Adolphus N. Nyegonum
CHAPTER TWO
THE BINI ROOTS OF IKWERRE PEOPLE
Like I pointed out earlier, various opinions have been expressed about the origin of Ikwerres but chapter one has shown us that Ikwerre people are descendants of Ighoroha, a Bini man.
I am linked to him just like all Ikwerres.
My genealogy is very clear on this matter. For example, my English name is Adolphus, while my native name is Nsirimovu. I am the son of Chief Bekwele, Eze Oba 1, from Rumuoba village in Rumuobiokani town. Bekwele is the son of Chief Nyegonum who was among the three chiefs that represented Rumuobiokani people in the Port Harcourt Lease Agreement of 1913 with British Government. Nyegonum was the son of Mr. Oga and Oga was the son of Mr. Orlu. Orlu was the son of Mr. Icha and Icha was the son of Mr. Oba. Oba was the son of Mr. Obiokani and Obiokani was the son of Mr. Evo jnr. Evo jnr was begot by Mr. Evo snr and Evo snr was the son of Mr. Obio and Obio was the son of Mr. Ighoroha. Ighoroha was the progenitor of Ikwerre ethnic nationality who migrated some centuries ago from ancient Bini kingdom. He had many children, and I am of the lineage of Mr. Obio. This is how I am linked to Mr. Ighoroha.
Apart from the historical facts I mentioned earlier, I also discovered some other things in the course of my research. For instance, I discovered that ancient people were strict in observing their custom and tradition, and that they gave names that had meanings in their tongues to their children. Most of these names are archaic. That is to say that they are old fashioned and cannot be given to children of this generation.
I also discovered that the original names of the first, second, and third generations of Mr. Ighoroha children were Bini names which were corrupted over the centuries. For example, I found out that Mr. Ighoroha, who came from Bini tribe, named his son “Opia”, meaning cutlass in Bini language.
But the Igbos who dominated (colonized) our land corrupted it as “Obia”, an Igbo name meaning stranger, visitor or guest in Igbo language and presented this corrupted name to the British colonial masters who came to our land and who they worked for as interpreters and clerks.
The British created for us a government council from the old Ikwerre county council in the former Eastern Nigeria and named it after the corrupted name “Obia”. Hence we had Obia Urban County Council with office at Rumuogba village in the present Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria.
Further to this, I discovered that the Igbos ran the administration of the said Obia Urban County Council through the Eastern Regional Government based in Enugu in Igbo land.
For centuries we were known and called as Obia as a result of the Igbos' domination on Ikwerre people. But after the Nigerian Civil War in 1970 or there about, the Igbos' domination on Ikwerre people reduced, and the name Obia was changed to “Obio”, a name that is not Bini or Igbo and which has no meaning in Ikwerre language.
The reason for not continuing with our original name Opia is yet to be known. However, Mr. Opia, now Obio, gave his son a Bini name Evbo, meaning people in Bini language. In Bini tongue, Evbo is pronounced as Evo. That is to say that the consonant 'b' in Evbo is silent when pronouncing Evbo.
For many years we have been known and called as “Evo” as a result of the spelling we inherited from the British colonial masters and the early Christian white missionaries who came to our land with Christian religion and coupled with the extinction of our Bini tongue before the advent of the colonial masters and missionaries. Mr. Evbo (Evo) also named his son Evbo (Evo) jnr.
Still on the name Obia, I discovered that at one time or the other, our ancient people had rejected, the name. Prominent among them was Mr. Jonathan, whose native name was Wokeagbara and his surname Eke. He later became His Royal Majesty Eze Gbaka Gbaka, Eze Oha Evo 1, a descendant of Mr. Echendu, the son of Mr. Woji, the founding father of Woji town, and Ezekiel whose native name was Wagbaoso and his surname Woko, a descendant of Mr. Agbonwo, the son of Mr. Obiokani, the founding father of Rumuobiokani town.
These great ancient people, with others in their days, kicked against the name Obia before D.O (Divisional Officer), a white man and representative of the British colonial authority in charge of our land.
On one occasion, for solidarity support, some of our kindred from other parts of Ikwerre land converged at the premises of what is now known and called The Judiciary Customary Court Of Appeal Rivers State at Rumuogba village in the present Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria, where the D.O listened to our petition on the matter.
As a matter of fact, the name “Obio” is not Bini or Igbo name and has no meaning in Ikwerre language. However, in my research, I discovered that “Obio” means village in Efik or Ibibio language. Having been privileged to have this information, I need to reveal it for the benefit of those who do not know about it, and also to set records straight so that future history writers and researchers would not complicate the already distorted history of my people, especially that of my lineage Opia.
Again, as a descendant of Mr. Ighoroha, I want to say categorically and emphatically that our origin has nothing to do with Igbo, Efik or Ibibio tribes, but with Bini tribe, notwithstanding the distortions done to our history.
Still on the name 'Obio', during my research work, I discovered that Bini people call strangers, visitors or guests as orhunhien or orhunyen in Bini tongue while in Ikwerre language these words are called as follows:
1. Nde bia-ra-bia
2. Nde ize-eh
3. Nde bia-ru-be-le-kam
4. Nde Obia
Bini and Ikwerre people do not call or refer to strangers, visitors or guests as Obio.
Moreso, for the avoidance of doubt Obio does not mean landlord in Ikwerre language.
The word landlord in Ikwerre tongue means:
1. Nyewe eli (as in the case of land owner or traditional head of a village).
2. Nyewe oro (as in the case of house owner).
These are the meanings of the word 'landlord' in Ikwerre tongue. Ikwerre people do not call landlord as Obio, whether as a land owner, traditional head of a village or house owner.
I have heard of the phrase “son of the soil” several times and it does not mean Obio in Ikwerre language. The phrase means dieli in Ikwerre language. Strangers are not regarded as dieli.
Also, Ikwerre people use the word dieli to respond to greetings. For example, if I say in Ikwerre language, “Rumuighoroha or ndeighoroha anu meka o”, as greeting, the response will be 'dieli'.
The phrase “son of the soil” does not mean Obio in Ikwerre language.
There are some people who assume that since the Igbo word 'Obia' means stranger, visitor or guest, then the Ikwerre word for stranger, visitor or guest could be 'Obio'. It is absolutely wrong to assume that. Why? Because someone else may equally assume that since the Igbo word, aka means hand, Ikwerre word for hand could be ako. But this is not true.
The truth is that Ikwerre people call hand as aka like the Igbos do. Furthermore, in addition to nde bia-ra-bia, nde ize-eh and nde bia-ru-be-le-kam, Ikwerre people also call strangers, visitors or guests as nde Obia like the Igbos do, not as nde Obio.
At this juncture, let me throw more light on the origin of Messrs Ighoroha and Akalaka as Binis to prove the Bini origin of Ikwerre people. Ighoroha and Akalaka as Binis: in ancient times parents do not give names that had no meaning in their tongues to their children. In line with this tradition, the parents of Akalaka and Ighoroha, who also were Binis, gave their children Bini names as evidence to indicate that they came from Bini tribe.


