the above article was taken from ndiowa.com the official website of the owa kingdom , sanctioned by people and nobles of owa kingdom

more genuine questions about ika and owa culture and language are welcomed ,when the great german historian ulli bier came to nigeria in the 1950s,he wrote that agbor /ika was the land where the west meets with the east ,as he sad that ika/agbor bears both edo and igbo cultures.this distinct people are very ancient and have a uniquely wonderful culture.
this our ika language and culture must be protected and left for our children and other generations coming after us .and no ethnic group either igbo or bini must be allowed to destroy the traditions that our ancestors have strove to protect

The Obi of Owah wrote a book in which he asserted that the Kingship of Owah was rooted in Nri but Owah is basically one of the various Ika towns. I believe some are rooted in Bini while others are rooted in Nri. Historians however believe there were some proto Igboid group already established before the coming of both Nri and Benin into that territory. Those people have some words that are neither Nri nor Benin but can be found in some far away Igbo group like Afikpo. Those are the Ika words which can neither be found in contemporary Igbo nor Edo.

Bear in mind that Igbo was used in reference to all of us but we always had our differences and no particular group agreed to being Igbo inland but when outside they all referred to themselves as Igbo. That is why in one of the write ups above they wrote that Taylor was Igbo with Isuama mother and Arochukwu father.

Today Igbo has been defined as the Southeast geo-political zone and any other person outside that agrees to be Igbo. To this, we have only the Aniocha and Oshimili with wide acceptance of being Igbo while Ika, Ukwuani, Aboh, Ikwerre, Ogba and others have a new identity divided between accepting being Igbo or not.

agbotaen: more genuine questions about ika and owa culture and language are welcomed ,when the great german historian ulli bier came to nigeria in the 1950s,he wrote that agbor /ika was the land where the west meets with the east ,as he sad that ika/agbor bears both edo and igbo cultures.this distinct people are very ancient and have a uniquely wonderful culture.
this our ika language and culture must be protected and left for our children and other generations coming after us .and no ethnic group either igbo or bini must be allowed to destroy the traditions that our ancestors have strove to protect

Black people and inferiority complex. So when your king tell u about your history it is not valid cos he is not white, but when the GREAT WHITE MAN comes and tell you about your history then it is the alpha and omega because it is coming from a white man..SMH

I wonder if there is any black historian that is cited in any of the european or american history. All white history is told by the whiteman, they dont need no non-white telling them about their history but for we black we Adore the stories by the white man about us as GOSPEL...

Bushboy you are, inferior animal...

@ Agbotean, you still havent quit this your thrash? @ All, this character is non other than one solomon omojie. If you want to know all about this topic, it has been tackled extensively on NBF "origin of delta igbo undisputable". Where is ogbuefi and co? Very soon, you will hear him change from ika to "core ika" and then to core "owa oyibu" before you know it, it is "core omojies family". Dont bother argueing with this guy, all he does is cut and paste, and you will see him in every fora worldwide with this same thrash. Yes omojie it is the same malawian on the other forum.

igbos are never tired of propaganda , and if the obi of owa considered himself an igbo man why did he assist nigeria troops to expell biafra from ika land ? and why did biafrans want to arrest him dead or alive ? and why is the obi of owa bearing a bini name called efeizomor ? and why are major and important titles in owa kingdom benin titles? and why does owa language have lots of bini words in it and why is our world view similar to those of the bini? and why does every owa indegen avoid been seen as igbo, and for your information i am a part and parcel of owa royalty as royalty is in my blood as my forefather was a king in owa and i come from one of the six royal villages in owa. so you cant tell me owa history , and you igbos think owa obiship is same as igbo igweship . our obi is not the highest authority on traditional matters as if you want to know the tradition of our people you must consult -the ihama, ihogbe, elders and the olihe-ovia of owa kingdom. and if you still want to know our history check this website-www,ndiowa.com
our obi never said owa was founded by nri people alone ,he only said owa has nri and edo ancestory and this has been mentioned by the british as far back as 1913 ,before this crazy igbonisation of every body in delta north started,but am happy that we ika have taken a firm stance as we a seperate ethnicity.we cannever be igbo.any attempt to igbonise ika will fail and if i were you ,i will go and ask my self why did the ika reject igbo and biafra in 1966 ? and why are we still rejecting igbo now in 2012 ?
but the truth we as owa citizens know is that the benin people were the first to settle in owa kingdom and they lived in a place called owa-ofien and they came from ovia local govt in benin ,and their leader was adagba. that is why we still greet owa people as owa adagba ni ikoha- owa those whose ancestors came from ikoha. and no force of igbo propaganda will make a real owa indigene say he is igbo .
our people dont even like to associate with igbos because we believe they have fundermental flaws in certain traits they possess and they also like to churn out lies and propaganda at will .
i am a core ika man because we are not at the pheriphery of extreme igbo culture and my family is a major stake holders in owa tracing our history to the thirteenth century ,we are not recent migrants into owa or ika , and if you want to hear my fore fathers were part founders of owa kingdom and founders of idumu-ezomor village,so i know my history as passed from generation to generation,and if you are in doubt please go and check.

