Music Development in Ibusa: A Personal Account - Part Two
By Emeka Esogbue
"Egwu ka anyi bia li, ndi bia li ogu wa naa ana." - Dana 'Agility' Okonji
One day, my father returned from work with an album, and in his usual hurried move to his turntable, he opened the cover and at a fast pace, dropped the album on the music device. The song was slightly odd as it came with a strange account of the Nigerian Civil War. The artists were young Ibusa men from the Ogboli axis of the community. After the civil war of 1967 to 1970, a group of Ibusa young men under the auspices of Otu Ofu Ndu visited the studio to record an album.
Disposed to warfare but mourning the losses and destructions that came with the war, they invoked the people's sympathy with the 'cry.' The group of singers was mostly members of an irregular armed force who defended the Ibusa community from invasion during the war and living through the afflictions of the war, they made the song to historically recount their experience and perhaps, to issue warning on the evils of war to the living. Embraced by Ibusa listeners, the album became an instant hit and a precious household gift that Ibusa song listeners possessed.
It had several tracks but the most attention-grabbing seemed to be the war song. Fallen Ibusa 'soldiers' such as Bullet, Emma Nwosu, and several of their colleagues who fell to the bullet in Mgbotukpe Camp were paid homage in that track. The music style was unique because it was a blend of core Ibusa traditional music and highlife, something the people were experiencing for the first time. The mythical belief held in Ibusa that the people of Ogboli were warlike, refractory, and stock who engaged in defiance to inhuman treatment also helped to sell the songs with impetus.
A track particularly mocked Ibusa women who at the beginning of the war abandoned their husbands to run after soldiers only to begin to beg their husbands when the war had ended to allow them to return. It was a war situation in which many Ibusa women were put in a family way by unknown soldiers only to be abandoned at the end of the war.
Another track was titled "Lote Nu Igbuzo," which appealed to Ibusa sons and daughters to develop the community. During the war, many indigenes fled into the bush to seek cover with many never returning to the community, choosing to flee to safer places like Lagos, Ibadan, and Benin instead. Ghost town Ibusa was abandoned and emptied of socio-economic activities. It was on the strength of emissaries delegated to Oliewunaji and his co-fighters inside the Mgbotukpe Forest that the forces decided to lay down their arms. Long after the war had ended, these Ibusa defenders continued to prosecute the war, unknown to them that the war had since ended as narrated by Dr. Anthony Nwaezeigwe, a historian from the community who wrote an article on the topic. It was when the emissaries informed them about the development that they discontinued the fight.
To develop Ibusa meant that the scattered indigenes must first return to their hometown, look the way of their desolate community, and think up ways by which social structures would be put in place again. Otu Ofu Ndu, the Ogboli group of musicians took up the initiative to send this appeal to the sons and daughters of the community in their song, hoping that the call would be heeded. A few years later, Ogbogu Okonji and Etiti Okonji did a follow-up album in which an appeal was sent to the Diokpa of Ibusa, asking him to ensure that the Ibusa community was lit up with electricity.
The Otu Ofu Ndu was thankful to Rev Father Kunirum Osia who was the war-time Parish Priest of St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Ibusa. Regrettably, the priestly years of Father Osia who hailed from Obomkpa, another Anioma community was almost consumed by the Nigerian Civil War and his efforts to safeguard Ibusa from total annihilation. This left him with the untold burden of Ibusa to bear, confronting soldiers and catering to Ibusa refugees. Rev Father Kunirum Osia stood between the Nigerian soldiers and impending massacres, preventing the soldiers from visiting the community with the magnitude of the pogrom that Asaba and Isheagu experienced.
Father Osia was not only in charge of the Refugee Camp in Sacred Heart Elementary School, Ibusa but with the aid of some Ibusa women, buried several Ibusa sons and daughters who were caught up in the crossfire of Nigerian and Biafran bullets. He hid many Ibusa indigenes from soldiers inside the church thereby risking his life and the wrath of the fierce soldiers. It was Rev Kunirum Osia who attracted the General Hospital to Ibusa shortly after the war, inviting his friend, the then Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (retd) to commission the project.
It was in consideration of this altruistic help to the Ibusa community that Otu Ofu Ndu dedicated a track to him, paying him homage. Years after, during the presentation of the book, "Anioma in Contemporary Nigeria," edited by him, this author, Dr. Emeka Esogbue, reminded Dr. Kunirum Osia of the Otu Ofu Ndu track and the Ibusa appreciation and also personally saluted him on behalf of the Ibusa people.
In 2006, Rev Father Kunirum Osia was on the ground at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos to launch the book, "Anioma in Contemporary Nigeria," which he edited and the Ibusa people were in massive turnout to salute the man who prevented the community from the massacre of soldiers in the enormity of what neighbouring Asaba community experienced. Four of the Ibusa big shots present at the event were Chief Peter Eloka Okocha, the guru of politics and businessman, Prof Pat Utomi, the political economist, Chief Tony Azuya, security chief and head of Technocrime Security and Elder Statesman, Dr. Austin Izagbo who is also the Ide of Ibusa. This author was also in attendance at the event as the leader of the Umu Anioma Foundation Worldwide.
