by Fidel Ogiso

Referent Article: An Open Challenge To Anioma State

I read Gabriel Nwanze’s piece and considering the reviews and comments his article has attracted from people who have no obvious knowledge of Anioma history, it is only right that I do something I rarely do and offer a rebuttal to this erroneously acclaimed piece that is based much more on fiction than facts. The writer adopts a standpoint claiming others have no basis for their history yet he refuses to support his claims with facts backed by research.

This is not to say Mr Nwanze’s article has no merit, he touches some core points (the issue of other non-Igbo speaking Deltans regarding the Anioma’s as non-indigenes) with aspects of truthfulness but the rest of his discourse shows a point of view solely representing the issue of the Anioma people from the Asaba point of view.

The people called the Anioma people are more or less a people of different cultural backgrounds bound together by a single collective factor – the fact that they share Igbo blood. Although some Anioma people choose to identify with the Benin-axis of their history rather than the Igbo side, some of these sub-groups of the Anioma population have just reasons for doing so.

Nwanze explores the Anioma heritage solely from the Asaba perspective and most people who don’t come from the region are largely unaware of the history of the people and the reasons why they share Igbo as a collective language.  It is easy for an Igbo man from Enugu to call the people of Onicha-Ugbo or Issele-Uku hypocrites for acclaiming Bini blood when he has no idea of their history.

The Anioma people are not a singular tribe but a diverse one that shares a similar linguistic identity, they come from different places and the history of one subset of the Anioma’s is not the same as the rest. Anioma towns such as Ogwashi-Uku and Ubulu-Unor may be minutes apart but they were all inhabited by different people at different times coming from different places. Even Asaba which Nwanze comes from bears a dual heritage which is derived partly from the Igbo’s and partly from the Igala’s, any true Asaba man will confirm that and I doubt Nwanze would disagree.

The people of Ibusa are rather recent settlers in the Anioma scheme of society, the term Ibusa itself is a bastardization of the word Igbo-bi-n’Uzor, which means Igbo’s that stay along the way, a crude term used to refer to the fact that the people of Ibusa were recent settlers that came from across the Niger in times as recent as the 20^th century. The people of Ogwashi-Uku share an almost similar heritage, their ancestry derives partly from Anambra state and the rest we have today is as a result of inter-marriage with people who derive some of their origins from the Bini’s such as the people of Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Olona and the Ubulu’s.

Nwanze being an Asaba man is no doubt uninformed about the history of others who do not share the same proximity his subset of the Anioma group enjoy with the Igbo’s across the Niger.

It is a known fact that Igbo people do not have kings, the whole issue of Igwe-this, Igwe-that is a recent development, yet the people of the Anioma who share part of their heritage with Benin, have had kings long before communities like Ogwashi-Uku and Ibusa were established and long before any Igbo “kingdoms” saw any Igwe and long before Igbo-inclined Asaba saw an Asagba.

The Obi’s (Kings) of Onicha-Ugbo, Issele-Uku and other parts of the Anioma subset of cultures that share a regal affinity with the Bini’s, used to go to Benin in the olden days before they could be crowned as Obi’s or kings. Every new Obi had to be vouched for by the Oba of Benin, why would our kings do that if they had no relationship with the Bini’s? As recent as some Igwe titles are, do Igbo chiefs go to Kings in Yoruba land to collect their titles?

For centuries, before a new Oba of Benin was crowned, it was customary to pay a visit to the Obi of Ubulu-Uku for him to prepare medicinal herbs and charms that would enable him live long and rule in peace. Again, this tradition existed before the first Ibusa settlers settled in the area where they are today. What business does the Oba of Benin have with the Obi of Ubulu-Uku if not for shared heritage?

The Obi’s of Issele-Uku in Anioma are direct and confirmed descendants of the Oba’s of Benin; this is confirmed history and not hearsay like Nwanze would love us to believe. In fact the Obaseki’s (remember Jackson Gaius-Obaseki) of the Benin Kingdom today migrated from Issele-Uku to Benin in the olden days sometime in the 16^th century, at a time that Asaba possibly didn’t exist.