i am a proud ika man who knows the history and culture of our people. and as long as i live i will defend ika traditions and you will see me on the net defending it , do you know the praises of obi of owa ?
it is agbogidi iyare ,
ojenebo iyare ,
ogiso iyare ,
agwo ekirika iyare ,
obi ni tor nei fe i
ise .

i bet you igbo propagandist will be angry and you might even say this words are igbo words , but we know most of these words are benin words with a little igbo added to it ,

ojenebo ojenebo oooooo,
ooooo ojenebo ,
ojenebo o sikirigba oooo,
ooooo ojenebo ,
obi lala iyare oooo,
agbogidi lala iyare ooo,
do do iyare do.

omo ile igbonba oooo,
omo ile igbonba .
obi ni tor nei fe i,
ise ,

owa tradition is well kept and if you want to know more instead of your useless propaganda also check owa stake holders forum and owa community council .

agbotaen: igbos are never tired of propaganda , and if the obi of owa considered himself an igbo man why did he assist nigeria troops to expell biafra from ika land ? and why did biafrans want to arrest him dead or alive ? and why is the obi of owa bearing a bini name called efeizomor ? and why are major and important titles in owa kingdom benin titles? and why does owa language have lots of bini words in it and why is our world view similar to those of the bini? and why does every owa indegen avoid been seen as igbo, and for your information i am a part and parcel of owa royalty as royalty is in my blood as my forefather was a king in owa and i come from one of the six royal villages in owa. so you cant tell me owa history , and you igbos think owa obiship is same as igbo igweship . our obi is not the highest authority on traditional matters as if you want to know the tradition of our people you must consult -the ihama, ihogbe, elders and the olihe-ovia of owa kingdom. and if you still want to know our history check this website-www,ndiowa.com
our obi never said owa was founded by nri people alone ,he only said owa has nri and edo ancestory and this has been mentioned by the british as far back as 1913 ,before this crazy igbonisation of every body in delta north started,but am happy that we ika have taken a firm stance as we a seperate ethnicity.we cannever be igbo.any attempt to igbonise ika will fail and if i were you ,i will go and ask my self why did the ika reject igbo and biafra in 1966 ? and why are we still rejecting igbo now in 2012 ?
but the truth we as owa citizens know is that the benin people were the first to settle in owa kingdom and they lived in a place called owa-ofien and they came from ovia local govt in benin ,and their leader was adagba. that is why we still greet owa people as owa adagba ni ikoha- owa those whose ancestors came from ikoha. and no force of igbo propaganda will make a real owa indigene say he is igbo .
our people dont even like to associate with igbos because we believe they have fundermental flaws in certain traits they possess and they also like to churn out lies and propaganda at will .
i am a core ika man because we are not at the pheriphery of extreme igbo culture and my family is a major stake holders in owa tracing our history to the thirteenth century ,we are not recent migrants into owa or ika , and if you want to hear my fore fathers were part founders of owa kingdom and founders of idumu-ezomor village,so i know my history as passed from generation to generation,and if you are in doubt please go and check.

my son all in all i can see the ramblings of a confused boy. Today you are not igbo nor bini but a confirmed owa/ika man. See you stressing that your obi has a bini name.. ok you are bini not ika end of story.

i am ika , i am not bini and i am not igbo , it is you igbo people that are confussed , some of you say you came from nri , others say they came from igbo ukwu and right now some igbos said they are from isreal , so who is more confussed between ika and igbo ? our stand is already know ,if we trace our earliest origin to benin ,and later some ika villages trace it to igbo land , the truth is that these migrations occurred hundreds of years ago , so right now we are ika ethnic nationality and mind you it was the british that helped created this your beloved igbo identity less than 200 years ago , so too we have long created our beloved ika ethnic identity for hundreds of years and we know who is evbon ika and who is not , and definitely an igbo man is not an evbon ika and an ika is not an igbo person period.
the ika people have a well organised history and we are not igbos whose history is not well known and they cant even boast of a kingdom that existed in ancient times than to mention nri and igbo ukwu which existed in history and mythology without a continun in modern times like owa kingdom which have existed as kingdom with kings from 12th century to the present in an unbroken line , even the british invasion of owa in 1906 ,did not put an end to my fore fathers kingdom ,or is it agbor which started as ominijie kingdom over a thousand years ago with kingship that is not broken and no wonder the dein of agbor holds the record of the youngest crowned monarch in the world .
or is it umunede that started as ukpehoro kingdom before it was later called umunede that was founded by ede and iye in the 12th century .
thanks to the federal government and nigeria that has helped every autonomous village in igbo land to get a king or an igwe , where the richest man becomes the king , and thanks to copying other peoples culture like the ika culture the igbos now have kings ,but still the igbo kingship is not near the idea of ika kingship which has been well designed since ancient times.
no wonder the omonoba nedo uku akpolokpolor defined kingship as the institution of monarchy existing before the times of colonial govt,
i know my igbo propagandists will say nri is a kingdom with kingship ,but nri was just a ritual kind of kingship and it is not the type of proper monarchy as practiced by oyo empire or benin or agbor or owa kingdoms .
for your information check the vanguard newspaper of today wednesday 15th august 2012 and read this
the ika ethnic nationality will hold their annual lecture and meetings in ika hall agbor on 22 of this month and all ika people are welcomed ,and in this meeting all the kings,chiefs,nobility of ika will be present .
it is organised yearly by ogua ika , or did i also form this organisation or was i the one that published the article on vanguard newspaper.?

