called Ibit Itam. Itam means crown, hat, or headgear. Ekpe was indeed the governing deity and Ibit Itam was one of their major plays. Ukara means governance or government in Ibibio. Ukara cloth is worn by those in the government of Ekpe. The Ekpe and even Ekpo masquerade of old used to dance in a circular motion in order to induce a trance-like effect or feeling. Hence Nyibidi. Ibibio is the largest language of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom territories. Efik, Ejagham, Ekoi, Annang, Oron, Eket, Qua, Ibeno, Okobo, etc. are all variations of Ibibio. Same origins, but dialectical variations brought on by evolution and prolonged separation from the core group I would say. The Ibibio owned and controlled Arochukwu until they lost it in 1634 to the allied forces of the migrating Igbo and the Akpa. The Igbo slaves of the Ibibio rebelled and joined forces with the Akpa who were themselves of Ibibio origin. The Ibibios left both Arochukwu and their ancient Long Juju, but those who remained continued to run the oracles and influence the Igbo converts/practitioners of Ekpe. The Ibibios and Efiks taught Nsibidi to the Igbos through the Ekpe society. The chief language used in what you might call classical Ekpe was Ibibio. The Ibibios and Efiks knew Arochukwu as Ibom and Mbot Abasi. Mbot means creation. Abasi means God. Therefore, Mbot Abasi means the creation of God or, simply, the people of God. While in Arochukwu, the Ibibio leaders had a secret society called Ekpe. Ekpe means leopard or lion. The leadership operated (and still does)in an esoteric manner. Only members are privy to the innerworkings of the group. They developed an elaborate system of logograms through which their ideas, knowledge, and activities were recorded. Nyibidi which means turning (going in circles), evolved into Nsibidi. Nsibidi is Ibibio for what is at play or, what's playing? Nso = what. I(as in letter "e" = is. Bidi = play or playing. NSO-I-BIDI (NSIBIDI) or NSO-I-BIRI(NSIBIRI) means what's playing? What's at play? Therefore, Nsibidi means what is playing or, what's at play? Nsibidi was later adopted as the name for the writings associated with Ekpe society. It is true that the Europeans found most of the Nsibidi script among the Ekoi, but it is really of Ibibio origin. When Aro and their allies conquered the Ibibio in 1634, they took over the oracle but retained its priests, with Loesin as the chief priest. It was he who later initiated Aro indigenes into the cult as priests. IBINI UKPABI is the IGBO corruption of IBIT UKPABI. Some say the Igbos used the word IBINI as homage to the slave-raiding Oba of Benin who caused their migration to Arochukwu. After the IBIBIO lost AROCHUKWU, the Igbos renamed the Ibibio deity IBI ITAM (Drum of the Crown). They called it IBIT UKPABI. IBIT is IBIBIO for DRUM. UKPABI is an IGBO name. The corrupted version, IBINI UKPABI, is what they use these days. Since Arochukwu(Mbot Abasi in Ibibio or God's creation/people in English) is the spititual center of the Igbo race, you can say that their 'holyland' is actually of Ibibio origin. I'll call it the IBIBIO CIVILIZATION OF AROCHUKWU. The Ibibio created it and that explains why the Aro deities have mostly Ibibio names.

The Igbos could not fully adapt Nsibidi because translation from Ibibio into Igbo had too many constraints. Original meanings of Ekpe society's Nsibidi often got lost in translation.

