A false claim is being pushed, namely, that the Igbo people founded Ile-Ife and were later chased out by Oduduwa. It’s not on Facebook but in school textbooks.
By FEMI OREBE
What happened to all their previous claims? Before now, Igbos claimed that their ancestral origin was Nri where their mythical ancestral father, Eri, descended from with a chain many a millennia ago.
At some other time, they claimed they originated from somewhere around the Rivers Niger and Benue confluence. They are known to have, at other times, claimed both Benin and Egypt as their originat. Even until now they claim to be Jews, have their roots in Israel and, therefore, among the ten lost tribes of Israel” – Olukoya Dele Ogunfowora
So who truly are the Igbos and where do they come from?
They may soon claim to have originated from River Limpopo.
Igbos have a long line of witheringly brilliant History scholars, among them the likes of Professors Kenneth Dike and Adiele Afigbo both of the Ibadan School of History, representing the old generation while, amongst the new are Professors Elizabeth Isichei, Okoro Ijoma and Nnolue Emenanjo.
These eminent historians are well regarded in, and outside Nigeria, having made significant contributions to the study of History, particularly to the study of Igbo and African history and their work continues to be highly influential in the academic community.
But brilliant as they are, and despite the seminal work they have done on the History of their people, not one of them claimed that Igbos founded Ile -Ife. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of some Igbo charlatans now revelling in historical vandalism.
More surpring is the fact that these ones did not limit themselves to verbal diarrhoea as in when some Igbos say ‘Lagos is no man’s land’. Instead, they have attempted to cast this lie in stone by publishing it in school text books.
Let’s now see how a trending WhatsApp post exposed their blasphemy:
“Yoruba history is under siege, not by ignorance, but by a calculated ethnic agenda. A false claim is being pushed, namely, that the Igbo people founded Ile-Ife and were later chased out by Oduduwa. It’s not on Facebook but in school textbooks.