Anioma | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 1,800,000 (est. 2022, 2,100,000) 2,100,000 (including those ofancestral descent) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nigeria (Delta State, andEdo State) | |
| Religion | |
Predominantly Christian,minorityAfrican Traditional Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bini,Esan,Igala,Olukumi,Isoko |
TheAnioma people (/æˈniːɒmɑː/ah-NEE-o-ma,US:/əˈniːɒmɑː/uh-NEE-o-mah;Ndí Ániọ̀màListenⓘ) of present dayDelta State, Nigeria encompass and are native to the nine northeasternLocal Government Areas of Delta State and the Ika communities of Edo State. Politically, the Anioma occupy theDelta North Senatorial District where they are the majority group.
Today, the population of the Anioma is estimated today to be at approximately 1.8 million.[1][2] The largest Anioma settlement andurban area is theDelta State Capital Territory, which incorporates thecity of Asaba along theNiger River, with Okpanam,Igbuzor and surrounding communities.[3] The Anioma natively speak western dialects of theIgbo language, aNiger-Congo language, as well as several minority languages related to the cultures they lie contingent to.
The termAnioma is an acronym etymologically derived from the diverse cultural realms that comprise the Western Igboid speaking regions flanking the western basin of theNiger in south central Nigeria: theAniocha (A),Ndokwa (N),Ika (I) and theOshimili peoples(O).[4] The coinage was made in 1951 byChief Dennis Osadebay, founding father of the Anioma state movement and has since remained the preferred indigenous name by which the people collectively refer to themselves.
The Anioma are predominantlyIgbo speaking as well as otherIgboid languages including theEnuani dialect in the northeast (spoken in Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Isheagu,Asaba, parts of Igbodo, Illah, Issele, Idumuje, Onicha etc.),Ika in the northwest (of Agbor, Umunede, Owa, Igbanke, Boji-Boji etc.),Ukwuani-Aboh dialect of theIgbo language mostly spoken by the peoples of Ndokwa in the south.
Minorities of historically non-Igbo speakers exist with aIgala minority in the northernmost extremities of the Anioma homeland at Ebu on the border withEdo and Umuebu inUkwuani,[5] as well as theOlukumi who speak a language related toYoruba of southwestern Nigeria and are acculturated to the predominant Igbo culture[6] ofAniocha.
See alsoEkumeku Movement:
TheEkumeku War is unique in Anioma history and Igbo history in general for two reasons.[7] First, the movement's duration involved military campaigns spanning thirty-one years against the British.[8] Secondly, it exemplifies an effort amongst the Igbo people to unify previously fragmented states in resistance to the British colonial army.[8]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Igbo topics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History (chronological order) | |||||
| Subgroups | |||||
| Politics | |||||
| Geography (Igboland) |
| ||||
| Demographics | |||||
| Culture | |||||
| Language |
| ||||
| Wikipedia | |||||