^^ pls tell us why Ika is part of Anioma. Anioma is a name for Igbo people in Delta state.

The Biafran war really dealt a devastating blow on a lot of Igbos. It is evident in someone trying to look for a reason not to be called Igbo or just lying outright about his heritage. For example an Urhobo man knowing fully well that he is not Igbo is not suffering from this disease. You cannot get up one day and see a publication by Urhobo group trying to tell other Nigerians that they are not Igbos. The reason is because they are simply not Igbos.

1.it is you igbos that are trying to sell a bad brand called igbo ethnicity to ika people and others, is it by force to become igbo ? do you see yoruba calling itsekiris yoruba ? and going on the net , it is only igbo that goes on with propaganda , your ethnicity is not sellable and ika does not want to buy rubbish ,we are happy being ika. people happily want to associate with yoruba and thats because they link their ancestory to oduduwa ,but please tell me which ancestory links anioma does not mean anything like the igbos will want us to believe ,it was taken from aniocha (a),ndokwa(n)ika (i),then oma was added ,so it was an abreviation of the four ethnicities that make up that region and chief osadebey acknowledged the fact that anioma is made up of igbo,yoruba,edo, igala and other people and as such about 11 languages are spoken in the region .so how come every one is now igbo ?
but anioma was a name formed by osadebey and others but the four ethnicity still exists and ika is ika and we are not igbo,the only ika people you might find claiming igbo are usually the ones from igbodo and ekwuoma who are positioned at the extereme side of ika near igbo cultural area , and no wonder they were the ones who supported biafra and they also suffered loss during the war ,and their language is very much different from standard ika and no wonder yesterday i was at an event and i was introduced to an ika man from igbodo very elderly ,but when he spoke i can swear he spoke aniocha language and not ika like we speak ,so i said i now know why they are the way they are .
2. ika has never claimed to be benin ,but we are related to benin and we have never claimed to be igbo ,but we know we are related to them , but we know who we are and we are ika ethnicity ,and we are so proud of it. we do not need the numbers of the igbos to become great , since this arguement started a lot of igbo people have tried to attack me but am resilient as an owa man and descendants of owa kings who were warriors and generals of the benin army ,and the fighting spirit of my ancestors who resisted the british in 1906 for 55 days and almost defeated them, and our hero tete okunbor osagie who in 1906 killed and cut off the head of the assistand district officer for benin and agbor .
3.there is a big difference between ika and igbo and i thing most igbos should get it straight, enyin asaka henrin ebon igbon le oseka ,ndi ojuwu gi gu gbe ali

^^ pls tell us why Ika is part of Anioma. Anioma is a name for Igbo people in Delta state. Why don't they form a union with the edo speaking people.

agbotaen: 1.it is you igbos that are trying to sell a bad brand called igbo ethnicity to ika people and others, is it by force to become igbo ? do you see yoruba calling itsekiris yoruba ? and going on the net , it is only igbo that goes on with propaganda , your ethnicity is not sellable and ika does not want to buy rubbish ,we are happy being ika. people happily want to associate with yoruba and thats because they link their ancestory to oduduwa ,but please tell me which ancestory links anioma does not mean anything like the igbos will want us to believe ,it was taken from aniocha (a),ndokwa(n)ika (i),then oma was added ,so it was an abreviation of the four ethnicities that make up that region and chief osadebey acknowledged the fact that anioma is made up of igbo,yoruba,edo, igala and other people and as such about 11 languages are spoken in the region .so how come every one is now igbo ?
but anioma was a name formed by osadebey and others but the four ethnicity still exists and ika is ika and we are not igbo,the only ika people you might find claiming igbo are usually the ones from igbodo and ekwuoma who are positioned at the extereme side of ika near igbo cultural area , and no wonder they were the ones who supported biafra and they also suffered loss during the war ,and their language is very much different from standard ika and no wonder yesterday i was at an event and i was introduced to an ika man from igbodo very elderly ,but when he spoke i can swear he spoke aniocha language and not ika like we speak ,so i said i now know why they are the way they are .
2. ika has never claimed to be benin ,but we are related to benin and we have never claimed to be igbo ,but we know we are related to them , but we know who we are and we are ika ethnicity ,and we are so proud of it. we do not need the numbers of the igbos to become great , since this arguement started a lot of igbo people have tried to attack me but am resilient as an owa man and descendants of owa kings who were warriors and generals of the benin army ,and the fighting spirit of my ancestors who resisted the british in 1906 for 55 days and almost defeated them, and our hero tete okunbor osagie who in 1906 killed and cut off the head of the assistand district officer for benin and agbor .
3.there is a big difference between ika and igbo and i thing most igbos should get it straight, enyin asaka henrin ebon igbon le oseka ,ndi ojuwu gi gu gbe ali

