Emeka Esogbue

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Develop the Spirit to Forgive, Sindi Chigozie Tells Anioma Youths

Develop the Spirit to Forgive, Sindi Chigozie Tells Anioma Youths Sindi Mathias Chigozie is the President of Aniocha-Oshimili Students Association. Chigozie from Okpanam in Delta State bares his mind on issues of concern to the Association and youths of the Anioma region. Excerpts: Pen Master: It's nice to meet you. Please introduce yourself to our teeming readers. Chigozie: Pen Master, thank you very much for finding me worthy of this interview. My name is Sindi Mathias Chigozie, GCAOS, DSS. I am the President and Obi of Aniocha-Oshimili Students Association Nationwide. I am from Ogbeowele, in Obodogwugwu Quarters of Okpanam, a community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State. I was born into the family of Ogbueshi Dr. Ngozi Nwabuoku and Ezinne Mrs. Stella Nwabuoku who is also from Okpanam. I was born into a family of six children. I always say thank you to my parents for the values they instilled in me which I treasure today. I am a Master's Degree Student of...

A Walk Down Memory Lane with the Ibusa Pathfinder Newspaper (August 1993)

A Walk Down Memory Lane with the Ibusa Pathfinder Newspaper (August 1993) By Emeka Esogbue (Pen Master) Courtesy of Mr. Fidel Iwugo, all the way from the United States of America, Pen Master recently received a copy of the celebrated Ibusa Pathfinder Newspaper, now long defunct. Published in August 1993, the news items and stories contained within are far more than interesting. They are treasures for historical minds, reviving old memories and reminding us of where our people have come from. *Sit back as I take you down memory lane.* One notable feature in the edition was titled “Who is Your Ibusa Person of the Year?” Close to it was another headline, “Ajudua Pay (sic) Obis Salaries,” which reported Chief Fred Ajudua’s magnanimous gesture of paying salaries to the Obis in Ibusa. Indeed, 1993 was the year of Chief Fred Ajudua, whose unmatched philanthropy touched nearly every aspect of community life. It would not be surprising if the Onwanetili Oha of Ibusa himself eme...

Linguistic Note on How the British Anglicized “Igbuzo” to “Ibusa”: A Case of Colonial Mishearing and Orthographic Simplification

Linguistic Note on How the British Anglicized “Igbuzo” to “Ibusa”: A Case of Colonial Mishearing and Orthographic Simplification By Emeka Esogbue By 1830, European contact with Anioma land had begun in earnest when the Lander Brothers, during their Niger expedition, reached Aboh and were captured. This marked one of the earliest recorded encounters between Anioma and the Europeans. As British influence expanded through exploration, trade, and later military campaigns, the Anioma region including Asaba, Aboh, Ogwashi-Uku, and Igbuzo (Ibusa) gradually came under their attention. The town of Igbuzo, located about six miles (some colonial documents say five) from Asaba, was a small, dusty settlement perched on a gentle elevation between Asaba and Ogwashi-Uku. By the late 19th century, British explorers, missionaries, and colonial officers, many of whom struggled with the nasal tones and consonant clusters of Igbo phonology, found “Igbuzo” difficult to pronounce. To their ears, the sou...

Honour in Service, Dignity in Retirement: Major General Raymond Ochei’s Journey Through the Ranks

Honour in Service, Dignity in Retirement: Major General Raymond Ochei’s Journey Through the Ranks By Emeka Esogbue After more than three decades of distinguished service to the Nigerian Army, Major General Raymond Nkemakonam Ochei has gracefully bowed out of active duty, leaving behind a legacy defined by discipline, professionalism, and integrity. From his early days as a young cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy to his rise as one of the Army’s most accomplished finance and administrative officers, Ochei’s career stands as a model of commitment, excellence, and leadership. His retirement marks not just the close of a remarkable military chapter but also the beginning of a new phase devoted to mentorship, community service, and the preservation of Anioma heritage. Born into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Maxwell Ochei, Raymond Nkemakonam Ochei hails from Ogbekenu, Onicha-Olona, in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended St. Pius College, Onic...

