Anioma people

The Anioma people are a predominantly Igboid speaking ethnolingustic group located in present day Delta State, Nigeria. They encompass and are native to the communities which span across the 9 northeastern Local Government Areas of Delta State. Politically, the Anioma occupy the Delta North Senatorial District where they are the majority group. Today, the senatorial district consists of the Enuani (Oshimili/Aniocha), and Ukwuani/Ndokwa and Ika geographical and linguistic zones of Delta State.

An ancient and industrious nation, the Anioma are estimated today at a total population of approximately 1.8 million people. The largest Anioma settlement and urban area is the Delta State Capital Territory which incorporates the city of Asaba along the Niger, with Okpanam and Igbuzor and surrounding communities.

Geography
The Anioma are located immediately south of the Edo Central Plains on the floodplains and hills of the western basin of the Niger River within the present Delta State of Nigeria. The homeland of the Anioma encompasses a land mass of about 6,300 km2. Politically, Anioma is often referred to in state affairs as Delta North, as against the people of the Delta South and Delta Central senatorial districts within Delta. Anioma is bounded on the East by Anambra State, south-east by Imo and Rivers States, south by Bayelsa State, south-west by Isoko, west by the Urhobo ethnic nation, north-west by Edo State and north by Kogi State. Anioma may therefore be regarded as highly contiguous to its very many neighbours ethnic groups. The people have drawn their culture and experiences as a result of lying contiguous to numerous other ethnicities and communities which characterises Anioma as a relatively peaceful region in terms of national affairs. Today, the Anioma celebrate this identity annually with a cocktail of traditional dances organized by the Organization for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC). First held in 2003, the cultural fiesta yearly brings together all local council areas in Aniomaland to celebrate their common identity.

There are 25 Local government areas in Delta State, and the nine underneath make up the Anioma region:


 * 1) Aniocha North
 * 2) Aniocha South
 * 3) Ika North-East
 * 4) Ika South
 * 5) Ndokwa East
 * 6) Ndokwa West
 * 7) Oshimili North
 * 8) Oshimili South
 * 9) Ukwuani

Language
Anioma people predominantly speak Igbo language with varying native dialects including the Enuani dialect spoken in Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Isheagu, Asaba, parts of Igbodo, Illah, Issele, Idumuje, Onicha etc., Ika dialect of Agbor, Umunede, Owa, Igbanke, Boji-Boji etc. with heavy linguistic influence from Bini, an Edoid language, Ukwuani-Aboh dialect of the Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni cluster mostly spoken by the peoples of Ndokwa. There are minority Anioma peoples in Edo (Igbanke), Ute-Oheze, Iru, Owariozor, Obagie N’Oheze, Ekpon, Owanikeke, Iyenle, Anambra (Onitsha, Ozobulu, Obosi, Oraifite) and Imo states (Oguta). Minorities of historically non-Igbo speakers exist with a Igala minority in the northernmost extremities of the Anioma homeland at Ebu on the border with Edo State and Umuebu in Ukwuani as well as the Yoruboid Olukumi of Aniocha.

List of Anioma towns and communities
Anioma towns and communities alphabetically arranged below:

Abah, Abala Anikoko, Abavo, Abi, Abodei, Aboh, Adai, Adonta, Afor, Agbor, Akakpan-Isumpe, Ankara, Akoku, Akuku-Akumazi, Akumazi-Umuocha, Akwukwu-Igbo, Alasime, Alidinma, Alihagu, Amai, Anakwa, Anifekide, Aninwalo, Aninwama-Jeta,  Aniofu, Aniogo, Anioma, Anuregu, Anwai, Asaba, Asaba-Ase,  Asaba-Ubulu, Ashaka,  Ashama, Atuma, Atuma-Iga, Azagba-Ogwashi, Azagba-Ubieni, Boji-Boji, Ebedi, Ebu, Edo-Ogwashi, Egbudu-Akah, Egbudu-Ogwashi, Ejeme-Agbor, Ejeme-Aniogo, Ejeme-Unor, Ekpecho, Ekpon, Ekwuemusana, Emu, Emuhu, Etua Etiti, Etua Ukpo, Ewulu, Ezi, Eziokpor, Ezionum, Ibodoni, Ibrode, Ibusa, Idumuesah, Idumuje-Ugboko, Idumuje-Unor, Idumu-Ogo, Igbanke, Igbodo, Igbogiri, Igbuku, Illah, Iru, Isa-Ogwashi, Iselegu, Isheagu, Isikiti-Ishiagu, Issele-Azagba, Issele-Mkpitime, Issele-Uku, Isumpe,  Kwale, Mbiri, Ndemiri,  Ndokwa, Abbi, Inam-Abbi, Eziunm, Nkpolenyi, Nsukwa, Obeti, Obi Anyima, Obi Umutu, Obi, Obiaruku, Obikwele, Obinomba, Obior, Obodo-Eti, Obomkpa, Ogbe, Ogode, Ogume, Ogwashi-Uku, Oko Anala, Oko/Ogbele, Oko-Amakom, Okotomi, Okpa, Okpanam, Okwe, Oligbo, Oligbo, Olor-Usisa, Olu-Odu, Omaja,  Onicha Olona, Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Uku, Onitsha-Ukwuani, Onogbokor, Onuseti, Onya, Oolor-Ogwashi, Otolokpo, Otulu, Owa Nta, Owa-Abi, Owa-Alero,  Owa-Ofie, Owa-Oyibo, Owerri-Olubor, Ubulubu, Ubulu-Okiti, Ubulu-Okiti, Ubulu-Ukwu, Ubulu-Unor, Udumeje, Ugboba, Ugbodu, Ugbolu, Ugiliamai, Ukala-Okpunor, Ukala-Okwute, Ukwuani, Ukwunzu, Ukwu-Oba, Umuabu, Umu-Ebu Adonishaka, Umuhu, Umukwem, Umukwota, Umunede, Umuolu, Umute, Umutu, Unor, Unor, Unuaja, Ushie, Usisa, Utagba-Ogbe, Utagba-Unor, Utchi, Ute Aru, Ute Enugu, Ute Erumu, Utegbeje, Ute Obagie N’Oheze, Ute-Oheze, Ute-Okpu, Utuoku.

Notable people

 * Joseph "Hannibal" Achuzie, military personnel and civil war veteran
 * Hanks Anuku, Veteran Nollywood actor
 * Phillip Asiodu, former Minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria
 * Maryam Babangida, wife of Former Nigerian Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida
 * Prof Joseph Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba
 * Augustine Esogbue, Professor Emeritus in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech.
 * Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation
 * Air-Marshal Paul Dike, former Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria NASA
 * Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian-born British novelist
 * Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
 * Faze, Nigerian Musician
 * Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, Nigeria
 * Elizabeth Isichei, prominent historian
 * Alex Iwobi, football player
 * Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum
 * Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, former Super Eagles captain and Malian National Football Team Coach
 * Demas Nwoko, prominent Sculptor of Nigeria
 * Ned Nwoko, former senator
 * Sam Obi, Former Acting Governor of Delta State and former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly
 * Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Channel
 * Nduka Odizor, former Lawn tennis player
 * Timothy Ogene, writer
 * Joy Ogwu, former Managing Director of Nigeria Institute of International Affairs
 * Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-general of the World Trade Organization
 * Ifeanyi Okowa, former Nigerian Senator and current Governor of Delta State
 * Austine "Jay-Jay" Okocha, former Captain of Super Eagles of Nigeria
 * Sunday Oliseh, former Captain of super Eagles of Nigeria
 * Lisa Omorodion, Nollywood Actress, producer and entrepreneur
 * Dennis Osadebe, politician, poet, journalist and former premier of the now defunct Mid-Western Region of Nigeria, which now comprises Edo and Delta State.
 * Jim Ovia, M/D Zenith Bank
 * Zulu Sofola, the first published female Nigerian playwright and dramatist and first female Professor of Theater Arts in Africa.
 * Nduka Ugbade, Nigeria's former football player and the first African to lift the world cup
 * Patrick Utomi, Presidential Candidate and Founder of Lagos Business School
 * Raph Uwechue, was a Nigerian minister, diplomat and publisher. He is a former president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socio-cultural organization in Nigeria