In Bini tongue, Akalaka means “tumbler” or “drinking glass”, while Ighoroha means “there is money in the bush”. This is the proof I have and is a clear confirmation of my earlier assertion that they were Binis. And of course in Africa, it is the paternity of the child that determines where he or she comes from or belongs. In other words, if the father of the child is from a particular place, that child's genealogy or root is traceable to that place. For instance, all Africans Americans are Africans by origin. All Jews in other parts of the world will always trace their roots to Abraham, the founder/Progenitor of the Jewish nation.
Now, my knowledge that Mr. Ighoroha was the founding father of Ikwerre ethnic nationality is simply based on historical facts and information available such as:
1. From time immemorial, Ikwerre land has been known and called as eli Ighoroha (Ighoroha land), among Ikwerre people. This is a clear indication that Mr. Ighoroha was truly the founder of Ikwerre land. This is so because in ancient times, lands, villages, towns, cities, rivers, streams, lakes, forests, hills, mountains, fishing ports or settlements, etcetera, were named after their founder.
2. From time immemorial, it has been a common thing to hear our Ikwerre elders refer to our custom and tradition as ome-ne-eli Ighoroha. Statement like this gives credence to the fact that Mr. Ighoroha was the founder of Ikwerre land. In ancient times and now, the custom and tradition of the people have always been called after the name of their land. Hence ours could not be an exception.
3. Ikwerre people have also been known and called as Nwoighoroha, Ndeighoroha or Rumuighoroha (interpreted as descendants of Mr. Ighoroha), among themselves and not in the name of any other person such as Menebari, Amachree, Dikigbo, Adebayo, Shagari, Okonkwo, Effiong and etcetera.
If Mr. Ighoroha was not the founding father of Ikwerre ethnic nationality, why do Ikwerre people from time immemorial more often than not proudly call themselves Nwoighoroha, Ndeighoroha or Rumuighoroha and not in the name of any other person?
Although, the whole information is based on oral history handed down to us by our forefathers, with these historical realities and others, I strongly believe that Mr. Ighoroha was the progenitor of Ikwerre ethnic nationality.
At times I have been confronted with the question of whether there were existing Igbo villages or settlements when Mr Ighoroha and his house-hold arrived in this land now known as Ikwerreland and what I always answer is a capital 'No'.
There were no existing Igbo villages when Mr. Ighoroha and his household came to this land now called Ikwerre land.
The land was a virgin land, owned by nobody and was first developed by Mr. Ighoroha by building his hamlet on a portion of the land today called Isiokpo. The fact that the land was founded by Mr. Ighoroha is the reason why from time immemorial his descendants, even the Ikwerre people, call the land after the name of their progenitor as eli Ighoroha (Ighoroha land), and not in the name of any existing Igbo village or person as there was none when their progenitor came to this land with his family.
However, granted that there were existing Igbo villages when Mr. Ighoroha settled on this land. The question now is what are the names of the existing Igbo villages that Mr. Ighoroha saw when he arrived in this place, and who are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the said Igbo villages?
Be that as it may, I am not saying that Ighoroha was the first human being that lived on the said land since the creation of the earth. What I am saying is that there were no existing villages including that of the Igbo tribe, when Mr. Ighoroha arrived in the said land. In other words, the said land was uninhabited as at the time Mr. Ighoroha arrived.
From historical and archaeological studies, we have come to know that this earth has been in existence thousands of years now. If this is true, it is possible that human beings, including the Igbo tribe, have at one time or the other lived in the said land and relocated to some other places due to certain factors. Under this circumstance, one cannot say that Mr. Ighoroha was the first human being to be in the land.
As at the time Mr. Ighoroha arrived in the said land, the land was not occupied by any tribe, whether inferior or superior, and did not engage in inter-tribal war with indigenous people before he took possession of the land as some people do think.
There are some who believe that Igbo land starts from Ikwerre land presuming that Ighoroha must have engaged in inter-tribal war with existing Igbo villages which defeated and forced to relocate before taking possession of their land now called Ikwerre land. But, as a matter of fact, our progenitor, Mr. Ighoroha did not fight war with any village, including that of Igbo tribe, before he took possession of the land which his descendants, the Ikwerre people, are beneficiaries today. The said land was uninhabited when our progenitor arrived. Like I said earlier he commenced development by building his hamlet in what is known today as Isiokpo.
Remember, his reason for leaving Bini land was neither to fight war nor to expand Bini Empire if it was so, he would have come with Bini warriors and armies. But he left to escape from the hands of the evil ones who wanted him dead.
Again, if he had actually gone to war with Igbo tribe, it would have been suicidal on his part because his numerical strength and weapons for the war wouldn't have sustained him as these were scanty compared to that of Igbo tribe that had been in existence, perhaps, many centuries before he was born.
However, granted that this war really took place, the descendants of Mr. Ighoroha even the Ikwerre people are yet to know those Igbo villages that once lived on this land and were forced to relocate to their present abode as a result of being defeated in war by our progenitor.
Furthermore, this claim by some people that Ikwerre land is part of Igbo land is a misconception. It cannot be proved because there are no facts to support such claim, except those facts that one can describe as being colonial errors. For example, showing documents such as maps prepared by our colonial masters which contained erroneous names like Obia (instead of our original name Opia or Obio, our present name) which are of Igbo origin, as evidence that Ikwerre land is part of Igbo land. Otherwise what evidence could one tender to prove that Ikwerre land is part of Igbo land?
Again, it is not true that Igbo land starts from Ikwerre land. But it is true that both tribes have common boundaries. And they also know their boundaries. Because when an Igbo man dies in Ikwerre land, his remains are taken home for burial in his Igbo land just as an Ikwerre man who dies in Igbo land would be buried in his Ikwerre land and not in Igbo land.
There had been insinuations by some that Port Harcourt was an Igbo village known as Igwe Ocha before it was leased to the British Government in 1913. This is not true.
But, let me first correct a wrong impression in the minds of many people as concerning the names Igwe Ocha. It is not Igwe Ocha as if Igwe was the son of Ocha or Ocha was his surname. The names should be written and pronounced as Igweocha as in Okocha, Okorocha, Aniocha, Alaocha, Ekeocha, Ikeocha, Enyiocha, Dikeocha, Onyejeocha, Waiyiocha, Wokocha, Okparaocha, Aturuocha, Ewuocha, Onyiyeocha, Onyeocha, Onyeisiocha, Nkwocha, etcetera.
The name, though of Igbo origin, never existed as an Igbo village both in ancient times and now in Ikwerre land. The name, 'Igweocha', was used to describe the beauty of Port Harcourt city during the colonial era as the city was well planned, decorated with beautiful flowers, gardens, streets with street lights.
At that time, the city had good pipe borne water, effective telephone lines, regular power supply, fine streets, sea port, rail way lines, and etcetera. And above all, the environments was very peaceful and attracted various businesses to the city. The city in the imagination of the Igbo strangers, was like a heaven on earth.
As the name 'Igweocha' implies, it can be interpreted as “bright heaven”. That is to say that the Igbo strangers, who were captivated by the beauty of Port Harcourt city, as it was like a heavenly place, described the city in their Igbo tongue as “bright heaven” as the city was decorated with street lights which shine brightly in the night.
The name is only a nick-name to Port Harcourt city because of its beauty and was neither an Igbo village nor person that ever existed in Ikwerre land. This is exactly what the Igbo strangers of ancient times had in mind.
Again, I need to mention here that Ikwerre people adopted the nick-name as Igwecha (a corrupted Igbo name Igweocha) to mean Port Harcourt city.
Apart from the name Igweocha, many other names have been used to describe the beauty, social and economic life of Port Harcourt city in both colonial era and now. These names include Pitakwa, Garden City, Oil City and etcetera. All these names were only but nick-names to Port Harcourt city and were given by strangers.
Furthermore, the land called Port Harcourt is owned by many villages and all the villages were under Igbo domination in olden days.
When the land was leased to the British Government in 1913, the Igbos who dominated the land did not interfere neither did they raise protest. Why? It is because the land did not belong to them. And as you know, one cannot lease what does not belong to him except by permission from the owner.
And so the ancient Igbos, even though they were strangers in the land, knew the laws of the land and they observed them by not interfering when the owners of the said land were negotiating with the British colonial masters.
The names of all the villages whose lands were leased to the British Government were listed in the Port Harcourt Lease Agreement of 1913. The names of their chiefs and representatives were also listed in the said Agreement. But the name Igweocha was not in that agreement, and also no chiefs or elders represented Igweocha as a village whose land was leased to the British government. Why? The reason is that Igweocha, as I said before, was not a village. The name is only but a nick-name given to Port Harcourt city after the land was leased.

