Obaseki: How a Nsukwa Family of Anioma Ruled Benin Empire as an Oba

- Emeka Esogbue

The Obaseki family of Benin is indeed of Anioma ancestry from Nsukwa Kingdom in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State. Other communities lying close to Nsukwa are Umute, Aba Ukwu, Adonte, and Ejeme Aniogor. According to J. P. Nkem Onyekpe, "Nsukwa" is an Anglicization of Nchukwa. Since its foundation, Benin and Anioma communities have enjoyed relations in the form of trade, marriage, diplomacy, and wars but these particular Benin-Nsukwa relations are a relationship that defines cultural association.

As was the cultural practice within the period under discussion, Agho who was the Crown Prince to the throne of Nsukwa Kingdom was sent to Benin for training on administration and he struck a friendship with Overamwen Nogbaisi, the other Crown Prince to Benin Kingdom.

With time, Overamwen ascended the throne as the Oba of Benin and conferred the title of Obaseki of Benin on Prince Agho, his childhood friend who was now placed in charge of trade and foreign affairs in Benin but in the years ahead, particularly in 1897 disaster struck when Consul Philip and his group of the British expeditionary to Benin were waylaid with some of them killed by Benin forces which irked the British. 

After the trial in which Overamwen and several of his chiefs were either executed or exiled, Obaseki Agho became de facto Oba of Benin, holding the kingdom together that had now lost the empire in her in peace. The new patriarch of Obaseki also had two of his children taking up the "Obaseki" title after him. 

Obaseki Agho never returned to Nsukwa, his land of birth, an Anioma community located in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State today to assume the kingship of the kingdom as royally expected of him and at the passage of time, the family surname became Obaseki as borne today. 

As it turned out, Godwin Obaseki would rise to democratically emerge as the Governor of Edo State on a term political contract, ironically he could appoint anyone to stay in charge of commerce, the position once enjoyed by the patriarch of his revered family.

Obaseki is a popular family name today in Benin but it was originally a traditional title conferred on an Anioma son who tradition did not permit him to live together with his father and also needed training on kingship. Nsukwa which claims Benin origin according to HRM Obi Ezegbunem 1, the Obi of the community as stated in an interview granted by The Punch Newspaper on February 9, 2019, first settled in Umunede and later Kwale in search of peace, before finally arriving at Uso Ukwa (Beside the breadfruit) where they finally settled. 

It is from this "Uso Ukwa", that the name that the community bears today is derived. The Obaseki family may have chosen to remain in Benin but history remembers them as being Anioma from our Nsukwa community.

Emeka Esogbue in Brief

Dr. Emeka Esogbue is a historian and writer from Ibusa, a cultural community of Anioma in Delta State, Nigeria. His parents were Onowu Patrick Chukwudumebi Esogbue and Theresa Nwasiwe Esogbue (nee Okolie).

In addition to his book publications, Dr. Esogbue is widely recognized for his ethnohistorical studies of the Anioma people. Dr. Emeka Esogbue enjoys popularity among his Anioma people and is fondly called "Pen Master" by his readers. He is also known to have teeming fans and followers on his social media pages.

He is the author of the following books:

1. A Study of the Origins and Migrations of Anioma Settlements
2. Essentials of Anioma History
3. A Short History of Omu
4. A History of Ibusa
5. The Ekumeku Movement and its Resostance to Colonial Rule
6. Book of Records: A Compendium of Ibusa Firsts and Achievers

His books offer practical insight into the origin and development of the Anioma people of Nigeria. Esogbue is known to utilize oral sources in digging into the people's history and eventually, reconstructing their past.

The African historian, Dr. Esogbue is respected as well as widely consulted for his expertise in the Nigerian branch of history and culture. There are over a thousand of his essays on the cultures of the people that are available online, and he is widely read and cited by historical researchers who are interested in the Anioma people.

The moniker "Pen Master" was bestowed upon him due to his proficiency in using pens for communication, inspiration, and cultural instruction.

He has contributed to the organizational establishments of Anioma associations and they include:

1. Umu Anioma Foundation Worldwide where he rose to the position of Board Member/Assistant Publicity Secretary.
2. Ndi Anioma of Nigeria Association (Co-founder)
3. Igbuzo Singles Meet Worldwide (Founder)
4. Anioma Watch Social Association (Founder)
5. Guild of Ibusa Writers and Artists (Founder)

Esogbue is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Anioma Watch Social Association, President-General of Igbuzo Singles Group, former Research Consultant, Council Omu, Advisor, Blossom Ladies Social Club, among others.

Pen Master - Emeka Esogbue is married with children.

Artwork: "Strength of the Anioma Man," Gathering Fame Among Artwork Lovers

- Emeka Esogbue

Recently, the painting "Strength of the Anioma Man" is becoming well-known, and PEN MASTER had the chance to see the paint job.

The artist of Strength of the Anioma Man, Enyi Echezona Jr., is an Anioma man from Idumuje Unor in the Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. The painting was completed in oil on canvas.

The artwork shows a manly, forceful, and energetic Anioma "ogbu akpele," a native flute player, playing Enuani melodies on a trumpet, to which another Anioma man and an unidentified woman are depicted dancing.

Images within are ornamented with the rarely worn red cap, a mark of royalty, and Akwa-Ocha, the native cloth of the Anioma people.

Echezona Jr., the Painter, described the piece to the Pen Master, saying that it was motivated by the willpower a man has to achieve any goal.

"Be it blowing a trumpet to answering the call of a battle on a cold rainy night, his guts must come to the fore and feel every strand of fibre in those muscles, he further emphasized."

"Need I also add that we are very fine people courtesy of our Akwa Ocha and red cap? That's it my brother."

However, PEN MASTER is aware that the artwork has already been sold to an Asaba collector, despite the growing enthusiasm from fans to possess the piece.

Born to Idumuje Unor parents, Enyi Echezona Jr., is a B.A holder in Visual Art.

He won The Windsor and Newton World Millennium Art, Nigerian Chapter after placing first in one of the organization's competitions.

Echezona Jr. hopes to receive greater patronage and views his artworks as a collector's joy.

A LIST OF 100 ACTIVE NIGERIAN LAWYERS (BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS) FROM IBUSA IN DELTA STATE
Ibusa, a community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State is renowned for the abundant human capita available to her. Nevertheless, this is about 100 lawyers who are indigenes of the community. Some of them have been at the Bar for as long as 25 years and they include Prof Fidelis Oditah, QC (KC), SAN, a notable lawyer from the community and Barr Ike Ofuokwu who is respected for his integrity and reliability in the profession. Chief Peter Onyeluka Nwaoboshi, a Senator that represented the Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State is also a lawyer from the community.
1. Prof Fidelis Oditah, QC (KC), SAN
2. Barr Emmanuel Nwuli
3. Barr Ngozi Chibututu
4. Barr Lizzy Idigbe (nee Abiagom)
5. Barr Fred Ajudua
6. Barr Chukwudi Okobi
7. Barr Mrs. Cordeilia Dener (Nee Onwuachi)
8. Barr Ike Eseke
9. Barr Tony Isoh
10. Barr Victor Okereke
11. Barr Austin Elikwu
12. Barr Charles Nmarkwe
13. Barr Bobo Ajudua
14. Barr Ngozi Emurashe (nee Uchidiunor)
15. Barr Awele Henry Chigbue
16. Dr. Barr Nosike Agokei
17. Barr Mrs. Kate Onianwa
18. Barr Mrs. Scholar Ede
19. Barr Fred Isoh
20. Barr Hon Stella Mejulu
21. Barr Ifeoma Iloba
22. Barr Mrs. Chichi Fenlab
23. Barr Mrs. Florence Ndubuisi Balogun
24. Barr Ike Ofuokwu
25. Barr Dom Okonma
26. Barr Dave Nwaezeapu
27. Barr Fenlab Nwabueze
28. Barr Ifeanyi Agba
29. Barr Ike Agba
30. Barr Felicia Nwaezeigwe
31. Barr Mrs. Uche Obidi
32. Barr Val Okonji
33. Barr Sola Hyacinth Elueme (Magistrate)
34. Barr Femi Okafor
35. Barr Felix Nwaokolo
36. Barr Tina Moye
37. Barr Nkechi Halima Nwadei
38. Barr Nneamaka Rosemary Okeleke-Onyekwum
39. Barr Richard Amatokwu
40. Barr Asua Oraegbu
41. Barr Frank Ushedo
42. Barr Anthony Onwordi
43. Barr Mrs. Lilian Isioma Otoma (nee Nmarkwe)
44. Barr Mrs. Judith Edonmwonyi (nee Nzekwu)
45. Barr Mrs. Priscilla Oditah
46. Barr Charles Nwanze
47. Barr Nduka Nwaezeigwe
48. Sir. Barr Theo Nzekwu
49. Barr Mrs. Vera Ohai
50. Barr C. N. Okocha
51. Barr Helen Ikolodo
52. Barr Emeka Ogwugwu
53. Barr Ndidi Onyia
54. Barr Lilian Isioma Otomah
55. Barr Peter Lotobi
56. Barr Peter Onyeluka Nwaoboshi
57. Barr Chike Chuks Okafor
58. Barr Albert Nwalia
59. Barr Ngozi Chukwura Oboiseoye Chigbue
60. Hon Justice Theodora Obiageli Uloho
61. Barr Chike Oni Chime
62. Barr Lawrence Nwajei
63. Barr Tony Odiadi
64. Barr Fidel Okeze
65. Barr Stephen Ajufo
66. Barr Louis Mgbolu
67. Barr Kobindi Chigbue
68. Barr Chiedu Nwandu
69. Barr Ifeoma Idigbe
70. His Honour T. J. Nzekwu
71. Barr Charles Okoh
72. Her Honour Doris Okafor
73. Barr James Nwanze
74. Barr Rosemary Olinmah
75. Barr Okolie Apiti Onochie
76. Barr Mag Doris Mokwenye
77. Barr Emeka Ohaegbu
78. Barr Benjamin Obi Okoji
79. Barr Vincent Nosike Soligbo
80. Barr Emmanuella Ezenwa Ikolodo
81. Barr Nonso Okonji
82. Barr Emmanuel Nwulia
83. Barr Dumebi Ikpo
84. Barr Bibian Umeadi-Iloba
85. Barr Chris Nwaokobia Jnr.
86. Barr Gladys Dibia Gbuenisi
87. Barr Fred Umeadi
88. Barr Princess Pat Adankele Ajudua
89. Barr Marion Nwamaka Emeagwai
90. Barr Philip Okolie
91. Barr Anthony Isoh
92. Barr Charles Okocha
93. Barr Emmanuel Nwulia
94. Barr Christopher Chilua
95. Barr Mike Olunwa
96. Barr Ifeanyi Nwaezeigwe
97. Barr Anthonia Nkechi Onabanjo (nee Odita)
98. Barr Stephanie Onyeka Okonwanji
99. Barr Paul Ajudua
100. Barr Chuks Anthony Okeibunor