The current self-styled Dein of Agbor (or Obi of Agbor) was heir to the throne at a very young age and had to cede his rights of rule to a regent to rule in his stead, when it was apparent that his life was in danger due to the regents ambitions, the current Oba of Benin was the one who housed him before he departed abroad from where he returned after years of sojourn to claim the throne of Agbor. Why would the Oba of Benin house a child-king of the Anioma’s if not for shared heritage?

To cut a long story short, we are Anioma’s and we speak variations of the Igbo language which may or may not contain inflections that are derived from our relationship with the Bini’s . We have a mixed heritage and some of us who have Bini blood are proud to acclaim that heritage as well as our Igbo blood, some do not however we all accept our collective Anioma identity. However the mixture of various cultures is what makes us refer to ourselves as the Anioma. The fact that we have a collective factor that binds us together (the Igbo factor), doesn’t mean that we should neglect our individual histories and age-old cultural relationships just to satisfy the whims of those who wish they were closer to brethren across the Niger.

The people of Asaba are fortunate enough to have tasted development due to the fact that they were made a state capital but they should not forget the fact that others inhabited other areas of the Anioma territory long before they did. Other people had kingdoms and fought wars on a scale they wouldn’t imagine. Even as developed as Lagos is, they still won’t claim precedence over older towns such as Oyo and they respect the hierarchy of things. Asaba people shouldn’t take their recent forays into modernity as an excuse to rewrite the history of the rest of the Anioma’s without their input and based on their opinions and wishes.

It is painful to see people dismiss our heritage and mock us as absurd due to the fact that we claim a certain factual and historically recorded link to the Bini’s, whereas our Igbo brethren across the Niger refer to themselves as Jews from Israel and expect to be taken seriously.

Ambassador Ralph Uwechue is a fine, respected man among our people but he is not the first Anioma to belong to the Ohaneze ndi Igbo and others who share a closer affinity to our brethren across the Niger have done so in the past, especially those from Ibusa. However Uwechue and other Anioma’s who have chosen to join Ohaneze should please make it clear whose interests they go there to represent. No one appointed them the voice of the Anioma people, if they go there to represent their own subsets of the culture fine, but no one sent them there to speak for the rest of us or rewrite our history to their choosing without our input simply because they think the rest of us are not paying attention.

Mr Gabriel Nwanze, please stand corrected. I admire your desire for an Anioma state but please remember to take the fact that although we share a collective identity, we would love it when people understand our history before castigating us. I rest my case.

Robot  # 1 | 01.01.2009 07:17

I read Gabriel Nwanze’s piece and considering the reviews and comments his article has attracted from people who have no obvious knowledge of Anioma history, it is only right that I do something I rarely do and offer a rebuttal to this erroneously acclaimed piece that is based much more on fiction than facts. ...Read the full article.

Willy  # 2 | 01.01.2009 11:18

The body of Fidel Ogiso I salute you. You make valid points, then not so valid ones. Anthro books on the Igbo by M.A. Onwuejiogwu, D. Hartle, Northrup, P.D. Curtin, G.T. Basedn, etc (now you know how I have been spending my spare time) validate your claim on multiple heritage for many Delta groups. Multiple I write, not just dual like you did, however, these fine writers/trained researchers of yore also wrote the following, and I itemize: 1) Many groups in the Delta including the Urhobo, Isoko, and Bini families have multiple heritage including Igbo heritage, you seemed to have missed that bit, hopefully not intentionally 2) The Nri religious belief had rituals for Ozo (lordship), Eze (priesthood), and Obi (kingship), so perish the thought that the Igbo had no kings, what the Igbo rejected was entitlement for the heirs of royalties, everyone was tasked to earn his right to power and influence. 3) The Bini royalty was at a time under the influence of the Eze Nri. Its crown was consecrated by Eze Nri at the height of the Nri power, not any descedant of the Binis as you wrote, it is absurd for the lesser (descedant) to consecrate the greater. Much like middle eastern history, the crown in Jaruusalem was severally consecrated at Damascus, Babylon, Persia, Egypt, Rome, Constantine, etc depending on which dynasty/power was in reign. The Bini crown was no exception, today, it is determined by whoever wins the governorship election of Edo state, same way we saw a military colonel banish Dasuki, an act that was inconceivable 120 years ago. I will get back later with further observations.

