FatherOfJesus:
I have been to itigidi via Abaomege in Ebonyi, close Afikpo for an outreach.
That was the first time I knew that part of them speak Igbo.

So it's not a matter of you telling me, i have been there live.

Some part of Ebonyi speak Oring, a crossriverian language as well.

Since part of them speak Igbo purportedly,they are not up to a ward and insignificant

MP3GAGAdotCOM:

Go and read of the origin of Opobo, even akwa ibom was found by an Igbo man..

You punks like to believe adulterated news.

I'm igbo but I disagree with you.
Ibibio people had existed long before the igbos came to meet them.
There is evidence that even Aba and all parts of Ngwa land formally belonged to the Ibibio people before the igbos came and took over.

Ngwa people are Mbaise people who crossed Imo river to meet the Ibibio in the today Ngwaland. It's a history everyone knows. Even Ngwa people don't deny it.

garfield1:


Since part of them speak Igbo purportedly,they are not up to a ward and insignificant

They are more than a ward.

I have been there live. No need to be emotional about it. Facts are facts and even Google will confrim what I am saying.
Even some part of Biase local government speak Igbo. The current chairman of that local government, Ada Charles Egwu married Mr. Charles Egwu, both of them are from Biase local government. From their names, you will know that they are igbos

garfield1:

I won't tell you.just go through my history

Then you don't have to sound insistent when discussing Igbo population. You are way out of depths here.

garfield1:


Oga,they are ijaws.what they have is rather sub tribes or clans but they accept their ijaw ness.why not limit yourself to the SE

I won't even waste my time with you again. Clearly, you didn't start this thread with any sincerity. Ndigbo are the biggest ethnic group in the SS. The fact speaks for itself. You can post whatever makes you happy.

Yujin:

I won't even waste my time with you again. Clearly, you didn't start this thread with any sincerity. Ndigbo are the biggest ethnic group in the SS. The fact speaks for itself. You can post whatever makes you happy.

I think so too, without the Nigerian politics and jamboree, igboid groups occupy the majority of southsouth but ofcourse people play poltics with these things. The divide and Conquer tactics.
There's no single state in southsouth that does not have an Igbo speaking community

There's no way the yoruboid group won't be too 5 largest ethnic in SS..

Isoko, Efik are not larger than Yoruba in delta

Efewestern:


Actually, the Ijaws are the only groups that have been able to unify all related groups into a single umbrella. The issue you will face uniting the Edoid groups is the same issue you will face uniting the Igbpid groups.

There are Edoid groups that are fully Ijaws now. They go with the Ijaw identity and readily flaunt it. See me here debating the bond between the Efik/Ibibio/Annang and you see garfield1 fighting me to standstill not to group his people as one.

But not the Ijaws. They are fierce and have been able to command dominance even when we have a bigger group from the Akwa-Cross Axis.

It takes more than just having a branch of IYC and INC in your in a SS community to become Ijaw. A lot of those non-Ijaws accepted those groups due to the power the Ijaws haad in the old Rivers state. Today, the power of the Ijaws have waned and we see some of these communities charting a separate course. People aren't foolish you know. They ask questions over time when they see that the language is different. Without linguistic ties, it's very difficult forming a bond with diverse groups. Even the fulanis in the north had to promote Hausa language all over the north to unite the diverse groups there for a stronger political block. The Ijaw group is standing on a shaky foundation. It won't take time before it comes crashing down.
For the Efik-Ibibio-Annang, they can easily close ranks because they can communicate with one another in Efik/Ibibio. I've seen this happen many times. Despite how they kick openly, they will easily form a united front WHEN THE TIME COMES.

I really wish the Edoid can come together to form a united front but it seems so far fetched. One major problem is still language non-intelligibility. In case you don't know, some Edoids are still holding on to their linguistic brothers but there seem to be no help from fellow Edoids. I'm talking about the Udekama people of Degema town. The Ijoids around them are putting so much pressure on them currently even to the level of violence. It was similar pressure the Ijaws put on those other smaller groups you saw in Bayelsa and parts of Rivers. With Rivers being out of the grip of the Ijaws, a lot of those smaller groups now breathed a sigh of relief and are today exerting their real identity.

PresidObi:
I disagree with the OP, igbo is the largest ethnic group in the SS, followed by Ibibio/ Efik, and then Edo and the rest.