Lamentably, beyond the words of appreciation from the individuals and Otu Ofu Ndu homage, the Ibusa community is yet to honour Kunirum Osia, the wartime saver of Ibusa lives. As they proverbially say in the people's parlance, "Okuku adia elofu onye kwuo odu na udu mmili" but the people of the community appear to become oblivious of the earnest and conscious efforts of the man who risked his life and priesthood to prevent his dear Ibusa host community from the destruction of the Nigerian Civil War that claimed more than three million lives in the country, also setting many communities backward. It is not a bad idea if a monument or street is named after the Ibusa hero in the community. What is mocking in the personality of Kunirum Osia is that his Obomkpa compatriots consider him as one whose astonishing feats were in favour of Ibusa and not their community and this author was shocked in the extreme to hear his community compatriot make this mention.
Despite the development above, Kunirum Osia is retained in the musical history of Ibusa by Otu Ofu Ndu, the Ogboli warriors. Indeed, the Ibusa people acknowledge his priestly and heroic efforts to the community and anyone who listened to the oral delivery of Ibusa's Chief Peter Okocha at the book launch event would appreciate Osia, the hero.
Two Ibusa contemporary highlife musicians competed with other Nigerian musicians of their time in this genre. These were St. Michael Obanya and Bright Osadebe. These two legends are worth mentioning in this article for their excellent musical career and for putting Ibusa in Nigerian highlife music maps side by side with other notable singers of their days. The musical career of the duo was short-lived; nevertheless, the singers made impacts within their short-lasting reign. St. Michael Obanya was a passionate singer with a shrill and insistent voice. His particular "Oboshi Ta Orji" song was widespread within the Anioma area, breaking the doors of the Ibusa audience.
The song chanted the praise of Oboshi, the age-long revered female deity of the Ibusa people. It sacrificially offered the goddess Kola nut for the return of peace to the community. The lyrical belief of St. Michael Obanya in the Oboshi divinity was not an accident. He hailed from Umuekea, one of the quarters with the spiritual conviction of Oboshi as the mother and devout guide of the quarter. It was from this quarter that Ohene Umuogwo, one of the best-known Water Priests of the deity who died in 2009 also hailed. Sir Augustine Nweke from Isieke part of the quarter would artistically complement the sacredness of the goddess with the sculptural recreation. St. Michael Obanya therefore had the Oboshi background in him.
The significance woven in St. Michael Obanya's Oboshi lyric was the idea of good and bad in society. He was concerned with the distinction between right and wrong in Ibusa society, crooning "imeli nma, ime li onwei na enu uwa, ime li njor, ime li onwei na enu uwa," a reminder of the stance of Oboshi that forbade 'aluu.' To the people, Oboshi River was capable of drowning the evil doers on getting close to the water and singer; Obanya was not unmindful of this spiritual menace. Although the song was danceable, the dancers were never unmindful of the furious powers of the Oboshi Mmili when provoked.
St. Michael Obanya was not the only Ibusa musician thematic of the Oboshi goddess in his lyrical composition. Nearly every traditional musician of the community from time immemorial found a means to mention Oboshi whether as a 'mother' or a guide of Ibusa. Dana Okonji's Otu Mbosionyenwu Obulunjoa's "Alusi Mmili" was about Oboshi and Ogbogu Okonji's expression of "uya ye ke eme anyi, ya domi ishu na Oboshi," is an indication of belief in the deity as a protector of the people of the community. For John Nwanze Nwabuwa, it was "Oboshi mmili, nmor di akai," meaning "Oboshi, the custodian of the things of the spirit."
In furtherance, until the coming of Christianity to the region, the ancient Ibusa people were known for their exclamations of "Oboshi Mba," "Oboshi Mmili Mba," "Nnem Oboshi," and "Oboshi Kamgbolu," all of which signify submission and extreme veneration of the deity. It is in the same vein, that the people named their male children after the deity as reflected in such names as "Nwaoboshi" and "Okoboshi." Typically, any male child burns on the way to Oboshi or anywhere near the stream bore the name. The name speaks characteristically of Ibusa's identity.
Bright Osadebe was the best-known Ibusa highlife musician perhaps with albums numbering about three but "Ezi Nne," a track released in 1976 was one of Ibusa's best-selling highlife songs of all time. The song, dedicated to his mother evoked motherly love and care for children. Once released, the Ibusa market was responsive to the creativity of the musician. Bright Osadebe and His Melody Sound Makers held the Ibusa highlife lovers spellbound with the "Ezi Nne" track but the album was not all about this song. Bright Osadebe preached peace and condemned "Nmu Ka Mali," which he tagged "Mr. Too know." The saying, "Amulu ma, amulu ma, odia kwe okili akporakpor," gained currency.
One aspect of his music that his lovers enjoyed was the use of proverbs. With his songs full of Enuani proverbs, Osadebe's statements were almost entire proverbs so it took the knowledge of Enuani proverbs to understand him effectively. From Bright Osadebe, we learnt the following proverbs: "Iwe bu te nkalu", "Ile oma ka ejine ji ali enu," "nkili nkili wa kili ododo," "wa di eji kwa oge eni ozu," "ife di na uwa bu akalaka," nke di na uwa bu okele enu," "onu na eli nni, mali onye onaa gu," "oha ncha aji wea iwe ukpu," etc.
Bright Osadebe and my father shared a very close relationship to the extent that they were almost inseparable. In 1986, he was on a visit to our Lagos home to spend some days. Seeing Bright Osadebe around her with his song playing, my younger sister, little Ngozi, innocently asked my father why Bright Osadebe was with us and his song was playing on the turntable and both men laughed their hearts out.

...to be continued