In the interview with President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Uwechue, published in the Daily Sun March 10, the President was asked what efforts he was making to unite Igbo in Rivers and Delta states, he said: “First of all, it should be understood that these factions who now deny the fact they are Igbo did so only after the civil war; take for instance the Ikwerre people… fully identified with us during the pre-civil war era but because the Igbo lost the civil war, a kind of stigma was smeared on them making a lot of people to start adjusting their names to sound less Igbo…”. This statement is misleading and not correct.

First of all, Ikwerre is not Igbo. We have made this clear even before the civil war and that was why some Igbo accused Ikwerre of sabotage during the war. Second, in all efforts by the minorities in the former Eastern region to agitate for their own political, social and economic recognition and liberty in the Eastern region and Nigeria at large, Ikwerre participated fully: hence, the late Chief E. J. A. Oriji and others represented Ikwerre before and during most of the conferences set up to address the fears of the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria. Third, in May 1963, Ikwerre people formed the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention to state that Ikwerre is a distinct ethnic group from any others in Nigeria. Fourth, in the 1964/65 elections into the Federal House of Representatives, National Council of Nigeria and the Camerouns (NCNC) nominated an Igbo man named Mr. Eluguronu to represent Ikwerre in the House. Ikwerre rejected it and fielded young Nwobidike Nwanodi as an independent candidate and he won. Fifth, Ikwerre’s participation in all the movements for the creation of COR and later Rivers States clearly shows Ikwerre’s rejection of been Igbo.

Let the point be made that right from about the 16th century, the Igbo has been in touch with Ikwerre (through slave trade, Arochuku activities, goods trading, hiring of labour for farm work, marriages and politics) and had always wanted to dominate, colonise and take over Ikwerre at all cost and by all means possible. This is natural especially where the dominated people are better endowed than the colonising power, coupled with the ever tendency of a bigger group to swallow a smaller one and whenever the latter refuses, the former resorts to cheap propaganda. That is exactly what Chief Uwechue and Ohanaeze Ndigbo are bent on doing to Ikwerre. In this unholy enterprise, they appear confused: for example, while some of them claim that Ikwerre sabotaged the Biafra project, Uwechue has said that Ikwerre did not. Truly, Ikwerre did not, just like every other minority ethnic group in the former Eastern region. How could we when the Igbo were in absolute control of the region? So, we fought for Biafra. When another colonising super power (Nigerian forces) arrived, Ikwerre had no option than to surrender and cooperate with them. Hence, Ikwerre actually fought the war on and for both sides.

After the war, some of the ill activities of the Igbo in Ikwerre were corrected. In the case of names, the Igbo first changed the original Ikwerre names into Igbo names in an attempt to force Ikwerre to become Igbo. So at the end of the war, some Ikwerre decided to assert their original names; hence, Igirita was changed to Igwuruta, Isoba was changed to Choba, Amaweke was changed to Rumuokwuta, etc. Even individuals suffered the same humiliation when their names were forcefully changed from Ovunda to Obinna for example. Even the original name of the Ikwerre ethnic group, which is Iwheruoha was changed to Ikwerre by the Igbo. Some names have been retained (like my surname) to reflect part of the Ikwerre colonial journey, just like a Yoruba Nigerian bearing the name Matthew. Does this make the Yoruba man an English man? No!

On a more serious note, if the Igbo insists that Ikwerre is Igbo, they should provide concrete sociological and historical evidences to prove their case beyond the whimsical factors of appearance, language and name, which no longer can correctly and truly define a people in today’s world.

9jaganja:

When I said many Ikwerres don't see themselves as Igbos many Igbos thought I was Igbo bashing. Jus see them as your fellow Nigerians. They can deny the fact that they have Igbo ancestry cause their language and even names proves they do but they just don't see themselves as Igbos. Just love them for who they are.

texazzpete:

If they don't want to be Igbo, why not let them? Why the hate? Abeg focus on more important things in life!

texazzpete:

If they don't want to be Igbo, why not let them? Why the hate? Abeg focus on more important things in life!

udezue:

Zebra,
Efik and Ijaw are clearly not Igbo and don't speak the same language.
Kaiiiii are u that dumb?

udezue:

Texaspette,
I AM NO LONGER AFRICAN. I AM IGBO. Does that make any sense to you?

texazzpete:

This is an utterly brainless analogy. As long as you were born and stay in the African continent, you are an African.

'Igbo' is an Ethnic group. wikipedia's definition below

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or assumed- sharing cultural characteristics[1][2] This shared heritage may be based upon putative common ancestry, history, kinship, religion, language, shared territory, nationality or physical appearance. Members of an ethnic group are conscious of belonging to an ethnic group; moreover ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness.

So if these fellows do not identify with you, and they are officially recognised as a separate and distinct ethnic group, why make a fuss over it? It really matters not if you share history, it's what happens today that counts.