Largest tribes in the South South

1. Igbo
2. Efik/Ibibio
3. Urhobo
4. Edo
5. Ijaw

no boss
It Igbos
Ijaw
Urhobo
Efik/ibibio
And Edo

Jogs1900:

There is Olukumi which is a Yoruboid group in Delta north.

The Olukwumi are today a bilingual people and can't be called a Yoruboid people anymore. Of the about 6 communities that share that heritage, only in Ugbodu is the Yoruboid dialect barely surviving. Igbo language has eclipsed the community and they're considered an Igbo community today.

Yujin:

I won't even waste my time with you again. Clearly, you didn't start this thread with any sincerity. Ndigbo are the biggest ethnic group in the SS. The fact speaks for itself. You can post whatever makes you happy.

Go and open your own thread then.we ss knows ijaws are the largest

steeltrust:
no boss
It Igbos
Ijaw
Urhobo
Efik/ibibio
And Edo

It is ijaws
IBIBIOS
Igbos
Urhobos
Binis

FatherOfJesus:
I think so too, without the Nigerian politics and jamboree, igboid groups occupy the majority of southsouth but ofcourse people play poltics with these things. The divide and Conquer tactics.
There's no single state in southsouth that does not have an Igbo speaking community

Igbos are only in delta and rivers in large numbers while ijaws are in bayelsa,delta,rivers in large numbers

Yujin:

The Olukwumi are today a bilingual people and can't be called a Yoruboid people anymore. Of the about 6 communities that share that heritage, only in Ugbodu is the Yoruboid dialect barely surviving. Igbo language has eclipsed the community and they're considered an Igbo community today.

That does not make them forget their origin.

garfield1:

Igbos are only in delta and rivers in large numbers while ijaws are in bayelsa,delta,rivers in large numbers

I agree with you on this.
However, the population of Igboid groups in delta is almost the total population of bayelsa state. The population of Igbo speaking part of Rivers, even Minus Ikwerre still outnumbers Ijaw in Rivers state.
We can do the maths

The whole of delta north senatorial district is Igboid and the are almost 2 million in population by estimate. Rivers etche and Omuma lga in rivers east have population of 500k combined, ogba-egbema-ndoni is 371k in population, there are still some Igbo speaking parts in Ahaoda east and west. Oyigbo lga in river south is about 200k.
One can even argue that Opobo is Igbo, because even in the history of Opobo, those lands were owned by Ndoki Igbo group and Opobo people still speak Igbo until tommorow but I don't want to add them.

I can already this an estimate of 3million Igbo population already, assuming that w don't want to include ikwerre and other minor Igbo groups in crossriver, bayelsa and Akwa Ibom.
I'm sure that if we dig deeper, we will find 4million native Igbo people in southsouth.

4 million is appropriximately 2% of Nigeria's population.
4million is enough to form another Igbo state in southsouth

Jogs1900:

That does not make them forget their origin.

Like I wrote before, only in Ugbodu, a small community is the Yoruboid dialect surviving. They speak mostly Igbo in Ugbodu. They are bilingual. You can't call them a Yoruboid people. What then happens to the Igbo language there? They are found in an Igbo dominated local government and surrounded by Igbo communities. Their probable origin will only remain on paper eventually.

Yujin:

Like I wrote before, only in Ugbodu, a small community is the Yoruboid dialect surviving. They speak mostly Igbo in Ugbodu. They are bilingual. You can't call them a Yoruboid people. What then happens to the Igbo language there? They are found in an Igbo dominated local government and surrounded by Igbo communities. Their probable origin will only remain on paper eventually.

It doesn't still make them igbo because of their origin.

Think about this...Can the blacks in America ever deny their African origin?

Jogs1900:

It doesn't still make them igbo because of their origin.

Think about this...Can the blacks in America ever deny their African origin?

See, I usually do not believe a lot of the historical myths of Nigerian tribes. A lot of them don't have facts on their origin.

This is not to say that there are not atom of truth is some of the stories but a lot of them are not accurate except from the most recent stories. Not everyone claiming to be Yoruba or Igbo clan today are actually from there, a lot of them cook up stories just to fill historical gaps

FatherOfJesus:
I agree with you on this.
However, the population of Igboid groups in delta is almost the total population of bayelsa state. The population of Igbo speaking part of Rivers, even Minus Ikwerre still outnumbers Ijaw in Rivers state.
We can do the maths

The whole of delta north senatorial district is Igboid and the are almost 2 million in population by estimate. Rivers etche and Omuma lga in rivers east have population of 500k combined, ogba-egbema-ndoni is 371k in population, there are still some Igbo speaking parts in Ahaoda east and west. Oyigbo lga in river south is about 200k.
One can even argue that Opobo is Igbo, because even in the history of Opobo, those lands were owned by Ndoki Igbo group and Opobo people still speak Igbo until tommorow but I don't want to add them.