Delta State Went to Bed as PDP and Woke Up as APC, Labour Party, Internally Divided; ADC Steadfast, Politician and Diaspora Leader, Hon Dr. Kenneth Gbandi - Part Two

Delta State Went to Bed as PDP and Woke Up as APC, Labour Party, Internally Divided; ADC Steadfast, Politician and Diaspora Leader, Hon Dr. Kenneth Gbandi - Part Two Pen Master: Let me return you to Nigerian politics. Gbandi, are you willing to go into the contest again? Gbandi: (laughing) Public service has always been my true calling. If the people and my party base express confidence in my candidature and if together we can build an organized, issue-driven campaign that truly advances the interests of my Anioma region and people, I will give it thoughtful consideration. However, any campaign I associate with must be rooted in service, not ego. It must be guided by a clear development blueprint and supported by strong grassroots structures capable of transforming vision into tangible results. That said, it is now evident that elections without integrity and accountability have lasting consequences. Today, millions of young Nigerians who constitute nearly 70% of our populat...

Delta State Went to Bed as PDP and Woke Up As APC, Labour Party Internally Divided; ADC Steadfast, Politician and Diaspora Leader, Hon Dr. Kenneth Gbandi - Part One

Delta State Went to Bed as PDP and Woke Up As APC, Labour Party Internally Divided; ADC Steadfast, Politician and Diaspora Leader, Hon Dr. Kenneth Gbandi - Part One Hon Dr. Kenneth Gbandi is a politician, businessman, Nigerian leader in the diaspora, and media in publisher. He is the founder of African Heritage Magazine and the Executive Producer of Radio/TV programs. Gbandi with long-standing diaspora leadership, has served Nigeria in different capacities and is also actively driven in several positions. In this interview with media influencer, PEN MASTER (EMEKA ESOGBUE), Hon Dr. Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi in this thought-provoking interview makes several startling revelations about Nigerian and international politics. He believes that the Anioma region needs long-term initiatives in skill development, job creation, housing and other tangible community-level results. Gbandi also bares his mind on the difficulty of returnee-Nigerians to win elections in the country, rising travel co...

From Country to Confusion: The Colonial Conflation of Aboh from a Distinct Deltaic Identity to a Blurred Ethnic Classification - Part One

From Country to Confusion: The Colonial Conflation of Aboh from a Distinct Deltaic Identity to a Blurred Ethnic Classification - Part One By Emeka Esogbue Introduction This article revisits the historical identity of the Aboh polity of the lower Niger once one of the foremost riverine kingdoms of precolonial West Africa. It examines how Aboh’s distinct political, cultural, and diplomatic traditions were gradually obscured by colonial ethnography, which subsumed the people under broader linguistic and administrative labels such as “Ukwuani” and “Igbo.” Through historical reconstruction and comparative analysis, the author argues that Aboh was not a mere dialectal cluster but a sovereign Delta kingdom whose unique identity was diluted through colonial simplification and postcolonial repetition, an outcome of the British mechanical process of ethnic classification. Aboh in the Delta Province By the fifteenth century, Aboh had emerged as an organized and powerful riverine kingdo...

15 Memorable Enuani Proverbs from Prominent Ibusa Musicians

15 Memorable Enuani Proverbs from Prominent Ibusa Musicians Compiled by Emeka Esogbue Proverbs and sayings occupy a central place in Enuani music and dance, serving both artistic and social purposes. In Ibusa musical tradition, no performance is considered complete without the use of proverbs. They are the vessels through which the Ibusa musician conveys wisdom, moral instruction, and cultural philosophy. These proverbs are not merely decorative; they are oral archives preserved in the memory of listeners and transmitted across generations. Each saying carries didactic depth, enriching the beauty of Egwu Igbuzo (Ibusa music) while provoking reflection and moral consciousness. Ibusa musicians often use proverbs to praise virtue, warn against folly, or criticize societal injustice. One of the few who boldly used proverbial expressions as social criticism is Ogbogu Okonji, whose music challenges hypocrisy among ndi uka (churchgoers) and other social ills in Ibusa society. Below are f...

Uche Nwalama: His Music Lives On

Uche Nwalama: His Music Lives On By Emeka Esogbue The late Uche Nwalama remains a crowd-puller even in death. This is hardly surprising, for he was one of the finest traditional musicians the Enuani people ever produced. A few years ago, I attended a funeral ceremony in Issele-Uku, and his hit song “Uwa Zulu Onye” filled the air from every direction, its melody flowing through the speakers and into the hearts of those gathered. Born into a musical family from the Ogboli quarters of Ibusa, Uche was a gifted artist whose music appealed across generations. His songs, rich in proverbs and cultural wisdom, reflected the times and the temperament of his people. A master guitarist, he seamlessly fused guitar and keyboard sounds to create a rhythm both soulful and energetic. His voice, distinctive and expressive, combined with his deep understanding of Enuani culture and tradition to set him apart from his contemporaries. With Uche, a new and almost indescribable Enuani sound was born. Eq...