By Ngozi Onyioha Orji. A writer and contributor. 7/16/2024
4 mins Read.
As the race to create more States in the Southeast rages, it amazes me when some people stupidly deny their Igboness, and I get confounded by those who think that only people from the five South East States are the core Igbos. As such, they dismiss the wishes of ANIOMA people for them to be carved out of the present Delta State, and ANIOMA State created as the sixth Igbo State to be added to the already existing five South East States. Hence the raging BATTLE STAR GALLACTICA for the soul of the sixth Igbo State. Some Nd'Igbo from the so-called core Igbo five States are up in arms against the creation of ANIOMA STATE and having it as the sixth State of Alaigbo.
That's why I started wondering who really a core Igbo person is since in the five States that make up the Northern created CORE IGBO land, there are many Igbo dialects. Hence the question, who are really the core Igbos? When an Ihamufu Igbo person from Ebonyi State speaks, I don't understand what in tarnation is being said, and I am from Abia State. Ebonyi and Abia States are among the so-called core Igbo States. Even in Abia State, me, from Ohafia LGA in Abia State, strain my ears to understand the dialect of a NGWA person. Yet, both of us are from Abia State. Who, between us is the core Igbo person here in Abia State?
During the Nigerian civil war, the people from the Igbo speaking areas of the present Delta State, where Anioma people as they have wanted, for ages, to be called, fought alongside their brethren from the so-called core Igbo States, and destruction was wreaked on them by Murtala and his fellow minions in the Nigerian Army who massacred thousands of them, and destroyed their homeland. Yet some misguided fellows from the so-called core Igbo States wickedly created by Gowon and Co to divide Alaigbo and Nd'Igbo, haven't bothered to read the exploits of great Anioma soldiers like ACHUZIA, who fought like wounded lions alongside their brethren from the Gowon created core Igbo States for Biafra. Oh Lord, didn't people of ANIOMA pay the heavy price for being Nd'Igbo during the civil war 😢
In the 1990 Pan Igbo Conference held in Asaba, attended by all the Igbo speaking areas in Nigeria ( present day Delta, Benue, Rivers, Cross River, Port Harcourt, and the five South East States), and graced by such Igbo great sons like Chief Sonny Odogwu, Igwe Osita Agwuna, Senator Chuba Okadigbo, Eze C C Onoh, Dee Sam Mbakwe, all of blessed memory, a host of other great Igbo men from Port Harcourt, Benue, Cross River from, etc. with Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Rtd, as the Secretary General of the Pan Igbo Conference. One of the things tabled for discussion was the creation of two additional States for Alaigbo, since IBB, as the Military President of Nigeria, wanted to create six additional States in Nigeria.
On the table to be considered at that 1990 Pan Igbo Conference in Asaba were five States from Igbo speaking areas of Nigeria. These were: Abia (to be created out of the Old Imo State); Ebonyi (to be created out of the Old Imo State); Enugu (to be created out of the Old Anambra State); Anioma State; and Port Harcourt (to be carved out of Rivers State). It was finally agreed that presenting the five States would be counterproductive since too many hands spoil the broth, hence penny-wise pound foolish. So, Ebonyi, Port Harcourt, and Anioma State agitators were advised to sheath their swords for new States, so that Abia, and Enugu may succeed. However, Anioma was asked to join the agitators for the creation of Delta State ( Isokos, Ijaws, Urhobos, Itshekiris and a few others minus the agitators for the Igbo speaking Anioma States) for the creation of DELTA STATE. It was decided that if they agree to drop their agitation and join Delta State agitators, the Conference will support ASABA to be made the capital of Delta State if created. This assuaged the Anioma State Creation agitators. After all, their sister and daughter, Maryam Ibrahim Babangida was from Asaba, and was the First Lady of Nigeria. This was accepted and the rest is history.
Of the five States tabled for creation at that 1990 Pan Igbo Conference held in Asaba, only Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu have been created. Anioma and Port Harcourt haven't. And of the two, only ANIOMA PEOPLE haven't let their desire die.
ANIOMA is at least 99%, if not 💯% Nd'Igbo. If their wish is to be part of Alaigbo and be noted as the sixth State of Alaigbo, they deserve it and have paid dearly with their blood during the Nigeria civil war fighting for Biafra. Besides, of the others angling to carve out fiefdoms in the name of new States for themselves, from the States they presently belong in the five South East States, the Anioma State, if created is the most viable and least divisive.
Yes, my late mother, Chief (Mrs.) Ngozi Rose Onyioha (nee NWOSA), the Nneoha of Nkporo, was from Asaba, part and parcel of ANIOMA STATE, and my father, late Chief KOK ONYIOHA, the Ahanyi of Nkporo Ancient Kingdom, is from Nkporo in Ohafia LGA, ABIA STATE.
Credits: Ngozi Onyioha Orji. The ANA/NDDC FLORA NWAPA 2010 Literary Prize Award Winner, as the Best Nigeria Female Writer Worldwide with my third Novel, THE KNOTS OF KARMA.
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