Londoner  # 3 | 01.01.2009 12:42

Willy, It may interest you to know the origin of the titles Obi and Eze According to Nowa "Eze" in Edo means different things depending on how it is intoned. It can be a river, sea, or ocean. Used in a stand alone manner, (and pronounced in a manner similar to the way it is pronounced in other ethnicities) it can just be an ordinary name, like John in English. It can also be a verb, referring to something that is very thick or viscous or firm, as in Isan no eze - meaning very hard stool, as in constipation. Very thick pounded yam or Eba can be described as such too. It is also a part of quite a number of other words in the language meaning different things. For example, Ozegbe...which can be a sigh of exclamation at the gravity of an issue. There are others, some of which Ewaen has already shared. The significance of the name in Edo history is that when he was in exile (in the Owan area of modern day Edo State), one of the two original companions of Prince Ogun, later, Ewuare the Great, was called Eze. (The other was called Ekeghughu) Eze was asked to lie low in Benin (as a Trojan Horse) while Ekeghughu was physically with Ogun. When Ewuare eventually came to power, he conferred a title on Eze called Ekeghian. Both Ekeghughu and Ekeghian became the founders of what later became the Brigade of Guards (Isienmwenro) . The descendants of the Eze family use the family greeting, Lamero. The word Eze was inserted into common usage in the Ika area when the second Ovbi (Obi) of Agbor was installed by the Oba of Iduland (Edo, or Benin) following a dispute with his brother. His name was Ovbi (Obi) Eze, a.k.a. Ogie Agbor. Separately, in the Ute-Ukpu clan, which claims source from Utezei, near Owa, there was a later sub-clan of migrant workers and farmers that claim they came all the way from Nshi in Awka (present day Anambra) and also used "Eze" as the name of their clan head.

