Ạḍinya Iigbia — Abuan (Abua) Complete Bible (Nigeria)
Overview
Ạḍinya Iigbia ("The Holy Bible" in Abua) is the complete Bible in the Abua (Abuan) language of Rivers State, Nigeria, published in 2019 by the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT) in cooperation with MIDI Bible (Romanel-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland) and the Abuan Language Development and Literacy Society (Ayama-Abua, Rivers State), available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 2632; abbreviation: ẠḌI/ADI). The community autonym Abuan is the same as the scholarly designation Abua. A New Testament in Abua was originally published in 1978 by the Bible Society of Nigeria (UBS copyright). The full Bible completion in 2019 (ISBN: 978-978-966-354-5) represents over four decades of sustained translation work for this Rivers State community.
Language and People
Abua (ISO 639-3: abn; autonym: Abuan) is a Niger-Congo language: Niger-Congo → Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Cross River → Ogoni-Abua-Odual branch (or Ogoni cluster). Abua belongs to a small cluster of related languages at the southern fringe of Cross River State and the Niger Delta — positioned between the major Ijoid languages of the delta and the Cross River languages of the eastern hinterland.
The Abuan community inhabits:
- Abua-Odual Local Government Area, Rivers State, southern Nigeria — in the Niger Delta area between Port Harcourt and the Igbo heartland
Estimated speakers: approximately 100,000–150,000 (Ethnologue data for Abua).
Cultural Context
The Abua communities of Rivers State occupy part of the oil-producing Niger Delta region, which has seen significant environmental and social disruption from petroleum extraction since the 1960s. The 2019 full Bible completion, building on the 1978 NT foundation, demonstrates the NBTT's long-term commitment to minority language scripture for Rivers State communities alongside more prominent Delta languages.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by NBTT — Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (P.O. Box 790, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria) in cooperation with MIDI Bible (Ch. de Praz-Roussy 4b, 1032 Romanel-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland) and the Abuan Language Development and Literacy Society (Ayama-Abua, Rivers State). The 1978 NT was published by the Bible Society of Nigeria with © UBS.