joeyfire:


But you "gave" the energy to post an unfounded hack piece as evidence I guessed as much

omonnakoda:
JOHN 11.52

Ọ bụ́o ele Ju kpọi, kọvu kwnornu kpakara rụmu Chiokike be chịsaru nụ kpakara ọwa, chịkota be ma be bụru otu.

and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one

omonnakoda:
After the Civil war many towns and villages in Port Harcourt had their names changed. The issue in contention were the terms Umu and Rumu

in Igbo Umu means children or descendants of. And a town is often named after its founder e.g Umuahia

The same appears to operate in Ikwerre land and many places like Umuola,Umuomasi and Umukurushi had their names changed after the end of the civil war to Rumuola, Rumuomasi and Rumukurushi.

Many Igbos argue that this was an attempt an denying their Igbo identity forced on the Ikwerre by the Federal government

Many Ikwerres argue that the word in Ikwerre language is Rumu and not Umu and that under the domineering Igbo influence in the government of the the Eastern Region the names were forcefully changed to Umu and that they we
re only revertin to the original forms. This change had happened ,they claim,in the memory of those alive and whilst it was successful in official documents ,the Ikwerre people persisted with Rumu in their speech and oral tradition

What is the truth?

Ojiofor:
Eastern region came into existence in 1954 and people like Elechi Amadi was born in 1934 that is 20 years before Eastern region was extablished and he was named Elechi which is obviously Igbo name by his father whose fathers name was Amadi.
Again,who forced Elechi Amadi ancestors to name their children Igbo names way before Europeans set foot in Eastern region!

Dedetwo:


I love your patient with the loudmouths. It is a fact nobody can not be logical with Yari.ba.

SuperS1Panther:

Ikwerre-Igbo Relationship As Seen By Ohaneze Indigbo
By
Okachikwu Dibia
nelsondibiaokachi@yahoo.com


In the interview of the President, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Ralph Uwechue, published in the Daily Sun of 10th March, 2010, the President was asked what efforts he is making to unite Igbo in Rivers and Delta States, he said “ First of all, it should be understood that these fractions who now deny the fact they are Igbo did so only after the civil war; take for instance the Ikwerre people… fully identified with us during the pre-civil war era but because the Igbo lost the civil war, a kind of stigma was smeared on them making a lot of people to start adjusting their names to sound less Igbo…”. This statement is misleading and not correct.

First of all, Ikwerre is not Igbo. We have made this clear even before the civil war and that was why some Igbo accused Ikwerre of sabotage during the war. Second, in all efforts by the minorities in the former Eastern Region to agitate for their own political, social and economic recognition and liberty in the Easter 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, NCNC nominated an Igbo man named Mr Eluguronu to represent Ikwerre in the House. Ikwerre rejected it and fielded young Bar. 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 works, marriages and politics) and had always wanted to dominate, colonize and take over Ikwerre at all costs and by all means possible. This is natural especially where the dominated people are better endowed than the colonizing 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 Ohaneze 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 was in absolute control of the region? So, we fought for Biafra. When another colonizing super power (Nigerian forces) arrived, Ikwerre had no option than to surrender and cooperate with them. Hence, Ikwerre actually fought the war on and for both sides.

After the war, some of the ill activities of the Igbo in Ikwerre were corrected. In the case of names, the Igbo first changed the original Ikwerre names into Igbo names in an attempt to force Ikwerre to become Igbo. So at the end of the war, some Ikwerre decided to assert their original names; hence, Igirita was changed to Igwuruta, Isoba was changed to Choba, Amaweke was changed to Rumuokwuta etc. Even individuals suffered the same humiliation when their names were forcefully changed from Ovunda to Obinna for example. Even the original name of the Ikwerre Ethnic group which is Iwheruoha was changed to Ikwerre by the Igbo. Some names have been retained (like my surname) to reflect part of the Ikwerre colonial journey, just like a Yoruba Nigerian bearing the name Mathew. 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. What does is the character of the people and I am yet to see where the Igbo character can be sufficiently located in the behavior of an average Ikwerre person. For example, they say we are lazzy; is the Igbo also lazzy? Again, if Ikwerre say they are not Igbo, why not the Igbo leave the Ikwerre alone; must Ikweere be Igbo for them to exist? Ikwerre is Ikwerre!

It is this type of continuously overbearing tendency to dominate and extinct a people by force that makes it difficult for me to agree to dissolve myself into who I am not. That is why it will continue to be difficult to agree to a citizenship arrangement in Nigeria whereby I will just be a Nigerian. I am a Nigerian from Ikwerre, just like Wilson Churchill is a European from England. Therefore, let us restructure Nigeria on ethnic basis and let all the groups have equal rights, privileges and opportunities and respect one another as peoples of diverse and different nationalities who have discussed and agreed to be in one political and co-ordinate sphere called Nigeria. This pluralist recommendation is akin to the EU with different and diverse ethnic groups who have political, social and economic freedoms, but agreed to meet as equals in EU. Thinking of forcing every ethnic nation in Nigeria to forget who they are in order to become Nigeria, is like forcing the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain etc into one country. If they did not discuss and agree on that formation, who will rule who and how?

Let Nigeria and in particular the Igbo allow Ikwerre to remain who she says she is until and unless superior evidence is provided to prove beyond all reasonable doubts that Ikwerre is Igbo. Let the Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo etc allow Ikwerre to be.


Okachikwu Dibia
Abuja.


Minorities really suffered in the hands of the Igbos in the old Eastern Region. no wonder they want Biafrau.d with SS again. They are looking for people to colonise and dominate.