Londoner  # 4 | 01.01.2009 12:54

According to Eweans, EZE was an ancient Bini under-title for a high chief or the chief administrative assistant to the Oba of Benin. The same spelling/pronouciat ion as the Eze of Igbo. The first Iyase of Benin was granted/given the exclusive right (he and his family) to greet LA Ivbie EZE (Good-morning from the family of EZE) in the morning. So, my family greets la ivbie EZE in the morning and there are many members of the ivbie EZE family in Edo/Benin. The Iyase was the privileged and the chief administrator of the society on behalf of the Oba of Benin. The real issue now is that people are beginning to learn/hear of the Benin history from the Binis themselves. For long the twisted versions of our history were taught by some ethnic collaborators at the University of Ife, whose only interest was to distort the facts that everyone else was a subset of their interest. That was why Wole Soyinka said that the new facts (especially that of Ife-Benin story) call for more study of what really transpired between the two groups. But no one disputes the fact that the Binis founded Lagos and named it Eko (place of rest) ... and the name it bears till today (others call it Lagos but it is Eko to us). And according to Azikiwe (The great Zik Of Africa) Although already posted in Nwanze's article but i think its still relevant here for those of you that missed it Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Genealogy and Nativity "Thus, in tracing my paternal lineage, I could say that both parents of my father are direct descendants of Eze Chima. As for me, I can trace my paternal ancestry in this wise: I am the first son of Chukwuemeka, who was the third child and first son of Azikiwe, who was the second son of Molokwu, who was the third son of Ozomaocha, who was the second son of Inosi Onira, who was the fourth son of Dei, the second son of Eze Chima, the founder of Onitsha." SOURCE - Nnamdi A zikiwe: My Odyssey, Chapter I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" p4 "I can trace my maternal ancestry thus: I am the first son of Nwanonaku Rachel Chinwe Ogbenyeanu (Aghadiuno)Azikiwe, who was third daughter of Aghadiuno Ajie, the fifth son of Onowu Agbani, first daughter of Obi Udokwu, the son who descended from five Kings of Onitsha. Five of these rulers of Onitsha were direct lineal descendants of Eze Chima, who led his warrior adventurers when they left Benin to establish the Onitsha city state in about 1748 AD." SOURCE - Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Odyssey, Chapter I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" p5 "One day I asked her (grandmother) the meaning of the word 'Onitsha'. She explained that it had historical significance. The terminology meant one who despised another. It is a contraction of two words, Onini to despise, and Ncha meaning others. So that the two words when joined together mean one who despises others. Then I asked her why we despised others. She patted me on the back and told me that it was due to our aristocratic background and tradition. I insisted that she should explain to me the basis of this supercilious social attitude. She told me that we despised others because we descended from the Royal House of Benin and so regarded ourselves as the superiors of other tribes who had no royal blood in their veins....." "I continued to belabor my grandmother to tell me more of the history and origins of the Onitsha people. She narrated that many many years ago, there lived at Idu (Benin) a great Oba who had many children. Due to a power struggle regarding the right of precedence among princes of the blood and other altercations, there was a civil war in Benin. One day, the supporters of one of the princes insulted and assaulted Queen Asije, the mother of of the Oba of Benin, who was accused of having trespassed on their farmland. Enraged at this evidence of indiscipline and lawlessness, the Oba ordered his war chief and brother, Gbunwala Asije to apprehend and punish the insurgents. In the attempt to penalise them, Chima, the ultimate founder of the Onitsha city-state, a prince of the blood in his own right, led the recalcitrants against his Uncle, Gbunwala. This intensified the civil war which rent the kingdom of Benin in two and led to the founding of Onitsha Ado N'Idu....... ..." "As the great trek from Benin progressed, some did not have the stout heart of the pioneer-warrior, and decided to settle at different places, known today as Onitsha -Ugbo, Onitsha-Olona, Onitsha-Mili, Obior, Issele Ukwu, Ossomari, Aboh, etc..." SOURCE - Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Odyssey, Chapter I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" p 11 - 12

Obugbe  # 5 | 01.01.2009 22:04

Thank you Fidel Ogiso for the brief response in this rejoinder. What you noted in Nwanze's commentary is exactly the problem with Nigeria's latter day revisionists and reconstructs. Anioma is not inhabited by only Igbo people. Nor was Anioma originally inhabited by Igbo. It is true that there are Igbo scions in Anioma who are miniscule in number, but as usual these are vocal to the extent of trying to drown others. Anioma history has always been referenced from the Igbocentric view of Onwuejogwu of blessed memory. What do you expect when people from Ibusa, whose progenitor was banished for murder from ISU write their history? Of course their root is Igbo, extrapolating such to all Anioma defeats history and commonsense. It is pertinent that any interested student of anthropology and history read about culture and its relationships amongst different groups. The Anioma people have evolved a unique culture, distinct from the so-called Igbo across the Niger. I am pleased to read Dr. Azikiwe's genealogy which clearly referred to his Bini ancestry. This of course would ruffle feathers, for the Igbo who had believed that Zik was originally Igbo will be discomfitted. This Anioma annexation to Ndi-Igbo cannot hold water. It is just wishful thinking. The election of Uwechue as Ohaneze president is for the Igbo in Anioma, but NOT for all Anioma. We know our history, and no one or group of confused 'Jews' will change the historical truth. Anioma is a synthesis of various groups, Yoruba (Olukwumi), Bini, Igalla, Ika, Kwale and Igbo. Anioma have tradition, music and dressing that are distinct from Igbo. If some disoriented Igbos in Anioma wish to claim their roots, they are welcome, but please note that Anioma is NOT Igbo. How long shall this be stated? What a way to start the New Year. Recalcitrant as ever are these vocal and superficial Igbo who are making noise about Anioma and State creation. Channel energy towards developing yourselves and the region. Forget this primitive return to ignorance.

