Ikwerre people

This article is about the Ikwerre as a native ethnic group. For the language, see Ikwerre language. For the local government area, see Ikwerre, Rivers State.

Ikwerre

Regions with significant populations
Nigeria
Languages
Ikwerre

The Ikwerre (also spelt Ikwere) are one of the many native ethnic groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. They are a subgroup of the Igbo people, although a small minority for political expediency now dispute this account, claiming their history was rewritten during the colonial period because of the dominance of the larger Igbo group. The Ikwerre are said to be related or share common ancestry with the Ogba and Ekpeye people (Akalaka brothers). They trace their origins to Owerri, Ohaji, Etche, and Ngwa areas of Igboland. They constitute the majority of Rivers state, although there are other populations in neighboring states. The Ikwerre speak the Ikwerre dialect, a dialect part of the many diverse Igbo dialects, and are predominantly settled in the Ikwerre, Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt and Emohua local government areas. They are traditionally farmers, fishermen and hunters, but in recent times, the environmental degradation and urban sprawl associated with oil exploration and exploitation has caused a sharp decline in the amount of farmland, forests and rivers available for their traditional occupations.

The Ikwerre exist in well-delineated clans, with each clan having its own Paramount Ruler, therefore, the Ikwerre do not have an overall paramount ruler or King, but designated kings/ruler/leader mostly approved by its constituents. Although all paramount rulers in ikwerre are united in what is known as Ogbakor Ikwerre which is an association of Ikwerre traditional rulers. A total of 92 oil wells, producing an estimated 100,000 barrels of crude daily, are located in Ikwerreland. The Ikwerre therefore play host to several multinational oil-producing and servicing companies, in addition to many other industries and establishments. Despite these, the Ikwerre, like nearly all other minorities of the Niger Delta, frequently complain of marginalisation by the oil operatives. The University of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, the three campuses of the Rivers State College of Education, as well as the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, are all sited on Ikwerreland.

Origin

The Ikwerre are considered by a great majority of scholars as a subgroup of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria,

There are several theories over the origin, and the strongest and most widely accepted one is the theory linking the Ikwerre to an Igbo origin. They would be descendents from an Igbo migration from Awka and Orlu areas towards South. Igbo scholars take Ikwerre as part of the Southern Igbo. Amadi, an Ikwerre scholar, says that the Igbo origin theory has some support even inside Ikwerre themselves, with Ikwerre would be descendants of a migration of Arochukwu Igbo, with Okpo Nwagidi being the leader of the Ikwerre tribe. Before the civil war, there had been dissident voices that claimed that Ikwerre could have migrated from Owerri, Ohaji, Ngwa, and Etche areas of Igboland. But when Port Harcourt was conquered by Nigeria during the Biafran War and the Igbo people from other parts of Igboland fled the territory, a UN report says that the Ikwerre decided to claim that the Ikwerre were non-Igbo for convenience. The Ikwerre are recognized officially as a separate group in the 1979 Nigerian Constitution.

Notable people

Some notable people of Ikwerre origin:

• Elechi Amadi, writer
• Emmanuel Onunwor, former Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio, USA
• Chibuike Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State
• Obi Wali, Writer, Politician and Minority rights activist
• Tonto Dikeh, Actress, Musician
• Celestine Omehia,former Governor of Rivers State
• Monalisa Chinda, Actress
• Duncan Mighty, Musician
• Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Current Governor of Rivers State
• Hon. O.K Chinda, Politician
• Bobby Ogoloma, Actor

See also

• Indigenous peoples of Rivers State