"There was no war between Aros and Ibibio -what happened was what one would accurately describe as a coup. The Aros who were assistants (slave by Europeans) at the Ibritam Shrine organized a coup with the help of Ekoi, Akunakuna, and Igbos and seized the shrine from their Ibibio masters. Talbot** put the date at 1300 -1400 based on the geneaology and calculation of the ages of relatives of informant who claims their forebears were in charge of this shrine -we dispute this because the informant forebears couldn't have been incharge since religious affairs in Ibibio land was entrusted to the group known as Annang today ,and this informant came from a different group. However, Talbot also based his date from Aro informant. We still think that the date was much earlier. However the consensus is that the Aros were in possession of the shrine before trade with the Portuguese and later Slave trade with Efik and later the Ijaws-Bonny and kalabari when Ibibios prohibited transportation of people across their territory."
“Obot Okon Ita or Obinkita(an Igbo corruption of the name) was the capital of the Ibibio kingdom of Obong Okon Ita and Ibom(nation in Ibibio) before its conquest by Igbo and Akpa invaders in 1690–1720. This town is significant in Aro History because Obinkita became the center where defeated Ibibio warriors were judged. This is why all Aro villages assemble at Obinkita during the Ikeji festival. Obinkita is now one of the 19 villages of Arochukwu.” IKPE means JUDGMENT in Ibibio.

“Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu the man that was the founding father of igbo Arochukwu:

Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu was one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. He was the descendant of Nna Uru (a immigrant from the Igbo heartland to the Obong Okon Ita area) and king of the Eze Agwu clan centered in their capital the Amanagwu city-state. As new settlers, the Eze Agwu clan was resisted by the regional power Obong Okon Ita which led to the start of the Aro-Ibibio Wars. The war initially became a stalemate. Both sides arranged a marriage between the king of Obong Okon Ita and a women from the Eze Agwu clan in an attempt for a peaceful coexistence. The marriage eventually failed to bring peace but eventually played a decisive role in the war.

King Agwu Inobia invited Priest Nnachi from the Edda group near Afikpo to help him break the stalemate and win the war. When he arrived, Nnachi and Eze Agwu allied with prince Kakpokpo Okon of the Ibibio kingdom of Obong Okon Ita. Kakpokpo Okon was the son of the marriage between the Igbo women of the King of Obong Okon Ita. The Eze Agwu/Nnachi faction decided to help Kakpokpo attempt to overthrow his brother king Akpan Okon and the coup was heavily resisted. Nnachi called on an Eastern Cross river group known as the Akpa for help. The Akpa are said to have possessed guns and are credited for introducing the weapon to the region. Princes Osim and Akuma Nnubi led Akpa soldiers to help fight against the Ibibios. The alliance between Eze Agwu, Nnachi, Kakpokpo Okon, and the Akpa eventually defeated the Obong Okon Ita forces (1690–1720) under the leadership of Osim Nnubi. As a result of the Aro-Ibibio Wars, the alliance formed the Arochukwu kingdom. Akuma Nnubi was appointed king of Arochukwu in the place of his brother Osim Nnubi who died during the end of the war. Prince Kakpokpo Okon died and the Ulu Okon dynasty was assimilated into the Eze Agwu lineage. The Amanagwu was incorporated as the first of the 19 city-states of Arochukwu and Eze Agwu became one of the three lineages of Arochukwu.”

"The other major slave-exporting state was a loose confederation under the leadership of the Aro, an Igbo clan of mixed Igbo and Ibibio origins, whose home was on the escarpment between the central Igbo districts and the Cross River. Beginning in the late seventeenth century, the Aro built a complex network of alliances and treaties with many of the Igbo clans. They served as arbiters in villages throughout Igboland, and their famous oracle at Arochukwu, located in a thickly wooded gorge, was widely regarded as a court of appeal for many kinds of disputes. By custom the Aro were sacrosanct, allowing them to travel anywhere with their goods without fear of attack. Alliances with certain Igbo clans who acted as mercenaries for the Aro guaranteed their safety. As oracle priests, they also received slaves in payment of fines or dedicated to the gods by their masters as scapegoats for their own transgressions. These slaves thereby became the property of the Aro priests, who were at liberty to sell them."

http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm




ORIGINS OF THE NIGER DELTA FOLKS: IGBO, BINI, EFIK, IBIBIO, ORON, IKOM, IJAW, OGONI, ETC.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Zm7sWUbDWakC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=ibibio+related+to+ethiopia&source=bl&ots=rUzhaRL6bX&sig=hdDq6hJv5MWCRDMJEmcp9C5ejI4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NvQVUezYD8H3igKd9YGoBQ&ved=0CGMQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=ibibio%20related%20to%20ethiopia&f=false