Abagworo: The Biafran war really dealt a devastating blow on a lot of Igbos. It is evident in someone trying to look for a reason not to be called Igbo or just lying outright about his heritage. For example an Urhobo man knowing fully well that he is not Igbo is not suffering from this disease. You cannot get up one day and see a publication by Urhobo group trying to tell other Nigerians that they are not Igbos. The reason is because they are simply not Igbos.

Now Agbotaen are Urhobos and Isokos not in Delta? Are there no Urhobos and Isokos that claim Igbo ancestry? Why do we just know that they are not Igbos while we find it difficult to understand how Ika is not Igbo? Answer this question.

2ndly why are Abia State people Igbos even though we know some are mixed with Ibibio, Ejagam and Annang?

The answer is that we do not need a soothsayer to know because nature created us that way. Itsekiri that you gave as an example has never been Yoruba but have never denied being linked to Yoruba either. So they are linked to Yoruba and that is why they retained close lingual affirnity. You are trying to create an impression of Igbo empire conquering Ika in the past and forcing them to accept Igbo as their language instead of the reality that there was an influence of Benin empire on Igbos at the western side of River Niger and the closer you got to Benin, the more the influence. Ask yourself why Benin can never regard Ika as Edo while Igbos know we are same ethnicity.

1. for those igbo people who care to read and listen ika people have never said we are benin people ,but we recognise that our major founding fathers were benin or migrated from benin,and most of our world view is definitely benin or from benin.
2. we also recognise that in ika land there was also many igbo migration and it also left igbo cultural trait in ika land.but that in no way makes us igbo,as the majority of our people have taken a stand that we are ika ethnic nation.
3. in ika there was also migration from ora, ishan,yoruba as existed in umunede,and migrations from aniocha and ndokwa areas of delta state.
4. we also recognise that our key cultures are of benin origin and some minor ones are from igbo land and elsewhere.
5. we also do know that this ika ethnic identity have been defended over the years , and one of the major one was in 1930 , when the british and benin royalties claimed ika was part of benin and our fathers rejected and fought against that with a letter written in that same year and the ika identity stood.
6. the other was during the civil war in which ika land was invaded by biafra and our fathers helped the federal troops to push them out and rejected the notion that ika was part of igbo.
7. we do agree that all the ethnic groups in nigeria was formed due to the coming of the british these include igbo, yoruba, hausa, ika , ijaw and others, but the proper word that ika people used in refering to themselves is called ebon or nwaebon.and igbo does not fall into our classification as ebon.
8. infact in the ika world view we deify our royalty and we believe that any community that does not have a royalty is inferior and the igbos do not have a king , and so you know what i mean ?
9. we ika nation have various dialects spoken in ika land and we have the central ika , southern ika and eastern ika groups , so if you find an ika man claiming to be igbo , you will know he is from the eastern zone and in these zone the some of those who claim to be igbo are usually from igbodo and ekwuoma ,these areas are near aniocha border areas and these were the same people who supported biafra and they were also brutalised by the federal troops while 98 percent of ika nation rejected being igbo..the languages spoken by igbodo and ekwuoma is basically aniocha language and its very possible that some of their fore fathers migrated from igboland.but like i always say they have the right to claim whatever they like to claim.
10. for those who like reading one part of a book to butress their points and would not read others, it is also written in the book by the obi that owa also has benin migration,as well as nri migration and he also wrote that because of his effort to support the nigeria troops that biafra declared him wanted dead or alive or have you igbo people not read that ? why hide from that.it is also in that book.
11. it is also historical that murtala mohammed lived in owa during the civil war and his friendship with owa people and obi efeizomor made him become a chief in owa ,he was the ojeba of owa kingdom,and obi efeizomor was also a member of the midwest leaders of thought during the civil war .
12. please also read ika land -history and culture published by ika group in which the obi was interviewed and he said owa has both edo and nri migrations ,but the most authoritative book on owa was written in september 1999 by the entire owa kingdom comprising of princes , chiefs , professors and our local royal historians called ihogbe and they brougth out a book and they books is the one they sell at the royal palace and it traces owa founders to ikoha in ovia local govt in benin and other edo people and later on the coming of ute /nri migrants via ute.
13. in the book titled ika land and culture the obi of ute okpu was interviewed and he said ute founder ijue was said to have come from benin ,while some ute elders are of the opinion that he came from nri , but the diary of one omordia the orderly of obi agholor of ute okpu in 1899 , it was written that ute founders and owa founders migrated from benin.
14. owa kingdom is a large and heterogenous kingdom as the towns and villages have different migrations some from edo , others from other ika towns, ndokwa, aniocha and other areas,all village and quarter units making up owa have their own unique history.
15 . the language of ika people is called ika and it is different from igbo , it surely has similarities with igbo , but it is not igbo and it also has similarities with benin ,but it is not standard benin , it is a mix of these language and an indegenous dialect and that is why we cal it ika.
and we have many variations of it ,
initially benin was spoken in ika area ,then later igbo was spoken and later a mix of igbo and benin was spoken called ika.some look at these language as an igboid language while others look at it as semi-edo language.it depends on how you see it ,but we call it ika , we dont say we speak ika-igbo,but ika.
like we speak in owa kingdom ----------------
1.onyen a shiani ihian eri arasaka gbue .
2. emeni ulor a gbu ni ihian isere ara saka gbue .
3.o kere m jen ogwa,e kwondon m egan hu ,we he atalor
4. we ra kpanmi ehi hura, ndi o hun,hun e ze ize
5. m si kor da we he ezuzu hu ri uwaya .

