UKWUANI IS A DISTINCT ETHNIC NATIONALITY

BY

PROFESSOR STEVE AGWO OKECHA

A shrimp that falls asleep gets

carried by the current

MEXICAN PROVERB

INTRODUCTION:

Ukwuani is definitely a distinct ethnic nationality in Nigeria.  We have existed as such, since the world began.  We are a people of deep spirituality and enduring cultural practices.  Our people migrated in a mixed-grill fashion from different directions to what is now Ukwuaniland.  A pertinent question is, were there no aborigenes in the place? I leave the sociologists, the anthropologists, the historians and the archaeologists to unravel the puzzle. 

The migrants lived harmoniously together, bonded, with the passage of time, under one solid umbrella as UKWUANI.  Our ancestors were men and women of great courage and valour.  For the bravery of our ancestors, for their heroism, for their good naturedness, for their charm, and for their gloriousness, our communities have, over the years deservedly earned characteristic ancestral praise – names [efa-otutu]:

1.        Utagba-Uno                        –           Ebologu  abusumma

2.        Umuebu                               –           Ekule ofianga, funi ogu ju ili. Ekule

nyini  oba idu

3.        Ogume                                  –           Ogume idu omamma

4.        Amai                                      –           Igwete ododo

5.        Obiaruku                             –           Aluku uku

6.        Abbi                                       –           Abbi echala

7.        Umutu                                  –           Umutu Igili

8.        Ezionum                              –           Ezionum asaba uchi

9.        Umukwata                          –           Ezhike ni ogba

10.      Akoku                                   –           Akoku Obodo Oji

11.      Emu                                       –           Emu amobene jeni nta ngbada nwulu                                                                        enyi neka

12.      Eziokpor                              –           Ubenyi

13.      Ossissa                                 –           Igala etor

14.      Onicha-Ukwuani               –           Ado ejanzu

15.      Afor (Efor)                          –           Etim obodo ejanzu

16.      Ushe                                      –           Oduga-Uku

17.      Obi-Obeti                             –           Obi Obeti Igala

18.      Okpai                                    –           Okpai ogbuiji

19.      Ashaka                                  –           Ashaka London

OUR LANGUAGE

We are Ukwuani people , and Ukwuani is our mother tongue.  We are NOT Igbos, and our language is NOT Igbo.  In Ukwuani, the word Igbo, is demeaning and derogatory, it stands for slave.  There are Ukwuani, Idoma and Ikwerre words that are similar or nearly so to those of Igbo words, nevertheless, the Ukwuanis, the Idomas and the Ikwerres clearly see themselves as non-Igbos.

DEVELOPMENT OF UKWUANI LANGUAGE

The development of Ukwuani language is imperative. Our children should be proudly taught Ukwuani. A language that is not spoken goes into extinction. I say, regrettably, that the children of the elite are unaware that there is a language called Ukwuani, yet they speak English fluently through the nose like the English prince. Some of our children even speak Yoruba as fluently as the Alafin of Oyo. The worst scenario is, when Ukwuani children of Ukwuani parents [both fathers and mothers Ukwuani], speak only pidgin English at home, and Yoruba in some cases.

Our land harbours some misguided youths who claim to be Igbo. Imagine a grandchild renouncing the origin and heritage of his Ukwuani grandparents. What an abomination!

My friend, the young Dein of Agbor, His Majesty, Benjamin Ikechukwu Keagborekuzi I, has often advised his subjects to give their children typical Agbor names, and to teach them their mother tongue. In the same vein, I urge our people to give their children typical Ukwuani names, instead of:

Spanish Names:

Pedro

Sebastian

Lucas

Isabella

Valentina

Nicolas

OR

French Names:

Agnes

Agatha

Helene

Nicolas

Veronique

Bernard

Yvonne

OR

English Names:

David

George

Olivia

Audrey

Paul

Typical Ukwuani names are given below:

