The Obuzor of Ibusa, His Royal Majesty Professor Louis Nwaoboshi, has reaffirmed that the Anioma people of Delta State are historically and culturally part of the Igbo nation, noting that their agitation for proper regional alignment dates as far back as 1939.
The monarch, speaking during an engagement in Ibusa, explained that the issue began when the colonial administration carved out Nigeria’s first regional boundaries.
According to him, the British authorities wrongly placed Anioma communities under the Western Region despite their deep cultural, linguistic and ancestral ties to Igboland.
He argued that the geographical markers used by the colonial government were incorrect.
“The boundary between North and West is not the River Niger.
”The boundary between North and East is not the River Benue. So the boundary between East and West should have been after Abudu. We were put where we should not be,” he said.
Professor Nwaoboshi emphasised that communities such as Ibusa, Aboh, Ogwashi-Uku, Ubulu-Uku and other towns in present-day Delta North have always been integral to Igboland.
He maintained that the people’s cultural identity long predates Nigeria’s independence and the creation of modern states.
“We have been cheated since 1939. Our fathers have been agitating from that time. I am not a pioneer.
”The people of Aboh, the people of Ibusa, the people of Ubulu-Uku were already involved before the regions were consolidated,” he stated.
The traditional ruler recalled founding a cultural organisation in 1980 to sustain the struggle for proper identity while preserving Anioma heritage.
He also acknowledged the contributions of generations of Anioma leaders, including Senator Ned Nwoko, whom he described as a descendant of early advocates of the Anioma cause.
“Fortunately, Senator Ned Nwoko is our son. He was standing here when we told him to go ahead. It is in his blood because his father was part of those who agitated in 1939.
”These people have been championing the cause of their people from the beginning,” he noted.
The monarch revealed that the name “Anioma” was conceived to unify Igbo-speaking communities in Delta North, especially after neighbouring Igbo areas such as Imo and Anambra States had already established their identities.
He added that archival evidence supports the longstanding nature of the movement.
A 1981 newspaper publication, he said, traced the agitation to 1938 and credited royal fathers from Aboh, Ibusa, Isele-Uku and Agbor as early torchbearers.
Professor Nwaoboshi blamed successive political reorganisations from the Western Region in 1939, to the Mid-West in 1963, and eventually Delta State in 1991 for creating identity confusion among some Anioma people.
He dismissed modern geopolitical classifications such as “South-South” as recent constructs that do not reflect historical or cultural realities.
Calling for unity and recognition of their shared heritage, the Obuzor urged Anioma people to embrace one another and remain proud of their roots.
“It is time they learn that we are one. Awake and accommodate your brothers,” he said.