- Compiled by Dr. Emeka Esogbue

School: Department of History and International Studies, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos.
Programme: History and Diplomacy
Book Title: Diplomatic Soldiering: The Conduct of Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979
Author: Major-General Joe Garba
Publisher: Spectrum Books Limited
Year of publication: 1987
Revised: 1991
Reprinted: 2015
Reviewer: Esogbue Emeka Jerry
It is a 268-page book divided into 12 chapters that are titled. It touches on diplomacy and Nigerian foreign policy within the African continent but more importantly, the personal experiences of the author who incidentally, served under General Yakubu Gowon (Retd), General Murtala Muhammed (Retd), and General Olusegun Obasanjo (Retd), three Heads of State of the Nigerian nation sequentially. The book opens with a preface and also contains a prologue. It is enriched with an epilogue while closing also with several appendices.
In chapter one, which is titled, “Learning on the Job”, the author, the Commander of the Brigade of Guards relieves his experience as the newly appointed Head of the Ministry of External Affairs. His experience hints at his visit to the Ministry which he described as his second ever. He soon took over from Joe Iyalla who was the Permanent Secretary at the time. He soon received his first briefing from General Yakubu Gowon (Retd), the Head of State who directed him to hold an urgent consultation with the His Excellency Oumarou G Youssofu, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Niger Republic whom the author further described as his old friend, with whom he grew up. The issues for discussion bothered cows and a broken bridge and the 1973 drought that had killed over 50% of Niger’s cattle, causing the country to place an embargo on cattle export to Nigeria within this period.
In this chapter of the book, the author condemned Gowon’s style of leadership which he described as ‘personalization of Nigeria’s Diplomacy’. According to him, this style nearly resulted in Gowon’s sending of Nigerian troops to Niger to forestall a coup due to his friendship with President Hamani Diori of that country. This chapter also touches on the diplomatic argument between Nigeria and Togo over which of these two countries should enjoy the situation of the ECOWAS headquarters. This was somewhat odd considering Nigeria’s population and status as the chief financier of ECOWAS, paying one-third of the regional body's budget.
Finally, it was during Gowon’s visit to Togo to attend the OAU summit that the news of his removal reached him. He was offered asylum and having spent two weeks in that country but he would prefer to relocate to London, the country of his inclination to begin his asylum. General Murtala Muhammed would eventually emerge as Nigeria’s new Head of State following the coup, to head the most populous black nation as captured in the book by the author.
By the time chapter two of this book opened, the author had settled on his new job. He related Murtala’s preference to the demand of an activist. It is his thought that being a matter of foreign policy because Nigeria must be visible to the world and not be seen as obscure. This made the author to engage in frequent travels to actualize some of the policies before the international nation. Here, Obasanjo who would later in history succeed Murtala as the nation’s Head of State, comes into the diplomatic picture for the first time. He is described as one with strong anti-colonial credentials who had written a thesis at the Royal College of Defence Studies, ably contrasting the paucity of British economic assistance to Nigeria in comparison with what that country was gaining from Nigeria economically.
The change of Nigeria’s foreign policy towards other African countries which characterized the shift from Gowon to Murtala made the author remark that “foreign policy does not wait for a report”. At this stage of the introduction of Obasanjo's anti-colonial stance, the author optimistically alerted his readers hoping and believing that “it was clear from the beginning that Nigeria’s foreign policy would be characterized by a new sense of direction especially in Africa” soon.
President Eyadema arrived in Nigeria where he received a chilly welcome as his executive plane touched a nearly deserted airport. Another African Head of State to visit the nation at this time was Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada who was in the country in 1976 on his way to Liberia. It was within this period that Murtala lobbied Dr. Elia into the International Court of Justice at The Hague despite the closure of nominations. This was also against Justice “Daddy” Onyema, the incumbent who was also seeking re-election and in fact, had also secured support from the majority of Western countries. However, when Murtala died in 1976, Nigeria’s foreign policy did not lose its dynamism. Obasanjo was to take over as the Head of State.
Chapter three explains Angola’s crisis and Nigeria’s reasons for supporting MPLA. Chapter four explains good neighbourliness among the West African countries with the author not surprised that there was tension in the West African region. According to him, this was expected within the region so politically and economically diverse. He identified the colonial creation of these countries as a source of major problems that the continent would have to battle with. Colonial heritage, according to him invited differences in ideological outlook, and added to this are the different European languages that these countries speak English, French, and Portuguese. One of the sad episodes conveyed was the fight that nearly broke out between Eyadema and Kerekou in the presence of Obasanjo.
Chapter five discusses the challenge posed by Rhodesia which the author claimed was Nigeria’s most important preoccupation during his tenure. By the end of the period of search for peace, Garba was no longer Foreign Minister so there was little he could do to help the situation especially as he had claimed that with Obasanjo being a stickler for procedure, he could not walk to him to offer any help in this regard. He therefore returned to the Army. However, it was unfortunate that the Nigerian delegation was insulted by Nyerere who at the time had assumed full command. There was the struggle against apartheid in chapter six of the book.
Apartheid is expressed as one issue on which African countries consistently united in condemning. The author claimed that African countries never wavered as least verbally. The author recalls that the issue of apartheid was first raised in the United Nations by the Republic of India in 1948 and since then no other issue has occupied the time and energies of that world body except, perhaps, the Middle East and Korean crises. At the conference later held in Nigeria, several recommendations were issued against the apartheid regime of South Africa. This was the testimony of Africans towards sacrificing to right the wrong in southern Africa.
In chapter seven, the author reports the 1976 OAU Foreign Ministers and Budgetary meeting, the second ever that he would attend, and the attendant crisis. He recalled that the meeting came to a standstill for two days following the verbal warfare between the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Kifle Wadajo, and the leader of the Somali delegation, Ahmed Mohammed over the independence of Afas and Isas, otherwise known as Djibouti. While both persons supported the independence of the country, they differed violently on how the independence should be achieved and traded insults. This chapter also presented the Kenyan crisis. However, the most disturbing was the Kenya-Uganda border which threw up the Israeli ’90 Minutes at Entebbe’.The author would travel to Uganda and later reported that worried Idi Amin knelt on his knees pleading with him mainly over the closure of the Kenya-Uganda border which was doing economic damage to Uganda. Eventually, Amin’s downfall would come through at the exit of the Author as Foreign Minister.
Chapter eight opens with the Author’s remark that African politics would regrettably continue to be buffeted by the global confrontation between the United States of America and the Soviets. He reached this conclusion from his experience as Nigeria’s Foreign Minister who had attended bilateral and multilateral meetings. Similarly, in chapter nine, readers are given the idea that no independent African country can escape from the web of relationships spun with Europe since the fifteenth century. “Independence may have come but economic inter-dependence persists what the situation”, he emphasizes.
The Author went ahead to explain that when Nigeria achieved her independence in October 1960 from the British, it was through peaceful constitutional conferences rather than an armed liberation struggle. This according to the Author is responsible for the warm, even sentimental feeling among Nigerians toward Britain. He buttressed this argument with the Anglo-Nigeria Defence Pact to which the students of the University of Ibadan protested. In furtherance, he recalled that the Nigerian-Britain relationship was cordial until 1967 when the Nigerian Civil War broke out. At that time, the Nigerian government expected Britain to support her however, what the country got was sustained propaganda mounted against it both in the British Parliament and the British society at large. There was also the case of the initial refusal of Britain to sell arms to Nigeria. It is noteworthy that after the war, relations improved as did with all countries.
Chapter ten discusses Nigeria's international organizations. The Author sees the United Nations to which Nigeria was admitted on October 7, 1960, as an impressive world theatre. He describes the theatre of the global body as a pure theatre with a collection of several thousand professional actors otherwise called diplomats with other professionals who play the role of directors and producers over which presides the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Chapter eleven describes the relations between Black Africa and the Arabs. The Author explains that it was the Arab-Israeli confrontation that compelled Nasser of Egypt to seek relations in the sub-Saharan region. However, he would regret that the matter of the Middle East crisis began to dominate the OAU sessions with the Palestine Liberation Organization succeeding in attending one of the OAU meetings as observers. Nonetheless, the Author did not appreciate the Palestine problem dominating African meetings especially when Africans were not directly concerned.
Chapter twelve which serves as a conclusion bears the view that a country of Nigeria’s size and potential cannot formulate and execute a credible foreign policy for the future without first laying a solid political and economic foundation at home. This assertion seems to be infinitely valuable to the Nigerian foreign policy formulators beyond the period of publication of the book.
This is followed by an interesting epilogue and appendices, some of which submit reports and exchanges from the diplomatic front.