• Ebinum
• Oliseyenum
• Uligi
• Opute
• Okpor
• Ogbolu
• Anuwom
• Ogeleka          
• Oyem
• Adilike
• Onyesom
• Uchebenu
• Otunuya
• Eneluwe
• Amudo
• Ozegbe
• Abanum
• Ochonogor
• Mogbolu
• Onyebolise
• Tilije
• Enuma
• Ozuem
• Eboagu
• Ashiwe
• Ibobo
• Ugbege
• Etigwam
• Ogodu
• Oshamisu
• Obadoni
• Ekaba
• Uguna
• Atuma
• Achugbue
• Iwegbue
• Ochade
• Nwose
• Akpe
• Ofikulu
• Onyewosa
• Osanebi
• Enebeli
• Isama
• Ozegbe
• Ikum
• Omeneogor
• Anigala
• Enegide
• Kelikwume
• Ejechi
• Omolu
• Imala
• Ntaka
• Esume
• Osakuni
• Enudeme
• Omenebele
• Chegbene
• Emili
• Okubor
• Ojinika
• Egwuenu
• Osuya
• Osasa
• Edike
• Obine
• Osakene
• Ikuni
• Anamali
• Enemuwe
• Olum
• Omenogor
• Otunyo
• Okusogu
• Nzete
• Anigala
• Nzelegu

Some of you, I guess, are aware that I had served as the President General of the Ndokwa National Union, NNU, and that I have also written extensively on Ndokwa issues over the years. However, I have realised, with the passage of time, that Ndokwa as a word is meaningless and fictitious. For years, I had stopped using the word. While preparing this essay, I Googled to get some typical Ukwuani names of men and women, and I was glad to see the names pop out with consummate ease.

I also Googled, out of sheer curiosity, to obtain typical Ndokwa names of men and women, but none was available – only Ukwuani names were shown instead. The word, “Ndokwa,” should be given a deadly blow on the nose and discarded forthwith. I abhor it, the way I disapprove of the word, “Anioma”. These two words are instruments of historical distortion. I hereby say categorically, that Ndokwa does not represent a language or an ethnic group. The word is absurd, preposterous, unimaginable and clearly out-of-the-way . I say, without mincing words, to those who claim to speak Ndokwa, that their language is nonexistent. They should desist from misleading and deceiving their kith and kin.

For my money, among our shortcomings  is our inability to celebrate the living and the dead.  We have had, in the past, great Ukwuani men and women.  We even have celebratable men and women today in our land.  Ukwuaniland has produced people who have contributed to the development of Nigeria in various ways, in:

• Sports
• Music
• The military
• Academia
• Business
• Politics
• Public service

Somehow, a number of our people cherish crabism – engaging, with relish, in the pull-him-down syndrome.  The behaviour of many Ukwuani youths is despicable. Some of them are responsible for playing down on the integrity and dignity of the Ukwuani ethnic nationality.  They claim to be Igbo even when their parents are pure Ukwuani.  They glorify and worship politicians from other ethnic groups.  They are subservient briefcase carriers.

Ukwuaniland is a cultural society.  Today, our cultural discipline appears to be waning.  The prevailing indiscipline is contributory to our current identity crisis.  The age-grade system should be restored, where it no longer exists, and our people should, as before, participate  in community development.  Those in the diaspora should also shoulder some responsibilities.  I wish to appreciate now the contributions made by our brothers and sisters in the United States of America and the United Kingdom to the development of our land.  They deserve immeasurable praises for their public-spiritedness and show  of love.

UKWUANI LANGUAGE AND UKWUANI CULTURE OUTSIDE UKWUANILAND

Ukwuani is the language predominantly spoken in Ukwuani and Ndokwa West Local Government Areas.  Apart from Aboh indigenes who claim to speak Aboh, most of the communities in Ndokwa East Local Government Area, do not claim Aboh as their mother tongue.  Ukwuani is spoken in Ashaka, Okpai, Ushe, Afor, Ossissa and other communities in Ndokwa East Local Government Area.

Aside from Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani Local Government Areas, Ukwuani people are also found in Ogbaru area of Anambra State; Ndoni in Rivers State; Agwe near Ndoni; around Patani in Bayelsa State; Oguta area in Imo State; Abraka, Aragba and Orogun in Delta State.

