The History of Ukwuani People
Ukwuani is a language spoken in 61 broad communities across Delta State and into Rivers State, by around two million people.
It is a branch of the Volta-Niger language family and has slight dialectal differences in the Language based on their closeness to the four ethnic groups at their borders. These are: Igbo, Urhobo, Edo and Ijaw. The influence of these Languages is manifest in slight variations in their pronunciation manifesting in different dialects namely: Onuaboh dialect (Ndosumili area), Akashiada, Utagba (Kwale) and Osissa dialect. The one spoken by the majority of the people is the Utagba dialect. It is easily understood by speakers of the other dialects and it is the dialect that is used for Ukwuani language studies.
Where Ukwuani is spoken
Most of these communities sit in the Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani local government areas of Delta State.
- Abbi
- Emu
- Utagba Ụno
- Utagba Ogbe (Kwale)
- Ogume
- Onicha Ukwuani
- Obikwele
- Ossissa
- Ashaka
- Abala
- Ase
- Ibedeni
- Okpo Ekirika
- Igbuku
- Aboh
- Akarai
- Azagba
- Asaba Ase
- Afor
- Oworobia
- Adiawai
- Awa
- Anyama
- Umuolu
- Ibrede
- Iyede-Ame
- Onuogbokor
- Beneku
- Okpai
- Onyah
- Onuaboh
- Ige
- Utchi
- Umuedem
- Umụgboma
- Ushie
- Utuoku
- Inyi
- Osemele Asagba
- Umukwata
- Ụkabi
- Umutu
- Obi Igbo
- Obiaruku
- Ezhionum
- Akoku
- Obilo
- Eziokpor
- Adonishaka
- Umuaja
- Oboeti
- Ebedei
- Umuebu
- Amai
And beyond those three local government areas
Ukwuani is also spoken in these communities elsewhere in Delta State and in Rivers State. Section four below explains why they count as part of the same nation.
- Ejeme Aniogor (Aniocha South)
- Owa Alidima (Ika North)
- Agbor Alidima (Ika South)
- Ndoni (Rivers)
- Isukwe (Rivers)
- Ogba (Rivers)
- Egbema (Rivers)
Recognised for mother-tongue education
Ukwuani language is also included in the list of 27 Nigerian languages approved by the Federal Government for the purposes of “mother tongue education”. Ukwuani language has a common ancestry with the Igbo language and Edo language.
Part of the Ndokwa Nation
Some Ukwuani people are found in other parts of Delta State: Owa Alidima in Ika North, Agbor Alidinma in Ika South, Ejeme Aniogo in Aniocha South and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Although most writers and historians on the other hand, who have written on Ukwuani history did not include these ones as part of the ‘Ndokwa Nation’ or ethnic group (for they confined the ethnic definition of Ukwuani people to only those found in Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani Local Government Areas of Delta State).
It is important to note here that the Ukwuani speaking people in these other parts of Delta and Rivers State also form part of the ‘Ndokwa Nation’ because for one thing, they speak Ukwuani language just like their counterparts in the above mentioned Local Government Areas. In addition, they have similar traditions of origin like them in the sense that most of them trace their origins to some of the recognized Ndokwa/Ukwuani communities in Delta State.