By Onwordi Ngozi Fortune
For five years, I lived in a peaceful, oil and gas-producing, Igbo-speaking community called Ogbogu in Egi, part of Ogba land, located in the Onelga Local Government Area of Rivers State. This experience allowed me to explore the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Ogba people, raising a key question: Are they truly Bini, as some historical accounts suggest, or Igbo, as their language and traditions indicate?
During my time there, I worked at the OML58 Upgrade Project (Phase 2) as a welder for Total E&P, through an indigenous oil and gas company. To immerse myself fully in the local culture, I decided to live among the people, a decision made easier by my familiarity with their Igbo dialect. In less than a year, I became fluent enough to pass for a native speaker. Many locals even believed I was from the Nnadi royal family of Obagi, a nearby community, and had grown up in Port Harcourt.
The attraction to their dialect, food, and way of life was immediate. My landlord’s elderly mother, with whom I spent considerable time, unknowingly became my primary tutor, helping me master the intricacies of their dialect, which bears similarities to those spoken by the Ika, Ukwuani, and Enuani people of Delta State.
Despite the linguistic similarities with the Igbo, the Ogba people claim descent from Akalaka, the ancestral founder of their land, who is said to have migrated from Benin with his people, including Ekpeye, who founded Ahoada and its surrounding communities.
One of the first aspects of the culture that intrigued me was their unique greeting system. The greetings and responses vary depending on the gender and marital status of the person, reflecting deep-rooted traditions of respect and social hierarchy.
For men, the greeting is:
Greeting: “Maadi” (accompanied by a bow)
Response: “Mmai”
Follow-up: “Eeeh”
Response: “Okorobia” (for a young man) or “Nwa-Ada” (for an unmarried woman), or “Di-Ada” (for a married woman)
Closing: “Eeeh”
For women, it changes to:
Greeting: “Kan-doh” (accompanied by a bow)
Response: “Eze nwaanyị”
Follow-up: “Eeeh”
Response: “Agbọghọ” (for an unmarried woman) or “Nwunye-nwa” (for a married woman)
Closing: “Eeeh”
When greeting a group, the process involves identifying and acknowledging the various lineages present:
Greeting: “Ọsa ndi egi…”
Response: “Iyaa!”
Follow-up: The greeter then mentions the relevant lineages, earning their nod before greeting them collectively.
This nuanced cultural greeting system showcases the depth of their heritage, one that is undeniably rooted in Igbo linguistic traditions, yet remains influenced by their historical ties to Benin.
To be continued…
