Anioma people
The Anioma people are a predominantly Igboid speaking ethnolingustic group and nationality located in present day Delta State, Nigeria. They encompass and are native to the communities which span across the 9 northeastern Local Government Areas of Delta State. Politically, the Anioma occupy the Delta North Senatorial District where they are the majority group. Today, the senatorial district consists of the Enuani (Oshimili/Aniocha), and Ukwuani/Ndokwa and Ika geographical and linguistic zones of Delta State.
An ancient and industrious nation, the Anioma are estimated today at a total population of approximately 1.8 million people.[1][2] The largest Anioma settlement and urban area is the Delta State Capital Territory which incorporates the city of Asaba along the Niger, with Okpanam and Igbuzor and surrounding communities.
Ndi Aniọma | |
---|---|
Total population | |
1,800,000 (est. 2022, 2,100,000) 2,100,000 (including those of ancestral descent) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Nigeria (Delta State with minorities in Edo State, Anambra State) | |
Religion | |
Predominantly minority African Traditional Religion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Igbo, Bini, Esan, Igala, Yoruba |
Geography
The Anioma are located immediately south of the Edo Central Plains on the floodplains and hills of the western basin of the Niger River within the present Delta State of Nigeria. The homeland of the Anioma encompasses a land mass of about 6,300 km2 [citation needed]. Politically, Anioma is often referred to in state affairs as Delta North, as against the people of the Delta South and Delta Central senatorial districts within Delta. Anioma is bounded on the East by Anambra State, south-east by Imo and Rivers States, south by Bayelsa State, south-west by Isoko, west by the Urhobo ethnic nation, north-west by Edo State and north by Kogi State. Anioma may therefore be regarded as highly contiguous to its very many neighbours ethnic groups. The people have drawn their culture and experiences as a result of lying contiguous to numerous other ethnicities and communities which characterises Anioma as a relatively peaceful region in terms of national affairs.[3]
There are 25 Local government areas in Delta State, and the nine underneath make up the Anioma region:
- Aniocha North
- Aniocha South
- Ika North-East
- Ika South
- Ndokwa East
- Ndokwa West
- Oshimili North
- Oshimili South
- Ukwuani
Language
Today, the Anioma people predominantly speak Igboid languages and dialects with varying native dialects including the Enuani dialect spoken in Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Isheagu, Asaba, parts of Igbodo, Illah, Issele, Idumuje, Onicha etc., Ika of Agbor, Umunede, Owa etc. with heavy linguistic influence from Bini, an Edoid language, Ukwuani-Aboh dialect of the Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni cluster mostly spoken by the peoples of Ndokwa. There are minority Anioma peoples in Edo (Igbanke), Ute-Oheze, Iru, Owariozor, Obagie N’Oheze, Ekpon, Owanikeke, Iyenle, Anambra (Onitsha, Ozobulu, Obosi, Oraifite) and Imo states (Oguta). Minorities of historically non-Igbo speakers exist with a Igala minority in the northernmost extremities of the Anioma homeland at Ebu on the border with Edo State and Umuebu in Ukwuani[4] as well as the Yoruboid Olukumi[5] of Aniocha.
List of Anioma towns and communities
Anioma towns and communities alphabetically arranged below:[6]
Abah, Abala Anikoko, Abavo, Abi, Abodei, Aboh, Adai, Adonta, Afor, Agbor, Akakpan-Isumpe, Ankara, Akoku, Akuku-Akumazi, Akumazi-Umuocha, Akwukwu-Igbo, Alasime, Alidinma, Alihagu, Amai, Anakwa, Anifekide, Aninwalo, Aninwama-Jeta, Aniofu, Aniogo, Anioma, Anuregu, Anwai, Asaba, Asaba-Ase, Asaba-Ubulu, Ashaka, Ashama, Atuma, Atuma-Iga, Azagba-Ogwashi, Azagba-Ubieni, Ebedi, Ebu, Edo-Ogwashi, Egbudu-Akah, Egbudu-Ogwashi, Ejeme-Agbor, Ejeme-Aniogo, Ejeme-Unor, Ekpecho, Ekpon, Ekwuemusana, Emu, Emuhu, Etua Etiti, Etua Ukpo, Ewulu, Ezi, Eziokpor, Ezionum, Ibodoni, Ibrode, Ibusa, Idumuesah, Idumuje-Ugboko, Idumuje-Unor, Idumu-Ogo, Igbanke, Igbodo, Igbogiri, Igbuku, Illah, Iru, Isa-Ogwashi, Iselegu, Isheagu, Isikiti-Ishiagu, Issele-Azagba, Issele-Mkpitime, Issele-Uku, Isumpe, Kwale, Mbiri, Ndemiri, Ndokwa, Abbi, Inam-Abbi, Eziunm, Nkpolenyi, Nsukwa, Obeti, Obi Anyima, Obi Umutu, Obi, Obiaruku, Obikwele, Obinomba, Obior, Obodo-Eti, Obomkpa, Ogbe, Ogode, Ogume, Ogwashi-Uku, Oko Anala, Oko/Ogbele, Oko-Amakom, Okotomi, Okpa, Okpanam, Okwe, Oligbo, Oligbo, Olor-Usisa, Olu-Odu, Omaja, Onicha Olona, Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Uku, Onitsha-Ukwuani, Onogbokor, Onuseti, Onya, Oolor-Ogwashi, Otolokpo, Otulu, Owa Nta, Owa-Abi, Owa-Alero, Owa-Ofie, Owa-Oyibo, Owerri-Olubor, Ubulubu, Ubulu-Okiti, Ubulu-Okiti, Ubulu-Ukwu, Ubulu-Unor, Udumeje, Ugboba, Ugbodu, Ugbolu, Ugiliamai, Ukala-Okpunor, Ukala-Okwute, Ukwuani, Ukwunzu, Ukwu-Oba, Umuabu, Umu-Ebu Adonishaka, Umuhu, Umukwem, Umukwota, Umunede, Umuolu, Umute, Umutu, Unor, Unor, Unuaja, Ushie, Usisa, Utagba-Ogbe, Utagba-Unor, Utchi, Ute Aru, Ute Enugu, Ute Erumu, Utegbeje, Ute Obagie N’Oheze, Ute-Oheze, Ute-Okpu, Utuoku.
