Emeka Esogbue

ANIOMA IS NIGERIA'S CULTURAL MELTING POT Emeka Esogbue Anioma is a cultural and ancestral spot where many Nigerian ethnic groups met. But little did our docile forebears realise this. It is indeed the cultural melting pot of Nigeria.  From ancient Nri Kingdom were migrations that led to the foundations of Igbuzo, Ogwashi-Uku, Akwukwu-Igbo and many more. These movements were followed with the migrations from Isu of the Igbos. The Isu migration became the more important in terms of number in Igbuzo, Ewulu etc. But there were the Ikelike of Benin origin who were the original settlers in Ogwashi-Uku. The earliest waves of migrations were of the Ife and Akure of the Yoruba race led to the foundation of a number of Yoruba communities in the Enuani region of the Anioma area and it gave rise to the foundation of Olukwumi communities that are Ugbodu, Eko Efun (Ukwunzu), Ogodor and many more. Surprisingly, little did early Yoruba historians record the Yoruba communities in Enuani enclave unt...

Not many have known that there are Yoruba settlements in Delta State, specifically among the Anioma people of today. This is because not much is known of the social history of the people (Anioma) now hugely located in Delta State. Researchers from the region really have a lot to dig into concerning the people. The Anioma people with heterogeneous origins are obviously some of the understudied people in Nigeria thus only very little documentations about the people are available. The dominant language of the people of this area is Igbo though, a few other languages are spoken within the region. Some of these few other languages spoken in the region are Oza or Ozzara spoken close to Edo. Some of the speakers of this particular language are: 1. Ozanogo 2. Alilehan 3. Alisor 4. Ozanogogo There is Igala, a language of the Igala ethnic group of Nigeria, mainly spoken by Ebu but, the Igala version of Ebu community has become fussed with Ishan because the Ebu migrants that took...