@Bolded so before you want to betray the Alhaji abi? accepting it only in the presence of Alhaji and elsewhere practicing your Christianity.
Hypocrite Christian.
Who told you I give a fck about religion? My life is live and let live but business is business as well. If you want to hire my services, I'll consider it. Even if he agreed to make it secret, may be I would not give in because I want to keep my hands clean but what made it a complete no is publicizing it. I'm not desperate. But I'm not a born again Christian. That someone is born into a Christian family doesn't make him a Christian. I would like to become one someday but to be honest, it's not easy
Islamic desperation and propaganda. Only God knows what has transpired in the secret before this. It's not new. I've got such offers from an Alhaji before but I turned it down because he insisted it must be public. Publicizing it is the real deal.
He's been reprimanded for saying he doesn't have direct access to the president. This shows this guy is just a pawn in the game. He doesn't even know what's up. He doesn't even know if Buhari was dead or alive. He doesn't even know how sick he is. He subtly tried to remove his head by saying he doesn't have direct access to Him
Edos would invade an area, impose their tyrants and so the tyrants would start claiming the land for the oba even when the oba cant even understand the language spoken there.
Land thieves
Listen to yourself. Did the Edo write our history for us? If You don't have nothing to say, keep mute
You are just hilarious, seek information first before talking online
Ikot-Abasi is now an igbo word, wow just wow
IGWENGA is now an igbo word, truly sad
You change the meaning of town names just to push your propaganda and u will later ask y Rivers people hate igbo, why Niger deltans hate Igbo, look inwards and you will find the answer. ..
Its funny how igbos are over one billion people and they are still jealous of "MINORITIES" begging and claiming for relationship with their "igboid" tags and propaganda.
So true. Igbos come to your land, give an Igbo meaning to your town name and other words and eventually corrupt them and later start claiming it to be the original name.
National borders is something that can be used to classify languages. if Ika was in a country different from where SE Igboland is then no one will be arguing with you whether Ika is Igbo or not. But Ika is in Nigeria and contigous with Igboland.
If you agree that national boundary, which is an artificial creation and can be adjusted and readjusted is something that can be used, then tell me why Geopolitical zones can't be?
Igboid:
Let's see some Slavic countries, especially the former Yugoslavic nations. I was surprised when my croatian colleague was speaking to her Serbian counterparts. So, I asked and they both agreed that they understand themselves quite well. In fact, that would be the case if they spoke to someone from Bosnia or Slovenia. Although, they are identified as different nationalities, and their various languages are identified as the official language in their respective countries going by a different name but they would be considered just dialects of same languages from a linguistic point of view. They are all ethnic Slavs.
True. The same is obtainable amongst the scandinavians in Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway.
This shows there's more to classification of languages than just mutual intelligibility.
Firstly, I we should ask ourselves, the difference between a language and a dialect.
Linguistically, a language is a 'dialect of a language' when they are mutually intelligible. I.e. I 'understand' what is being spoken to me and vice versa without the need of an interpreter. Sometimes, though, the mutual intelligibility might depend on the speakers involved though.
Also, some languages form some language continuum. Standard spoken German and standard spoken Dutch although sister languages but are markedly different. No mutual intelligibility. But when it comes to dialect, speakers some Germans dialects at the Dutch border understands the dialects of the country on the other side of the border. But the more the distance between these borders, the less the mutual intelligibility.
So, I ask, do Igbos at these borders understand Edo, bini or whatever languages spoken at their borders? Would they understand centre Igbo better than say, Bini?
German is the native language of 5 different nationalities. , Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and they all identify ethnically as Germans, though they have different dialects and even culture.
Let's see some Slavic countries, especially the former Yugoslavic nations. I was surprised when my croatian colleague was speaking to her Serbian counterparts. So, I asked and they both agreed that they understand themselves quite well. In fact, that would be the case if they spoke to someone from Bosnia or Slovenia. Although, they are identified as different nationalities, and their various languages are identified as the official language in their respective countries going by a different name but they would be considered just dialects of same languages from a linguistic point of view. They are all ethnic Slavs.