this is owa dialect of ika and i want those who know to interprete it , i have carefully researched ika language , igbo language and edo language and i conluded that basic central ika is a mix of edo,igbo and other languages , but the problem many ika people have is that they allow people who are not ika to influence their language and culture today and this is even affecting the way they name their children like i see ika people bearing anwili and this means hapiness in igbo , but the proper ika for happiness is ighogho .some ika bear chioma ,but the correct ika word should be ehioma.
today some ika people call moon onwan ,but that is wrong the ika word is ifon and this is also the word for month .
that is why the ika language committee was started to halt the destruction in our language and this changes came as a result of christian missionary work , and education , and some early british people who could not understand that ika area is different from aniocha ,despite the nearness and so they used many people from igbo land and aniocha area to bring education and church and they also helped changed many things , the ika word for native doctor is obuh ,but today many ika use idibie.
but we thank God that this is being halted and gradually there will be enough books on ika language .
ika both singular and plural and it is a nasalized language.with alphabets, vowells and grammar.
16. ika is ika and it can never change .

This is Ika.

Ika - Umunnem we, unu etehie? Osonogbue emeka o ji kpotieni ura. Doo?

Centralized - Umunnem, unu etetela? Chukwu emeela na otu o si kpote unu ura. Kedu?

Aro - Ummunnem, inyi etesala? Obasi di n'elu emeela na aga o za meteni inyi ura. Ndaa?

Idemili - Umunnem, unu etetago? Olisabuluwa emego na otu o si kpote unu ula. Kedu?

agbotaen:
7. we do agree that all the ethnic groups in nigeria was formed due to the coming of the british these include igbo, yoruba, hausa, ika , ijaw and others, but the proper word that ika people used in refering to themselves is called ebon or nwaebon.and igbo does not fall into our classification as ebon.


.some look at these language
as an igboid language while others look at it as
semi-edo language.

Ebon=Ibo=Igbo

Nmaebon=nwaigbo

Umunebom=Umuigbo

Stop deceiving yourself. Nobody looks at it as semi-Edo or Igboid. It is classified as Igbo. The only language classified as Igboid is Ekpeye. Igboid consists of two basic languages of Igbo and Ekpeye while Igbo has 6 accepted versions.

ebon is not an igbo word so stop fooling your self ebon means family or blood kindred and it is taken from the edo word called evbo -which means same .
if i want to converse with you in our owa dialect ,it will go like this -
nani ? how are you ,
owunma /ohunma , it is fine ,
nedi i e ? how or what about your father ?
ohu a - he is fine.
ki hian i gi ronme ? why are you frowning?
i re hun re meme i ? are you sick ,
irehun e mem nim - i am not sick,
egho aria kaka ,- i dont have money at all .
ni ehi wehe ni i egho - GOd will give you money ,
iken ke osolobue ni henrin odafe . by the grace of GOd you will be come a rich man ,
ye henrin kor eson agbon- and you will not become a poverty stricken man of the world.



there is nothing that can make a proper ika man to become igbo , because ika world view and igbo world view are miles apart , igbo cannever become ika while ika cannot become igbo , e ku o le me ushin ni onu wu igbo wu oseka le ihunnai .
let me produce an interview with the obi of akumazi , who is an ika king near the ika eastern axis and you will see his believe in ika nation and what he has to say and the kings he mentioned who have ruled akumazi and many carying edo names -.