In addition to this, I need to mention here also that all the chiefs and representatives of the villages whose lands were in the said Port Harcourt Lease Agreement of 1913 were not from Igbo land.
From these explanations,it is clear that Igweocha neither existed as a village nor was it an Igbo village whose land was leased to the British Government and has now metamorphosed into a big city called Port Harcourt.
As a matter of fact, this claim that Igweocha existed as an Igbo village in Ikwerre land is also a misconception. And it cannot be proved because there are no facts to support such claim.
The claim is an idea formulated to further make the ignorant minds believe that Ikwerre people are from Igbo land, while truly they are from Bini land.
WHY THE PRESENT IKWERRE PEOPLE DO NOT BEAR BINI NAMES:-
Someone once said that the present Ikwerre people do not speak Bini language, bear Bini names, nor practice their culture, tradition etcetera, yet they claim Bini origin. How would one believe their claim? Often times people wonder why the present generation of Ikwerre people do not speak Bini language, bear Bini names or practice their culture, tradition, etcetera, and yet claim Bini origin. The reason is simple. As I mentioned earlier, the Bini language, culture, tradition, etc, were assimilated into that of Igbos tribe.
Based on this, the present Ikwerre people are brought up under a new social and cultural life, different from the one practiced by their forebears. This is why they cannot bear names such as Evbo (Evo) which is a Bini name. They cannot also, speak Bini language, practice their culture, tradition etcetera, because they lost the knowledge many years ago.
In my previous explanations, I mentioned that the forebears of Ikwerre tribe communicated in Bini language, bore Bini names such as Evbo (Evo), and practiced their Bini culture and tradition until they became extinct. Even the present Ikwerre social and cultural life can also go into extinction if care is not taking.
Further more Ikwerre tribe is not the only tribe whose present people do not speak the language, bear names, nor practice the culture, tradition etcetera of the original place of migration. In fact, some tribes have even lost the skin colour of their original place of migration.
For example, the Igbo tribe, I learnt, is of Israeli origin through their progenitor Nri. Granted that this is true, the question now is, do the present Igbo people possess the same skin colour as the Jews, speak Jewish language, bear Jewish names, practice their culture and tradition? The answer is no. Yet the Igbo people claim Israeli origin. How would one believe their claim?
The Yoruba tribe, I learnt, is of Middle East origin through their progenitor, Oduduwa. Granted that this is true, the question now is do the present Yoruba people possess the same skin colour as the people of Middle East, speak Middle East language, bear their names, practice their culture and tradition? The answer is no. Yet the Yoruba people claim Middle East origin. How would one believe their claim?
The Bini tribe, I learnt, is of Egypt origin. Granted that this is true, the question now is, do the present Bini people possess the same skin colour as the people of Egypt, speak Egypt language, bear Egypt names, practice their culture and tradition? The answer is no. Yet the Bini people claim Egypt origin. How would one believe their claim?
The Ogoni tribe, I learnt, is of Ghana origin. Granted that this is true, the question now is, do the present Ogoni people speak Ghana language, bear Ghana names, practice their culture and tradition? The answer is no. Yet the Ogoni people claim Ghana origin. How would one believe their claim? The list is inexhaustible.
As a matter of fact, Ikwerre tribe is one of the luckiest tribes that have not completely lost historical facts linking them to the original place of migration. For example, the Bini names their forebears bore are clear evidences to indicate that they were really from Bini tribe. Otherwise, how would they have those names?
Based on this, one should believe their claim of Bini origin, not minding their present language, names, culture, tradition, etcetera.
And again let me mention here also, that in a way to further disprove the Bini origin of Ikwerre tribe, some people have asked to know which part or village in Bini in Edo State of Nigeria our progenitor, Mr. Ighoroha originate.
The fact that we are yet to know part of Bini in Edo State of Nigeria where our progenitor hailed from dose not mean that he was of Bini tribe. Historical facts explained earlier proved that he was of Bini origin.
Further to this, Ikwerre tribe is not the only tribe whose present people do not know the village of their progenitor before migrating to their present habitation.
For example the Igbo tribe is yet tell us which of the villages in Israel their progenitor Nri originated.
The Yoruba tribe is yet to tell us which of the village in Middle East their progenitor Oduduwa originated.
The Bini tribe is yet to tell us which of the village in Egypt their progenitor originated.
The Ogoni tribe is yet to tell us which of the village in Ghana their progenitor originated.
In the absence of this information these tribes continued to claim origin of the places as mentioned above.
However, in the case of Ikwerre tribe, research is on-going to fine out the village in Bini in Edo State of Nigeria where our propgenitor, Mr. Ighoroha originated.
The fact that Mr Ighoroha did not come with bronze artifacts for which the Bini people were known for did not mean that he did not come from there and the fact that his descendants cannot display relics of such objects now does not mean that our progenitor is not Bini.
Indeed, it is not certain that the progenitor of Ikwerre tribe Mr. Ighoroha brought such objects considering the fact that his journey to this land was an unplanned journey.
He was in a hurry to leave Bini land for safety of his life. That is to say that there was no time to think of carrying properties such as bronzes. His interest was on how to escape Bini land with members of his family.
However, even if such objects were brought to this land now called Ikwerre land, they could be beneath the ground because the houses where these properties and objects were kept were built with mud, woods, thatches and ropes which, over the centuries, have fallen down, decayed, dissolved and become part of the ground.
Furthermore, excavation work for archaeological research to find out whether such ancient Bini objects and properties were brought to Ikwerre land or not is yet to be carried out.
For those that still regard Ikwerre as a different tribe despite similarity with Igbo tribe, my view is that if the Biblical Twelve tribes of Israel whose language, culture, tradition, religion, etcetera are similar, are regarded and called as Twelve tribes of Israel despite the fact that they are descendants of one man called Jacob (now Israel), one cannot be justified for regarding Igbo and Ikwerre who are descendants of two different people Nri and Ighoroha as one tribe. This is one major reason why people still regard Ikwerre as a different tribe.
