"Nma," "Chidinma": Igbo Names Spelt Incorrectly

(By Azuka Onwuka) - Why Nma, Chidinma, Uzodinma are not Igbo Names
It is common to see people who write their names as Nma, Chidinma, Agbonma, Uzodinma, Nmesoma, etc. In fact, if you spell your name as “Chidimma,” someone would promptly edit it to read “Chidinma.” But these are not Igbo spellings and cannot be called Igbo names.
          Why?
          It is not possible for “n” and “m” to follow each other in Igbo language, no matter the dialect. It can never happen. The use of “nm” together shatters the structure of the Igbo language, making a mockery of its phonology and phonetics.
          The ridiculous argument such people make is that “nma” means beauty, while “mma” means knife. But like Chief Zebrudaya would say: “Fa fa fa foul!”
          Whatever its meaning, “mma” must be spelt as “mma.” The only way to differentiate one from the other is by tone-marking. The same thing applies to “akwa” which can be tone-marked to mean four different things: ákwá (cry), àkwà (bed), àkwá (egg), and ákwà (cloth).
          Here are the variants of mma:
beauty = mmã
knife/machete = mmà
mother = mmá (adapted from “mama” just as “mpa” is adapted from “papa”).

Nnewi, Nkwo Market, and Biafran War

(By Azuka Onwuka) – How the Civil War aided Nnewi’s Industrial Transformation 

Before the 1966 pogrom against the Igbo and indigenes of the former Eastern Nigeria, Nnewi in Anambra State was under the shadow of Onitsha. The markets in Nnewi were like the typical Igbo markets that were in session every four days, depending on which name each market bore. The Nkwo Market, which was situated at the centre of the town, was in full session every Nkwo day, even though some isolated traders could sell some petty things, especially food items, on other days. Anybody who wanted to buy anything of substance went to Onitsha, some 20 kilometres away.

On religious matters, the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church (the two big churches in Nnewi) had their diocesan headquarters in Onitsha. So, the bishops resided in Onitsha and were seen occasionally in Nnewi. To travel to any part of Nigeria from Nnewi, one had to get to Onitsha first. If the trip was to the North or West, one had to cross over by boat to Asaba (before the construction of the Niger Bridge in 1965). But after the bridge was constructed, Onitsha became the connecting city to other parts of Nigeria for most towns and villages in the current Anambra State.