We see that 'Dialect' and 'language' can also be political, geographic or institutional but in the technical and linguistic point of view a different matter.
Lexical similarity between Ekpeye and every other Igbo dialect is very low.
Izzi is still 81% similar to Owerri and 80% similar to Orlu. Ekpeye is only 62% similar to Owerri, and 68% similar to Orlu.
Ika is 77% similar to Owerri and 78% similar to Orlu.
These calculations were made by the linguist Kay Williamson (working with her student Chinyere Aniche.)
There is no dialect that has more than 60-something percent lexical similarity with Ekpeye. But the other dialects/languages in the Igbo continuum have over 70% lexical similarity with each other.
In linguistic circles, languages that have over 70% lexical similarity (some authors prefer to use 80% as benchmark) are more likely to be regarded as dialects of each other, and those with lexical similarity lower than 70% are likely to be different languages (even though they may still be related).
Using this method, most linguists regard Ekpeye as a different language though still within the Igboid family. I must say that, having seen an Ekpeye dictionary, the language is certainly far far far less intelligible to Igbo speakers than Izzi and Ezza.
I don't believe in the Ika 77% to Igbo because it's just an estimation. How exactly is anyone able to arrive at an accurate percentage? Just like every other academic research work, the findings are never accurate. Another researcher will come out with a different result tomorrow and which one will you take as accurate? But going by your analogy, so if we decide to use the 80% benchmark, Ika is a language of it's own? Don't forget Ika has two words for most words and they are mostly Edoid and Igboid. The Edoid words are more ancient and fastly going extinct. But that doesn't mean they're no longer Ika words.
Abagworo:
Nothing man no go see for this Nairaland. Very soon Idoma go become Yoruba. Igala is as related to Igbo as it is to Yoruba or even more. A visit to far Northern Igbo communities will convince any doubting Thomas. Well Igala has existed as a distinct group with distinct language for time immemorial. Itsekiri is d to Yoruba in both language and origin but doesn't exist as a continuum of Yoruba area. They can be likened to Bonny or Opobo Igbo speakers.
with this comment, I conclude that you don't know anything about Igala and Yoruba language. Comparing the relationship with Igbo sounds so ignorant. Go and make your research.
Itsekiri / Yoruba relationship can be compared with Ika/Igbo relationship. Opobo /Bonny don't have anything to do with Igbo. Just some Ijoid people getting Igbonized. If Itsekiri can stand alone, I don't see why Ika can't stand alone
That’s exactly where I was going with this thread. I was asking if there’s more to the Ika/Ndokwa-Igbo relationship than similarities in language. I know Anioma’s a political creation that absolves Enuani (Aniocha/Oshimili) and Ika and Ukwuani people but I didn’t know if the latter are ethnically Igbo and see themselves as Igbo or whether they should be regarded to us Igbos as what Itsekiri and Igala people are to the Yoruba(ethnically/culturally disparate with related languages). The thing is, someone like Redbone’s telling me that the basic aspects of ‘common’ Igbo culture are shared in the Ika/Ukwuani axis and you’re saying you’re more Edo in culture so I dunno.
What’s your verdict on my original stance on the issue, that Ndokwa and Ika people are to Igbo what Igala and Itsekiri are to Yoruba but that, very recently, a number of them are assimilating into the neighbouring Igbo culture and becoming more Igbonized for political reasons (the creation of Anioma and them being regarded by lay Nigerians who don’t know the difference between Enuani-Ika/Ndokwa as Delta Igbo)?
And mind if I ask if you’re Edo-Ika or Delta Ika?
RedboneSmith doesn't actually want to disagree with you but for one thing. That same thing is the reason I said I don't agree with your post completely and that's being too objective. You know this is a subjective discourse and no need being too objective, especially being a non indigenes. I saw Wulfruna post and I agree completely with her.
I'm from Delta Ika and I agree with you on the Itsekiri-Yoruba relationship but not Igala-Yoruba relationship. I think the Igala-Yoruba example would make sense some century ago but not in this present age when Ika is getting more and more Igbonized day by day especially the language. We've been able to retain our culture and every other things but in the aspect of language we're failing.