TOWARDS UNITY AND TRUTH Monday 13th of August 2012 12:02:01 AM
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Kings and Queens

WHY KINGS MARRY MANY WIVES,
BYAKUMAZI MONARCH
By Obi Chiiejile

Africa, indeed almost the world over practice and hold monarchical system in great esteem.
Monarchical administration, no doubt, provides the best and easy way to reach the populace with, effective governance. Monarchy also provides the linkage between the imported administration now called Democratic Government and the traditional institution (kingship system of administration) that touches every constituent of a given rural populace.
You will soon notice that the intriguing question why kings marry a horde of wives has been put to rest as the Akumazi monarch, His Royal Majesty, Obi Stephen Chukwuyemeze Osagie III (JP) says it is sacrosanct to them (the Kings) to keep afloat the traditional rule of primogeniture.
Also, Obi Osagie in his encounter with our correspondent in Agbor, Obi Chiejile, disclosed that an Obi in the kingdom did not taste death. Read on:

Why is it that at the ascension to the throne, some traditional rulers change their names to assume another? Is it a rule?

Personally, I answer our grandfather’s name because I do not want that name Osagie to phase out. There is no hard and fast rule on this. The issue of name is personal just as crown passes to the first surviving son so is the property of the king which passes over to the succeeding king en bloc.

Why do traditional rulers marry many wives?

It is traditional to marry many wives according to native law and custom in respect of, and in keeping with the principle of primogeniture; of all the wives at least one would bear a male child as a crown prince or heir apparent. Traditionally and by our customary law only a fist male child ascends the throne.

Again, one wife to a king is bad because she will be so proud that at times she will leave the king in hunger.

God makes the king, who enthrones him?

In Ika setting, Ogene (King maker), enthrones the king traditionally together with the elders of the kingdom. Ogene title is not hereditary, mark you.

Name the traditional rulers or your predecessors in your kingdo

Onona 1201-1307 (106 years); Akuma 1307-1388 (81 years); Itami (abdicated the throne for Iyayi) 1388-1389) (1 year); Iyayi 1388-1420 (31 years); Idinahgwun 1420-1620 (200 years) allegedly, when death did not come, he sank into the mother earth and did not return till date; Orokonafor 1620-1625 (5 years); Ugbede 1625-1684 ( 59 years); Unueheren 1684-1692 (8 years); Ojere 1692-1698 (6 years); Ekowe 1698-1740 (42 years); Oseh 1740-1762 (22 years); Agwie 1762-1764 (2 years); Diagbon 1764-1773 (9 years); Onyetoyi 1773-1783 (10 years); Uzonta 1783-1790 ( 7 years); Ojefor 1790-1793 (3 years); Diai 1793-1833 (40 years); Usifor 1833-1853 (20 years); Aghaulor 1853-1896 (43 years); Osagie I 1896-1946 (50 years); Jegbefume Osagie II, 1946-1953 (6 years 1 month); Obi Stephen Chukwunyemeze Osagie III (JP) Jan 5, 1953 to date.

My father, Obi Jegbefume Osagie II was the first traditional ruler (Obi) from this area to be in the Western House of Assembly. It was he who introduced the unifying name ‘Ika’ for all the people who now live in the two Ika local government areas of Delta State. He studied at the famous Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Onitsha.

From the line up of my predecessors, we have two dynasties. The first dynasty which started with Onona in the 12th century (1201) ended with Itami 1389 having reigned only one year. The second dynasty started with Obi Iyayi in 1389 till date.

Was there any known period of regency in the line-up of the Obis of the Kingdom?
Yes, there was. And that was immediately I was crowned in 1953-1961. A period of eight years before I finally returned to be on the throne in 1961.

Why are women not crowned traditional rulers (monarchs)?

The customary law of primogeniture is highly respected. You notice that women cannot keep the holiness requirement which the institution of obiship requires.

Your Royal Majesty, when were you enthroned and was there a regency period?

I was enthroned on 5th of January 1953. There was a period of regency of Bishop Chinakwe Osagie as a regent.

Did you have working experience before you ascended the throne?

I was a student of Anene Arts Training College (AATC), Onitsha and I could not finish because the regent did not agree to pay my school fees again. I hadn’t any working experience at all.

Which are the villages that comprise Akumazi Kingdom?

The villages are Akumazi-Umuocha (the administrative headquarters of the kingdom), Akwukwu-Akumazi, now called Ekuoma, Owerre-Akumazi, nicknamed Owerre-Olubor, Iloabor-Akumazi.

Why are there pockets of agitation for self-independence in the kingdom?

Over-ambitious persons and power-drunk politicians use secession threat to campaign to win votes but the State Government will not support them in their secession bids.

How do these villages feel your impact?