Like I said earlier, the forefather’s of Ikwerre people warned them not to accept Igbo land or any other tribe as their land of origin.
Our forefathers had the premonition that a time would come when people would say that Ikwerre people are from Igbo land because of the assimilation of our Bini language, culture and tradition into that of Igbo tribe.
And I tell you right away that the time spoken of by our forefathers is already here with us and people have begun to say that Ikwerre people are of Igbo origin because they speak Igbo language, bear Igbo names, and practice Igbo culture and tradition. It is based on this point that our forefathers gave that warning which is passed from one Ikwerre generation to another.
Again, this and other points make our present Ikwerre elders to maintain their stand that Igbo land is not our land of origin.
This assimilation of Ikwerre language is, of course, still going on, but not into Igbo language but into English language. If nothing is done, the way things are going now, sooner or later the present Ikwerre language, derived from Igbo language, would go into extinction. It would vanish just as our Bini tongue vanished centuries ago.
The Ikwerre language would be completely assimilated into English language. When this assimilation of a thing takes place, our first names, middle names, surnames, among other things, such as culture and tradition, would become English.
For Example, an Ikwerre man could be known as Mr. Reward William Smith. In fact, if not for our geographical location and colour, people in other parts of the globe would think that we are of English origin.
Just as some ignorant people, who do not know the origin of Ikwerre people, do think that we are from Igbo land because of similarity of language, culture and tradition which we inherited from our forefathers as a result of the assimilation of a thing.
Some people call my language ikwo onu Ighoroha (Ighoroha language). Some call it Ikwerre language, while some call it, Ekwerre language.
However, no matter the name they call it I want to repeat that original Ikwerre language was Bini language which was assimilated into Igbo language.
For those hearing about the word 'Ekwerre', for the first time, it is simply a word Anglicized from the name Ikwerre. The word is not popular among Ikwerre people. Only few Ikwerres use the word. One can also say that Ekwerre is a corruption of the word'Ikwerre'.
I want to point out something important here. The fact that our language is officially called Ikwerre language does not mean that a man or woman called Ikwerre Knew the language. No, it is not so. Rather, it is because our ethnic nationality is called Ikwerre, that is why our language is called after our name, Ikwerre.
The same applies to ikwo onu Ighoroha (Ighoroha language). The fact that Ikwerre language is called Ikwo onu Ighoroha among Ikwerre people does not mean that Mr. Ighoroha knew the language. No, it is not so. Rather, it is because those Ikwerre people that speak the language are known among themselves as Ighoroha people, (A name derived from the name of their progenitor, Mr. Ighoroha). This is why the language is called after their name, Ighoroha, among themselves.
Like I said earlier, if the Igbos had not come to our land, colonized and christened our people the name “Ikwerre”, our ethnic nationality, perhaps, would have been known today as Ighoroha, and our language also would have been officially known as Ighoroha language and not Ikwerre language.
I heard that an Ikwerre elder once argued that Ikwerre people originated from Igbo land. But I have previously proved that Ikwerre people originated from Bini land and not from Igbo land. However, that notwithstanding, on what point did the Ikwerre elder base his argument? He based his argument on the points that Ikwerre people speak Igbo language, bear Igbo names, practice Igbo culture and tradition.
These points are not deniable. But they are not good reasons to prove to one that Ikwerre people originated from Igbo land. Hence, these points are baseless. Otherwise the Black Americans for example, the Michael Jackson's families could be said to be of English origin and not of African origin. Why? Because they speak English language, bear English names, practice English culture and tradition. Are they of English origin?
I have said severally that the forebear of Ikwerre people, Mr. Ighoroha, left Bini land to our present abode. In the course of time, our Bini language, names, culture and tradition went into extinction and we acquired the Igbo way of life up till today. In fact, we lost all our Bini features. The only thing we did not lose is the name of our forebear, “Ighoroha”, which from time immemorial, we proudly call ourselves up till today.
Research has shown that the only tribe in Africa from whose vocabulary the name, Ighoroha can be found, is Bini tribe in Edo state of Federal Republic of Nigeria meaning that Mr. Ighoroha and his parents came from the said Bini tribe. Otherwise, how would his parents give him a typical Bini name, Ighoroha, if they were not from Bini tribe?
Based on this, the fact that Mr. Ighoroha was from Bini tribe, means that his descendants the Ikwerre people, came from Bini tribe irrespective of their Igbo way of life.
The Case of Black Americans: A Reflection of Ikwerres' situation
The same thing that happened to Ikwerre people on this subject matter also happened to the Black Americans. The forebears of Black Americans left African land to their present abode. And in the course of time, their African language, names, culture and tradition went into extinction and they acquired the English way of life up till today. In fact, they lost all their African features. The only thing they did not lose is their black colour which they continue to possess up till today.
Research has shown that of all the continents in the world, Africa is the home of black race meaning that the Black Americans, including the Michael Jackson's families, are of African origin. Otherwise, why is their colour black?
The fact that the forebears of Black Americans were from Africa, means that their descendants, including the Michael Jackson's families, are of African origin irrespective of their English way of life.
The linking factor between the Black Americans and Africa is their black colour. Take away their black colour, the Black Americans can be said to be of English origin because of their English way of life for there is nothing to show that they originated from Africa.
Like the Black Americans, the linking factor between the Ikwerre people and Bini tribe is the name of their forebear, Ighoroha, which they proudly call themselves. Take away the name, Ighoroha, the Ikwerre people can be said to be of Igbo origin because of their Igbo way of life, for there is nothing to show that they originated from Bini tribe.
With this, it becomes clear that the English way of life of Black Americans, including the Michael Jackson's families, is not a good reason to prove to one that they are of English origin, just as the Igbo way of life of Ikwerre people is also not a good reason to prove to one that they are of Igbo origin