Partly, yeah. Itsekiri people speak a Yoruboid language but no one calls them Yoruba (ditto Igala). I made this thread to see if Ika and Ukwuani people are actually Igbo or just called that because they speak a related language. There's more to ethnic affiliation with one ethnic group or another than similar languages.
I've heard on this thread that Ika and Ukwuani people also share the same traits and aspects of common culture as mainstream Igbos and that's what I was trying to find out because I honestly didn't know what their traditional culture is.
What do you mean by traits? Our culture is mostly Edo. Everything about Ika is Edoid. Language is the main thing that separate us from Edo and bound us together with Igbo. But our language structure , pluralization, anglicization and many other features are Edoid.
They brought shame to PDP because they are the only brave PDP governors that have what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder with your Buhari and his demonic party
Unfortunately, the Edo people you always shamelessly want to associate with along with your fellow Urhobo/Isoko/Itshekiri/Ijaw deltans always call you Igbo. You can't run away fromy our shadow. If you're so interested in dissociatig yourself from anything Igbo so that people don't get you confused, start a revolution that will see Ika parents give their children non Igbo names and trace your language s that you can start speaking it instead of the Igbo decorated one that you're speaking currently.
I also find it pathetic the way you guys interchange Ika and Anioma without also considering the different influences that makeup Anioma. You want to call Anioma an ethnic group without realizing that you're just as different from Aniocha, Oshimili and Ukwuani the same way you think you're different from south east Igbos.
Only ignorant Edos call us Igbo. The more knowledgeable ones know of our relationship. Go to Edo websites and Facebook groups/pages and other cultural Facebook pages where there are knowledgeable Edos and see how they proudly profess our brotherhood. Urhobos call us Igbo for political reasons. That's fact. They're still pained about many things and their grievances keep on increasing day by day. I've been with educated Edo and Urhobo friends and they're all aware of our brotherhood. And as for your suggestion, I think it's a good idea but that can only happen if you guys don't stop your desperation in trying to wipe off our history and culture with your propaganda machine. BTW one doesn't become Igbo because someone else thinks he's Igbo. You are what you are and you are what you believe you are.
And your second point about the differences in Anioma groups is the most ignorant comment I've seen in years.
I understand what you mean considering that you're Ika. I have already thrashed that when i compred Ika to Aniocha/Oshimili and Etche. You no go gree and i have no problem with it. I'm not trying to change anybody's belief as long as it makes them happy but what i hate is blatant falsehood. Even if all the traditional rulers stand up one day and go on national television to announce their Igboness, you'll probably say they were paid, so all this back and forth is totally unnecessary. I think the best course of action for you anti Igbo elements is to just say that irrespective of your history, your language or culture, you don't want to be called Igbo. That makes more sense than telling us how you use to be Edo and some Igbos you traded with taught you Igbo and that's where the Igbo influence came through.
unfortunately for you, my history and culture all scream Edo. The falsehood is coming from you guys. We in Anioma cherish our history and culture. The day you guys stop your concoctions, senseless postulations, propaganda and fake theorems is the you see more Aniomas being more comfortable around you guys. You guys are very desperate that's the problem.
Trade is just one of the way Anioma became Igbonized. We've treated this but the problem with you guys is that you're very selective.
And I'm not anti Igbo. I'm highly pro Ika/Anioma but that doesn't make me anti Igbo
Afam4eva:
Just to buttress the point i was making about Igboid groups like Etche and Aniocha/Oshimili being more accepting of their Igboness or atleast not violent in their denial compared to Ikwerre, Ika and Ukwuani, i just watched a video on youtube where about 5 girls who live abroad (I think American), did a Nigerian tag and when they were asked their names, judging from their names, i concluded that 4 of them were Igbo except the one that has a Yoruba name. Now when it got to the point where they were asked which tribe they came from. all the 4 Igboid ones said Igbo though one of them had to mention that hers is controversial. let me paraphrase what she said "I'm from Rivers state and where i'm from we speak Igbo, so, i guess i'm Igbo". As soon as i heard that, i ruled out the fact that she could be Ikwerre or Ogba. I knew she either had to be from Etche, Egbema or Ndoki because these people tend to be more relaxing about their anti Igbo rhetorics.