A welcome Address Delivered by Dr. Emeka Esogbue, Chairman, BoT, Anioma Watch Social Association On the Occasion of the 1st Annual Anioma Watch Anioma Legacy Lecture Held inside the Banquet Hall, Orchid Hotel and Conference Centre, Asaba, Delta State on Friday December 22, 2023
Protocols
It is my pleasure to welcome everyone to our beautiful event today. Our gathering here is the making of history in coming together from Enuani, Ika, and Ndokwa to sit down and listen to intellectual speeches from our Guest Lecturers. This is something that the people of our Anioma Nation do not expect to happen often because there is the tendency to assume that lectures only happen when one is in the university but people should sometimes come together to employ public lectures to educate themselves and also estimate or determine the situational extent of the socio-cultural, economic and political path along which they are moving as a nation of people. Happily, this is what we are inclined to achieve for our Anioma Nation with this epoch-making program.
We have diligently engaged you, professionals, and experts from fields relevant to the areas of this discourse to come together and share their knowledge, ideas, and experiences hoping that our Anioma people make something out of it. You will agree with me that the topics for discussion today are quite relevant to us as a people. When people are challenged by issues, the same people are expected to come together to mull over such challenges with the intention of conquering them. The event of today will provide us the opportune confluence to listen to some of the challenges confronting us and then pave the way for us to get through them.
There is hardly a society without challenges hence, our Anioma society is not an exception. However, the difference between us and them is probably that scarcely do we, the Enuani, Ika, and Ndokwa come together to confab about a plan of action which invites us, the tendency to continue to drift apart in some ways. It is a development not peculiar to our Anioma people but ecumenical to our nation where any such proposal transforms into a source of suspicion to both the conferrers and conferees. This is why suspicion builds up in the society with inimical coexistence, friendship, and cooperation in place instead.
Anioma Watch Social Association, the organizers of this event has lined up several activities for you, which we hope will deepen your knowledge and also make your day. From the lecture topics, we have the subject matter touching on the preservation of our heritage against the indiscriminate sale of our lands by ourselves. It would seem that our people have abandoned legitimate means of livelihood, the hard work, and value that our people were once known for, to idly and indolently pursue the sale of land in our communities.
A new consortium of youths and elders, combined appears to have arisen to move from one Anioma community to the other to continue to sell the people's lands and nobody is asking or answering the question of where our children will live tomorrow. To exacerbate the situation, the lands are sold to only one particular ethnic group in the country, and in some cases, the population of these people has overwhelmed our indigenes. Those who have socio-political eyes can see that it poses serious challenges for the affected communities.
The second topic touches on leadership cultivation. To what extent have our political representatives nurtured leadership to favour us? As the Anioma people, have we sufficiently reaped the political fruits of representation from our leaders in 1999? Perhaps, the Guest Lecturer who is a politician will answer this question today.
Lastly, for those of us who knew him while he was alive, Rev Fr. Dr. Kunirum Osia from Obomkpa, was the civil war hope of several Anioma communities. He was once a young Reverend Father whose sudden unforeseen calling was to prevent Anioma communities from becoming an organized persecution zone, making moves that involved danger including risking his own life to safeguard our people. Beyond this, he was one man who championed the cause of the existence of Anioma, founding the associations in the United States of America, and publishing and editing Anioma journals to propagate the cause of the people. Despite these patriotic contributions to our people, he remains unsung to the extent that many may here today may not have heard his name. Have our people accorded him any recognition? Beyond Osia, how well do our people celebrate their legends? Maybe, too, this speaker will help us to answer this question.
Well, once again, we welcome you to this maiden edition of our programme. It is for Anioma and we are all Anioma. We are sure that after today, it will no longer remain a maiden edition because it will become an annual exercise without interruption. We hope we all have a nice time today.
I thank you, all.

