Anioma people
Anioma people are one of the Igbo subgroups in present day Delta State, Nigeria. They encompass the communities which span across the 9 northeastern Local Government Areas of Delta State. They occupy the Delta North Senatorial District, which consists of the Enuani (Oshimili/ Aniocha), and Ukwuani/ Ndokwa and Ika geographical and linguistic zones of Delta State.
Anioma means "Good Land" in the Igbo language, and it is an acronym derived from the Local Government in Delta North district namely Aniocha, Ndokwa, Ika and Oshimili, however "MA" is added to give the acronym meaning and wholeness.
An ancient and industrious nation, Anioma is estimated to have a total population of approximately 1.8 million people. 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.
Geography
The Anioma are located on the floodplains and hills of the West Basin of Niger River within the present Delta state of Nigeria, it encompasses a land mass of about 6,300 km2. Politically, Anioma is often referred to as Delta North, as against the other peoples known as the Delta South and Delta Central in the same state. Anioma is bounded on the East by Anambra State, south-east by Imo and Rivers States, south Bayelsa State, south-west by Isoko, west by Urhobo people, north-west by Edo State and north by Kogi State. Anioma may therefore be regarded as highly contiguous to 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 characterizes Anioma as a relatively peaceful region.
There are 25 Local government areas in Delta State, and the nine underneath make up the Anioma region:
- Aniocha North
- Aniocha South
- Ika South
- Ika North-East
- Ndokwa East
- Ndokwa West
- Oshimili North
- Oshimili South
- Ukwuani
Language
Anioma people speak Igbo language with different dialects. These dialects include the Enuani dialect spoken in Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Asaba, parts of Igbodo, Illah, Issele, Idumuje, Onicha etc.), the Ika dialect (Agbor, Umunede, Owa etc.) with heavy influence from the Bini language. Ukwuani-Aboh dialect of the Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni cluster mostly spoken by the peoples of Ndokwa. There are minority Anioma peoples in Edo state of Nigeria (Igbanke), Anambra state (Onitsha, Ozobulu, Obosi, Oraifite) Imo state (Oguta), Rivers state (Ndoni, Ogba) etc. A tiny minority of Igala exists in Ebu on the border with Edo State and Umuebu in Ukwuani.
List of Anioma towns and communities
Anioma towns and communities alphabetically arranged below:
Abah, Abala Anikoko, Abavo, Abi, Abodei, Aboh, Adai, Adonta, Afor, Agbor, Akakpan-Isumpe, Ankara, Akoku, Akuku-Akumazi, Akumazi-Umuocha, Akwuku-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, Igbuku, Illah, 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, Umukwem, Umukwota, Umunede, Umuolu, Umute, Umutu, Unor, Unor, Unuaja, Ushie, Usisa, Utagba-Ogbe, Utagba-Unor, Utchi, Ute Aru, Ute Enugu, Utegbeje, Ute-Okpu, Utuoku.
Notable Anioma people
- Joseph "Hannibal" Achuzie, military personnel and civil war veteran
- Hanks Anuku, Veteran Nollywood actor
- Phillip Asiodu, former Minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria
- Maryam Babangida, wife of Former Nigerian Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida
- Prof Joseph Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba
- Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation
- Air-Marshal Paul Dike, former Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria NASA
- 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, 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
- Igbo language
- Igboid languages
- Organisation for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC)