“Ibusa Monarch Reasserts Anioma’s Igbo Roots”

By PAULINA NZERUBE

THE Obuzor of Ibusa, His Royal Majesty Obi Prof. Louis Nwaoboshi, has restated that Anioma communities in Delta State are historically and culturally part of Igboland. Speaking in his palace, he said the region’s current placement traces back to a colonial-era error made in 1939, when British officials misaligned Nigeria’s regional boundaries.

According to the monarch, Anioma people were wrongly placed under the old Western Region despite speaking Igbo and sharing deep cultural ties with the East. He argued that the correct East–West boundary should have been drawn beyond Abudu in present-day Edo State, not near the Niger River.

Obi Nwaoboshi noted that communities such as Ibusa, Aboh, Ogwashi-Uku and Ubulu-Uku have always been linguistically and historically tied to Igboland. He added that agitation for proper recognition began long before independence, led by traditional rulers across Delta North.

The monarch said he founded a cultural body in 1980 to preserve Anioma identity and praised past and present regional advocates, including Senator Ned Nwoko, whose family has been part of the movement since 1939.

He explained that “Anioma” was created to unify Igbo-speaking groups in Delta North after other eastern Igbo communities had already consolidated their identities. He also criticised shifting political classifications—from Western Region to Mid-West, and later Delta State—for deepening identity confusion.

Rejecting contemporary labels like “South-South,” he urged Anioma people to embrace their shared heritage.

“We are one,” he said. “Awaken and embrace your brothers.”