The Anioma people spread across nine Local Government Areas are geographically nestled in the Delta North senatorial district. We share a long history and rich cultural ties with the Igbos. So, we are Igbos in every sense: by language, tradition, blood and identity. Yet, arbitrary distortions of colonial boundaries, the tragedy of civil war and manipulations of post-war politics and narratives have exposed Anioma to a double burden: the pain of denial and the weight of marginalisation. Albeit, our spirit is unbroken.
Today, as the representative of Anioma in the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I affirm with courage the reawakening that: Anioma is Igbo; Anioma deserves justice; and Anioma state must be created. This is not a plea. Not a supplication, it is a demand inspired by truth, fairness and consciousness of true federalism. ANIOMA BEFORE COLONIAL BOUNDARIES Anioma has always been part of the great Igbo nation, and it is our cherished heritage and reality. Our communities in Oshimili, Aniocha, Ika and Ndokwa share ancestral trade and commerce, cultural, linguistic and geographic bonds with the Igbo people across the Niger. On trading characteristics, our market days are the same: Eke, Orie, Afo and Nkwo. Similarly, our cultural affinity is undeniably intertwined as our masquerades, from Mgba to Okanga, mirror those in Onitsha, Nsukka, Awka and Owerri.
Furthermore, linguistically, our names, Okonkwo, Nwafor, Nwanze, Odili and Nkemdilim, among others, are the same nomenclatures you find across the Igbo nation. Morphologically, words such as bia (come), nua (welcome) also show profound connections and linguistic leaning between Anioma dialects (i.e. the dialects of the people of Delta North Senatorial District) and Igbo language, proving beyond doubt that Anioma people are part of the greater Igbo ethnolinguistic family. In addition, the people of Delta North have always been variously described as Midwest Igbo, Ika Igbo and Bendel Igbo. Even the government of Delta State, in its official ethnic classification, describes us as Igbo. Today, we are often described as Delta Igbo, a description that reflects our location within Delta State but does not erase an incontrovertible truth that we are part of the Igbo group. So, our actuality is constant: Igbo is Igbo. On geography, the map of Igbo land itself testifies to this reality. Asaba, Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Illah, Agbor, Kwale, Aboh, Ndoni and other Anioma communities appear firmly within the boundaries of Igbo nation. Geography confirms what history and culture already prove: Anioma is Igbo land.
However, the British colonial administration, driven by convenience rather than culture, commerce and not consanguinity, placed Anioma in the Western Region while our tribesmen remained in the East. This artificial separation, erected by imperialism, became the seed of distortion, one that would later be watered by war and politics. ANIOMA IN THE THROES OF WARS The Ekwumeku Colonial Resistance War (1883–1914) Anioma’s history of resilience did not begin in modern times.
Between 1883 and 1914, our people waged the Ekwumeku Resistance War, a guerrilla uprising against British colonialism that lasted over 31 years. The Ekwumeku revolt staged by Anioma chiefs and able-bodied young men was a peculiar war, marvellous in strategy and awe-inspiring in scope. From Ibusa to Ogwashi-Uku, Issele-Uku to Ubulu-Uku, Anioma warriors resisted foreign domination with courage and unity. During this protracted conflict, many British soldiers and administrators were annihilated, making Anioma one of the fiercest centres of anti-colonial resistance in West Africa.
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