Gbolly  # 6 | 01.01.2009 23:35

Excellent piece. Your points are valid.

Anioma777  # 7 | 02.01.2009 05:23

All I want to see is an Anioma state and a prosperous Nigeria in my life time.:D A lot of what the writer says is also what my grand parents,uncles,aunties and parents have told me. I vividly remember seeing the present dein of Agbor as a child on the thrown on NTA Benin in the old Bendel state and the intervention of the current Oba of Benin. The problem with most Nigerians I have observed is that they don't bother to know their own history and are sceptical or dismiss others who know or are keen to find out more. I often find it very amusing and later on quite sad as to how many who dont know Nigerian tribal history and the distinct interconnections that exists. My concern now is that we ANIOMANS have to decide if we keep quiet or try and asset our rights to self determination. We are quiet people on average but not WEAK!!! Proof is the main field commanders on the Biafran side. As for Asaba, as state capital of Delta state its development I must say is pretty slow and backward, however as state capital of Anioma I think the place will be different,but we need to stop being TOO INDIVIDUALISTIC!!! ONE LOVE TO ALL!!!!:D

ezyvic  # 8 | 02.01.2009 09:32

=Obugbe;307670>Thank you Fidel Ogiso for the brief response in this rejoinder. What you noted in Nwanze's commentary is exactly the problem with Nigeria's latter day revisionists and reconstructs. Anioma is not inhabited by only Igbo people. Nor was Anioma originally inhabited by Igbo. It is true that there are Igbo scions in Anioma who are miniscule in number, but as usual these are vocal to the extent of trying to drown others. Anioma history has always been referenced from the Igbocentric view of Onwuejogwu of blessed memory. What do you expect when people from Ibusa, whose progenitor was banished for murder from ISU write their history? Of course their root is Igbo, extrapolating such to all Anioma defeats history and commonsense. It is pertinent that any interested student of anthropology and history read about culture and its relationships amongst different groups. The Anioma people have evolved a unique culture, distinct from the so-called Igbo across the Niger. I am pleased to read Dr. Azikiwe's genealogy which clearly referred to his Bini ancestry. This of course would ruffle feathers, for the Igbo who had believed that Zik was originally Igbo will be discomfitted. This Anioma annexation to Ndi-Igbo cannot hold water. It is just wishful thinking. The election of Uwechue as Ohaneze president is for the Igbo in Anioma, but NOT for all Anioma. We know our history, and no one or group of confused 'Jews' will change the historical truth. Anioma is a synthesis of various groups, Yoruba (Olukwumi), Bini, Igalla, Ika, Kwale and Igbo. Anioma have tradition, music and dressing that are distinct from Igbo. If some disoriented Igbos in Anioma wish to claim their roots, they are welcome, but please note that Anioma is NOT Igbo. How long shall this be stated? What a way to start the New Year. Recalcitrant as ever are these vocal and superficial Igbo who are making noise about Anioma and State creation. Channel energy towards developing yourselves and the region. Forget this primitive return to ignorance. What a way to start the New Year ! I avoided the initial thread from Gabriel Nwanze because I specifically chose not to end the year in a pissed mood. This 2009, I am better revitalised to pick up myself to confront the brood of vipers who would stop at nothing to rewrite the history of those they know nothing about. A group that have conspired with a few Aniomas, for political gains, to redefine the Aniomas, all out I mean. They are evil and nothing good would ever come out of them. I once read a piece from one 'emenanjo' on the 'crisis of identity' of the Aniomas, a piece that was not effectively researched upon, a piece that had all the input of a section and all references of that same section. The same emenanjo still carries himself around the NVS searching for Anioma related threads to continue his ill concieved desires, even if it means stooping so low to lick the sore feet of one Lateesha. A Lateesha that thinks she has absolute wisdom and would insult any discerning voice, even when she is clearly misconstrued, uneducated on the said subject, -thereby deceitful. To Felix and all those who hold unto their positions, that Aniomas are Igbos, I advise you get your facts right before treading on where you advise others to tread carefully. Gabriel Nwanze, your piece, challenging Aniomas to rise up and take the bull by the horn and continue to demand for its own state is an applaudable call, if and only if, it comes with the sincerity you tried to exhibit (although I have my doubt). The body of your write-up is what I dont completely agree with, especially when you already carved the yet to be created Anioma State as a sixth Igbo state and out of the South-South, as being part of the South-East. I sense a 'wicked' undertone to your proposal and advise you have a rethink.