MEET AN ENDANGERED LANGUAGE:

THE MEDEFAIDRIN SPIRIT LANGUAGE OF AKWA IBOM STATE OF NIGERIA

Medefaidrin is a religious language spoken by a Christian group known as the
Oberi Okaime (freely given) Christian Church in the Ibiono and Itu Local
Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State in the oil rich Niger delta region of
Nigeria. The language, which was created in the late 1920s, is now highly
endangered but revitalisation efforts are ongoing to revive the language by the
current generation of Oberi Okaime members. The inventors and speakers of the
Medefaidrin language are first and foremost Ibibio language speakers which
means that Ibibio is their mother tongue. However, the Medefaidrin language,
claimed to be spiritually revealed, is distinctly different from the Ibibio language.

Members do not acquire the language but learn it as a second language in the
context of religious activities. Other Ibibio language speakers do not understand
this language without having to learn it. Very significantly, the language has a
unique script, quite different from the English language orthography, which was
the other language used in religious practices at the time. Interestingly, the
Ibibio language, the mother tongue of the Oberi Okaime members had no writing
system at the time the Oberi Okaime leaders developed the Medefaidrin script.

In addition, the language has a counting system which is worth examining.
In order to preserve the Medefaidrin language of the Oberi Okaime community,
the Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages of the University of Uyo,
Nigeria is promoting and supporting the language revitalisation efforts of
Medefaidrin through language documentation projects including scanning old
handwritten texts, development of a multilingual e-dictionary and research
projects by staff and graduate students of the Department. Work is in progress
on what could have been the genesis of the Medefaidrin language through the
examination of the structure of the language, punctuation practice and media
layout (Gibbon and Urua 2009, 2010).

From a historical perspective, Professor Monday Abasiattai (Department of
History and International Studies, University of Uyo, Nigeria), has been engaged
with work on the Oberi Okaime group for over twenty years. Some of the early
studies on the Oberi Okaime group include Adams (1947) and Hau (1961).
Otherwise not much (documentary) linguistic work has been done on this
language. Scholars actively engaged in the Medefaidrin project include Professor
Monday Abasiattai, Professor Dr. Dafydd Gibbon, Mr. Moses Ekpenyong, Mr.
Anthony Etim and Professor Eno-Abasi Urua.
We hope that this platform will interest more people.

http://www.hrelp.org/events/elw2011/medefaidrin.pdf

http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2010/pdf/342_Paper.pdf





Arochukwu.
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/WorldIgboCongress/message/15772
https://www.nairaland.com/675773/great-leaders-nigerias-history-before/2

PROFESSOR PHILIP EMEAGWALI http://www.emeagwali.com/photos/yoruba/photo-essay-on-yoruba.html

