Emeka Esogbue

 Anioma Salutes Omu Ada Biosah of Asaba at Ten Years on the Throne By Emeka Esogbue For ten remarkable years, the ancient kingdom of Asaba has witnessed the steady guidance, dignity, and cultural stewardship of Her Royal Majesty, Omu Ada Biosah, whose reign as Omu Ahaba has continued to strengthen and dignify the revered institution of female traditional leadership in Anioma land.  As she marks a decade on the throne, Anioma sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora unite in celebration, paying glowing tribute to a reign widely defined by grace, service, cultural preservation, and unwavering advocacy for the welfare of women and the integrity of Asaba’s age-long traditions. The institution of the Omu occupies a unique and respected place in the traditional governance structure of Asaba and the wider Anioma society. It is part of a dual leadership system where female authority exists side by side with male rulership. While the Asagba of Asaba remains the overall traditiona...

 Anioma Watch Association Press Release! 14TH ASAGBA OF ASABA: ANIOMA WATCH CONGRATULATES EPIPHANY AZINGE We, the Board of Trustees (BOT) and members of the Anioma Watch Social Association also simply called "Anioma Watch," a registered socio-cultural Organization of the Anioma people at home and in the Diaspora extend our congratulations to Obi (Prof) Epiphany Azinge following his recent selection and subsequently, unveiling to the general public as the 14th Asagba of Asaba by the Asagba-in-Council.  We are pleased that his choice which adhered to the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict of 1979 honoured the general wishes of the people of Asaba. We pray for a fruitful reign that can have an impact on the community when the leading Lawyer and Academic is installed as the 14th Asagba of Ahaba Ujom in the coming days.  By extension, we also anticipate people-centred policies that are developmentally targeted towards the growth of the Anioma Region as a whole as we continue ...

Ibusa: The Multiplicity of Names, Identity Crisis Creation and the Way Forward     - Emeka Esogbue As I write this article, my community does not only remain colonially tied to the British administration but suffers a terrible 'identity sickness.' No one has seen any community with as many conflicting pronunciations, claims, facts, and spellings of its name as my community and a rise by the leadership to invoke a symmetric correspondence among these constituent components and immediately involve the government of the day-to-gazette it seems more difficult a feat to achieve in the present era. It stands to the truth that a name is the first characteristic by which a person, thing, or place is known, and where a name carries crisis, everything soon goes wrong. The identity of a people begins with the name that they bear. Ibusa is located in Delta State and is one of the important communities in the state due to its human resources, population, and strategic location...

 Asaba, Ibusa, and Okpanam: A Trio of Delta Capital Territory Settlers with Colonial Names  - Emeka Esogbue The arrival of the British in the present Anioma Region changed the destiny of the people in different ways with some of the traces still living with the people today. One of the effects of the contact with the Europeans was the change of the names of the African societies and the people of Enuani Nation, an Anioma subgroup are not left out. However, while several African societies have reversed their pre-colonial traditional names, these Enuani communities are stuck with their colonial names. This work presents Asaba, Ibusa, and Okpanam as three sisterly communities renamed by the British. 1. Asaba (Official) and Ahaba (traditional) Asaba has been the capital of Delta State since 1991 when the state was created but before now, the Anioma city has served as the headquarters of the Southern Nigerian Protectorate. Located on the edge of the majestic River Niger, Asaba was ...

 IN MEMORY OF OMU MGBOUSHE OF ASABA: THE CIVIL WAR HEROINE, BETRAYED BY HER PEOPLE AND KILLED BY SOLDIERS  By Emeka Esogbue Although the Omu Mgboushe of Asaba statue stands reverently erect in front of Ogbeogonogo Market in Asaba, most visitors and natives alike do not know the history behind the statue. Nevertheless, the statue stands to historically testify to the wartime atrocities and deaths that the people of Asaba suffered during the Nigerian Civil War. Omuship is a 500- year female traditional institution that exists among the Anioma people. The institution also once existed in Onicha Ado (Onitsha) and Ossomarri, two other Anioma communities that are now outside the geographical Delta State.  Omuship, charged with the spiritual, economic, and political responsibilities to their respective Anioma communities is the pride of the people. It is also the traditional vehicle for the movent of women in this region. Take for instance, in Ibusa, a community of about 6 miles...