We are proud of our ancestry and heritage. Our people are positive in outlook,
creative, industrious and highly educated. History has it that our people hailed
from ancient Bini, and our language is of Kwa subdivision of the Niger-Congo
language family. Replete with different dialects, Esan language is quite
unintelligible to even many native speakers. For instance, the Esan word for person
(or, somebody) is variously called by the different kingdoms’ dialects as ọria (by
Uromi, etc), ọhia (by Uzea, etc), ọyia (by Unea, etc), ọhan (by Ugbọha, etc). This
obvious difficulty associated with speaking others’ dialect other than one’s mother
dialect has given rise to the widespread use of Pidgin English, which is the local
patois, a mishmash of Portuguese, English and Nigeria’s local languages.

A handful of Esan families are known to possess Portuguese ancestry, resulting
from links dating back to the 16th Century when Portuguese sailors and tradesman
first entered the Bini Kingdom via the coast. British arrived Bini in the wake of the
Portuguese numerous expeditions to, and intercourse with, Bini.
During the era of the military, our people had between five to six high ranking
military, police and Naval officers as governors of various states around the country
at different occasions, a feat that owed much to our learning and sociability.
Prominent Esan men and women are Chief Anthony Enahoro, who raised the
motion for the independence of Nigeria; Peter Enahoro, who wrote How to be a
Nigerian, Tony Anenih, a top Nigerian politician and former minister of Works and
Housing.

Other names include the late Prof. Ambrose Alli, former Governor of
Bendel State; Bishop Patrick Ekpu, Anthony Cardinal Okogie; late first lady Stella
Obasanjo; late musician Sonny Okosun and writer Aba Aburime. Also included are
Chief Tom Ikimi, former foreign minister , former Lagos state police commissioner Oyakhilomen; former vice president of Nigeria, Admiral Augustus Aikhonmu. Dr

Christopher Gbelokoto Okojie, one of the most distinguished medical doctors in
Nigeria in the second half of the twentieth century.
Chief Ikimi and Chief Anenih— have been known to occupy the position of
chairman of two national parties —NRC and SDP respectively.