felix  # 9 | 02.01.2009 11:06

=ezyvic;307787>What a way to start the New Year ! I avoided the initial thread from Gabriel Nwanze because I specifically chose not to end the year in a pissed mood. This 2009, I am better revitalised to pick up myself to confront the brood of vipers who would stop at nothing to rewrite the history of those they know nothing about. A group that have conspired with a few Aniomas, for political gains, to redefine the Aniomas, all out I mean. They are evil and nothing good would ever come out of them. I once read a piece from one 'emenanjo' on the 'crisis of identity' of the Aniomas, a piece that was not effectively researched upon, a piece that had all the input of a section and all references of that same section. The same emenanjo still carries himself around the NVS searching for Anioma related threads to continue his ill concieved desires, even if it means stooping so low to lick the sore feet of one Lateesha. A Lateesha that thinks she has absolute wisdom and would insult any discerning voice, even when she is clearly misconstrued uneducated on the said subject, thereby deceitful. To Felix and all those who hold unto their positions, that Aniomas are Igbos, I advise you get your facts right before treading on where you advise others to tread carefully. Gabriel Nwanze, your piece, challenging Aniomas to rise up and take the bull by the horn and continue to demand for its own state is an applaudable call, if and only if, it comes with the sincerity you tried to exhibit (although I have my doubt). The body of your write-up is what I dont completely agree with, especially when you already carved the yet to be created Anioma State as a sixth Igbo state and out of the South-South, as being part of the South-East. I sense a 'wicked' undertone to your proposal and advise you have a rethink. I hate being harrassed and that is what you and one Londoner have been doing here! Apart from the fact that such tactics dont work with me , I find that infuriating too....You can go to the archives and dig out my posts on this issue and my position has been costant..That is; Aniomas should be allowed to do with themselves whatever they intend to do with themselves..., I have NEVER called for their annihilation though I always reinstate the obvious fact that Aniomans who claim Benin ancestry should be magnanimous enough to accept that there are other Aniomas who have opposite view! It is not me that is denying others their history , it is those who argeu and yell as if the whole of Anioma is populated by the so-called Ezechime and his rioteuos descendants..I raised this issue in the other thread and instead of dealing with it , onye london was shouting obscenities at my direction and since that is not the best way to start a new year, I grudginly avoided the temptation to unload on him. Part of the reason why I avoid this topic is because of the fact that I find it irritating and there is no way you can confront an irritating topic without doing violence to some others feelings.I also know for sure that this Anioma identity issue would not be in the front burner if the events of the late 60s didnt provide some barbaric gruops with the once in a lifetime oppurtuinity to divide and conquer. Having said that, let me reassure you that I am not desperate to determine who is who . But you and your group MUST also accept the fact that you lack what it takes to define the whole Aniomas! You accuse me of foisting a fake identity on you , (something I have not done )while it is you, who is busy undermining the the fact that every Anioma dont buy the Ezechime tale.. Finally, most ,if not all the articles written on this issue recently on this board were written by FELLOW ANIOMAS! Not these "land grabbing igbos" you guys love to whine about endlessly. People like Andilofu, Emenanjo and Nwanze! It is telling that whenever some of you find faults with what some of them write , rather than attacking with facts, you start to moan about Igbo dormination , somehing I am sure you have never witnessed in your life..It hasnt occured to you that some people dont care wether you belong to Tibet or London? I dont even see the reason for joining Anioma with SE during the state creation abunna! If we are to play deft politics the way it is played by the Hausafulani for instance, I will suggest that since there are talks of more state creations across the geopolitcal zones...,Anioma people deserve a state of their own as part of the states to be created from the SS.. Is it not better to create a state for them within the quota for SS while the SE gets another 2 or 3 depending on the number to be created for each region?...That means more chop money for our politicians across the former Eastern Nigeria..After that , those who believe they are Igbo can join the Ohanaeze for their meetings while Erediuwa and Umu Ezechime can find ways to make Benin Kingdom better in Benin ofcourse.Happy?