So,scrolling down to the comment section, i saw this convo and that's when i knew she was from Etche.
You see how the etche guy accepted a superior argument. You would never see an Ikwerre, Ika or Ukwuani person do that.
What do you mean by superior argument? Ethnic consciousness can't be changed by argument or propaganda. Ethnic switching does occur but It's a gradual process.
Igboid, can you honestly tell me that there's not even a touch of foreign or Edo influence in the intonation and dialect/language of the Ika spoken in these videos?
compare the two videos and notice that the first video talking about new concepts like Education government and offices is easier for any Igbo person to understand. And the first video is the Otolokpo dialect of the Eastern flank of Ika. Going to the second video which is talking about more ancient concept like family (giving some people an expo), it's more difficult for Igbos to understand. And these people are in no way trying to speak undiluted or unadulterated Ika.
Trash!
Oza is not more interior than Igbanke. You are being outrightly ridiculous at this stage with your constant change of goal Post.
First you lie and claim that Ika people understand Edo languages at the first exposure without learning the language from scratch. I busted your lies using posts from Igbanke people on this forum.
Rather than honourable leave with your tail between your legs, you decided to start the Ika being Igbo superficially and Edo internally, claiming that studies say so.
I again reminded you that all anthropological studies on Ika by the neutral colonials resulted in them classifying Ika as Western Igbo and not Eastern Edo.
Now you are changing the goal Post again, are you not ashamed?
You have a psychological problem of trying to attach so much importance to the trashes you call comments. And you obviously lack compression.
Read my comment. I said most Ikas don't understand Edo but I understand Edo from my understanding of Ika language because I know the deep Ika. I never said anything about Academic research. Research must not be academic. I make my research from my experience, observations and interactions. and asking my elders questions. You make your own research mostly with online fabrications and concoctions. Ika is mostly Igbo on the surface, but try to scratch out the surface and it turns mostly Edo
Oil is the number one reason Nigeria is fighting against the unity of Indi'Igbo... Knowing what will befall them, if Indi'Igbo from every nook and crannies of this country unite. I have stayed in PH long enough to know the evil that saturate oil politics.
Nobody is fighting is against Igbo Unity. This mindset is a very bad trait of the Igbo.
Bro, see eh, this is always going to be a controversial matter. My personal opinion is that there are no objective parameters for clearly delineating Igbo and so-called Igboid. The only 'Igboid' language that language experts believe stands clearly on its own is Ekpeye. The other ones form more or less a single linguistic continuum, with mutual intelligibility declining the further one moves from the centre. By the time one gets to the fringes of this linguistic continuum, one finds that mutual intelligibility with the centre has fallen to the point where communication is either very difficult or even impossible.
Believe me when i tell you that most Igbos from the southeast understand Ukwuani far better than they understand the dialects they speak in Abakiliki or Unwana or Abiriba. The first time i heard people having a shouting conversation in Abakiliki dialect near my aunt's house in Enugu, I thought they were speaking a Northern language (maybe Tiv). It was later that i learnt they were Abakiliki people. But Abakiliki is a dialect and Ukwuani is a language. It is difficult to objectively say why it is so.
Probz was talking about 'culturally Igbo'. What is 'culturally Igbo'? I tried to engage him in that conversation, but I didn't get the feeling that he really wanted to have it, so I dropped it. People often think Eke, Oye (Orie), Afo, Nkwo are some of the quintessential markers of Igbo culture. But the Izi people of Abakiliki don't even have Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo. What they have is a five-day arrangement: Ophoke, Azua, Iboko, Okpo and Nkwegu. Can one now say the Izi are not 'culturally Igbo'?
This Igbo-Igboid thing is really a very subjective thing, imo.
