This conversation challenges listeners to value truth, evidence, and intellectual humility over pride-driven conclusions. Prof. Peter-Jazzy Ezeh, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), examines the deeply contested question of Igbo origins with scholarly honesty and intellectual rigor. Enjoy!
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00:00 – Why Claiming a Final Igbo Origin Is a Scholarly Error
Rushing to conclusions about Igbo origins is intellectual laziness and leads to serious academic mistakes.
03:15 – The Importance of Documentation in Igbo History
Why undocumented history creates a daunting task for future generations.
06:10 – Achebe, Onitsha, and the Limits of Origin Narratives
What Achebe addressed—and what his work did not claim to solve.
09:45 – Ife, Benin, and the Onitsha Migration Story
Exploring the Ife–Benin–Onitsha connection and internal power struggles.
14:20 – Masquerades, Strategy, and the Expulsion Narrative
The controversial account involving Yoruba strategy and Igbo displacement.
18:40 – Big and Small Onitsha Migrations Across Igboland
From Onitsha Ngwa and Mbaise to lesser-known settlements and village links.
23:30 – Professor Nzímíro and the Ugwuta Connection
Anthropological evidence linking migration, leadership, and settlement patterns.
28:10 – Why There Is No Pan-Igbo Origin Story
Understanding why no single narrative explains all Igbo origins.
32:00 – External vs Indigenous Origin Hypotheses Explained
Niger–Benue, Igala, Kwara Rafa, and internal Nigerian migrations.
37:25 – The Middle East and Egypt Claims Examined
Why hypotheses without evidence remain hypotheses—nothing more.
41:40 – Achebe’s “We Have Always Been Here” Perspective
Indigenous continuity and community-based origin explanations.
46:05 – The Illusion of the Igbo-Jewish Theory
Why some historical claims appear convincing but collapse under scrutiny.
50:20 – What Truly Matters More Than Origin Stories
How history should serve identity, purpose, and continuity—not ego.
54:10 – Language as the Strongest Evidence of Relatedness
Glottochronology, basic vocabulary, and why linguistics doesn’t lie.
58:30 – Igbo, Yoruba, and the Kwa Language Family
How language families reveal shared ancestry within Niger-Congo.
1:02:45 – Afroasiatic vs Niger-Congo: Clearing the Confusion
Why Hausa aligns differently and why North Africa is not Nilotic Africa.
1:07:10 – Why Early Colonial Records Still Matter
Using old archives critically instead of discarding them outright.
1:11:40 – The Role of Oraka, Ogbalu, and Igbo Language Development
Decimalization, vocabulary expansion, and forgotten intellectual labor.
1:16:20 – Final Warning: Don’t Take Anyone Claiming Full Igbo Origin Seriously
Why no scholar today can credibly claim to know the complete origin of all Igbo people.