By Okoi Obono-Obla
- Dialogue on Anioma Identity: Between Igbo Heritage and Benin Roots:
I met Barrister Gabriel Egbule Junior when I was in office as Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property. We struck a friendship and camaraderie because we shared the same passion for good governance and fighting against corruption. He is a core progressive in deed and action.
This morning, I saw a post on his wall suggesting that the Anioma people of Delta State have rejected their inclusion in the proposed Anioma State within the South East Geopolitical Zone. I began to wonder, because I was in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, in May 2025 during the zonal public hearing of the Senate Committee for Constitutional Review. The Anioma people came in their colourful numbers, with pomp and ceremony, to support the presentation of their memorandum for the creation of Anioma State, led by their distinguished leader and my friend Senator Munir Ned Nwoko. They loudly declared that they are Igbo people. So, would the same Anioma people now contend that they do not want to be included in the South East Geopolitical Zone?
The following dialogue between myself and Barrister Egbule ensued:
Gabriel Egbule Jnr: Anioma people have flatly rejected being taken to the South East. I really don’t know if there will be any new state creation with this development.
Okoi Obono-Obla: Why the rejection?
Gabriel Egbule Jnr: Historically, we have never been part of the South East. From Western Region to Midwestern Region, Midwest State, to Bendel State, to Delta State.
Okoi Obono-Obla: Are Nigerian geopolitical zones carved on such criteria? Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers States were never part of Western Nigeria or the Midwestern State or Bendel State, yet they were lumped with the old Midwestern Region or Bendel State to form the South South Geopolitical Zone. What about that?
Gabriel Egbule Jnr: Chief, in addition, lumping the small people of Delta North into the South East would amount to sentencing them to a lifelong state of being minorities amongst the Igbo people of the South East. The South East as presently constituted shares an uncontested level of homogeneity in language, culture, tradition, origin, and food, unlike the Anioma people. The latter claim to originate from Benin and share similar cultures and traditions. In essence, they will not be comfortable being lumped with our Igbo brothers in the South East.
Okoi Obono-Obla: I know the Benin heritage among the Anioma people, but there is also the Igbo side to it. That is the conundrum of the Anioma people—so complex. In the total sum, we are all one.
Conclusion:
The dialogue reflects the complexity of identity and belonging among the Anioma people. While some embrace their Igbo heritage, others emphasize their Benin roots. This dual identity creates tension in discussions about geopolitical alignment. Ultimately, the question of where Anioma belongs is not merely political but deeply cultural, and it underscores the broader challenge of defining unity within diversity in Nigeria.
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