I can already this an estimate of 3million Igbo population already, assuming that w don't want to include ikwerre and other minor Igbo groups in crossriver, bayelsa and Akwa Ibom.
I'm sure that if we dig deeper, we will find 4million native Igbo people in southsouth.

4 million is appropriximately 2% of Nigeria's population.
4million is enough to from another Igbo state in southsouth

I like your reasonable calculus and sound logic.yes without ikwerre,igbos will slightly outnumber ijaws in rivers.a large part of oyigbo and etche are dominated by settlers.but the whole of onelga is not igbos,ijaws are there too.they are igbos in opobo but ijaws outnumber the

FatherOfJesus:
I'm igbo but I disagree with you.
Ibibio people had existed long before the igbos came to meet them.
There is evidence that even Aba and all parts of Ngwa land formally belonged to the Ibibio people before the igbos came and took over.

Ngwa people are Mbaise people who crossed Imo river to meet the Ibibio in the today Ngwaland. It's a history everyone knows. Even Ngwa people don't deny it.

Shut up, you're not Igbo..

Ewedu lairs.

garfield1:


It is ijaws
IBIBIOS
Igbos
Urhobos
Binis

bro not true
Ijaws are in all states in south south which makes the number 1 followed by the Igbos are in all major states in south south except edo
Ibibios are only found in two state same thing as urhobo
While Binis are found in one state which is edo

steeltrust:
bro not true
Ijaws are in all states in south south which makes the number 1 followed by the Igbos are in all major states in south south except edo
Ibibios are only found in two state same thing as urhobo
While Binis are found in one state which is edo

It's not about being in all states but by how many? Ibibios are in akwa ibom alone but number almost three million.they are also over 500k in CRS

garfield1:


It's not about being in all states but by how many? Ibibios are in akwa ibom alone but number almost three million.they are also over 500k in CRS

same thing with ijaws na
The own a whole state bayelsa and are majority in rivers, delta and edo while Igbos are majority or almost in rivers, delta, and lga’s in akwaibom and cross river

steeltrust:
same thing with ijaws na
The own a whole state bayelsa and are majority in rivers, delta and edo while Igbos are majority or almost in rivers, delta, and lga’s in akwaibom and cross river

Igbos have large numbers in rivers and delta but not up to 2.5 mil.their numbers is CRS and aks is insignificant and not up to 100k.accept your third place

garfield1:


Igbos have large numbers in rivers and delta but not up to 2.5 mil.their numbers is CRS and aks is insignificant and not up to 100k.accept your third place

can you argue with out being tribalistic oga

I’m not Igbo in between but I’ve been to all these places and stayed for some time too

Hate won’t take you anywhere

LifeofDream:
There's no way the yoruboid group won't be too 5 largest ethnic in SS..

Isoko, Efik are not larger than Yoruba in delta

What do you mean by yoruboid group in SS? Aside the small clan of Yoruba people that settled deep within Igbo speaking region of Delta (olukumi) and those at the fringes around Akoko Edo, where else can you find Yorubas in SS?

Even the small clan called olukumi is as good as forgotten as Igbos because they’re deep inside the Igbo territory and there is no link between them with the Yoruba territory. Which means they’re 100% settlers and would either accept Igbo identity to integrate or continue with Yoruba and be alienated as settlers forever.

Again calling Itshekiris Yoruba is quite funny. But it’s up to them anyways.

steeltrust:
bro not true
Ijaws are in all states in south south which makes the number 1 followed by the Igbos are in all major states in south south except edo
Ibibios are only found in two state same thing as urhobo
While Binis are found in one state which is edo

Igbos are actually indigenous in all SS states including Edo. Igbanke areas of Edo state are Igbos.


That guy you’re arguing with is never objective, he sees everything through the prism of politics. If you like, smack him hard on the face with facts, he will still remain obstinate in his tomfoolery.

proeast:


Igbos are actually indigenous in all SS states including Edo. Igbanke areas of Edo state are Igbos.