And so, if the Ikwerre elder or any other person is interested in knowing the origin of Ikwerre people, such person should first of all know the tribe Mr. Ighoroha came from, for that will determine the origin of Ikwerre people who are his descendants and not to base their argument on the point of the present Igbo way of life of Ikwerre people. Hence, Ikwerre people are from Bini tribe in Edo State of Nigeria since their forebear, Mr. Ighoroha, came from the said tribe as afore-mentioned.
At this juncture, let me go back to the issue of 'iwhu-ime
ha-ekwu practice. As I said before It was the benevolence of Ikwerre people that gave birth to the practice of iwhu-ime-ha-ekwu between the Ikwerres and Igbos in Ikwerre land centuries ago.
This is so because, in olden days, the Igbos who came to Ikwerre land were accommodated free of charge. Our forefathers assisted them in most of their needs. Both ethnic groups, Ikwerre and Igbo, lived in harmony, even now.
In the light of this, the ancient Igbos reciprocated this kind gesture in many ways such as observing the said iwhu-ime-ha-ekwu, whereby a one- day farming work was done free of charge for Ikwerre landlords, usually once a week.
But as years rolled by, Ikwerre people adopted the practice of Iwhu-ime-ha-ekwu among themselves. In this case, the young people, as a mark of respect, would do one- day farming work free of charge for their elders in their villages usually on Sanragbo or Nnamake days.
This practice lasted for centuries until it faded away probably because of the influence of Western culture such as the introduction of payment of house rents, educational background, social positions and what have you.
The confusion About The Names-Obia, Obio and Opia:- Isssue before, I want to throw more light on it to clear the confusion it is generating but let me start by saying that presently, our name is Obio and not any other name. We are very much comfortable with the name Obio. This is the name we are now known with both locally and internationally. But that does not mean that it is the original name Mr. Ighoroha named his son. It is not. The Bini name, 'Opia' was the original name and it was first corrupted as Obia and now Obio.
To convince people that Mr. Ighoroha did not name his son 'Obia' or 'Obio', let us take note of these indisputable facts:
1. Mr. Ighoroha was from Bini tribe.
2. Obia is an Igbo name.
3. Obio is Efik/Ibibio name.
Now, the question is, on what basis would Mr. Ighoroha, who was not from Igbo or Efik/Ibibio tribe, name his son 'Obia' or 'Obio' that has deeper roots in Igbo or Efik/Ibibio language which he did not know?
And for those who believe that Mr. Ighoroha gave his son Ikwerre name, Obio, I need to mention here that even if the name, 'Obio' has meaning in the present Ikwerre language, I still disagree with the belief by some people that it was given by Mr. Ighoroha. Why? Because of the following facts:
1. Mr Ighoroha was not from Ikwerre tribe but Bini.
2. The present Ikwerre language and names were not in existence when Mr. Ighoroha settled on this land, because at that time, there was no ethnic group called Ikwerre where said language was spoken.
3. Mr. Ighoroha did not leave behind his Bini language when he came to this land. That is to say that he settled on this land with knowledge of his Bini language and Bini names.
Now, following these facts, on what basis would Mr. Ighoroha who was not from Ikwerre tribe but Bini, with knowledge of his Bini language and Bini names, give his son Ikwerre name such as Obio, when the present Ikwerre language and names were not in existence as there was no ethnic group called Ikwerre where this language was spoken when he settled on this land?
Again, taking into consideration the fact that the said language and names were not in existence when Mr. Ighoroha settled on this land, the question now is in what language did he communicate with his household and what tribal names did he give his children as the present Ikwerre language and names were not in existence when he came to this land? The correct answer to that question is that Mr. Ighoroha communicated with his household in his mother tongue, Bini, and gave his children Bini names.
Now, if Mr. Ighoroha communicated in Bini tongue with his household and gave his children Bini names, the name, Obio, which some people believe was given by Mr. Ighoroha, would have been a Bini name, given in Bini tongue, as the present Ikwerre language and names were not in existence when he came to this place. The question now is, why is Obio not a Bini name if it was Mr. Ighoroha that gave the name?
To further convince us on this subject matter, let us still take note of these facts:
1. Mr. Ighoroha's mother tongue was Bini.
2. Opia is a Bini name
Now, the question is, which of these three names, Opia, Obia and Obio has deeper roots in Bini tongue? The correct answer to that question is the name,' Opia'.
If Opia is the answer, on what basis would Mr. Ighoroha name his son Obia or Obio, rather than Opia that has deeper roots in his mother tongue Bini?
Again, let me quickly remind us of this important fact, in case we have forgotten that Mr. Opia whose name I am talking about even gave his own son a Bini name, Evbo (Evo).
Taking this also into consideration, on what basis would one believe that Mr. Ighoroha did not give his own son a Bini name such as Opia?
With all these facts, what further proof does one need to be convinced that the Bini name, Opia, was the original name Mr. Ighoroha named his son among the three names? (Being Exceprts From the above book)