THE IBIBIO CIVILIZATION OF AROCHUKWU


The Ibibio word "Nyibi" which means turn in English, is the root of Nyibidi. Nyibidi means turning. The play was usually accompanied with drummings. The drum is called Ibit. The drum for the ruling Crown is called Ibit Itam. Itam means crown, hat, or headgear. Ekpe was indeed the governing deity and Ibit Itam was one of their major plays. Ukara means governance or government in Ibibio. Ukara cloth is worn by those in the government of Ekpe. The Ekpe and even Ekpo masquerade of old used to dance in a circular motion in order to induce a trance-like effect or feeling. Hence Nyibidi. Ibibio is the largest language of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom territories. Efik, Ekoi, Annang, Oron, Eket, Qua, Ibeno, Okobo,etc. are all variations of Ibibio. The Ibibio owned and controlled Arochukwu until they lost it in 1634 to the allied forces of the migrating Igbo and the Akpa. The Igbo slaves of the Ibibio rebelled and joined forces with the Akpa who were themselves of Ibibio origin. The Ibibios left both Arochukwu and their ancient Long Juju, but those who remained continued to run the oracles and influence the Igbo converts/practitioners of Ekpe. The Ibibios and Efiks taught Nsibidi to the Igbos through the Ekpe society. The chief language used in Ekpe is Ibibio. The Ibibios and Efiks knew Arochukwu as Ibom and Mbot Abasi. Mbot means creation. Abasi means God. Therefore, Mbot Abasi means the creation of God or, simply, the people of God. While in Arochukwu, the Ibibio leaders had a secret society called Ekpe. Ekpe means leopard or lion. The leadership operated (and still does)in an esoteric manner. Only members are privy to the innerworkings of the group. They developed an elaborate system of logograms through which their ideas, knowledge, and activities were recorded. Nyibidi which means turning (going in circles), evolved into Nsibidi. Nsibidi is Ibibio for what is at play or, what's playing? Nso = what. I(as in letter "e" = is. Bidi = play or playing. NSO-I-BIDI (NSIBIDI) or NSO-I-BIRI(NSIBIRI) means what's playing? What's at play? Therefore, Nsibidi means what is playing or, what's at play? Nsibidi was later adopted as the name for the writings associated with Ekpe society. It is true that the Europeans found most of the Nsibidi script among the Ekoi, but it is really of Ibibio origin. When Aro and their allies conquered the Ibibio in 1634, they took over the oracle but retained its priests, with Loesin as the chief priest. It was he who later initiated Aro indigenes into the cult as priests. IBINI UKPABI is the IGBO corruption of IBIT UKPABI. Some say the Igbos used the word IBINI as homage to the slave-raiding Oba of Benin who caused their migration to Arochukwu. After the IBIBIO lost AROCHUKWU, the Igbos renamed the Ibibio deity IBI ITAM (Drum of the Crown). They called it IBIT UKPABI. IBIT is IBIBIO for DRUM. UKPABI is an IGBO name. The corrupted version, IBINI UKPABI, is what they use these days. Since Arochukwu(Mbot Abasi in Ibibio or God's creation/people in English) is the spititual center of the Igbo race, you can say that their 'holyland' is actually of Ibibio origin. I'll call it the IBIBIO CIVILIZATION OF AROCHUKWU. The Ibibio created it and that explains why the Aro deities have mostly Ibibio names.

The Igbos could not fully adapt Nsibidi because translation from Ibibio into Igbo had too many constraints. Original meanings of Ekpe society's Nsibidi often got lost in translation.

"There was no war between Aros and Ibibio -what happened was what one would accurately describe as a coup. The Aros who were assistants (slave by Europeans) at the Ibritam Shrine organized a coup with the help of Ekoi, Akunakuna, and Igbos and seized the shrine from their Ibibio masters. Talbot** put the date at 1300 -1400 based on the geneaology and calculation of the ages of relatives of informant who claims their forebears were in charge of this shrine -we dispute this because the informant forebears couldn't have been incharge since religious affairs in Ibibio land was entrusted to the group known as Annang today ,and this informant came from a different group. However, Talbot also based his date from Aro informant. We still think that the date was much earlier. However the consensus is that the Aros were in possession of the shrine before trade with the Portuguese and later Slave trade with Efik and later the Ijaws-Bonny and kalabari when Ibibios prohibited transportation of people across their territory."
“Obot Okon Ita or Obinkita(an Igbo corruption of the name) was the capital of the Ibibio kingdom of Obong Okon Ita and Ibom(nation in Ibibio) before its conquest by Igbo and Akpa invaders in 1690–1720. This town is significant in Aro History because Obinkita became the center where defeated Ibibio warriors were judged.ion in Ibibio. This is why all Aro villages assemble at Obinkita during the Ikeji festival. Obinkita is now one of the 19 villages of Arochukwu.”
“Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu the man that was the founding father of igbo Arochukwu

Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu was one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. He was the descendant of Nna Uru (a immigrant from the Igbo heartland to the Obong Okon Ita area) and king of the Eze Agwu clan centered in their capital the Amanagwu city-state. As new settlers, the Eze Agwu clan was resisted by the regional power Obong Okon Ita which led to the start of the Aro-Ibibio Wars. The war initially became a stalemate. Both sides arranged a marriage between the king of Obong Okon Ita and a women from the Eze Agwu clan in an attempt for a peaceful coexistence. The marriage eventually failed to bring peace but eventually played a decisive role in the war.