I have representative chiefs in all the villages that comprise Akumazi Kingdom. In most cases, the secretary to the Obi-in-Council calls meetings when the need arises to discuss issues affecting all the villagers in the kingdom.

Has any of the representative chiefs the right to confer chieftaincy titles on any person in their area?

The Chiefs can only recommend and not confer chieftaincy titles. If any person does so the conferee and the conferring chiefs are suspended.

Your Royal Majesty, Sir, what are your joys and regrets?

My joys include the renovation currently going on in my palace; establishment of secondary schools in my kingdom during my time. There is a gradual rise of the population of scholars, captains of industries and infrastructural development across the kingdom.

But what ails me badly is the formation of secret cults, and Indian hemp addiction by our youths which lead to bad behaviours.

During my time, Akumazi Kingdom produced a leading Catholic Bishop, Most Reverend Dr. Michael Odogwu Elue and many reverend fathers.

When does your next birthday come up?

On 14th December, 2008 I will celebrate my 70th birthday.
There will be launching of building fund during the birthday anniversary.

What are the factors that keep your people together?

We have identical dialect quite dissimilar to other dialects in Ika as a language. Yet, all of us in Ika nation understand ourselves. Lest I forget, the name Ika for Ika District Council (IDC) for the whole of Ika nation was brought to be by my predecessor, my biological father, His Royal Majesty, Obi Jegbefume Osagie II as a Paliamentarian in Western House of Assembly, Ibadan. Yes, let me continue with the things that bind us together.

We celebrate new yam festival, communal work, Igwe festival among others which we do in common.

I use this opportunity to call on the local government council to renovate the market square at Akumazi-Umuocha. I also call on the State government to have an upward review of our (traditional rulers) stipend because of the harsh realities of life. We are also the bridge between the people at the grassroot. Without traditional rulers at the grassroot the government policies and directives will hardly reach the rural populace. We are indeed a bridge between the government and the rural dwellers.

Finally, I congratulate our son, the new Speaker, State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Okonta and the chairman of Ika North-East local government area, Hon. Festus Iweribor and the cuncillors recently sworn-in















Copyright © The Pointer :: Delta Printing And Publishing Company Limited:: 2008

this interview was conducted by delta state newspaper the pointer and the obi of osagie ,said ika nation , he did not say igbo nation or any other nation .that is very instructive he believes in ika nation. the last ika congress or ogua/onu ika meeting held in agbor these were the following resolves.
1. forming of the ika nation - anthem
2. boosting of ika language by making it compulsary in all primary and secondary schools in ika land and by 2016 -it will have a parmanent department in college of education agbor.
3. promotion of our culture, arts and heritage.
4. the complete bible should be written in ika language , right now we have the new testament in ika language.

from the names of the kings who have ruled akumazi , you will find out that they are full of edo names , so i think the igbo people who dont know much about ika will learn ,and know that my believe in ika as a nation was not what i formed but what i learnt from our elders.
when i wrote in one article that according to ika tradition obi idinagun of akumazi ruled for 200 years and did not die , one funny ogbuefi who claims to be from igbodo said it was a lie , but am happy the king of akumazi in this interview also made mention of this legend.

odumchi: This is Ika.

Odogwu Aro,you baddt gan ! Benins call IKA "OvieIgbo"(onye Igbo). I wonder why ?

Odenigbo Aroli:

Odogwu Aro,you baddt gan ! Benins call IKA "OvieIgbo"(onye Igbo). I wonder why ?

lol

agbotaen: ebon is not an igbo word so stop fooling your self ebon means family or blood kindred and it is taken from the edo word called evbo -which means same .
if i want to converse with you in our owa dialect ,it will go like this -
nani ? how are you ,
owunma /ohunma , it is fine ,
nedi i e ? how or what about your father ?
ohu a - he is fine.
ki hian i gi ronme ? why are you frowning?
i re hun re meme i ? are you sick ,
irehun e mem nim - i am not sick,
egho aria kaka ,- i dont have money at all .
ni ehi wehe ni i egho - GOd will give you money ,
iken ke osolobue ni henrin odafe . by the grace of GOd you will be come a rich man ,
ye henrin kor eson agbon- and you will not become a poverty stricken man of the world.



there is nothing that can make a proper ika man to become igbo , because ika world view and igbo world view are miles apart , igbo cannever become ika while ika cannot become igbo , e ku o le me ushin ni onu wu igbo wu oseka le ihunnai .
let me produce an interview with the obi of akumazi , who is an ika king near the ika eastern axis and you will see his believe in ika nation and what he has to say and the kings he mentioned who have ruled akumazi and many carying edo names -.

