The Omu of Anioma, Martha Dunkwu, is a revered traditional ruler of Anioma land, which covers nine local government areas in Delta State. Anioma people are the Igbo located in Delta, who are separated from the Igbo in the South-East by the River Niger. While chatting with HiTNG , say as a Queen, she can only marry a woman.

When she was asked “As a queen, how do you feel not having a husband and children?”

She said:

“Once you are pronounced as Omu, and you had married, you must leave your marital home and return to your father’s house. You are now a man. A palace will be built for you in your father’s place. You stop contacting your husband but that is not to say he cannot come and say hello; however, he cannot stay with you for hours.

He cannot come and sleep with you so you have no responsibility to the man whatsoever. If you had children before you became Omu, the children would still be yours.
And if you had one child before you became Omu and now wish to have more children, you can marry a woman, who will give you more children.

This is because you cannot live with a man again. And in such a situation, the child you previously had and the one the woman had will have the same rights. That is, your two sets of children will have the same rights – the child or children you had before you became Omu and those you had in the institute. But for me, I have one son and I never married.

I used to say that marriage is by choice but for the past couple of years, I have seen it as providential. I have one son who is married with a son now and is a lecturer in the university. I am man and woman put together. I’m not under a man, rather a different spiritual person. During my coronation, male rights were bestowed on me.”