King Agwu Inobia invited Priest Nnachi from the Edda group near Afikpo to help him break the stalemate and win the war. When he arrived, Nnachi and Eze Agwu allied with prince Kakpokpo Okon of the Ibibio kingdom of Obong Okon Ita. Kakpokpo Okon was the son of the marriage between the Igbo women of the King of Obong Okon Ita. The Eze Agwu/Nnachi faction decided to help Kakpokpo attempt to overthrow his brother king Akpan Okon and the coup was heavily resisted. Nnachi called on an Eastern Cross river group known as the Akpa for help. The Akpa are said to have possessed guns and are credited for introducing the weapon to the region. Princes Osim and Akuma Nnubi led Akpa soldiers to help fight against the Ibibios. The alliance between Eze Agwu, Nnachi, Kakpokpo Okon, and the Akpa eventually defeated the Obong Okon Ita forces (1690–1720) under the leadership of Osim Nnubi. As a result of the Aro-Ibibio Wars, the alliance formed the Arochukwu kingdom. Akuma Nnubi was appointed king of Arochukwu in the place of his brother Osim Nnubi who died during the end of the war. Prince Kakpokpo Okon died and the Ulu Okon dynasty was assimilated into the Eze Agwu lineage. The Amanagwu was incorporated as the first of the 19 city-states of Arochukwu and Eze Agwu became one of the three lineages of Arochukwu.”

"The other major slave-exporting state was a loose confederation under the leadership of the Aro, an Igbo clan of mixed Igbo and Ibibio origins, whose home was on the escarpment between the central Igbo districts and the Cross River. Beginning in the late seventeenth century, the Aro built a complex network of alliances and treaties with many of the Igbo clans. They served as arbiters in villages throughout Igboland, and their famous oracle at Arochukwu, located in a thickly wooded gorge, was widely regarded as a court of appeal for many kinds of disputes. By custom the Aro were sacrosanct, allowing them to travel anywhere with their goods without fear of attack. Alliances with certain Igbo clans who acted as mercenaries for the Aro guaranteed their safety. As oracle priests, they also received slaves in payment of fines or dedicated to the gods by their masters as scapegoats for their own transgressions. These slaves thereby became the property of the Aro priests, who were at liberty to sell them."

http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm





Arochukwu.
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/WorldIgboCongress/message/15772
https://www.nairaland.com/675773/great-leaders-nigerias-history-before/2

PROFESSOR PHILIP EMEAGWALI http://www.emeagwali.com/photos/yoruba/photo-essay-on-yoruba.html

Bakassi, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River State are not Biafran entities and, no Biafran force or organization can colonize Cross River and Bakassi. The Igbos must stop entertaining foolish thoughts of lumping themselves with the great peoples of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, and Bayelsa with whom they have very little in common. Also, the Igbos should try to reconcile with the Yorubas with whom they have linguistical and possibly, cultural ties. It really beats my imagination as to why the Biafrans think they can subdue a people who once ruled, captured, and sold their forefathers into slavery. If not for the British who, due to their cultural and political insensitivities chose to group the old Calabar Province with the Igbos, the people wanted nothing whatsoever to do with the Igbos. Those who equate numerical strength with military power had better think again because they might have very bitter surprises visited upon them for making foolish moves. Be warned.