Ukwuani and Ndosimili people had lived together harmoniously as brothers and sisters since antiquity.  To further concretise  their union, the two groups met in 1974.  Thus, Chief William O. Eboagu [of blessed memory] said, as published in the Daily Times of 20 March, 1975, the following:

“The accredited representatives from Clans of Ukwuani and Ndosimili Districts of Aboh Division at the meeting on ethnicity held at Kwale on 25 July, 1974, TOTALLY REJECTED being styled Ibo-speaking because they, are not and the idea was never handed down to them.”

Chief Eboagu continued,

“We wish to inform the Nigerian public and particularly the generality of the people outside the Mid-West State that the Ukwuani people constitute separate ethnic group in this country and are not of Iboland by any consideration.  Current views curiously expressed in academic circles show that there is almost total ignorance about our people and accordingly it has become incumbent on us to enlighten the public.”

These days, unfortunately, Ukwuani and Ndosumili people appear to be at daggers drawn. They no longer interact and operate as brothers and sisters. Things have definitely fallen apart, and the time has come for us to go our separate ways without firing a gun. We should stop playing cat and mouse in a forced union. We should disengage peacefully, as the basis for unity no longer exists. We should not continue to engage in an unnecessary competition for an invisible, nonexistent trophy. Shame on those whose preoccupation has been the sowing of the seed of discord among us.

As I have earlier said, Ukwuani-speaking people are found in parts of Southern Nigeria.  Let me now narrate one interesting story.  There is a town called EBELLE in Igueben LGA in Edo State.  Ebelle is the only palm wine-producing community in Esanland.  The town was founded by an Ukwuani man from Utagba-Uno.  How? Many, many years ago, there was a chieftaincy tussle at Utagba-Uno: one Chief, who was denied the Onotu-Uku position was angry.  He abandoned Utagba-Uno, and wandered to the virgin land now known as Ebelle.  He settled there.  With the passage of time, the chieftaincy conflict was resolved at Utagba-Uno.

Some chiefs then set out to search for their colleague, who had absconded.  The search team finally found the deserter.  They appealed to him to return home, and perform  the function of the Onotu-Uku of Utagba-Uno.  The deserter refused, saying, EBENEAMAKA. This word metamorphosed, over the years, into EBELLE. There is no such word in Esan.  I have been to the village and I had visited the  traditional ruler. In Ebelle, Ukwuani-like activities are performed during their festivals.

UKWUANI CULTURAL PRACTICES

Ukwuani cultural practices are unique and phenomenal.  The festivals of the Ukwuani people are ancient cultural institutions established by our ancestors to honour the deities and ancestors, regulate farming seasons, maintain peace and strengthen our unity.  They include:

• Ukwata Festival
• Ezenmor Festival
• Ikenge Festival
• Ojie [New Yam] Festival
• Ndukwu Festival
• Other sacred Festivals: Eg Omaliko, Ukpalabo, and many more that preserve our traditions and values.

Ukwuani, as one of the constituent tribes of the  old Warri [later Delta] Province, shares some cultural practices of the defunct Province such as:

• Mode of dressing – tying of wrapper.
• Common dances – named differently in the various ethnic groups eg silt dance or ekeneke in Ukwuaniland and Urhoboland ; also emejo.
• Traditional marriage practices.
• Burial practices eg second burial of old people.
• Burying a dead married woman in her father’s compound.
• Entertainment of guests with kola-nut, “wedged” with money.

TOTEMS AND TABOOS

Each clan in Ukwuaniland has its unique totems and taboos. A totem is a natural object, animal or plant adopted by a group of people [eg family, clan] as a sacred symbol of their shared ancestry, identity and cultural heritage.  For example, the monkey is highly revered and honoured at Ezionum.  This animal has access to their homes, and no one dares to do it any harm. 

A taboo is a strong social cultural or religious prohibition against doing, or saying or touching something.  At Umuebu, it is a taboo for indigenes to eat snail or dog meat.

SIMILARITY OF SOME UKWUANI WORDS AND NAMES TO IGBO ONES

After discussing this topic, I shall examine the Igboid language class in detail to clearly simplify the issue to our people, most of whom are currently confused.