Notable people
- Joseph "Hannibal" Achuzie, military personnel and civil war veteran[7]
- Hanks Anuku, Veteran Nollywood actor[citation needed]
- Phillip Asiodu, former Minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria[citation needed]
- Maryam Babangida, wife of Former Nigerian Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida[citation needed]
- Prof Joseph Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba[citation needed]
- Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation[8]
- Air-Marshal Paul Dike, former Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria NASA[citation needed]
- Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian-born British novelist
- Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
- Faze, Nigerian Musician
- Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, Nigeria
- Elizabeth Isichei, prominent historian
- Alex Iwobi, football player
- Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum
- Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, former Super Eagles captain and Malian National Football Team Coach
- Demas Nwoko, prominent Sculptor of Nigeria
- Ned Nwoko, former senator
- Sam Obi, Former Acting Governor of Delta State and former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly
- Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Channel
- Nduka Odizor, former Lawn tennis player
- Timothy Ogene, writer
- Joy Ogwu, former Managing Director of Nigeria Institute of International Affairs
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-general of the World Trade Organization
- Ifeanyi Okowa,[9] former Nigerian Senator and current Governor of Delta State
- Austine "Jay-Jay" Okocha, former Captain of Super Eagles of Nigeria
- Sunday Oliseh, former Captain of super Eagles of Nigeria
- Lisa Omorodion, Nollywood Actress, producer and entrepreneur
- Dennis Osadebe, politician, poet, journalist and former premier of the now defunct Mid-Western Region of Nigeria, which now comprises Edo and Delta State.
- Jim Ovia, M/D Zenith Bank
- Zulu Sofola, the first published female Nigerian playwright and dramatist and first female Professor of Theater Arts in Africa.
- Nduka Ugbade, Nigeria's former football player and the first African to lift the world cup
- Patrick Utomi, Presidential Candidate and Founder of Lagos Business School
- Raph Uwechue, was a Nigerian minister, diplomat and publisher. He is a former president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socio-cultural organization in Nigeria
See also
- Ekumeku Movement
- 1967 Asaba Massacre
- Igboid languages
- Edoid languages
- Yoruboid languages
- Igala people
- Organisation for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC)
References
- ^ "Federal Republic of Nigeria, Official gazette". 94 (24). 2007.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ "About". ANIOMA VOICE WORLDWIDE FOUNDATION. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
- ^ Kunirum Osia, Anioma Association Inc, USA, May 24, 1997
- ^ "EBU, THE IGALA- SPEAKING COMMUNITY IN ANIOMA". nairapen.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ Agborh, Alphonsus (2022-07-24). "Yoruba community in the heart of Igbo-speaking Delta produces own Bible, dictionary". Tribune Online. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "The Anioma People - A History Lesson in Five Minutes (by Bolaji Aluko)". groups.google.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ Nwafor (2018-04-14). "Achuzia,"Hannibal", buried in Asaba". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "TONY ELUMELU: Exiting UBA as CEO at Age 47 was a Blessing – THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "Okowa: 60 Garlands for An Indefatigable Performer". THISDAYLIVE. 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
External links
- Reawakening in Delta North[permanent dead link]
- https://web.archive.org/web/20150330003905/http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/nmwpg1HarunaIgboMassacre.html
- Asaba.com
- Anioma USA
Further reading
- Udeani, Chibueze. (2007). Inculturation as Dialogue: Igbo Culture and the Message of Christ. p. 11. ISBN 978-9042022294.
- Ikime O. (ed). Groundwork of Nigerian history. Heineman educational books (Nigeria) PLC, Ibadan, 1980: 89-121.
- Onwuejeogwu MA. Igbo civilization: Nri kingdom and hegemony; London, Ethnographica, 1981.
- Obi Efeizomor II (Obi of Owa). Community development in Owa kingdom – the Nigerian factor. University of Benin press; Benin City-Nigeria; 1994: 303.