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Ikwerre Is Not Igbo. See prove..
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In as much as your comments will not remove ikwerre from one of the minority ethnic groups of southern Nigeria (Niger delta) i will just take some of my time to enlighten you on the real history of the ikwerre people as an ikwerre son.
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Note that the indigenous people of an area are in the best position to tell who they are than anyone,migrant or infiltrators.
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Funny enough the igbos say the word "Ikwerre" is the ancestral name of the ikwerre people but in the history of ikwerre we have no such name as our ancestral name. None of our ancestors ever bear such name as "ikwerre".
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*Briefly History Of Ikwerre *
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Benin Empire was one of the greatest of the time. The Obas had little regards for human beings. They were taken as the ancestors and thereby were honored as gods. At about
1542 AD , during the reign of Oba Awuarre, his atrocities were so severe that his subjects could no longer bear; hence, they planned to assassinate him. The plot was revealed to the Oba who instantly became very hostile to the people. The hostility resulted to a great exodus of people from the Benin Empire for fear of being killed. Amongst the brave soldiers of the Oba and also of the royal family, I repeat: Amongst the brave soldiers of the Oba and also of the royal family, was a man called Aklaka. While in benin he had a son named Ekpeye.
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Akalaka was a very close general to the Oba. Incidentally, the Oba suspected that the assassination plan must have been masterminded by his nearest men of which
Akalaka was one. The accusation was revealed to Akalaka’s sister. To save the life of her brother, she secretly told him. In order to escape the danger ahead, Akalaka fled to Agbo with his family and there he married a second wife to gain the love and favor of the people. The wife gave birth to a son who he named Ogba. Still at Agbo, the first wife, Ekpeye ’s mother, gave birth to another son and he called him Ihruoda (Ikwere).
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To put more shame on the faces of these greedy igbos just read the below paragraph.
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The Ogba people (One of the three sons of Aklaka the father of Ekpeye, Ogba and Ihruoda (corrupt as Ikwerre) do not sell lands to the igbos till date and have never for ones visited any Igbo traditional ruler talk more of sitting in the same table with the igbos. Neither the Ihruoda (now corrupt as Ikwerre) or the Ekpeye have ever done this.
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But:
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The Eze Egi of Ogbaland (Eze Ogba Ukwu) , His Royal Majesty, Eze Kingdom Elemchukwu Elenwa,
on Tuesday , December 22 , 2008 paid a historical and cultural visit to the Omo N’ Oba , N’ Edo Uku Apolokpolo, His Royal Majesty Oba Erediauwa CFR, The Oba of Great Benin Kingdom . The historical and cultural visit is happy reunion of Egi Ogba people acquaintances with the Kingdom of Benin , their ancestral home .
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Indeed the above paragraph is a very big blow on the igbos. And yes i will give them a harder blow on their greedy biafran heads: see another point:
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In the address Eze Egi of Ogba land presented before the Oba of Benin and members of the Edo State Council Chiefs , Eze Egi said “ the historic visit was in appreciation of the Ogba ancient cultural relationships with Akalaka, the great, and the entire Benin kingdom ”
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In his response , Oba of Benin welcomed his ancestral kites and kin from the Egi Clan in Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Council Area of Rivers State in a historical and cultural visit , for the first time , led by Kingdom Elemchukwu Elenwa , the Eze Egi of Ogbaland, (Eze Ogba Ukwu) . As a mark of honour , the Oba of Benin also presented some traditional ornamental artifacts , cola -nuts with some cartons of drinks to Eze Egi and his Council Chiefs .
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Igbos hide your face in shame, we have always defeat you and we will continue to, this is not about ranting on facebook with links of igbo websites. Me as an ikwerre i need no website to visit before i tell you the histories of ikwerre. We Niger deltans argue with fact, we are not wailers like the biafrans. Read below:
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Some three years ago an address was sent to the Ekpeye people in their annual “OGWU EKPEYE” cultural festival by the Oba of Benin which confirmed this aspect of the history. The present Oba of Benin was one time Divisional Officer in the then Ahoada Division, which comprised Etche, Ikwerre, Ekpeye, Ogba and Abua.
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Indeed my greatest happiness is that we have the Yoruba,hausa and other ethnic here that might have been brainwashed by these greedy, infiltrators called igbos will now have a rethink and pass this to the rest of Nigerians and the world at large. Indeed igbos are selfish.
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I would have dropped my pen, but i think i have to add more fuel on the igbos to enable them burn for ever, because the truth is that, these greedy igbo who have red or are currently reading this is burning inside their minds because they have been defeated. Well read on as i add another 100 litres of fuel on there greedy, self mind. Read below:
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As part of efforts to strengthen the ancestral link between the Binis and the benin descendants of Rivers State, members of the Benin Cultural Heritage Centre (BCHC) visited the Eze Ekpeye Logbo 11, Eze Robinson O. Robinson
Speaking during the historical visit, the President of the Benin Cultural Heritage Centre, Dr. Roland Ehigiamusoe intimated the Eze of Ekpeye land of the activities of the Centre, one of which is to revive the cultural glory of the people of Benin both at home and in the Diaspora.
He said the Centre also sought to promote unity and harmony among all descendants of the great Benin Empire all over the world, hence the visit of the members of the Centre to the Eze of Ekpeye land whose people migrated from the great Benin Kingdom some centuries ago as stated in the history of Akalaka who gave birth to today: Ekpeye, Ogba and Ihruoda (Now corrupt as Ikwerre).
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In one of my post, one greedy migrant, an infiltrator, an indigenes of one landlocked country called Biafra that depends on the Yoruba's (Lagos) and Niger deltans (Port Harcourt) for imports said, the Oba of Benin in his book express that: "The Akalaka (Ekpeye, Ogba and Ikwerre) people are not benin descendants". Very foolish of him, don't let the spirit of the Oba take u off ur breathe.
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That is how the igbos go up north and yoruba land telling false stories about we the Niger deltans. Don't be surprise to hear that these igbos up north and yoruba land might have told the yorubas and hausa that the Niger deltans are all igbos and even speak and understand igbo. God save my people from the hands of these infiltrators, these baby factory migrants bent on eradicating ones identity.
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Yes the language of the Aklaka people (Ekpeye, Ogba and Ikwerre) is similar with that of the igbos even though the igbos find it difficult to understand it unless they have stayed in Ekpeye, Ogba or Ikwerre land before they can. We also bear similar names with the igbos even though we still have ikwerre, ekpeye and ogba names not similar with that of the igbos or even understood by the igbos. This is because over the years the Akalaka people have had one or two things with the igbo were the igbos were bent on eradicating the history of the Akalaka people, igbo was introduced to our schools by forces, they dominated us before the biafran war and made themselves Mayor of Port Harcourt, we share boundaries with them, and yes we call them slaves.
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Permit me to name just few Ekpeye-Ogba-Ikwerre names:
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1. Owonda
2. Bekweri
3. Chinda
4. Chikaire
5. Omopi
6. Omosa
7. Osaripko
8. Ogbakiri
9. Omoku
10. Nsika
..All these are Ekpeye-Ogba-Ikwerre names.
Like i said, one can only understand these names if you have resided in the above areas before.
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Recall that: When Awuse an ikwerre man from emuoha local govt area of Rivers state contest for governor, igbos in Rivers state uncovered an agenda by Awuse to chase to all the igbos in Rivers state. Guess what the igbos were so scared but unfortunately they excaped it as Dr. Peter Odili won him.
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Rotimi Amaechi former governor of Rivers state an ikwerre man while he was the speaker of Rivers state house of Assembly summoned the igbos to the house for organising a prayer in Rivers state without the approval of the indigenous people. The same amaechi is been paraded only by the igbos as an igbo man. Very funny. The same Rotimi Amaechi became governor and was accused of destroying of igbo properties in port harcourt.
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Current governor of Rivers state is an ikwerre man in the person of Gov. Wike.
Gov. Wike was one a local govt chairman of obio-apkor local govt area of port harcourt, during his administration he was accused of marginalizing the igbos in his local govt. During Wike governorship campaign the news was all over the igbos should get ready for the worst and indeed the worsr came immediately Gov. Wike was sworn in as he sacked alot of igbos in port harcourt and later tagged it "Illegal employment by the previous administration". Gov. Wike did not stay up to 3 months igbos under the forum of non-indigenes of Rivers state cried to buhari over perceive marginalization of non indigenes in Rivers state. (i.e the igbos) you can google it to confirm we are not facebook warriors like the igbos.
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Edo Satelite's photo.Igbos brought biafran protest to port harcourt from Aba and the same governor Wike ordered shoot on sight after making a strong warning to the igbos on Rivers state television. The biafran migrants on a 13mins video cried out with the statement: We are peaceful biafran protesters but they want to send us back (to Aba) in pieces. Two of these biafran protesters were killed this year by angry ikwerre youths of Rumukwurushi. Why will one tag this story false when during the biafran war there was an order by the ikwerre traditional rulers to kill all the igbos in ikwerre land. Yes many were massacred even before the biafran army invade Rivers state to pick some Rivers people to Aba and Owerri were they slaughtered them. The igbos will tell you they killed them because they are saboteurs. Hmm i what makes my people saboteurs for rejecting biafra even with the marginalization my people (Niger delta as a whole) experience during the eastern region govt.
I rest my case for the facebook warriors (igbos) to as usual prove me right by spilling insults and propagandas as a migrant in other parts of Nigeria or as a landlocked biafran from the small regions of Nigeria as Only Edo state And Delta state is bigger than the whole south east. Wait are you doubting me?.
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Go check the Nigerian map. Edo state and Delta state is bigger than the whole of biafra (South east). Very funny indeed no wonder they are looking for we Niger deltans so that they comfortably migrate to other regions as seen already in this contraption called Nigeria.
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Igbo must leave other parts of Nigeria, Biafra must come wnd they must vocate other parts of Nigeria.
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We ikwerres call the igbos slave (Usoma).
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Now my people for ikwerre to call igbos slave even up till date what does not signify? It simply Signifies that The ikwerre and igbos are not of the same origin, and secondly the igbos are migrants in ikwerre land.