You might be wondering why some of our names and some of our words are similar or nearly so to Igbo ones.  So what? I repeat, so what? Do the Tundes, the Lakojus, the Agboguns, the Ajayis and the Akereles [to mention a few] of Akoko-Edo LGA in Edo State see themselves as Yorubas?  No, of course.  Are the Ogus, the Okoros and the Egbuwokus of Isokoland, Igbos or Ukwuanis.? They are Isokos. Do the Achugbues, the Ishiekwenes, the Animams and the Oputes of Orogun in Ughelli North LGA regard themselves as Ukwuanis?  The answer is, no. they are  Urhobos, so they claim.

The Itsekiris and Yorubas have many cultural and linguistic similarities, yet thy are two distinct ethnic groups.

There are many Isoko words which are similar to Urhobo ones, but the Isokos very strongly object to being referred to as Urhobos, who, in turn, regard being called Isokos as an abomination.

The Igarras of Edo State and the Egbiras of Kogi State actually speak exactly the same language, but both groups claim to belong to different tribes.

The Ikwerres of Rivers State speak something like an Igbo dialect , and they have Igbo-like names. Call an Ikwerre man an Igbo man, and you would discover that, that is the fastest way for you to relocate to either hell or heaven.

The official language of Austria is German, but the Austrians are proudly Austrians, NOT Germans.

We constitute a definite ethnic group of our own.  This explains why the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, excluded our people from the “registration of Ibos in Lagos” exercise during the civil war.  During that registration exercise, Ndokwa East people and some Igbos claimed to be Ukwuani for their survival.

The NYSC produced a brochure for its first batch of coppers  in 1973.  The brochure listed the tribes in Nigeria without mentioning Ukwuani.  Then, I was already a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.  As soon as the nonlisting of Ukwuani was brought to my notice by my younger brother, I promptly protested vehemently in writing.  The  following year, Ukwuani was graciously listed in the NYSC brochure.

We are NOT Igbo. Our people bear Obi as a name, so do the Isokos, the Ijaws, the Igbos and some parts of Benue State.

If one of us bears OKOROAFOR as a name, that does not alter his identity: he is an Ukwuani man. Period.  If an Orlu man in Imo State bears OKOROAFOR, he is an Igbo man.  I was in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1980 for an International Conference, where I delivered a speech. During the coffee break, a group of Kenyan scholars came up to me smiling. One of them said, “Hello, Steve, are you a Kenyan living in Nigeria?” I  smiled and said, no.  “I am a Nigerian”, I emphasised. Afterwards, I learnt that my surname, OKECHA, is a common name in Western Kenya.  My younger brother, a professor in a South African university, once told me a story.  Two Kenyan boys, after seeing his name in the Directory of Commonwealth Academics, wrote him as their “countryman,” asking him to assist them gain admission into his university.  Yet, another story: my wife, a professor of educational administration, attended an international conference in Uganda. At the Entebbe International Airport, she cleared customs fast and easily.  The customs officers, thought from her name, that she was a female academic from Kenya, and treated her reverentially.  Do we then conclude that Ukwuanis are Keyans?  The answer is blowing in the mind.

THE BIZARRE RED CAP NARRATIVE

Some of our people tend to believe that Ukwuani people are Igbo simply because some of us wear red caps,  particularly during ceremonies.  This is a display of downright ignorance.  This is insulting. When did the Igbo start wearing red caps?  Red caps were worn by some of their chiefs in the past. Today, the so-called rich Igbo young men proudly wear red caps as a status symbol-strutting around with a swagger. The wearing of red caps was not fashionable in Ukwuaniland in the past. My father‘s generation and the ones before theirs never wore red caps;  they wore white caps, bowler hats and helmets.  These days, chiefs in our communities wear red caps, but not because we are Igbos.  This is however, a new phenomenon. 

In November, 2025, I attended the coronation of my friend, His Royal Majesty, Albert Akpomudje, as the Ohworode [King] of Olomu Kingdom in Ughelli South LGA, Delta State.  There, I saw about one thousand Urhobo chiefs in the palace, all wearing red caps, to my astonishment.  The Urhobos usually wear bowler hats.  Are you saying that the Urhobos are now Igbos for wearing red caps?

We are Ukwuani people, and will forever, remain so.  The wearing of red caps by some of us cannot, and will NEVER alter our God-giving identity.