Abagworo:


The truth is that those places bore those names earlier as a result of the fact that then Diobu Ikwerres embraced those Umu prefix for children despite Rumu being their dialectal version. It is common accross Igboland as many written names do not reflect the immediate dialect. An example is Ehugbo written and pronounced as Afikpo, Ugwuta written and pronounced Oguta, Owereh written and pronounced as Owerri etc. The Diobu Ikwerres felt dominated by non native Igbos from Southeast because of the usual Igbo attitude which has always led to a dichotomy in their host Igbo cities like Ngwa vs others in Aba, Onitsha vs others, Abakaliki vs others etc. mainly because non natives win most electoral offices making the natives allege a conspiracy which is unproven.

The change of name from Umu to Rumu was simply to declare liberation from inland Igbo dominance after Biafra was defeated in Port Harcourt. It was a political manipulation to give the Diobu a sense of belonging among tribes hitherto different from them and then prove that they are different from Igbo proper.

Dedetwo:


It is said that bold lies when repeated can be truth. The 1965 election was for regional house not federal. In addition, the election was for the seat of Mile 2 Diobu district in the Ahoada Central constituency. The main fight was not between Mr Eluguronu and Nwanodi who were the principals or Ikwerre and Igbo because there was nothing such as Ikwerre political power in the area as of the time of this discuss. The fight was between Orlu/Okigwe axis versus Mbaise/Bende axis. Mr Eluguronu who had already stepped down for NCNC candidate for the position of Mayor of Port Harcourt angered his town union people which was Mbaise which refused to give him support because the Mbaise/Bende political power house has already had Nwanodi as its candidate in NCNC. Due to the debacle between Mr Eluguronu and his Mbaise Union, he opted to run as independent and lost the election as did the former Mayor of Port Harcourt, Chief Emenike, who ran as independent too. During this era, Ikwerre or Ijo did not have any political backbone in Ahoada Division. The politics of Ahoada central constituency was dominated by the two axis, Orlu/Okigwe and Mbaise/Bende. Note Mbaise represented people from Owerri area since Owerri was the designation of the province.

toolovely:
Yesterday, I found out that ikwerre people of isiokpo, ubima, those in ikwerre LGA speak a different kind of ikwerre from the Port Harcourt ikwerre dialect. The ikwerre LGA dialect sounds more like Igbo.
And I want to ask, which is the main ikwerre? Port Harcourt ikwerre or those from other side?

omonnakoda:


What a revisionist you are
1. The name is Wonodi NOT Nwanodi. An Ikwerre man,native of Port Harcourt
2. Wonodi was the independent not Elugwaraonu who was the NCNC candidate he was not an independent candidate. That is fiction

Ojiofor:


My friend nor matter your schemes, Ikwerri will remain who they are and there is nothing you can do about it.
You can't move Ikwerri land to Oshogbo or Ijebu Ode, they will remain our next door neigbors forever.

omonnakoda:

When will you change the name of Umuahia to the correct Omoahia/ Omoayi

Ojiofor:


There is no need for change of name however in my dialect Umu is pronounced as Omu not omo.
omonnakoda be careful, you too dey look for trouble mind ya business.

ozolity:
Who cares whether they accept to be Igbos or not. Until they stop naming their kids Chibuike, Odili and co, then we will take them serious.

omonnakoda:

I am a man of peace
I understand it was originally Yoruba land Omoayi

Ojiofor:



You are funny.

omonnakoda:

Seriously you know your people borrowed many Yoruba words


Place ibi
Bag akpo
Stone Okuta
Land Ile
Mouth enu
Iba fever
Ase Amen
Ear Eti
Akuko cock/rooster

Ewure goat


You should be grateful to us for teaching you speech

omonnakoda:


What a revisionist you are
1. The name is Wonodi NOT Nwanodi. An Ikwerre man,native of Port Harcourt
2. Wonodi was the independent not Elugwaraonu who was the NCNC candidate he was not an independent candidate. That is fiction

omonnakoda:

When will you change the name of Umuahia to the correct Omoahia/ Omoayi

Dedetwo:


I guess you meant to say Rumuahia/Rumuayi. What a dumbass.

omonnakoda:
After the Civil war many towns and villages in Port Harcourt had their names changed. The issue in contention were the terms Umu and Rumu

in Igbo Umu means children or descendants of. And a town is often named after its founder e.g Umuahia

The same appears to operate in Ikwerre land and many places like Umuola,Umuomasi and Umukurushi had their names changed after the end of the civil war to Rumuola, Rumuomasi and Rumukurushi.

Many Igbos argue that this was an attempt an denying their Igbo identity forced on the Ikwerre by the Federal government

Many Ikwerres argue that the word in Ikwerre language is Rumu and not Umu and that under the domineering Igbo influence in the government of the the Eastern Region the names were forcefully changed to Umu and that they we
re only revertin to the original forms. This change had happened ,they claim,in the memory of those alive and whilst it was successful in official documents ,the Ikwerre people persisted with Rumu in their speech and oral tradition

What is the truth?

omonnakoda:
There are some lies that won't go away.

The Ikwerre bible was published before the Biafra war.
It is online

joeyfire:


Ok

Before independence this was the name of where this training school was located. As far as I know the Willinks Commission (I could be wrong though) did not report this forced name change that south west people are so desperate to prove for reasons best known to you

nku5:


Before which war? This thing you are spamming this thread with was written in 2010. What type of obsessive compulsive lying is this?

omonnakoda:
Very foolish talk.
Let us assume it was written yesterday.

Where did the word Rumu come from?


The made it up and put in their bible to spite Ibos?

omonnakoda:
There are some lies that won't go away.

The Ikwerre war was published before the Biafra war.
It is online

nku5:


Before the war in 2010