Emeka Esogbue

 Enuani Identity: Understanding Aniocha and Oshimili in Context By Emeka Esogbue Abstract This paper examines the meanings, origins, and proper usage of the terms Enuani, Aniocha, and Oshimili within the Anioma area of present-day Delta State, Nigeria. Drawing on oral traditions, communal memory, geographical analysis, and selected historical sources, it argues that Enuani rather than Aniocha-Oshimili constitutes the authentic collective cultural identity of the people occupying the Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North, and Oshimili South local government areas. The study demonstrates that Aniocha and Oshimili emerged primarily as administrative designations whose boundaries and meanings have shifted over time due to colonial and post-colonial governance structures. In contrast, Enuani predates these administrative frameworks and derives from the region’s upland geography, serving as a stable marker of peoplehood rooted in land, settlement patterns, and oral historical cons...

Interview with Pen Master (Emeka Esogbue)  ...continue from Part One Don't Drag Me into the Obsession that Issele-Uku and Anioma are Monolithic or Only Benin Creations, Ifenna Azomani, Writer of History and Convener of Nri Descendants Conference - Part Two Pen Master: Shouldn’t one wonder why Benin established its monarchical system in a society already in existence and thriving? Azomani: The whole essence of establishing the Benin kind of monarchy in Issele-Uku was to establish the Benin strict kind of monarchy but to a large extent, I don’t think that this was achieved even with Obi Oligbo because there was still so much of the republican way of life. This republican way of life came with the migrants from Nri who had been in the area before the Benin migrants came. So, while that monarchical system was in place, Benin was also looking for the opportunity to strengthen its hold. That opportunity came following the death of Obi Odia in about 1730 and the Heir Apparent who was sent...

Mungo Park and the River Niger: How Fela Anikulapo-Kuti Threw Nigerian Historical Intelligence off Balance - Emeka Esogbue Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, dubbed the "King of Afrobeat," is arguably the greatest artist in Nigeria. His status as a political activist and Pan Africanist gave him practically all advantages. In this sense, he was a respected sociopolitical voice, and all those who heard him learned something.  Fela spent his whole career as a musician denouncing the injustices that afflicted African society. His vocalization was an outspoken and perhaps even angry denunciation of colonialism, which he saw as the source of the sociocultural, political, and economic difficulties that Africans continue to face. It was this mindset he encountered at Mungo Park, which is currently being adopted by perhaps half of Nigerians. A satirical song by Fela about Mungo Park's purported "discovery" of the River Niger led to a great deal of misconception among Nigerians about t...