AlaIgbo meaning would certainly occur differently to different people, but in a nutshell, it means the land of the Igbos. Ala, also Ani, means land or soil in the Igbo Language; the Igbos are native West African people inhabiting present-day Eastern Nigeria. Our presence in our present habitation has been proven to span thousands of years. The Igbos are known globally for several reasons, ranging from our economic exploration prows, which have earned us the position as West Africa’s chief business voyagers.
Navigating all corners of the world, the Igbos have become a symbol of African entrepreneurship. This and others have necessitated the new search for the AlaIgbo meaning. People want to know more about this unique set of people and the land they come from, what they call their land, and you find out that what England is to the English is what AlaIgbo is to the Igbos.
The history of the Igbos is awash with several notable events of historic importance, like the Igbo-Ukwu bronze pot, the Iron smelting point in Leja Nsukka, our traditional Republican government, the Igbo landing and our vehement opposition to subjugation and outside rules.
Recall that, given the Igbo’s vehement rejection of the British rule coupled with the level of administrative sophistication that the traditional and pre-colonial Igbo society had reached even before the coming of the British, the British direct rule couldn’t work in the then Eastern Nigeria where the Igbos are the majority ethnicity. Because of that aspect of the Igbos, the Colonial British government implemented indirect rather than direct rule, as done in the other parts of Nigeria.
With the indirect rule system, the British created a system of warrant chiefs governance, where local chiefs administered territories and reported to the Britsih instead of the locals being directly ruled by the colonizers; this is closer to self-governance than the usual colonial administrations elsewhere.
These brief colonial and precolonial accounts are important because to understand “AlaIgbo meaning”, one must understand the people’s worldview within the AlaIgbo. Understanding AlaIgbo won’t be complete if the people therein are not understood; as one may ask, is it possible to understand England without considering the English people? Then, the AlaIgbo meaning is rooted in the understanding of the Igbo people who inhabit this geography known today as AlaIgbo. The AlaIgbo meaning currently transcends its denotative meaning, which roughly translates to the land or soil of the Igbos; currently, it means more, especially in the face of rising Igbo Nationalism.
Redefining the AlaIgbo meaning became important given the waves of national consciousness among the Igbos. To chart a new destiny for a Nation at the match of unification, integration, modernization and ushering in an unrivaled civilization, new outlooks must be projected. Ikenga Store is committed to exporting AlaIgbo products and being a crucial player in celebrating our achievements as a nation and shaping our future as a people of destiny.
“AlaIgbo meaning” is taking a new dimension; it is a growing awareness of an emerging Nation of African origin. We can’t give a complete definition of what AlaIgbo currently means or would grow to mean; what we know is that AlaIgbo is the land of the Igbos; however, it can grow to be a global industrial powerhouse, a province of the Nigerian State or even a sovereign (AlaIgbo Republic) tomorrow, this is without forgetting the fact that the Igbos are also the Biafran People.
There are always more to what we can make of life; several notable Igbo individuals and organizations are making the move of rebuilding, rebranding and reshaping AlaIgbo, AlaIgbo meaning would then continue to expand in scope, but in the basic sense, AlaIgbo means the land of the Igbos, the Igbos are a people of West African origin currently inhabiting the Eastern part of Nigeria with the Niger river running through the land while flowing into the Atlantic ocean through the several channels of the Niger Delta.
Must Read: The Confederate States of AlaIgbo (Book)