Ebo in Idenmili dialect means "a place" or " people" . Ika is Igbo but it okay if you say you dont wanna be identified as one but you have to agree with the intimidating facts on the table

if you like go on using and printing wiki paedia and all things written by igbo media men,but the truth is that ika is not igbo and i bet you to try all you can at critical moment ika nation will dissappoint you igbos , it has happened before and it will continue to happen untill you learn to respect ika as a nation. it is you igbo people that are always begging and looking for people to count as igbos , are you not tired ,may be you want to sell a bad product to the ika people that is why they always reject , or have you seen any noble or notable ika person in your ethnic meetings ?
or at the fore front of propagating this igbo agenda of expansion?
i will urge you igbos to concentrate on areas in delta state that say they are igbo and leave the ika people who are a seperate ethnic group, and at best the only thing you have is a believe that because ika has similar language with igbo , then they must be igbo , and most of the igbos dont even know that igbo as an ethnic group was founded by european influence , just like the ika nation , but the difference is that we know when ika was founded as a name,but most igbos dont know when they founded igbo as a name and so many of them carry on fake propaganda on the internet.

afam4eva:
lol

Go to bed,isi okpo

@Agboetan I still want to know why Ika is part of Anioma. Why didn't they form a group with the bini people

agbotaen: if you like go on using and printing wiki paedia and all things written by igbo media men,but the truth is that ika is not igbo and i bet you to try all you can at critical moment ika nation will dissappoint you igbos , it has happened before and it will continue to happen untill you learn to respect ika as a nation. it is you igbo people that are always begging and looking for people to count as igbos , are you not tired ,may be you want to sell a bad product to the ika people that is why they always reject , or have you seen any noble or notable ika person in your ethnic meetings ?
or at the fore front of propagating this igbo agenda of expansion?
i will urge you igbos to concentrate on areas in delta state that say they are igbo and leave the ika people who are a seperate ethnic group, and at best the only thing you have is a believe that because ika has similar language with igbo , then they must be igbo , and most of the igbos dont even know that igbo as an ethnic group was founded by european influence , just like the ika nation , but the difference is that we know when ika was founded as a name,but most igbos dont know when they founded igbo as a name and so many of them carry on fake propaganda on the internet.

Do not pride yourself on treachery you metted out on your brothers who hasnt done anything to you. Are you mentally sick ? Anyway,you are more interesteded in throwing insults instead of making a calculated and intelligent post. You have been proven wrong countless times over,even with your copy and past articles. You are losing ground faster than hussein bolt can finish 100meters. You are indeed pathetic!

you are a fool , and i know what your people know best stealing and fraud and making propaganda , what brother will want to steal a brothers land without telling him, did ndigbo consult ika before they invaded ika land ? and no proper bini man will call an ika person oviegbo ,but they call us ovieka , and pleass check the book a short history of benin written by bini greatest historian pa jacob egharvba and he said ika people are binis who migrated in 12th century before the igbos and others came into ika land, and many benin website and historians still believe ika people are bini people in diaspora , but what do we ika people even care about what people think of us , the important thing is that we are ika people of ika ethnic group, we are not igbo period and we are proud of our name and we would not want to soil it with a bad product like igbo or any other name.

agbotaen: you are a fool , and i know what your people know best stealing and fraud and making propaganda , what brother will want to steal a brothers land without telling him, did ndigbo consult ika before they invaded ika land ? and no proper bini man will call an ika person oviegbo ,but they call us ovieka , and pleass check the book a short history of benin written by bini greatest historian pa jacob egharvba and he said ika people are binis who migrated in 12th century before the igbos and others came into ika land, and many benin website and historians still believe ika people are bini people in diaspora , but what do we ika people even care about what people think of us , the important thing is that we are ika people of ika ethnic group, we are not igbo period and we are proud of our name and we would not want to soil it with a bad product like igbo or any other name.

You are very silly and funny at same time. "ovieka" ? Since when? I lived in Benin city for over five yrs..ohoro road,Idehen street,omo street and mission road are the places i am more familiar with and i have never heard anything like "ovieka". We,the southeast Igbos call Anioma folks "bendel Igbo" and the benin call all of us "ovie Igbo". I know this because most of the truck pushers in benin are Ika Igbos. Stop lying cus i know benin very well.

1. let me categorically state that if ika traces her early history to benin ,that does not make us benin
2. if we also trace some of our history to igbo that does not make us igbo .
3. the reality of the times we are now is that we are ika people who have agreed to come under that banner of ika nationhood ,.
4. as for propagandist ika nation has never been in union with any igbo national group, we were on our own before the bini invasion and we came under benin empire , then western region, midwest, bendel and delta .
5. anioma is made up of both igbo, ika, ndokwa, yoruba(olukunmi) bini, ishan ,igala and other people . and most of these kingdoms also speak an intelligeble kind of igbo, but they are very concious of their history as some know they are not igbo.
anioma was founded to distinguish these communities and it was not founded to propagate igbo, that is why the aniocha and the oshimili people always have problems with ndokwa and ika people who want to maintain their ethnic identity and do not wish to be eclipsed into igbo.