ALOR: NEAR ANNIHILATION, REBIRTH AND SPREAD IN MODERN IBUSA
By Emeka Esogbue
INTRODUCTION
Alor is a general practice in various Anioma especially among the Enuani communities although the origin remains largely unknown. It bears several significances where practiced. Alor is largely practiced in other Anioma communities with the name either retained or known as “Ichi-nmor” depending on the particular society. In places like Asaba, a Mkpalor is known as “Ogbueshi” or “Ogbueyin” in Onicha-Olona. The Ogbueshi, only a dialectical version of Ogbuenyi involves a traditional practice in which a particular male has metaphorically killed a cow. It has been emphasized that the cow in the traditional sense symbolizes the mother earth. The Ogbueshi process is complex yet, necessary in man’s society where practiced. However, it is called “Mkpalor” in communities like Ibusa, Akwukwu-Igbo and others.
This is not to rule out that the recognized practice in Ibusa elevates an Alor initiate to Ogbueshi by presenting a cow to his fellow Alor initiates. In light of this, he is seen and also accorded the Ogbueshi recognition.
The Mkpalor comes with integrity, honour, and authority for some traditional reasons. Alor is a near-expensive title with rigorous ceremonies that require effort and money to embark on, especially in an individual capacity. To be a Mkpalor, one must be a male and must have lost his father to death. It is the loss of the father that symbolizes the manhood status in him. Although age is not a factor here, it is an abomination for anyone to share Alor's status with his father who is still alive. What is derivable from it is that the rites of Alor do not recognize anyone as a man in the presence of his father since it is the father's demise that thrust one with fatherhood and accompanying fatherly responsibilities.
But, no one can be an elder when his father is still living. This makes it an initiation that requires the death of one’s father as a condition. Again, Alor has the natural right of seniority. It means that no one can become a Mkpalor ahead of his biological elder brother. This may happen only subject to the declaration of the senior brother’s disinterestedness at least as traditionally expected in Ibusa. Every Mkpalor is considered reformed and genteel with an understanding of responsibility and responsiveness in all matters that concern his society. He is seen as completely different from his peers because of what he has undergone which now makes him refined to the extent that his thoughts and actions towards his environment are reflectively changed, something close to becoming spiritually re-born.
The Mkpalor is an Alor initiate while Ikpa-Alor is the process by which the candidate traditionally acquires it. ChudeAkus, a writer on Alor has submitted in his work that Alor defines a title for esteem and recognition in the society. For him, it is the failure to acquire the title in the society that invites inescapable and unimaginable tragic development. By implication, to take up Alor, is to ward off or prevent the unexpected tragic developments. While the emphasis of this piece is on Mkpalor also known as “Alor”, it is important to summarily view the two other traditional classes since they are essential to the sheer understanding of Alor being the subject of the discussion.
ALOR IN IBUSA
Like most societies of the world, Ibusa characterizes different statuses or traditional social standing. These positions come with authority traditionally handed to them to function in the day-to-day running of society. It is the order, recognition, and social ladder of this nature that enable peaceful and orderly governance of the Ibusa society. This is to say that Ibusa is a community with people with relative positions or social standing who are not only respected but by their social standing have people look forward to them for traditional direction. Ordinarily, too, the presence of these enjoyers sustains discipline in the committee.
Societally, Ibusa is a stratification of three traditional classes that exist in the below order:
• The Eze (or Obi) – The highest
• The Mkpalor - The middle
• The Mgbankpisi - The lowest
The Eze or Obi is the highest traditional title any Ibusa-born indigene can assume. Although the title did not originate from the community, it is today an absolute aspect of the people’s culture having been in practice almost as old as the Ogboli quarter of the community before it was generally accepted by the Ibusa settlement in 1846 according to recorded history. The system of Multiple Obis is said to have originated from Nri Kingdom from where Ogboli migrants imported it to present Ibusa.
The ladder before the Obiship is Mkpalor but before the Alor is Mgbankpisi. Although the idea of Alor originally emphasized the initiation of men into manhood, it is today a rite close to the chieftaincy title. The practice of Alor also originally meant that the freeborn Ibusa men must be separated from the slave (Oshu). Oshu, in this case, is not to be mistaken with “Osu” caste of Igbo of the South East. At the time, Alor was a dignified cultural practice that filled inductees with a patriotic and traditional sense of pride as citizens of the community because it removed any possible suspicion of a sense of slavery in them. The traditional appellation of the initiate was then known as “Onowu”, still retained to date.
ORIGIN AND TYPES OF ALOR IN IBUSA
The origin of Alor in Ibusa is not documented thus, unclear but the legendary sources of the community appear to hold that the practice is nearly as old as the community itself. Although different writers on the community’s culture have also held different accounts regarding the origin of this practice, they collectively consider “Alor Igwulube” to be older than “Alor Ofedea”, the other type of Alor available to the community. Alor Igwulube also called “Alor Nwa Mkpi” or “Alor Nwa Nmadu” is customarily performed every 25 years and is rotational among the ten quarters of the community. Alor Ofedea, on the other hand, started as a result of a delay in the original 25-year wait of Alor Igwelube (Esogbue:2020). The traditional umbrella body of Ndi Mkpalor is the Ndichie while an Alor initiate is called “Onowu”.
Some people have argued on the title status of Alor, a status symbol that seems to give it an attraction in modern Ibusa, leading to his rebirth. For the Ibusa people, Alor is an ‘organization’ of Ndi Ichea which requires a ceremony as a rite of admission. That ceremony was originally performed in groups that rotated among the three Otu of the community beginning with Otu Odogwu, Otu Uwolo then Otu Iyase. When it is the turn of any particular Otu, the various quarters that makeup that Otu produces names of qualified candidates.
It has been argued that most times, the Alor candidate rarely knows of his inclusion since the Diokpa of his family is the immediate handler of the list. This is the first challenge encountered in Igwelube type of Alor in Ibusa. the Diokpa may use his discretion to build the list, choosing those he deems qualified. This age-long traditional method has also thrown up another challenge in which certain family Diokpa willfully and intently exclude from the list, some names he may not favour. This complaint, cropping up in some families where there may be lost love between some families and the family Diokpa is another challenge.
Alor Ofedea, that which affords an individual the will to pass through alorship without observing the mandatory 25 years wait being more expensive and colorful is what sells Alor out as a chieftaincy title that is perceived in modern times.
The argument generated on whether Alor is a traditional title or not attracted contributions from different Ibusa personalities, one of whom was Mr. Femi Okafor's former President-General of the Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) Worldwide. For him:
“Alor by design and from all intents and purposes, is not a title but only signifies attainment of adulthood. If it is a chieftaincy title, you can imagine the number of chieftaincy title holders the community would be having over the years, probably creating a space in the Guinness World Record book”.
BURIAL OF A MKPALOR
The burial of a Mkpalor invites the honour of Okanga, the running dance. In Ibusa, the Okanga troupe moves around the community with the family and other sympathizers present for the burial. It is also Alor that enables the practice of “Nni Unor Ndu”, the rite that necessitates feasting from family households. This form of burial is an honour as it is believed to confer spiritual prestige on the soul of the departed. The songs are warlike sometimes with dancers wielding cutlasses and stickers to signify the warrior-like nature of the departed whose son must stand by the entrance of his house to defend the household of the departed from aggression exactly the way his father would have done in his lifetime, upon the return of the Okanga dancers. This sort of burial also treats the departed as a man.
CHALLENGES CONFRONTING ALOR
In recent times, there have been challenges facing the Alor practice and all factors can be linked to Westernization, modernity, civilization, the cost of taking up the title, and Christianity. To this end, the enthusiasm that once surrounded the practice terribly declined. One major factor that ‘fights’ Alor is Christianity which considers it sinful and against the Will of God. It is not therefore uncommon that people now come to disassociate themselves from the practice, claiming that it runs contrary to their Christian faith. The rise of churches in the society of Ibusa now means a decline in willingness to pass through the initiation.
Another factor that troubles Alor is the cost of taking up the title and burial. Despite the beauty, it is extremely expensive to become an Alor bearer and also expensive to bury one. This scares a lot of families, taking it in the first place, and has contributed to a loss of interest in the people’s practice. When the factors of Christianity and cost are put together, not a few would consider it a waste of finance to take up the traditional title that runs contrary to their faith.
THE REBIRTH AMONG IN IBUSA
With regained consciousness, the revival of Alor is peaking with interest, recuperating and spreading among the people of Ibusa. From a once-dying practice, it is growing and taking over the cultural spaces in the minds of the people. It is a revolution of practice among the people. Compared to nearby Asaba, interest in Alor cultural practice was severely in decline, almost with no significance. Today, it is a different talk as there seems renewed realization and appreciation of the practice by the people with interest suddenly generated. Stimulatingly, the rebirth is also spreading among the people living in the Diaspora.
With the development on the ground, it would seem that the rush to take up Alor cannot be explained. However, the heart of the Ibusa people is gradually being drawn home to the culture of their forefathers. It now seems a welcome development and a thing of pride to think and tag oneself with the traditional emblem of one’s cultural practice, something once dying a natural death. The rebirth of Alor title in Ibusa can also be found in the recent and loose spread of the discourses on Ibusa culture. With social media, it would seem again that interest generated in forums where the Ibusa minds are gathered has contributed to eliciting significant importance in Ibusa culture, building interest in that aspect of culture. It is now a thing of pride to think of oneself as ‘Onowu”.
One figure on social media that helped in no small way to add colour to Alor is Onowu Mark Nnabundo. The Umuodafe-born Director of Communications to Hon Dr. Princess Ajudua, the Chief Whip of the Delta State House of Assembly is famous for the pride he personally takes in his Onowu status. It is for this reason that the frolicsome ‘Diokpa’ is widely referred to as “Diasporan Onowu”, which itself has brought so much responsive attention, interest, and approbation among the people in also taking up the respected title.
Some notable Ibusa families such as the Nwadei of Umuodafe where several family members have taken Alor, the Udeze of Umuisagba, the Kwentuaand Obidi of Ogboli and the Umunna of Umuodafe have speedily and recognizably caused the Alor traditional practice in Ibusa regain consciousness. It is now that several young persons of this generation are willing to flaunt the former situation when it was a natural and permanent death.
For many watchers of traditional affairs in the community within and outside, the redefining moment of Alor in Ibusa appears to be Very Rev Fr. Barr NallyNwadei, one of the newest Onowu in town. Onowu NallyNwadei is a clear message to practicing Christians that Alor is befitting to them. Maybe too, an unblemished demonstration that identifying with one’s culture is no hindrance to service to God. From the list of Onowu displayed above, it is also manifestly clear that Alor as in ancient times also has the predilection to foster unity among families as seen in the Nwadei family of Umuodafe, the Umunna and Udeze of Umuisagba.
THE BENEFITS
Arguments have been thrown up about the benefits of Alor particularly in Ibusa. the benefits of Alor are essentially traditional. It comes with several importance wherever practiced. It is first and foremost, a means of identifying the freeborn from “Ohu” (slave) hence, it principally separates the Ibusa citizen from “nwa sina ani nmadu pataapata”. Again, the benefit is the rite of passage to adulthood as earlier explained here. It means that he is now a man and no longer a youth. It is for this reason that no one can become an Alor bearer while his father is alive. Obviously, in the eye of tradition, a child cannot become an elder when his father, equally alive, is an elder. Thirdly, in other Anioma communities, where practiced, Alor is traditionally meant to confer the characteristics of refinement on the bearer. For instance, he cannot be drunk to the extent of falling to the ground.
He cannot join his mates in participating in communal tasks. He cannot carry loads on his head and is not also expected to sleep with the wife of another man. Lastly, it is a traditional step to other major titles. Take for instance, in Ibusa, no one can become an Obi if he is not first a Mkpalor and no one can become the Obuzo if he is not first an Obi. Similarly, in Onicha-Olona and other Anioma communities, no one can be enthroned as a monarch without first going through the IchiNmor which is Alor.
Ibusa Culture Commentator and Analyst, Frank Isioma Okafor has looked at the Ibusa tradition in which a 30-year-old may become a member of Ndi Ichea while an 80-year-old man is yet to be formally initiated into adulthood. This is where traditional respect is enjoyed by Mkpalor as a benefit. This form of respect extends to the burial of an Mkpalor when he joins his ancestors and Mr. Okafor also pointed out that while Okanga is required to respectfully give the Mkpalor a befitting burial, it is a sort of hurried burial for the ‘ordinary’ man who was never initiated though Historian, Stephen Nwabudike has argued that the rights, respect and privileges of a younger man who is an Mkpalor by status end with the Ndi Ichea as it does not extend to Izu Ogbe.
To buttress the Nwabudike argument, Mr. Femi Okafor added that a Diokpa will always take precedence at any gathering where a Diokpa is present regardless of the presence of an Alor or Eze initiates. He cited the example of the Senior Diokpa of Ibusa or any Diokpa older than the Obuzo in a gathering breaking the kola nut. The Diokpa breaks the kola nut even if the said Diokpa is Mgbankpisi or not.
CONCLUSION
Since there cannot be any society without a culture of its own, the Alor Practice should rather than die a natural and permanent death be encouraged among the present generation and also preserved for the future. The cultural heritage handed to the people of Ibusa must not be allowed to die under the watch of the present Ibusa traditional leaders and stakeholders. Stakeholders rather than attach conditions to Alor should do everything humanly possible to encourage the willing and alacritous commitment of interested persons to the cultural practice.
Alor should not ‘perish’ as practically seen in Ezeship. To imagine that only two Eze are remaining in Umueze, Ibusa's largest quarter is mindboggling. It is as a result of this that the people of Ibusa need to stand firmly and jealously behind the sustainability of Alor practice which had almost disappeared completely before now. Already, the interest recently generated by the initiation of some of the community’s heavyweights is an attention that should be complemented for further preservation of the practice.
The list displayed above does not amount to the only Alor holders in the community as there are hundreds of Mkpalor but it is a sign of a dying cultural practice returning alive. All that the people need to do at this point is to encourage it. More importantly for the people, what was close to annihilation is rebirthed and this is the joy of a section of people that cherish it. The practice of Alor is back in the community and not only has it found its legs to stand again but is prevalently encouraging the consciousness of the Ogbu fraternity in the community.

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

Music Development in Ibusa: A Personal Account - Part One

By Emeka Esogbue

"Egwu na sor nwa ogalanya, egwu na sor nwa ogbei"
- Chief Ogbogu Okonji

The above quote which literarily translates to "The rich and poor enjoy music" illustrates the relevance of music to man's society irrespective of class, status or situation of the individual. Everyone enjoys music including the dead who the living rolls out drums to mourn.

Like the late Robert Nester Marley (Bob Marley) also said "Music is food to the soul."