Ikweres are slaves of oba of Benin in the 16th century Period.

weownthewest:
Ikweres are slaves of oba of Benin in the 16th century Period.

typical Igbo man finding it out to understand union.

Ikwere don't need you and they are part of a larger union

"Ikwerre is not Igbo and not from Igbo - Chinda Marvin

Proves to show that IKWERRE is not Igbo!!! Please Read.
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 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.
During an argument about this issue with an igbo man in my
office, I asked him where the igbos are from, he said Israel. I
then asked him to tell me similarities between the Israelite and
the Igbos? Which he could not. They do not speak seminar
Language neither do they have the same culture.

Please Ikwerre is not Ibo."

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‎Ikwerremuststandstrongthistime‬
The iwhurouha(Ikwerre) ethnic nationality is a Distinguish group that mainly originated from Ancient Benin kingdom, with their siblings in rivers state and settled in there present abode. The iwhurouha people none as Ikwerre basically occupied four L.G.As in Rivers State Nigeria none as (Ikwerre, Emouha,Obio/Akpor and Rebisi none as port-harcourt city), this group of people are basically into farming,fishing and trading in some part of the LGA.
The iwhurouha people have long time fight for their identity in Nigeria through their lovely son Chief Sen Dr. Obi Wali ,a lovable and caring person who have his people at mind before considering his self, before he was destroyed by the so called own none killers as Tagged by the government in power in Rivers State and Nigeria at large.
Iwhurouha people before then has face so many brutality from the igbos who took their Benin tongue and culture away from their fore fathers, and gave them what they don't Understand but glory be to God will spoke what makes them confuse till today, during the Biafra war the iwhurouha people were nearly excavated from their own abode by the same people who said will originated from them (Igbos) i wonder who can fool who.
The iwhurouha people have also been victimized Politically in the old Rivers State when an ijaw man said an Ikwerre man can never be Governor of Rivers state, but every structure, business, company's and the Government house none as bric houses then both state and federal you must see in ikwerre land but they will not be governor but thank God today it was not so. Sometimes i wonder were on earth is wimpy, mile 1,mile 2 all the miles, agip etc in Ikwerre land our God given land which will did not lobby to get hmmmm there is God.
Recently the Ikwerre sons and daughters have been moving forward to were God has destined for us to be in life i don't want to mention names Because if i do it will be longer than you expected, iwhurouha land is our own no body can take away what God has given to us it does not happen and it can not happen only if will live in unity and help our self out anu meka.
They say ikwerre people have sold all their lands finish i smile brothers it is envy yes it is if will dont sell how will our lands develop how, porharcourt is fine if they did not sell for the purposed of development how will it developed to a world standard hmmmm open your eyes brothers too when selling so you get good MOU.
This is a call to every iwhurouha sons and daughters home and abroad, with out minding your status or achievement in life come let us build our land, come let us build our language, come let us say no to intimidation from anyone. Build in your land, marry your sisters to save your language empower the youth of our land to save us from premature death be wise in your endeavours.
SAY YES TO THE UNITY OF IWHUROUHA LAND
Wisdom Tochi Kingsley
Ikwerre Right Activist

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A LIE REMAINS A LIE NO MATTER HOW OFTEN YOU REPEAT IT!!!
even if u repeat it 1 billion times the truth must prevail My good ppl of Iwhuruohnaland let me tell u one thing. Iwhuruohna bu Iwhuruohna Iwhuruohna is and was NEVER Igbo. I have noticed that Igbos aka ele isioma have been on social media spreading lies and rumors about our ancestry. This is not new to us anyway. Igbos have been trying to rewrite our history for their political and economic interests for ages now. let me tell u something... a name does not determine your ancestry for example: Most of our ppl answer Iwhuruohna names like Ovunda .. Chinda .. Azunda ... which are corrupted Bini names... for example Chinda is Esinda in Bini... Chi has the same meaning as Ehi in Bini. then some answer Igbo names due to 600 years of intermarriage and more than 30 generation of Igbo mothers that have influenced our culture many west Africans answer english or french names that doesnt make them white europeans. the fact that our Bini fathers that settled down in Iwhuruohnaland married Igbo women does not change the fact that they remain Bini descendants.
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a language does not determine your ancestry Iwhuruohna speak a language and not a dialect... it is an insult to refer to our language as a dialect... such description leaves room to think of our language as inferior... so I advice to refer to Iwhuruohna speaking a LANGUAGE and not a dialect the fact that Iwhuruohnaland was located in the eastern region and that the eastern region was under Igbo administration contributed to the corruption of our language.. Europeans and Igbos always tried to add us to the Igbo tribe for various administrative and political reasons... and as we all know Iwhuruohna ppl were forced to read the bible in Igbo and we were forced to learn Igbo inthe schools...
The question to ask all those Revisionists that are claiming Iwhuruohna is Igbo is the following : if they still believe that Iwhnwurohna is igbo : why was the igbo language forced on us, to be taught in our schools and churches as a point of policy? Assuming we were truly Igbo ppl, such policies wouldn't have been necessary since we should have been naturally igbo speaking people. Dont u think so? a practical example: My uncle married an ijaw woman...he is a pure Iwhuruohna man from the Emohua LGA... his 3 kids all speak ijaw only because he is mostly at work and the kids are at home with their ijaw mother ..and of course she constantly speaks ijaw or english with the kids...
this has over the years made the children to only speak Ijaw or English... now when ppl see his children outside together their language of communication remains ijaw or english as expected... will u now call them ijaw When they are Iwhuruohna kids When their father is an Iwhuruohna man? Then imagine going through this for 600 years having more than 30 generations of igbo mothers...
the bini fathers that founded Iwhuruohna, Ekpeye and Ogba did not come with a significant amount of women from the Bini Kingdom. It was only a family that migrated... they had no other choice than to marry igbo neighbors and they lost a lot of their original language and cultures as the centuries passed by. I hope u now understand what Assimilation can cause. what determines your ancestry is your bloodline. Iwhuruohna ppl never denied being partly Igbo on the female ancestral bloodline... the fact that our Bini forefathers settled in a place that was close to Igboland made it inevitable that we would intermarry and intermx with them. But everybody knows that in african culture u always belong to your fathers community ..you answer your father family name and not your mothers family name thats why it is important to always differentiate in public and correct these liars that come from the pit of Hell who constantly claim we are Igbos. If we are Igbos...why dont we speak like igbos? Why dont we greet like igbos? Why dont we dance like igbos? Why dont we trade like igbos? Why dont we travel like Igbos?
Why dont we behave like Igbos? Why dont we dress like igbos?? Of course some things remained from our Bini heritage ... for example the "Ikwerre Machete" which is a symbol of the "Ada" Bini royal Sword... Iwhuruohna market days like "Aho" and "Orie" which are bini market days as well... village names like "Oro Evo" which is same as the village "Ore Evbo" in the Bini Kingdom and so many other things... A people's history and heritage is to be treated as a holy gift from God. Such gift should not be tampered with in the name of politics and should therefore be treated with respect.
I rest my case!
Anu Meka!

