Emergence Of Senator John Azuta-Mbata As President-General Of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, And Reality Of History.
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Wednesday (Afor) 15-01-2025.
Though the origin of the Igbo appears characterized by hypothesis and conjectures, some authorities in history and archaeology, such as Professors Adiele Afigbo, and Edmund Ilogu, strongly assert that the Igbo are one of the earliest ancestral inhabitants in Nigeria, dating about 6000 BC. The language, Igbo, belongs to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages.
Not minding dialectical differences that exist in a given language, there are inseparable identical and identifiable words used in a language that really point to a common ethnic origin of speakers of a language.
For quite some time now, following the end of Nigerian Civil war, often referred to as Nigeria/Biafra war, and what could be described as a survivalist instinct, the Ikwerre sub-ethnic nationality has been engulfed in controversy on whether they are Igbo or not. While the likes of their forebears, such as late Senator Obi Wali, and notable Educationist, Mr Emmanuel Aguma, did not at any time create any impression of doubt about their Igbo origin, some of their young elites now hold a contrary view.
Some Ikwerre indigenes have been trying to rewrite the history of the Ikwerre People. They claim that their progenitor, Akalaka, migrated from Benin Kingdom to their present place of settlement. This claim is not in contention. History holds it that Akalaka had three children; (1) Ekpeye, (2) Ogba, and (3) Ihuroha (Ikwerre), which was later called Iwhnurohna.
A fundamental historical inquiry that must be made is, who was Akalaka and of what origin was he? To begin with, the name Akalaka is Igbo. In some Igbo clans like Asa, it is pronounced Akaraka. It means destiny. Akalaka was said to be an Igbo warrior who lived in the western part of Igbo land, with strong ties with the Benin Kingdom. History has it that he had to flee from Benin Kingdom on the suspicion that the Oba of Benin, Egwuare (Ogwaro) had wanted to kill him for allegedly plotting to kill the Oba, and possibly overthrow his kingship.
One obvious characteristic feature of an Ikwerre indigene is that he or she does not need to go to any school of language in order to speak Igbo language. He or she speaks Igbo through natural acquisition.
In central Igbo language, water is miri, and in Ikwerre dialect it is mini. In central Igbo language, a king is Eze, and it is so in Ikwerre dialect. God is Chineke or Chukwu in Igbo central language. In Ikwerre dialect, it is called Ali. In Igbo religion, Ala or Ani refers to the Supreme Deity. Ali is the dialectical version of Ala or Ani in Ikwerre dialect. Market in Igbo language is Ahia or Afia. In Ikwerre dialect, it is the same Ahia.
Many factors had influenced migrations in the past. They could have been economic, mercenary engagements, including wars, or social. The last point of a group’s migrational takeoff does not necessarily determine the group’s origin. People, still in the course of their migration, do not throw away their names. That was why Akalaka, the Igbo warrior, did not give up his Igbo name.
The claim by some Ikwerre elites that they have their origin in Benin has long been dismissed by no less authority than the late Benin Monarch, Oba Erediauwa Akenzua, who reigned from 23rd March, 1979 to 29th April, 2016. He was a District Officer in former Ahoada District, and had direct transactions, administratively, with People from Ekpeye, Ogba and Ikwerre. In his autobiography, I Remain, Sir, Your Obedient Servant, which he started writing in 1965 and had it published by Spectrum Publishers in 2004, he categorically stated that the Ekpeye, Ogba and Ikwerre Peoples are Igbo. As the Administrator that he was, and, more so, being of Benin Royalty, as he was formerly Prince Solomon, he would have known if the Ikwerre People were of his Benin origin. He knew Ikwerre People were not of Benin ascendancy, and, therefore, categorised them where they historically belong, Igbo.
Any person embarking on sustaining the unsustainable narrative of Ikwerre being of Benin origin, even after Oba Erediauwa Akenzua had clearly disclaimed it, not just verbally but in black and white, must be viewed from the prism of preposterous self-deceit and, of course, absurdity.
Before the Nigerian Civil war, the Igbo formed Igbo Union about 1945. That Union was the Umbrella Organization of all Social-Cultural Unions in Igbo land, including Ekpeye, Ogba, Ikwerre, Andoni and Omoku. The Union was the rallying point of the Igbo in Nigeria, and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s National Council of Nigerian Citizens, NCNC, drew formidable support from the Union. The Union had branches all over Nigeria.
In 1976, following the visionary inspiration of a renowned Legal Luminary, Professor Ben Nwabueze, SAN, the former Igbo Union was transformed into Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, with former Governor of Eastern Region, late Dr Akanu Ibiam, as its first President-General while Prof Nwabueze was his Deputy.
As a Pan Igbo Organization, Ohaneze Ndi Igbo covers all Igbo-speaking parts of Nigeria vis a vis, the Igbo in the five States of South-East geo-political zone, Delta State, and, of course, Rivers State.
Ambassador Ralph Uwaechue from Ogwashi- Uku in Delta State was elected President-General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo in 2008. He served the turn of the Igbo in Delta State.
Now that Most Distinguished Senator John Azuta-Mbata, an indigene of populous Ikwerre sub-ethnic nationality, that represented Rivers-East Senatorial District in the Senate between 1999 and 2007, has been unanimously elected the 13th President-General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, taking the turn of the Igbo in Rivers State, the reality of origin and history of the very good People of Ikwerre has been made indisputably manifest and, of course, conclusive.
Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State and writes from his native Asa Land beautifully located between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