Gideon Chukwumaliobim Ikenwe in his book, "Akwukwu-Igbo Kingdom Culture: Ancient and Present Perspective" further illustrates this with the saying, "Every culture in this planet earth loves music and has it incorporated in its rituals both in time of sorrow and in time of joy."

He feels that "man's thought is inspired by music to reach out for solace, spiritual growth, and transformation." Music is the psychological and spiritual food that nourishes the body, soul and spirit."

William Shakespeare may have also understood the importance of music when he wrote in a play, "A man who has no music in him or any concord of sounds is fit for treason, stratagems and spoil. His soul is as dull as night. Fear him!"

The Ibusa community has always been musically inclined, which is why they had to acquire some dance and music from other cultures. Imanokwa, which was brought from Ishan in Edo State and has blended into the locals' culture, is an illustration of this dance. They were aware that music served as society's remedy and made adequate use of it.

Early in my childhood, having grown up as a distinguished son of the community and with parents who valued the culture of their people, I began to listen to Enuani traditional music to the point where I began to mistake various Enuani traditional songs for "Egwu Igbuzo."

Even though we were living in Lagos, I had become aware of the need to listen to this kind of music. My father seemed to be all about music and dance of all kinds, but he had become accustomed to Igbuzo background music. By the way, our Yoruba neighbors called him "Egwu."

Growing up under him meant learning the "Egwu Ohuhu" dance of the Enuani tribe as well as the Igbuzo music. I began to comprehend the language of music used on "small plates," or 45 LPs. The songs were first available as stereo phonograph records, however the recordings really consisted of a disc that replicated a continuous groove.

With the use of a phonograph needle track in the groove, the record rotated while the music was played back on a device. The stylus vibrated as a result of the record spinning, and this vibration was amplified acoustically to produce sound. One channel was used for what was known as mono sound transmission, and later stereo sound was added. In order to give the sound a three-dimensional effect, stereo involved providing additional loudspeakers with signals. Since Ibusa music sounded great in stereo, its development and popularity were fostered by the discovery of stereo.

In 1978, Onowu Patrick Chukwudumebi Esogbue, my father, obtained a more recent Kenwood turntable type, which was a horizontal platform rotating a phonograph record as it was being played. My cognitive awareness of my surroundings, sensations, and thoughts allowed me to maintain the recall that it was the second turntable he possessed. When the sound blasted from two independent loud speakers versus an older sound system with a connected speaker—which my father helped me realize was mono—the surround system's sound quality improved.

By now I knew that stereo manufacturing differed from mono, and the turntable included a switch that let the player select their preferred option. By now, I was also acquainted with a number of the era's musicians, such as Onyeka Owenu, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Okosuns, King Sony Ade, and too many more to list here. But I will stick to my main topic for this piece, which is the evolution of music in Ibusa.

The creation of traditional songs is an artistic talent bestowed upon the people of Ibusa by nature, and it appears to be a shared gift appreciated by anybody with a taste for music. It is unlikely that any community in the Enuani region has the same level of musical ability as this one. The community's recollection of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's visit is still vivid, supporting the people's innate musical ability.

Zik, a politician running for president, had come to the town, and the Ibusa people were thrilled to see him and rolled out drums in his honor. Maternal Ibusa heritage, which was also of Onitsha dynasty, is shared by Zik, the well-known Elder Statesman of Africa. Zik acknowledged the Ibusa blood in him through his maternal progenitor, Obi Ijelekpe, the twelfth King of Onitsha, in his book "My Odyssey." The eighth King of Onitsha, Obi Aroli, had three sons, including Obi Ijelekpe.
When Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe arrived in Ibusa, he expected the locals to seize the chance presented by his populist campaign and carry out a number of initiatives aimed at advancing the ideas behind his election victory. However, what they did was extend a warm welcome, complete with drum rolls and various dance troupes. Zik, obviously dissatisfied with his kinsmen's behavior, would later tell the populace in a well-known speech at the Umuisagba site—where the Ibusa Town Hall currently stands—that they were asleep and that it would take a long time for them to wake up. That was the price the residents of Ibusa paid for their love of dance and music. Strangely enough, Azikiwe, who brought the Aboh people's dance moves to Onitsha and even emulated them, was dissatisfied with the musical talent of the Ibusa people.

The community enjoyed two different musical statuses: soloist performers and "Otu" entertainers. The Otu were a group of entertainers who joined together under the direction of a lead vocalist and the sponsorship of a man and a woman. The group's aim was to present traditional dance at an expert level. The soloists performed highlife or traditional songs; however, in several instances, the soloists were Otu members before deciding to play their piece solo.

According to historical records, Otu Ifechukwude Dancing Group produced "Igbuzo Nwe Ndidi," the first known album of Ibusa provenance, in 1973. Mr. Uchechukwu Ofili directed the group, which was headed by Mrs. C. O. Obanya and Mr. John Nwanze Nwabuwa, who was from Umuozoma in the Ogbeowele axis of the community. It was a two-track album of "Igbuzo Nwe Ndidi" and "Onye Ayana Nwannea." The record label Philips West African Records (PF 384 752) used a 7-inch, 45 RPM, mono vinyl recorder to record the album. The style was classified as African, and the genre as Folk, World & Country.
John Nwanze, whose voice suited Ibusa dialectical melodies, was unquestionably the most well-known Ibusa musician of his era. The current rave, Nwanze Nwabuwa, was highly sought for by fans of Enuani music and was also highly discussed by them. There was no Ibusa musician as well-known as John Nwanze Nwabuwa, also known as "Nwanze Nwagbodi," prior to the time of Ogbogu Okonji.

Members of the group included Esenwa, Ofili, Kwentua, Emeka Okolie, Okolo (Asaba), Okeleke, and others who were from both inside and outside of Ibusa. The "Mother" of the Otu was a stunning, kind, and composed woman named Mrs. Cecilia Obanya nee Esedebe. The Otu Ifechukwude Dancing Group of Ibusa, based in the Lagos suburb of Ikate, Surulere, kept making waves and mesmerizing Ibusa with their musical beauty until 1977, when Festac Town opened and most of the group moved to the estate. After moving to the estate in 1980 or so, Mr. John Nwabuwa and his family joined us in living in the same compound. This marked the beginning of the friendship that both families would cherish till both friends passed away.

He was full of life, endowed with an unfathomable Ibusa proverbial skill and the ability to read people. He was everything that one could hope for in an Ibusa.

Nwabuwa was the Ibusa oral history himself, and he would typically start reciting the story at the introduction of any Ibusa topic. He always wanted to seize the opportunity to proclaim the existence of the Ibusa musical gift within him and was in close proximity to the community's beliefs. It was a pleasure to meet the renowned members of his band just before they went into the studio to record their last album. Ibusa's most well-known native flute player from Umuodafe, "Professor" Nwadishi, was someone I got to meet at that point. Nearly every musical group of the era had Nwadishi, whose debut performance on record was with John Nwabuwa's Otu Ifechukwude. Every well-known Otu valued him because of his extraordinary creativity.

The Pentagon Hotel was one piece of infrastructure in the early development of the Ibusa community, and John Nwabuwa was so full of praise for the hotel's owner for taking the initiative to introduce development to the people that he mentioned in one of his albums as the one who opened the people's eyes in Ibusa.
Some of these other singers will be taken into consideration in later sections of the work to provide readers with a complete understanding of the growth of music in the community.

Several Ibusa musicians, including John Nwanze Nwabuwa, performed beautifully in the studio to record several plates throughout the Ibusa songbird era.

St. Michael Obanya, Bright Osadebe, and other Otu artists like Mbosi Onyenwu Obulunjoa, under the direction of Dana Okonji, were among them. In addition to becoming well-known, Otu Mbosionye Onyenwu would emerge as the community's oldest dancing group. Additionally, there was the Otu Ife Onye Lolu Nwa Nmadu, which was supported by two Ogboli cousins, Ogbogu Okonji and Etiti Okonji. It was a brief but significant movement.

I will research more, including the discographies and histories of the different artists.

Picture:
Philips Records is acknowledged.

