Indigenous ndi Igbo In Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is one of the youngest states in Nigeria, carved from Rivers State during the tenure of General Sani Abacha on the 1st of October, 1996. The state is dominated by Ijaws with a substantial number of Urhobo and Isoko. But do you know that there are also ndi Igbo in Bayelsa State?
We do not mean ndi Igbo from the South East who are residents in Bayelsa. We mean ndi Igbo whose homes, whose ancestral homes are in Bayelsa.
The successful attempt to carve out an Ijaw majority state, which is the present-day Bayelsa State, left a sizable number of ndi Igbo who are now indigenous to Bayelsa. These ndi Igbo are mostly settled in the western part of the state.
Igbo settlements are scattered all over the state but the most notable settlements are in the Sagbama area. It is also believed that the Ogbia area is dominated by ndi Igbo since their language, culture, and fashion are similar to that of the Igbo in Sagbama.
There are three Igbo villages housed by Sagbama; Osekwenike, Abuetor, and Eke-Okpokri which are opined to be from the Ukawuani stock of the Anioma Igbo clan.
The ancestors of the Osekwenike, Abuetor, and Eke-Okpokri people are believed to be mostly farmers that migrated from their kin network (at a different time) that settled in ancient Bini. The present-day of ndi Igbo in Bayelsa are mostly fishermen and traders with other occupations such as farming and manufacturing palm oil.
Despite the well-organized system of governance amongst the ndi Igbo and their knack for always sticking together, ndi Igbo of Bayelsa are faced with some never-ending challenges which also affect the non-Igbo-neighbouring towns and villages.