That guy you’re arguing with is never objective, he sees everything through the prism of politics. If you like, smack him hard on the face with facts, he will still remain obstinate in his tomfoolery.

thank you boss for reminding me sef I even forgot the igbankes in edo state

That guy na fuul normally
So no one takes him serious

Yujin:

It takes more than just having a branch of IYC and INC in your in a SS community to become Ijaw. A lot of those non-Ijaws accepted those groups due to the power the Ijaws haad in the old Rivers state. Today, the power of the Ijaws have waned and we see some of these communities charting a separate course. People aren't foolish you know. They ask questions over time when they see that the language is different. Without linguistic ties, it's very difficult forming a bond with diverse groups. Even the fulanis in the north had to promote Hausa language all over the north to unite the diverse groups there for a stronger political block. The Ijaw group is standing on a shaky foundation. It won't take time before it comes crashing down.
For the Efik-Ibibio-Annang, they can easily close ranks because they can communicate with one another in Efik/Ibibio. I've seen this happen many times. Despite how they kick openly, they will easily form a united front WHEN THE TIME COMES.

I really wish the Edoid can come together to form a united front but it seems so far fetched. One major problem is still language non-intelligibility. In case you don't know, some Edoids are still holding on to their linguistic brothers but there seem to be no help from fellow Edoids. I'm talking about the Udekama people of Degema town. The Ijoids around them are putting so much pressure on them currently even to the level of violence. It was similar pressure the Ijaws put on those other smaller groups you saw in Bayelsa and parts of Rivers. With Rivers being out of the grip of the Ijaws, a lot of those smallr groups now breathed a sigh of relief and are today exerting their real identity.

The Ijaws still wield so much power in the region and are one of the most dominating group. While they come behind the Ibibio-anang-Efik and Edoid when it comes to population, these groups don't know the essence of unity. And you are actually wrong to think these non-ijoid groups are pulling out of their Ijaw identity.

The IYC is one of factor that bridges the unity of they Ijoid groups. There are a lot of other factors that has made other subgroups go strong with their Ijaw identity and letting go of that identity means their end and possible subjugation. No other group in the whole of Southern Nigeria has been able to unite all of its groups like the Ijaws has.

The Edoid groups in Bayelsa are long gone. They have been so incorporated into the overall Ijaw body and you also need to know some have Ijaw ancestry. Even here in Delta, some Edoid groups are of Ijaw ancestry including some Urhobo clans. If linguistic isn't used as a uniting force, ancestry link will definitely be used.

proeast:


What do you mean by yoruboid group in SS? Aside the small clan of Yoruba people that settled deep within Igbo speaking region of Delta (olukumi) and those at the fringes around Akoko Edo, where else can you find Yorubas in SS?

Even the small clan called olukumi is as good as forgotten as Igbos because they’re deep inside the Igbo territory and there is no link between them with the Yoruba territory. Which means they’re 100% settlers and would either accept Igbo identity to integrate or continue with Yoruba and be alienated as settlers forever.

Again calling Itshekiris Yoruba is quite funny. But it’s up to them anyways.

I don't think you know what you're saying... The Yoruba in SS are in excess of 3 million, so why shouldn't they be mentioned.. The Itsekiri recognize their Yoruba heritage, they don't hide it..

I've stayed in delta and I don't need interpreter to communicate with my Itsekiri friends.. I feel home and not like a stranger..

Jogs1900:

It doesn't still make them igbo because of their origin.

Think about this...Can the blacks in America ever deny their African origin?

Reason along with me. While the African Americans are very eager to know their ethnic/national origin in Africa, the Haitians who also came from Africa aren't that eager. When you can get the difference in attitude, you'll be able to understand why a lone African community surrounded by another group of black communities will eventually be subsumed.
Intermarriages are happening and migration too. The Igbo influence on them has been very great and steadily moving towards them. Ugbodu is right at the border which is why they managed to keep the olukumi dialect which is itself having loan Igbo words. The Igbo language is already dominant in the community/village.
Let me help you understand them better. Think of them like the Igalas who though speak a langauge classified as Yoruboid obviously but aren't considered Yoruba in any way. Just like you won't call Igalas Yoruba so also you can't call the Olukumis, Yoruba.
Their history for about two centuries has been with the Igbos mostly and to a lesser extent the Esans and Igalas.

proeast:


Igbos are actually indigenous in all SS states including Edo. Igbanke areas of Edo state are Igbos.


That guy you’re arguing with is never objective, he sees everything through the prism of politics. If you like, smack him hard on the face with facts, he will still remain obstinate in his tomfoolery.

There are more Igbo communities in Edo apart from Igbanke. Igbanke though is the largest of them all.