Tribute: Honouring Obi Martha Dunkwu for Her Revolution of Anioma's Omuship
As a professional historian who has dedicated the last 29 years of my life to bringing the culture of the Anioma people to the attention of the world, I feel that I was at least somewhat qualified to collaborate closely on Anioma advocacy with the late Omu revolutionist, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, the Omu of Anioma, and that is exactly what happened in the end. December 14, 2014, was a routine day for us. At the time, the Anioma Personality of the Year Planning Committee was run by the Anioma Trust publication, and I served as its chairman. However, the Committee had already chosen HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu as the recipient of the year's prestigious award, and it allowed me to meet her for the first time. With warm familiarity created, we began to enjoy close relationships subsequently.
In 2016, I followed it up with the authorship of a history book on the institution, titled "A Short History of Omu: An Account of a Female Traditional Institution in Anioma," which now happens to be the only published book on Omuship. I approached her to do the foreword of the book since she was a custodian of the institution and one who had contributed to the global progress of our people's culture, and she graciously accepted the proposal. On publishing the book, which started to make global sales in promotion of the people's institution, we both realized that there was a lot we had in common and sought a dual conscious and conscientious need to work together to promote Omuship to the world. A few years later, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu requested that I do a second comprehensive edition of the book, which I graciously accepted. With arrangements perfected with foreign scholars who had also shown interest in the work, I began to gather my sources, hoping that the project would take off while Omu was also hoping to commit her finances, but death suddenly struck, putting an end to our collective aspiration.
I found in Omu Martha Dunkwu remarkable cultural enthusiasm, genuine and determined conviction, relentless efforts to achieve advocacy, and also the intellectual capacity necessary to make headway, and I immediately understood that the Anioma region had become blessed with an arrowhead to pursue the Anioma cultural cause indomitably. On the assumption of the ancient stool, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu met five elderly Omu, but this number was to increase to a total of 15 due to efforts to protect the institution as a viable socio-cultural vehicle for the promotion of female ideals in our society. In the revolution of the return of Omuship, which started to envelop the Enuani region, Akwukwu-Igbo, Ugbolu, Obomkpa, Issele-Uku, Ugbodu, Ibusa, and others re-birthed Omuship in their various communities. To further unite the Omu from the various communities to enable them to carry out their expected tasks in the name of Anioma, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu established a platform, and positions were assigned to the different Omu. I received the appointment of the Research Consultant to the Council.
The Omu was hailed for conceivably making Anioma a small village by using the Omuship as an instrument. In 2021, the Omu designated a structure in her Okpanam Palace for the establishment of the Centre for Omuship, which we went ahead to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with her humble self, HRM Obi Kikachukwu, JP, the Obi of Ubulu-Unor, Dr. Afamefuna Dunkwu-Okafor (her son), Mr. Patrick Ochei, Mr. Godfrey Osakwe, and myself (Dr. Emeka Esogbue) as Trustees. Omu Martha Dunkwu was an extremely patient leader who, despite initial criticism of her Omu of Anioma installation, determinedly carried on with the dictates of the hitherto unknown cultural office until she won back her critics with a remarkable performance.
This happened because, as I noticed, she was not one to be swayed outside her well-intended conviction. She continued to surmount every obstacle challenging the institution. By tradition, the Omu was not permitted to work and was not also a businesswoman. Omu Martha Dunkwu was supposed to stay in charge of a market in Okpanam, from which she was expected to make economic gains, but the market was no more. She was not a government contractor, and she was never remunerated by the government. Despite this precarious life of an Omu, she continued to fund her projects in her service to the Anioma people in particular and Delta State in general until her last breadth. Having returned to her father's house to live as Omu all the days of her life, no one knew when she was indisposed or thought of drugs for her, but she strived to live.
The life of the Omu is an isolated one after all. We shared a mother-son relationship, which also bound me to Okpanam and her people and gave me the understanding that the Enuani people share a commonality of destiny and that relatives could abound outside one's immediate family. She was a mother to all without borders, entirely honest, bold, and full of love, friendliness, and fondness. I am persuaded to believe that being our gift to the world, the footprints, feats attained, and global acknowledgment leave HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu as the greatest Okpanam indigene that ever lived, but only second to Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu and perhaps the best female to come from that community. We shall continue to pray for the Almighty God to bless us with another HRM, Martha Dunkwu, who will project us to the world.
May the Anioma matriarch travel well!
Dr. Emeka Esogbue,
Historian and Former Research Consultant to the Council of Omu

Ibusa: The Multiplicity of Names, Identity Crisis Creation and the Way Forward
- Emeka Esogbue
As I write this article, my community does not only remain colonially tied to the British administration but suffers a terrible 'identity sickness.' No one has seen any community with as many conflicting pronunciations, claims, facts, and spellings of its name as my community and a rise by the leadership to invoke a symmetric correspondence among these constituent components and immediately involve the government of the day-to-gazette it seems more difficult a feat to achieve in the present era. It stands to the truth that a name is the first characteristic by which a person, thing, or place is known, and where a name carries crisis, everything soon goes wrong. The identity of a people begins with the name that they bear.
Ibusa is located in Delta State and is one of the important communities in the state due to its human resources, population, and strategic location within the state capital territory. In recent times, the population has increased with the presence of different ethnic groups coming to settle in the community owing to its capital territory location. Consequently, other notorious variables have become present with the immigration of people of different ethnic groups coming to settle in the community and the people are almost on the verge of the loss control of their communal hold.
19th century was a colonial appeal to the Europeans though such visits were not made to the community as early as expected perhaps because it was not much of a coastal settlement. The Ibusa closeness to Asaba, a more coastal settlement has also always invited the Europeans to the community as virtually, every European visitor to Asaba also found their way to the Ibusa community over one imperialistic reason or the other. One can remember that Rev Carlo Zappa who was to establish a Catholic mission in Asaba also established St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Ibusa. On the other hand, St. Thomas College found a twin school in St. Patrick's College, Asaba. It suffices to say that while the Majestic River Niger invited the early European travelers to Asaba, Asaba invited the early European travelers to Ibusa and from Ibusa; other adjoining communities accessed missionary benefits.
It is the same way the British colonial administration anglicized the names of both communities. Asaba was native "Ahaba" and "Ibusa" was native "Igbuzo" but the British administrators were to later make English appearances of both names. Ahaba or Ahaba Ujom became Asaba and Igbuzo or Igbuzo Isu became Ibusa; near English auditory but completely meaningless in either English or Enuani language, from which both names of the people were etymologically derived.
This Asaba-Ibusa relationship continued even after the nation's independence down to the civil war, seven years later. The Nigerian Troop that perpetuated the infamous Asaba Division Massacre in the Asaba community also attempted it in Ibusa but for the efforts of Rev Fr. kunirum Osia, the Parish Priest of St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Ibusa who stood between the soldiers and Ibusa and the rurally organized guerilla-fighting group of the fearsome Oliewunaji. The Oliewunaji irregular fighting force that kept harassing the Nigerian Troop, constituted the strong conceptual demarcation that prevented the reverberation of the magnitude of Asaba and Isheagu annihilation of the Ibusa community.
For the administrators, the newly imposed names (Asaba and Ibusa) were better acts of assistance to the colonial masters than the actual native bearers because it enabled an easy pronunciation for them. Despite this, both communities had lost ancestral correlation with their forebears who never heard of these names. Standing inside the people's Ogwa, in time of worship and mentioning a name up till then unknown was unworthy of religious veneration. Unfortunately, both Asaba and Ibusa have allowed the colonial names to stick even when they run contrary to the inspiration of traditional and spiritual essence. However, for the Ibusa community, the "Ibusa" colonial name has given birth to other versions often written on social media by indigenes of the community which is quite unlike their Asaba counterparts who have remained with Asaba as the community's official name. It is equally hard to believe that these different names have equally factionalized the people depending on the conviction of the users, eliciting emotion.
Interestingly, a departure is being recorded from the known "Igbuzo" which was inherited from the community's parents to historical or descriptive names. Although every living indigene of the community inherited the name "Igbuzo," from his parent, nicknames, historical and descriptive names are becoming prevalent, especially on social media. Names such as "Ibuzo," "Ibuzor," "Igbuzo," "Igbuzor" and "Ibusa" have started to compete among themselves. While it is understandable that "Ibusa" is the official name of the community, it becomes difficult to understand the introduction of other names from archival boxes. One wonders how a single community can be answerable to several versions of names without troubling the identity of the people.
By 1890 the British had arrived in the present Anioma area to introduce the people of the region to Christianity. Nonetheless, the Ibusa elders were resistant, beating every move to become converted to the new religion. Eight years later, the first phase of the Ekumeku War broke out and there was a war between the British and the Royal Niger Company. The conquest of Ibusa soon gave the British the leverage to gain more ground in enforcing their objectives on the trounced people of Ibusa. The Ibusa people, ancient warriors nicknamed "Isu Na Mborgu" and "Isu Fulu Gu Ju Nni" had unconditionally surrendered to the British and agreed to allow the imperialists to establish a mission in the community on a long stretch of land. After an injurious negotiation, marked with subtleness, the Umuafene elders in Isieke leased the land to them for a period of 100 years from 1898 to 1998 in a clearly-written agreement which this author has physically sighted, signed by the colonialists and the family members. It was on that land that St. Augustine's College, the first church in the community with a cemetery for the burial of the church workers was established.
The British had taken a deep administrative interest in Ibusa, amalgamating the Ogboli and Igbuzo settlements and adopting the name, "Igbuzo" to name the community. A Charge Office (now Police Station) was built where the present Health Centre is located along the Umejei Road and a court was also built to try the Ibusa Ekumeku fighters and other minor offenders. As of 1900, the British had resorted to the use of "Ibusa" as a preferred name of the people strategically lying amid Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku, Ubulu-Uku, and Okpanam instead of the Igbuzo, the native name. Consequently, in their dealings with the people, "Ibusa" became the name by which they were officially known. A few Warrant Officers of Ibusa extraction were appointed by the British colonialists but none attempted to get the British colonial masters to revert to the name, "Igbuzo" by which the people previously knew themselves.
There was independence in 1960. The colonial masters left office and the indigenous government took over the government of the young nation, inheriting the anglicized "Ibusa" name and it stuck. Despite having enjoyed various exalted political offices at different times such as the head of federal ministries, Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly, the local government, and other sensitive offices, no indigene of the community has been able to initiate a process that would enable the community revert to "Igbuzo" thus, 124 years later, the colonial name is not only in use but now confused with other versions but opportunely, some 'private citizens' and organizations of Ibusa extraction have shown concern in reverting to the core native name of the community. In 2015, the Igbuzo Singles Meet World (ISM), a youth organization of the community decided the use of "Igbuzo" as against "Ibusa," an earlier name of the organization. The members of the group had reasoned that "Igbuzo" was the core traditional name in place of "Ibusa." The name "Igbuzo Singles Meet Worldwide" then came into use. Subsequently, other groups such as "Ndigbuzo and "Umuigbuzo" were to follow suit in ensuring the preservation of the community's original name.
Until his demise, Dr. Benjamin Ajufo, a Medical Doctor cum history enthusiast was known to institute campaigns seeking the return of the community's name to "Igbuzo. More recently, Prof Austin Uwandulu, founder of the Academy for Governance has also been in the forefront of the advocacy for the official recognition of "Igbuzo" as the appropriate name of the community with its people.
In the year 2021, Chief Fred Ajudua, under the auspices of the Umejei Descendants, a WhatsApp platform for the people of the community, initiated an opinion poll in which inquiries were sought from the members of the group on the appropriate native name of the community. The opinion poll showed more than 88% of the members going for "Igbuzo" as against "Ibuzo," "Ibuzor," "Igbuzor" and "Ibusa." Unfortunately, as it turned out, the essence of the opinion poll ended ceremonially on the platform as there were no attempts to initiate the enforcement. The status quo remained. In 2023, the Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) Abuja Branch initiated a lecture to celebrate its end-of-year party, eventually; the Guest Lecturer in his keynote address not only recommended but submitted "Igbuzo" as the appropriate traditional name of the community.
Mr. Peter Uwajeh, an indigene of the community from Umueze is not left out in his concern that the community return to its original "Igbuzo" name before the British wore the people the colonial "Ibusa." To many, it paints a picture of discomfiture that the people of the community are writing different names descriptive of their community, which non-indigenes unfamiliar with the community sometimes consider befuddling. A community with different names surely has indigenes with confusing identities in which people will keep asking questions to try to put to right who they are. It is questionable why the people of the community will go resurrect their praise names for compliance with formal rules and retention. For sure, the Ogwashi-Uku people are not gone writing "Ogwa-Nri" just as the people of Okpanam are not writing "Okpam" or "Okpalani."
It is overzealously wrong to resort to the lettering of 'Ibuzor' on official documents as against the government-recognized "Ibusa" and grammatically misleading in English standard to introduce an apostrophe in a name of a community as now seen in 'Ibu'zor." That will make it seem like Ibusa is the only community in existence with an apostrophe in the middle of its name. If the people are confused about their appropriate though because many people are knowledgeable about this, the proper official name of the community is never in doubt as to warrant a replacement with pet names, not known to the government. If on the other hand, the people are willing to have a change of name in which case, they wish to return to their native name, a cultural conference should be convened by the community's leadership to achieve this. They should then make the move to gazette the new name with the government.

