Anioma, Married and Abandoned by the Igbo: are We the Wife of Ndiigbo?

One issue that has continued to bother me is the missing identity of the Anioma people of Nigeria, and the cultural and political bearing of this region which the people are missing and are yet to discover. It is unbecoming of the leaders of this region if ever there exists any to play second fiddle, and in the very end stand at achieving nothing, leaving the entire region in marginalization and absolute state of complete underdevelopment. Several times I have warned that a group of people who decide to leave its destiny in the hand of another group of people is gambling away its fortunes. This is the situation of the Anioma people of Delta North.

For centuries now, one question that remains unanswered, and has been carried on for too long is the ethnic status of the people of this region, which will have in the end help to answer the question of where we truly belong. This will importantly help us to solve many of our political problems confronting us within the polity of Federal Republic of Nigeria. It bewilders me strongly on why our leaders have not woken up to the realization that a group of people is known by what they have chosen to called culturally and socially, especially if this group is blessed with certain distinctions as the Anioma. Until this political game is won, no meaningful recognition will come the way of the region.

Politicking in the nation referred to as the Federal Republic of Nigeria is demonstrating that every ethnicity is out to fight its own course, and it does not matter to them even if others are detrimentally affected provided their aims and objects are met, in world of Nigeria of today, only the fittest of the fittest shall survive because interest is of paramount importance.

The issue of state creation for the Igbo people is at it again and as usual the Igbo, strictly speaking is particularly concerned with very high level of priority placed on the South-east as a geo-political zone rather than the economic and socio-political welfare of the entire Igbo as a race. What the rest of us in Delta and Rivers States who the Igbo community has adopted are made to understand is that South-east as a region is the determinant factor, and of major concern to the Igbo in this race for state creation. The Igbo of South East have become “mainland Igbo” while the rest of us in the political opinion of South-east are Igbo what they think us to be. Little wonder we are often referred to as Delta Igbo, a phrase which has found its way in the ethnic dictionary of Igbo language and transferred to the rest of Nigeria to distinguish us from the rest of Igbo.

A situation like this is like asking our Anioma leaders when we became Igbo and when we shall stop cease to be Igbo, and what we have benefited being second class Igbo. As a matter of concern it grieves me so much that the Igbo have never shifted attention for once on us the Anioma with a view to supporting us in our agitation for the creation of Anioma State. All we have heard are claims upon claims that we are Igbo of the west, the philosopher that does not exist beyond the confines of ethnicity. Sometimes the Igbo have shown violence in proving these claims that the Anioma and Ikwerre people of Delta and Rivers states respectively are Igbo but when an issue concerns the welfare of the Igbo, the Ikwerres and Anioma become relegated to the background or completely abandoned the way a greedy husband would abandon his wife that has suffered for him in the time of sorrow.

As expected from the Igbo politics divergent views on the creation of new states for the Igbo States have cracked the South East Governors Forum, a proposal South East Governors believe is strictly a “core Igbo: affair as they recently identify themselves. “Core Igbo” here means that the Anioma, Ikwerre and Ndoni are by the way Igbo only as way of proving to other ethnicities in the country that Igbo people have perhaps more strength than the rest of them, so I begin to ask my myself what the Igbo need us all for.

The dispute arisen as a result of proposal for creation of State for Igbo have expectedly torn the Igbo Governors apart with each of the five Governors pushing for the carving out of another State from his own State. Ironically while the Governors of Enugu State want Adada State, a mushroom carved out from Enugu State, their counterparts from in Abia and Imo prefer Aba State created from Abia and Urashi State created from Imo State. Firstly, it is germane to remark here by this action the Igbo have further decided to enclose and reduce itself to nothing politically and economically instead of superiorly extending to economically and politically claim its lost communities of Anioma, Ikwerre, Ndoni and others as assumed by the Igbo ethnic group.

In Nigeria can anyone really rely on the so called geo-political zones in protecting or even seeking to make giant strides beyond the expectations of his neighbours? Was Onitsha before now not an Anioma community? What indeed is the criterion for determining the South East and South South? Cannot Anioma State be made created and placed under the South East? Are Aba, Adada and Urashi being proposed for State creation the economic size of Anioma even if joined together? If Urashi is further carved out from Imo State what remains of Imo State? Finally, if the Igbo genuinely are of the opinion that the Anioma are of genuine Igbo extracjtion, why were their delegates not invited at least to make representation in this Igbo affair?

While the Igbo will need to answer these questions to help them find a way out of their present crisis the ethnicity is facing, the Anioma, Ikwerre, and Ndoni and others need to truly reflect on the way further and discover that the days for seeing with other people’s eyes have since become a thing of the past. The Anioma people presently lumped in Delta State are not opposed to the creation of other States as outlined by the Igbo themselves rather what we say is that the Igbo should not unjustifiably laying claims to our ownership, after all, no one can claim to know ourselves better than we do. They should leave us alone to discover our identity and better cultural shelter. All I ask Oganihu Anioma and Onu Anioma is to work effectively towards the actualization of one voice for our people for only this will enable that much desired change to come to us, nobody except ourselves can bring about this.

As usual I expect protests and invectives to pour in from our Igbo brothers and sisters as a result of this write-up but all that matters to me is our getting liberated at the end of it all.

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