At the end of the day, I think I am what you could call a moderate pan-Igboist (I am from Oshimili, btw). While I think we (SErs and Anioma people) can find commom grounds, I do understand and respect the decision of the majority of the Ika, the Ukwuani, the Ikwerre, etc, who insist on maintaining their ethnic distinctness because ethnicity is really about group consciousness (i.e., how people perceive themselves) and not about linguistic and cultural realities.
You're completely right bro. Especially on the subjective and group consciousness and perception. Your comment about Abakiliki is true as well
Yea!
Oza people speak Edoid language even though they are part of Agbor.
The fact that small Oza people retained their original Edoid language despite spending centuries with Igbo speaking Agbor people, is a nail on the coffins of the people that are trying to sell us a fake story of an Edo speaking Ika region that became igbonized over the centuries by interactions with Igbo migrants or neighbors, so much that they now speak an Igbo dialect as a first language, and has no surviving Edoid language as a vestige of their Edo root in time past.
You don't know the history of Oza. Oza and other parts of Agbor have a shared history. There are some factors that helped Oza and the Olukumis retain there languages. These people are very much on the interior without much trade, interactions or migrations from the latter Easterners that came to Anioma
Do you know that there are some villages in Adamawa, Taraba and even some parts of Abuja that's not been exposed to civilization? Do you ever ask why they remained isolated despite the fact that their neighboring villages are exposed? The answer is isolation. Many factors lead to isolation.
So, you have dropped your "Ika people understanding Edo language lies" only to pick up a new lie of Kia being Igbo on surface and Edo on inside?
What deep research do you speak of? The free minded colonials and their anthropologists after painstaking studies classified Ika as Western Igbo and not Eastern Edo, what other research do you speak of?
The Edos in Ika, the Oza people, still speak Edoid language till today. They only speak Igbo( Ika) as a second language. What other pointer do we need?
Igboid:
[b]WHOEVER MADE THE DECISION TO LUMP IGBANKE INTO EDO STATE SHOULD BE SHOT OR HANDED OVER TO ME TO DO JUSTICE.
I attended Edo State Day 2013 on 21st September 2013, organised by Edo State National Association UK.
From the personal greetings, the music, the introduction of guests to the the Master of Ceremony, every single sentence was in Bini language.
I felt like a fish out of water. I couldn't hear or understand a single word. I felt alien to the event, an alien in the midst of my supposed fellow Edolites. A stranger in my own State! Before you onish me for not engaging, I can tell you that I did engage but everyone was engrossed in Bini language. I don't blame them. They are the majority but I had expected some translation of some sorts but all that was said was that if you don't understand Bini, just say Amen to some spoken words that I have no clue about. This is selfishness at the highest order.
I have to say that I have nothing against Bini people and hold them in high esteem. I accord the Bini's huge respect. I have them as my friends, as in laws and as cousins but I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHOEVER MADE THE DECISION TO LUMP IGBANKE INTO EDO STATE SHOULD BE SHOT. The relationship is so unbalanced and unequal. It is very difficult to get on when you can't relate to a single spoken word. If you attend a meeting and can't understand a word, how are you meant to represent your people? How do you pick up issues that borders on your people?
It is a big shame that Igbanke have to put up with this absurdity; an alien in the company of their supposed State Indigenes. Those our people who continue to say that Igbanke is Edo are so WRONG and far removed from reality. Unless, you can speak or understand Bini, one is alienated, completely at sea and lost big time.
The relationship is synonymous to a forced marriage, so unequal, so unbalanced and so wrong!
From Gloria Adagbo, [/b]
Gloria Adagbon is an Igbophobic Igbanke woman, I belong to Igbanke Facebook page and I had known her for many Years now, she is a staunch Igbo hater and an APC er, yet the above was her lamentation some time ago.
If Igbanke the most Edo influenced Igboid group in Edo state can't understand Edo/ Bini language, what chance does an Anioma Person in Delta state stand?
Any Ika person( excluding Oza people, who are originally Edo people, and remain Edo speaking till today) that understands any Edoid language, learnt it from the scratch. But Ika people as far as Edo state( Igbanke) understand central Igbo on first hearing.
This is the truth as we know it.