*IBUSA AGE-GRADE (OTU-OGBOR) SYSTEM*
...dated 100 years back

1. Ogbor Umunna (1923-1925)

2. Tax/Dokita (1926-1930)

3. Ukwuu (1931-1933)

4. Aho Mmili Li Umuaka Ibusa (1934-1936)

5. Ikpe Ogboli (1937-1939)

6. Aya Jamani (1930-1942)

7. Aho Nnukor (1943-1945)

8. Aho Chi Ji Eshishe Ji (1946-1948)

9. Umejei Transport (1949-1951)

10. Nche Onwuachi (1952-1954)

11. Town Hall (1955-1957)

12. Nwaezeapu (1958-1959)

13. Independence (1960-1962)

14. Midwest State (1963-1965)

15. Mbido Aya Biafra (1966-1968)

16. Osor Aya (1969-1971)

17. Unor Ogwu (1972-1974)

18. Ego Naira (1975-1977)

19. Kobo e-Dey (1978-1980)

20. Olinzelle Mpukor (1981-1983)

21. Nsogbu CEC Lagos (1984-1986)

22. Nkewa ICDU (1987-1989)

23. Okike Delta State (1990-1992)

24. Obi Mgbodo (1993-1994)

25. Ogbor Obuzor (1995-1997)

26. Minister Olisemeka (1998-2000)

Mungo Park and the River Niger: How Fela Anikulapo-Kuti Threw Nigerian Historical Intelligence off Balance

- Emeka Esogbue

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, dubbed the "King of Afrobeat," is arguably the greatest artist in Nigeria. His status as a political activist and Pan Africanist gave him practically all advantages. In this sense, he was a respected sociopolitical voice, and all those who heard him learned something.

Fela spent his whole career as a musician denouncing the injustices that afflicted African society. His vocalization was an outspoken and perhaps even angry denunciation of colonialism, which he saw as the source of the sociocultural, political, and economic difficulties that Africans continue to face. It was this mindset he encountered at Mungo Park, which is currently being adopted by perhaps half of Nigerians.

A satirical song by Fela about Mungo Park's purported "discovery" of the River Niger led to a great deal of misconception among Nigerians about this historical occurrence.

"Discovery" is another word for "EXPLORATION" in historical contexts. By "discovering" the River Niger, Mungo Park really meant to EXPLORE it.

Was it ever claimed by Mungo Park that no one in history understood the location of the river but himself? No, in fact, he described the role of native Africans who helped him on that exploratory expedition in his book "Travels into the Interior of Africa," which is still on hand at the Lagos State University Library.

To explore a place is to journey through the uncharted territory in search of knowledge or fresh insights. Another book that Mungo Park authored was called "The Exploration of Africa." While "discovery" in English class refers to "finding something for the first time," in history it refers to the act of penetrating or ranging over for goals, particularly geographical ones. This is for the members of the discovery discipline.

The River Niger was a name that the Europeans of his era were familiar with because it had been a significant hub for African societies for many years prior to his birth, therefore he was not even the first European to witness it. He never claimed to be the first European and was never the first to glimpse the River.

Some historical documents credit Leo Africanus with writing the first geography of Africa in the sixteenth century, and he is most likely the first European to visit the Niger, at least that seems likely to me judging from what is in the book.

Despite having lived in the Roman Empire for almost two millennia, Ptolemy is documented to have named two rivers in the Sahara: The "Gir" and the Nigir, which is located further south. Ptolemy is another clear evidence of the European knowledge of the River Niger even before the birth of Mungo Park.

Never once did Park assert that he had found the Niger or that he was the first to find it. When he set out, all he knew was that the Congo and Niger rivers merged. This further demonstrates that Mungo Park was aware of the river's existence before to embarking on his exploratory expedition.

Due to the prolonged prosperity of trade over the Sahara, the Niger was well-known to Europeans for a considerable amount of time. Furthermore, the Greeks and Romans were well aware of the river's presence. They were aware that it ran south of the Desert to the east.

It was often believed, prior to the 19th century, that it joined the Nile River from this direction. Mungo Park, who had never been there, was perplexed by this and was attempting to ascertain whether it was real when he tragically passed away before finishing the investigation.

He found out, however, that the river veered south and ultimately joined the Congo. It was proven that the River Niger, which originated in Timbuctoo and flowed into the sea through the Delta in what is now modern-day Nigeria, sometime after his death, maybe in 1830.

It is imperative that our people stop disseminating misinformation and relying solely on the white sarcasm of Fela. The phrase "Mungo Park investigated the Niger" was once used to refer to "Mungo Park found the Niger." It is puzzling why the spreaders do not realize that the word "discovery" has historically been used synonymously with exploration.

The affluent people who died while traveling to find the ruins of the Titanic ship were the subject of news reports a few months ago. They were by no means the first to try to see the wreck. It took Robert Ballard eight days in 1985 to locate the lost ship. The tragic 2023 expedition was nonetheless a finding regardless of whether Ballard had made the discovery or not.

Historians have their own language, much as any other experts.

Preserving Monuments; Preserving the Tomorrow of our Ibusa

- Emeka Esogbue

The Ibusa community has a rich history, cultural legacy, values, artwork, architecture, and possible historical sites, but none of them appear to have been preserved. The Ani Oshe is the original location of habitation for the Igbuzo people. There is also the Ani Udo site, which is thought to be the initial settlement of Edini, Ogboli's founder, and is now part of the Ibusa community.

In contrast, both hallowed places, spiritually exalted by divine sanction and holding the utmost devotion and entitled to tremendous reverence since they are inviolable, consecrated, and devoted to sanctity as the oldest Igbuzo points of settlement, are utterly neglected.

The late Philip Ngozi Kwusike photographed and reported on the Ani Oshe, Umejei's first home, where his pot of charm was said to have dropped, leading to the foundation of the Igbuzo settlement, a few years ago, and readers were shocked to discover that the once sacred site in Umueze was becoming bushy and almost completely encircled by other structures.

Typical of the people, long debates raged over how to maintain the Igbuzo people's most holy spot, but as with anything else, the notion faded into obscurity. What should be a significant historical place does not receive appropriate attention. Indeed, it is doubtful if the people recall the debate to put the site in order.

One could argue that, despite producing bright and brilliant persons that are well regarded in terms of social values, the community rarely considers tourism, monuments, and the preservation of other key community sites. However, four individuals stand out for their services to the community in this endeavour and I will set out to name them. In terms of art promotion, Sir Augustine Ifedibar Nweke, who died recently, stands out as a sculptural contributor to Ibusa's aesthetic evolution.

Sir Augustine Ifedibar Nweke was the first to provide the Ibusa people an artistic impression of the Oboshi deity with long hair. The mermaid was artistically white in tone, with enormous rich breasts, a sharp nose, and a gorgeous woman's form. He did not operate alone; instead, he sought guidance from Ohene, the goddess' priest and Ngozi Onwordi who was said to have descriptively aided him on what the deity looked like after she dreamt and saw the mermaid. Sir Nweke also gave the public an artistic peek of Prince Umejei Ikenga, the Igbuzo community's founder. The "Aho Mmili Li Umuaka Igbuzo" statue, with its abashed broken body, is on public display in Umueze. If the metaphorical local traders plunged into the River Niger, the artwork would collapse due to neglect.

