By Mick Oseji, Asaba
The Ndokwa Professionals under the aegis of Ndokwa Professional Network (NPN) has faulted Senator Ned Nwoko’s ‘Ukwuani people are Igbo’ and ‘speak Igbo language’ comments, describing it as “factually inaccurate, historically misleading, and culturally inconsistent.”
Prince Ned Nwoko, who is the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, had during a recent Channels Television interview claimed that the “Ukwuani people are Igbo and speak Igbo language.”
But the statement did not sit well with the Ukwuani sons and daughters who have continued to slam the Senator over what they termed attempt by him to rewrite their history.
In a statement by Mr. Nigel Ojji, Dr. Great Ijomah, and Dr. Edike Kaine, the Ndokwa Professional Network said Nwoko’s position is historically misleading, and culturally inconsistent with the Ukwuani people’s identity.
The NPN stressed that Ukwuani has a distinct identity, language, and cultural practices that are separate from the Igbo people, urging the Senator – Prince from Idumuje – Ugboko to approach discussions about ethnicity with intellectual diligence and cultural sensitivity.
The Full Statement:
“While we hold Senator Nwoko in high esteem as a respected legislator and advocate of Delta North interests, his recent comments are factually inaccurate, historically misleading, and culturally inconsistent with the established realities of the Ndokwa-Ukwuani people of Delta State.
It is important to note that Senator Nwoko is not an indigene of the Ndokwa-Ukwuani region, and as such, may not possess firsthand knowledge of our people’s history, traditions, and socio-cultural evolution. The Senator hails from Idumuje-Ugboko in Aniocha North Local Government Area, a locality outside the Ndokwa-Ukwuani axis comprising Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, and Ukwuani Local Government Areas.
Furthermore, given that Senator Nwoko spent the greater part of his formative and educational years abroad, it is understandable that his understanding of local ethnic histories may have been influenced by secondary sources, generalised academic classifications, or broad linguistic groupings that do not accurately reflect the lived realities and oral histories of indigenous communities such as Ndokwa-Ukwuani. Consequently, his statement, though perhaps well-intentioned, does not represent the authentic heritage or identity of the Ndokwa-Ukwuani people.
Ndokwa-Ukwuani are not Igbo. For the avoidance of doubt, the Ndokwa-Ukwuani and Igbo peoples are two distinct ethnic groups within Nigeria’s diverse ethnolinguistic landscape. While geographical proximity between parts of Delta and Southeastern Nigeria has naturally resulted in certain linguistic and cultural overlaps, these do not translate to a shared ethnic origin or identity.
Ethnic identity transcends mere linguistic similarities—it is rooted in ancestral continuity, cultural expressions, traditional governance systems, and collective self-identification. To conflate language affinity with ethnicity is a historical and anthropological error that risks erasing the unique heritage of an entire people.
Many academic linguists have used broad language classifications such as Igboid for research convenience, yet such labels have never been determinative of ethnic belonging. The Ndokwa-Ukwuani people, through centuries of history, have maintained distinct socio-political institutions, traditional leadership structures, and indigenous belief systems that clearly differentiate them from their Igbo neighbours.
Ndokwa-Ukwuani is a distinct ethnic identity. The Ndokwa-Ukwuani ethnic group occupies a clearly defined geographical and cultural space within Delta State, encompassing the local government areas of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, and Ukwuani. Our people trace their ancestry through indigenous lineages, oral traditions, and migratory histories that are independent of Igbo origin theories.
Historically, the Ndokwa-Ukwuani developed unique governance models, kinship systems, and inter-communal alliances that shaped their collective evolution long before colonial influence. These have continued to underpin community organization and local identity across generations.
Our distinctness has been recognised by reputable historians, anthropologists, and sociologists who acknowledge that Ndokwa-Ukwuani identity cannot be subsumed under broader Igbo categorization. Indeed, Ndokwa-Ukwuani people have always asserted their separate ethnic consciousness, a consciousness reflected in our language, customs, and political heritage.
The Ndokwa-Ukwuani heritage is rich and deeply rooted in traditions that define our people’s worldview and communal spirit.
Our language, possesses unique phonetic and semantic structures that linguists recognize as distinct despite similarities to some Igbo words which is not so different from the Benin and Yoruba similarities or the German and Austrian similarities. Similarly, our traditional institutions, chieftaincy titles, and ancestral deities are indigenous to the Ndokwa-Ukwuani experience and not borrowed or derived from any other ethnic group.
The Ndokwa-Ukwuani worldview reflects a blend of agrarian wisdom, communal solidarity, and spiritual reverence for the land, a reflection of centuries of independent socio-cultural evolution. This heritage is our identity, and it deserves accurate representation, not conflation or oversimplification.
The NPN firmly asserts that Senator Ned Nwoko’s statement represents his personal opinion and does not reflect the historical truth or lived experience of the Ndokwa-Ukwuani people. We urge all well-meaning Nigerians, scholars, and media platforms to approach discussions about ethnicity with intellectual diligence and cultural sensitivity, ensuring that identities are not carelessly merged or distorted in the name of academic convenience or political generalization.
The NPN remains committed to preserving the integrity of Ndokwa-Ukwuani identity, promoting informed dialogue, and fostering unity based on mutual respect among all ethnic groups in Delta State and Nigeria as a whole.”