The Ibibio word "Nyibi" which means turn in English, is the root of Nyibidi. Nyibidi means turning. The play was usually accompanied with drummings. The drum is called Ibit. The drum for the ruling Crown is called Ibit Itam. Itam means crown, hat, or headgear. Ekpe was indeed the governing deity and Ibit Itam was one of their major plays. Ukara means governance or government in Ibibio. Ukara cloth is worn by those in the government of Ekpe. The Ekpe and even Ekpo masquerade of old used to dance in a circular motion in order to induce a trance-like effect or feeling. Hence Nyibidi. Ibibio is the largest language of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom territories. Efik, Ekoi, Annang, Oron, Eket, Qua, Ibeno, Okobo, etc. are all variations of Ibibio. The Ibibio owned and controlled Arochukwu until they lost it in 1634 to the allied forces of the migrating Igbo and the Akpa. The Igbo slaves of the Ibibio rebelled and joined forces with the Akpa who were themselves of Ibibio origin. The Ibibios left both Arochukwu and their ancient Long Juju, but those who remained continued to run the oracles and influence the Igbo converts/practitioners of Ekpe. The Ibibios and Efiks taught Nsibidi to the Igbos through the Ekpe society. The chief language used in Ekpe is Ibibio. The Ibibios and Efiks knew Arochukwu as Ibom and Mbot Abasi. Mbot means creation. Abasi means God. Therefore, Mbot Abasi means the creation of God or, simply, the people of God. I understand that the Igbos kept the original Ibibio name for Arochukwu, but merely translated it into Igbo language. So, MBOT ABASI(Ibibio for God's creation or the people of God) became ARO CHUKWU which literally means GOD'S CREATION or GOD'S PEOPLE in the IGBO LANGUAGE. While in Arochukwu, the Ibibio leaders had a secret society called Ekpe. Ekpe means leopard or lion. They also practise the Ekpo divination. The leadership operated (and still does)in an esoteric manner. Only members are privy to the innerworkings of the group. They developed an elaborate system of logograms through which their ideas, knowledge, and activities awere recorded. Nyibidi which means turning (going in circles), evolved into Nsibidi. Nsibidi is Ibibio for what is at play or, what's playing? Nso = what. I(as in letter "e"= is. Bidi = play or playing. NSO-I-BIDI (NSIBIDI) or NSO-I-BIRI(NSIBIRI) means what's playing? What's at play? Therefore, Nsibidi means what is playing or, what's at play? Nsibidi was later adopted as the name for the writings associated with Ekpe society. It is true that the Europeans found most of the Nsibidi script among the Ekoi, but it is really of Ibibio origin. Nsibidi is sometimes used in secular settings for communicating messages of love, friendship, business, etc. The Igbos could not fully adapt Nsibidi because translation from Ibibio into Igbo had too many constraints. Original meanings of Ekpe society's Nsibidi often got lost in translation.

"There was no war between Aros and Ibibio -what happened was what one would accurately describe as a coup. The Aros who were assistants (slave by Europeans) at the Ibritam Shrine organized a coup with the help of Ekoi, Akunakuna and Igbos and seized the shrine from their Ibibio masters. Talbot** put the date at 1300 -1400 based on the geneology and calculation of the ages of relatives of informant who claims their forebears were in charge of this shrine -we dispute this because the informant forebears couldn't have been incharge since religious affairs in Ibibio land was entrusted to the group known as Annang today ,and this informant came from a different group. However, Talbot also based his date from Aro informant. We still think that the date was much earlier. However the consensus is that the Aros were in possession of the shrine before trade with the Portuguese and later Slave trade with Efik and later the Ijaws-Bonny and kalabari when Ibibios prohibited transportation of people across their territory."

http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/WorldIgboCongress/message/15772

"GEJ is a coward with those bunch of empty brains claiming to be legal luminaries headed by mohamed adoke, Bakassi belongs to Biafra precipitate nigeria, posterity will never forgive GEJ and adoke with his team, useless reason of 'diplomatically damaging nigeria's image' who even send nigeria before now. COWARDS!!!"

Bakassi does not belong to Biafra. The dreamed Biafran territories of Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, and Ebonyi states do not include Bakassi. Biafran nationalists should concentrate their attention on Igbo areas and stop trying to force themselves on people with whom they share no cultural, linguistic, and nationalist ties. Even if Nigeria were to split today and the ICJ hadn't given Bakassi to the Cameroonians, the peninsula would never be Biafran territory. Just because the British lumped the old Calabar province (Akwa Ibom and Cross River)with the Igbos to form the Eastern region doesn't mean that they regard themselves as Biafrans. They are not Igbos, are they?