HOW DID THE BRITISH SEPARATE WESTERN IGBO FROM THEIR KIN EAST OF THE NIGER?

🇳🇬 HOW DID THE BRITISH SEPARATE WESTERN IGBO FROM THEIR KIN EAST OF THE NIGER?

Did you know that Asaba, Agbor, Ibusa, Aboh, Ogwashi-Uku, Ika, Aniocha, Ndokwa and Ukwuani are home to Igbo-speaking communities west of the Niger? 👀

During colonial rule, the British created administrative boundaries that placed many of these communities under the Western Provinces, separating them politically from Igbo communities east of the Niger.
But here’s the interesting part: the people resisted. ✊🏿

Traditional rulers and political leaders petitioned the British, formed the Western Ibo Union in 1939, and pushed for political arrangements that would unite their communities.
One of the major figures in this struggle was Chief Dennis Osadebay of Asaba, who later became the first Premier of the Mid-Western Region in 1963.

So, was it simply the British who “divided the Igbo”? 🤔
Not quite. Colonial boundaries changed political administration, but the people continued to preserve their language, culture, identity and connections.

The Niger is a river. A colonial map is a line. But history and identity are much deeper. 🇳🇬