ezyvic  # 10 | 02.01.2009 12:18

=felix;307823>I hate being harrassed and that is what you and one Londoner have been doing here! Apart from the fact that such tactics dont work with me , I find that infuriating too....You can go to the archives and dig out my posts on this issue and my position has been costant..That is; Aniomas should be allowed to do with themselves whatever they intend to do with themselves..., I have NEVER called for their annihilation though I always reinstate the obvious fact that Aniomans who claim Benin ancestry should be magnanimous enough to accept that there are other Aniomas who have opposite view! It is not me that is denying others their history , it is those who argeu and yell as if the whole of Anioma is populated by the so-called Ezechime and his rioteuos descendants..I raised this issue in the other thread and instead of dealing with it , onye london was shouting obscenities at my direction and since that is not the best way to start a new year, I grudginly avoided the temptation to unload on him. Part of the reason why I avoid this topic is because of the fact that I find it irritating and there is no way you can confront an irritating topic without doing violence to some others feelings.I also know for sure that this Anioma identity issue would not be in the front burner if the events of the late 60s didnt provide some barbaric gruops with the once in a lifetime oppurtuinity to divide and conquer. Having said that, let me reassure you that I am not desperate to determine who is who . But you and your group MUST also accept the fact that you lack what it takes to define the whole Aniomas! You accuse me of foisting a fake identity on you , (something I have not done )while it is you, who is busy undermining the the fact that every Anioma dont buy the Ezechime tale.. Finally, most ,if not all the articles written on this issue recently on this board were written by FELLOW ANIOMAS! Not these "land grabbing igbos" you guys love to whine about endlessly. People like Andilofu, Emenanjo and Nwanze! It is telling that whenever some of you find faults with what some of them write , rather than attacking with facts, you start to moan about Igbo dormination , somehing I am sure you have never witnessed in your life..It hasnt occured to you that some people dont care wether you belong to Tibet or London? I dont even see the reason for joining Anioma with SE during the state creation abunna! If we are to play deft politics the way it is played by the Hausafulani for instance, I will suggest that since there are talks of more state creations across the geopolitcal zones...,Anioma people deserve a state of their own as part of the states to be created from the SS.. Is it not better to create a state for them within the quota for SS while the SE gets another 2 or 3 depending on the number to be created for each region?...That means more chop money for our politicians across the former Eastern Nigeria..After that , those who believe they are Igbo can join the Ohanaeze for their meetings while Erediuwa and Umu Ezechime can find ways to make Benin Kingdom better in Benin ofcourse.Happy? Felix, Corruption is the singular index that can be used to unite the Nigerian leadership, be it Anioma, Igbos, SS, SW, NW, wherever. I BELIEVE STRONGLY, that the creation of Anioma State is no panacea for the poverty within that region, neither is it a solution to the corrupt tendencies of some of its leaders. The truth must be told and told bodly, Aniomas will need to ensure that the State, if created, is not hijacked by an 'Ibori-like' PDP led cabal, that would keep the people at arms length, from true emancipation. I sincerely apologise if I misunderstood your position and humbly respect them, so long as we dont throw tantrums at one another to send a message across. Lets fight corruption, the issue of ethnic division will be secondary.

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