Igbanke is not more Edoid than Agbor or Owa. That they're in Edo state doesn't make them more Edo related. I understand Edo from my understanding of Ika language. Ika is more Igboid on the surface and more Edoid on the inside that's why any deep research on Ika points more towards Edo
There are too many falsehood in the quote like the IgboAkiri and some others but maybe I address that later.
The only difference between Ukwuani and central Igbo or mainly Anambra Igbo is the intonation of speech.
I've never lived in Delta state b4. I only saw the videos on YouTube.
Ika is not like Edo in any way. Only Igbo.
The main difference is the intonation and that is what makes spoken Ukwani very difficult to any other non Ukwani speakers difficult to understand. Saying you understand Ukwani is not true. I'm sure about that.
Ika in it's present form is can't be called an Edoid language but Igboid but it's not Igbo. I'm able to understand Edo to a great extent from my understanding of Ika language, that shows there's a relationship between both languages. Language structure is the same. Same pluralization, same anglicization. Many shared words. Many of these words are going extinct in Ika but we still know some of them that were in use only about a decades ago or two. Sometimes, an Edo sentence comes out exactly the same way it's spoken in Ika language. I can go on and on. Don't think you know more about my people than I do. I'm talking to you from a personal point of view. Thanks
If you don't know central Igbo then you cannot know Ika! If you understand Ika, Ukwuali, Ikwerre or any other Igbo dialect you'll definitely understand central Igbo. Because central Igbo is the main point from which other dialects diverge. Central Igbo contains the most popular Igbo forms of wordings and speech I.e. the ones most frequently encountered in the majority of Igbo dialects.
I listen to Ika news on Delta TV and YouTube and I understand most of what they say. Same as Ikwerre on RSTV. Ukwuani is even the closest to central Igbo and much more easier to understand than Ika and Ikwerre.
I have no problem with delta-Igbo people claiming whatever origin they imagine, but when they speak their native tongue I'll understand. Because it's just Igbo language!
I'm an Ika man and I'm telling you that we don't understand central Igbo. I won't argue about your understanding Ika language or not. For you as an Easterner to understand Ika language depends on many things. It's possible you're from the Eastern clans that have kinship with Anioma and for you to watch Ika request on TV shows you may be resident in Delta and hence already conversant with Ika-Anioma . Most Ikas only understand some few Edo but I understand Edo to a great extent. I have the gift of understanding a language from a different related language that I know. I know some few international language and I'm able to understand other related languages from these languages.
Written Ukwani look like Igbo but spoken Ukwani is not easy to understand. I'm an Anioma man. Don't argue these things with me.
Keep spreading falsehood like it increases your balance.
1
What exactly is falsehood? We're you in Mars when the Nigerian Army went to disarm some villages in Niger in a period of constant Fulani attack? They fought back and killed some soldiers but they were eventually disarmed. Why didn't the Army interested in disarming these villages under attack when they don't provide security?
Expect Fulani attack in Agatu in weeks time. This is how they always do it. Before any Fulani attack, the Army go on a mission to disarm the natives to avoid any resistance to the Fulani forces when they attack. They did it in Agatu, Taraba, Niger, Kaduna and now they have their eyes back on Benue
Maybe you'd need to spend some time in Ika-land or Ukwaliland to become fluent in the dialects but ordinarily listening to them, if you understand central Igbo language you will be able to figure out more than 80% of what Ika and Ukwuali people are saying.
And an Onye-Igbo can become quite fluent in the language within one weekend of interaction with the natives of these places.
This is notwithstanding the fact that these Ika and Ukwuali people understand central Igbo perfectly well without first studying it.
It's not true. An Onye Igbo can't understand Ika and Ukwani well. Written Ukwani sounds so much Igbo but try listen to spoken Ukwani. Igbos can only pick some words and sentences. I'm an Ika man and I've tried to communicate in Ika with Igbo friends but they always get lost. I speak Ika to them because an average Ika man can't speak central Igbo. I don't know if Ukwani can understand central Igbo but we Ikas don't understand central Igbo properly.
Cire80: 11:57am On Feb 26, 2017 