Perhaps, we should now minimize or put a halt to the use of red caps, and revert to wearing the traditional bowler hats and other caps.

LANGUAGE FAMILIES

There are language families all over the world. For example, English, German, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian all belong to the Germanic Language Family, yet Germans, English people, Dutch people, Swedes and Norwegians remain distinct groups and nations.  Similarly, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian are all Romance languages.

The Niger-Congo is a massive proposed language family spoken by about 600 million people across sub-Saharan Africa.  It is considered one of the largest language families in the world, and includes regional languages such as Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo.  The name was coined to reflect the predominance of these languages in the great river basins of the Niger and Congo rivers.  The numerous languages of the Niger-Congo are classified into sub-groups.  The word, Igboid, is a linguistic classification; it is NOT an ethnic group, tribe or nationality.  The term is used by linguists to describe a branch of related languages within the Niger-Congo language family.

Let me simplify this situation:  the fact that the Urobos, the Ijaws, the Ukwuanis, the Itsekiris, the Isokos, the Ikas and the Aniochas belong to Delta State, does not necessarily mean that  we are one and the same people.

For further clarification; Igboid is a linguistic classification, while Igbo is an ethnic group.  Thus, a language family should NEVER be mistaken for an ethnic identity.

CONCLUSION

As I conclude this speech, I must say that the behaviour of some of our young men and women is utterly despicable and condemnable.  These people are responsible for playing down on the integrity, dignity and validity of the Ukwuani ethnic nationality.  They claim to be Igbo, even when their parents are proud Ukwuanis. These youths are full-time, shameless errand boys, who subserviently serve as briefcase carriers for politicians  from other ethnic groups.  They are professional praise singers, and sycophancy is their main industry.

Yes, Ukwuani belongs to the Igboid language family, but this linguistic classification does not, in any way, define our identity, our history, our political organisation, our custom or our cultural heritage.  In other words, Ukwuani and Igbo are NOT the same, they are different ethnic groups.

Let me digress here. The Ekpeye Kingdom is an ethnic nation and traditional polity in Rivers State, Nigeria.  The people are in Ahoada East LGA and Ahoada West LGA.  Recently, the Ekpeye people dissociated themselves from the Igbo in an open advertisement, saying:

“EKPEYE IS NOT IGBO”

“Ekpeye is Ekpeye.  Igbo is Igbo. Igboid is not Igbo.  Igbo doesn’t own Igboid.”

We, as Ukwuani people, MUST tell the whole world who we are.  I, therefore, appeal to our students in the tertiary institutions, our academics, our primary and secondary school teachers to document Ukwuani:

• History
• Language
• Geography
• Folklore
• Music
• Proverbs
• Names
• Poetry
• Indigenous sports
• Marriage
• Festivals
• Deities
• Dances
• Food
• Technology
• Architecture
• Occupation
• Religion
• Totems
• Taboos
• Wars
• Mythologies
• Inheritance
• Endemic species: plants and animals

Our people do not necessarily need university first and higher degrees, to conveniently document our ways of life.  A patriotic primary school certificate holder can, with measurable commitment, write something authentic to project the image of Ukwuani ethnicity.  Jacob Egharevba wrote the greatest history of the Binis titled, Short History of Benin, in vernacular, and was published in 1934.  Egharevba’s magnum opus was later translated into English.  Jacob Egharevba barely saw the four walls of a formal school, and he is a highly celebrated historian today.

Our people who have attempted to de-ethnicise us, and label us as Igbo, have a case to answer with our ancestors at the appropriate time.  They must pay for their rascality.  WE KNOW THEM.  None of them will be given the mandate to represent us in politics in future.  Enough is enough.

The lead quotation of this speech, which is a Mexican Proverb says, “A shrimp that falls asleep gets carried by the current”.  To avoid the extinction of the Ukwuani ethnicity, we should always uphold the sanctity and dignity of our ethnic group, as:

Ukwuani is our land.

Ukwuani is our language.

Ukwuani is our identity.

Ukwuani is our ethnicity.

Ukwuani is our sanctity.

Ukwuani is our essence.

Ukwuani is our soul.

Ukwuani is our flag.

Ukwuani is Ukwuani.