[s]

Edodefender:
typical Igbo man finding it out to understand union.

Ikwere don't need you and they are part of a larger union

[/s]The feeling is mutual.

weownthewest:
[s][/s]The feeling is mutual.

they were never slave and we have never fought or once insulted each other even till this day, that's why we are respected.

Beautiful Nonsense

So this settle it then.

They aren't Igbo

Warship:
Beautiful Nonsense

do you know the Best thing about all this? They were written by ikwere people themselves.

Do you know more than the people and historians?

Keep deceiving yourself. ..your ancestors were even speaking Igbo not Benin..what is Nwokogbara or Eze gbaka gbaka in Benin?Aho and Orie are also Benin market days nawaioooooo...Etche sef don dey claim language...Elele too dey claim...very soon Khanna man will say he's not Ogoni. .keep dividing yourselves all in the name of oil...

If not for British Igbo people would have still be walking around naked.

They've no known landmass prior to British invasion, that's why they claim all those tribes like river,delta,bayelsa to steal their oil even though they share no similarity.

The people have continued to rejected them and they are still shameless begging for unity, smh

Igbos should be thinking Europeans for saving them.

Spit

conclusion of the whole matter... Ikwerres are confused Igbos.... like the prodigal son, they are Igbos that av gone astray and remained astray...

Hmm I wonder what the more objective folk like ChinenyeN would make of this

uzobaby:
Keep deceiving yourself. ..your ancestors were even speaking Igbo not Benin..what is Nwokogbara or Eze gbaka gbaka in Benin?Aho and Orie are also Benin market days nawaioooooo...Etche sef don dey claim language...Elele too dey claim...very soon Khanna man will say he's not Ogoni. .keep dividing yourselves all in the name of oil...

I don't think Etche will claim not to be Igbo but language is not the same as identity after all Igbos no longer speak Hebrew

We all speak English now just like the Irish and Welsh

What's Ikwere man doing in Ohaneze indIGbo instead of Beni organization to the extent of being the secretary of Ohanezendigbo ?

How come Ikweres speak Igbo language instead of Beni language and practice Igbo culture instead of Beni culture ?
If Igbos did not colonise Ikwere like Britain did to Nigeria and they still practice the aforementioned, then IGBOS are super humans ...

Meanwhile, OilPUSSY don't see them as Igbos.
The only people I recognise as Igbos in Rivers are people of Obigbo Ndoni Etche.

Summary... Ikweres are suffering from Identity crisis.

Edodefender:
typical Igbo man finding it out to understand union.

Ikwere don't need you and they are part of a larger union

poster maybe you should give amaechi a copy of this epistle at least to educate him properly on his true origin so that he should stop claiming igbo and call himself an edo man.
Ask your father to explain to you on the origin of the igbo names you bear, and the eye you people use instead of one...if they cannot give you the reason y your name is chibuike instead of osaro or ugbumudia, then you people are the most stupid people to inhabit this planet.
The ibis don't need your people, neither do they have anything to gain from you. you people can never match up with the igbos in any capacity. so go to hell with your hopeless postulation.

Emotional people

Emotional people always sentimental

omonnakoda:
Emotional people always sentimental

eff you and your effing rationalism!

as if you don't know that ALL these "i no be ibo but i dey answer ibo name" confused, clueless, cunting twatts are prone to bringing unmerited opprobrium to the great igbo race by their nastiness.

yes, we, the great igbos, have suffered a lot of evil, wickedness and hate as a direct result of the callous actions of these so-called edoid ibos.

chukwuma nzeogwu is called an igbo man by you YOURSELF.

were you being SENTIMENTAL, DELUSIONAL or downright WICKEDLY MISCHIEVIOUS when you ascribed igboness to him in your many diatribes against the great igbos on nairaland?

did chibuike from ikwerre not covet chibuike from nnewi's house in port harcourt during the abandoned property "gold rush"?

now you hypocritically come on a topic, that has nothing to do with your tribe in any way by the way, to pontificate to the great igbos on how to react to this noisome pestilence of "edoid ibos" that has constituted itself a drawback on we, the great igbos', progress?!

no worries, payback is a hormonal biitch!

Like I always say, Ikwerre is not Igbo if they say they are not. Everyone should be able to live with that. But to tell this kind of outright lies about their own traditions of origin? Wow.

oilPUSSY:
What's Ikwere man doing in Ohaneze indIGbo instead of Beni organization to the extent of being the secretary of Ohanezendigbo ?

How come Ikweres speak Igbo language instead of Beni language and practice Igbo culture instead of Beni culture ?
If Igbos did not colonise Ikwere like Britain did to Nigeria and they still practice the aforementioned, then IGBOS are super humans ...

Meanwhile, OilPUSSY don't see them as Igbos.
The only people I recognise as Igbos in Rivers are people of Obigbo Ndoni Etche.

Summary... Ikweres are suffering from Identity crisis.

tell that to the evil British that taught them

Both linguistically and in cultural aspect, we have nothing in similarly with Ikwerre people,

omonnakoda:
Emotional people always sentimental

Yoruber man why not focus on the woes of your tribe before coming here to yan nonsense.

Ndị ofe ma akpasu mmadụ iwe mbọ buna, tufia.

Fatherofdragons:


Yoruber man why not focus on the woes of your tribe before coming here to yan nonsense.

Ndị ofe ma akpasu mmadụ iwe mbọ buna, tufia.

Otu nnegi Akamu akamu

Fatherofdragons:


Yoruber man why not focus on the woes of your tribe before coming here to yan nonsense.

Ndị ofe ma akpasu mmadụ iwe mbọ buna, tufia.

Otu nnegi smelling azu azu

omonnakoda:

Otu nnegi Akamu akamu

lol Your Igbo is terrible

Fatherofdragons:


lol Your Igbo is terrible

Her Otu is terribler

Akamu Akamu