The second Ibusa personality is Dr. Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, a former State Commissioner and Town Union President-General. Izagbo needs no introduction to the community. His presence here is the focal point of the community's leisure park. Izagbo used an area of land in Umuodafe wisely and set it aside for leisure purposes. At this moment, Kefas Park occupied both adults and children's leisure time, and any time spent there was worthwhile.

Mr Frank Atuche, a community member, began renovating Sacred Heart Elementary School several years ago. The first school in Ibusa was Sacred Heart Elementary School, which was founded in 1898 by Catholic Missionaries and then moved to its current location in 1908.

When redesigning the school, Mr Atuche reserved a block of classrooms to preserve the ancient structure built by the European Missionaries. In contrast to the wholesale demolition of the community's original church, Mr Atuche demonstrated a sense of preservation. If Atuche had demolished the first school edifice, the first church and the first school in the community of academics would have been lost to future generations' memories.

Hon Chief Innocent Esewezie, the former boss of Oshimili North Council, is the last of the four 'social figures'. Esewezie, in his capacity as Local Government Chairman, built an aesthetically pleasing edifice near the community's entrance to welcome guests. It is a cynosure that draws attention to the community's entry and exit points. A city gate would have been preferable but for the boundary conflict that plagues the town. Well, there are not many aesthetically pleasing pieces of art in Ibusa since there are not many, but Augustine Nweke has left a few, and there is just one leisure park in the town full of young adults, thanks to Izagbo.

The people simply have not shown an interest in this subject.

St Thomas College Ibusa, built in 1928, is the first higher education institution in Delta State and one of t he earliest in the entire Southern Nigerian Protectorate, and I believe it will be historically relevant to future Igbuzo generations, and indeed the world, if the original structure is preserved.

The next generation will undoubtedly be interested in seeing the original construction of the first higher education institution in the community. This curiosity alone is an act of patriotism.

Our people rarely consider monument preservation for commemorative or symbolic purposes, let alone as a memorial. What do we have to show the world about our ancient beginnings? Our Ibusa should have key tourist destinations.

Everything should never become modern because our origins were not modern. I believe we should start thinking about tourism and then work toward establishing a museum in the community. The Ibusa Community Development Union should have left a legacy for the people by establishing a museum committed to object collecting, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation. This would benefit our community in terms of science, history, culture, and the arts.

A few years after the church in Ibusa, which was built in 1898 and debated by the British Parliament at the time, was mistakenly demolished, it is impossible to obtain a photograph of that structure with any indigenous person today.

How, for example, will future British citizens see the framework they approved for the community rather than punitive measures? Asaba has since discovered this and is well ahead of others. While the Lander Brothers meeting occurred in Aboh, with the anchorage still present, Asaba appears to own a duplicate, and while Mungo Park was nowhere near Asaba, there is a Mungo Park House nearby.

If the government is unable to transform the Okpuzu Falls into a cutting-edge tourism destination, multiple Igbuzo-owned businesses can band together to do it on behalf of the people.

It is time to think a tourist Ibusa.

Top 21 Moral Values Enuani Parents Inculcated in their Children Before the Dawn of Westernization and the Lessons

- Emeka Esogbue

Three distinct units make up the Anioma Region of today and they are Enuani Nation, Ika Nation, and Ndokwa Nation.

The Enuani Nation, the topic of this discourse comprises the communities of Asaba, Ibusa, Ebu Ogwashi-Uku, Issele-Uku, Isheagu, Onicha-Olona, Ubulu-Uku, Obomkpa, Okpanam, Oko, Ewulu, Ejeme-Unor, Ugbodu, Idumuje-Unor, Ezi and others too numerous to mention here.

These people in the unknowable era, adhered to common moral lessons in raising their children which instilled the consciousness of what is right and wrong in their society.

These moral lessons were more commonly practised until Western civilization crept in with erosion

Some of these lessons were also common with other climes though.

The Moral Lessons

1. Early in life, the parents especially mothers kept screaming to the child, 'imakwa na nwanyi ka ibu?' This rhetoric question helped to remind the girl-child in the society of Enuani Nation that they were women who should reflect it as such in their attitudes.

2. The girl-child was taught how to fold her legs to cover herself when sitting down, especially in public places. This helped to enthrone dignity.

3. When adults are discussing, a child was not expected to engage in the topic unless invited. It helped to created listening skill.

4. Children waited for their parents to finish talking before interference in discussions. It created respect.

5. The use of lewd words was not to be heard from children. It kept the child away from lascivity.

6. When a child was eating, he should not engage in discussions. Dinning etiquette was instilled.

7. A child might refuse a message but not a call. The lesson of paying attention to issues was instilled.

8. A child never called her parents by name. It was highly forbidden. There was respect for elders.

9. A child finished eating his food before eating the fish or meat or it amounted to 'usia,' meaning greed.

10. If children visited another family and found them eating, they would leave temporarily to return after their meal. Gluttony was avoided in the society.

11. A child was to listen intently to their elders before making input. In other words, children were not expected to talk back at elders. Listening skill mattered.

12. It was highly forbidden for an Enuani child to employ cursing or profane words to relate with his elders. The Enuani Nation expected discipline.

13. All children that grew up in typical Enuani homes heard of "anya ukwu," which literary means "big eye" or "greed." Children were trained to be content with what they had. Fraudulent practices were forbidden.

14. Children were not expected to bring home what did not belong to them. The Enuani Nation discouraged theft.

15. A mother's food satisfied her children. The Enuani children must be satisfied at all times.

16. Enuani children were trained not to tell lies. The typical Enuani parent believed that any child who told lies would equally steal. Hence, telling lies was severely discouraged among children. Honesty and integrity promoted family virtues in Enuani Nation.

17. Acknowledgment of seniority is based on age and was diligently adhered to by parents in raising their children. Parents handed food, pieces of meat, fish, etc to their children on a seniority basis. The younger ones must show respect to the elderly ones.

18. Younger children were trained not to be the first to hit their seniors. The Igbuzo aphorism for this is 'iji aka nta ha ta aka ukwu.' This translates to using the smaller hand to choose the bigger hand. This aspect of traditional training aided respect for seniority in the society.

19. The typical Enuani parent shared the commonality of their children feeding together from the same plate which in their view was a way to instill love and togetherness in them. There must be love and unity in the family and by extension, the society.

20. Children never mentioned their parents or elders by name. This promoted respect for elders.

21. The Enuani society encouraged any available elder to discipline a child where he errs. This was so because the society believed in 'nwa bu nwa oha ncha,' that meant that a child belongs to the entire society because he could either be blessing or terror to the society depending on the training given to him while growing up.

T. B. Joshua and His wife, Evelyn were Traditionally Married in Ukala Okpunor, Anioma Community

- Read Everything you need to know about the Marriage of Prophet Temitope and Pastor Evelyn Joshua

By Emeka Esogbue

A video recently trended on social media that claimed that Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, Founder of Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), and his wife, Pastor Evelyn Joshua were never married according to the rites of the Anioma people and this aroused the curiosity of PEN MASTER who went on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the veracity of the claim.

PEN MASTER'S findings show that Pastor Evelyn Joshua who inherited the headship of the church following the death of T. B. Joshua in 2021, hails from Ukala Okpunor, an Anioma community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Ukala Okpunor is an agrarian community with a quiet life. It geographically lies close to Ezi and shares the same local government area with the fairly large sisterly communities of Ibusa and Okpanam.

A history of the origin of Ukala Okpunor, an autonomous kingdom of two communities known as Ukala Okpunor and Ukala Ukwute, hosted on the website of Ukala Community Development Union, USA Chapter, names the founder of the community as Onyimeosi Ukala.

Legendary Onyimeosi Ukala who was said to have two sons, is believed to have migrated from Benin to Uka-Ugwuebe (today's Igueben) before settling down in today's Ukala-Okpunor where he founded.

According to historical information available on the website, Onyimeosi Ukala had a disagreement with the Oba of Iduu (Benin) over the Oba's decision to relocate his Palace from
from Uselu to Central Benin City, leading to his flight.

Although young Temitope Balogun Joshua and former Evelyn Ejime Akabude met in Lagos, they were indeed married according to the customary rites of Ukala Okpunor as some sources confirmed their knowledge and attendance of the traditional marriage to PEN MASTER.

PEN MASTER further learnt that spinster, Evelyn Ejime Akabude grew up in the Iyana Ipaja axis of Lagos and it was here that a romantic affair developed with Temitope Balogun Joshua which would later culminate in their marriage.

She has three brothers and a sister who is married to an Ezi man in Delta State and they are all residents of Lagos. Interestingly, the Akabude family of Umuakele in Ukala Okpunor is large and popular and is collectively referred to as "Umu Ikedegwu." Some of the family members are the Nnabuifes, Akabudes, Okolos, and Atukpoziams, all of whom are making progress today in different endeavours.

Nothing is often said by Evelyn Joshua's mother but she was Mrs. Ngboyibo Akabude nee Morka who was the first daughter of Ogbuenyi Paul Morka. She was nice and often preferred to lead a quiet life. Her Ukala Okpunor people who related with her were full of respect for her. One of Pastor Evelyn's uncles was Ogbuefi Uwaonyenachi Morka who was the Iyase of Ukala until 2021 when he passed away. He was a lover of the people's culture and worked to promote it.

The marriage of T. B. Joshua and Evelyn Akabude took place at the residence of Evelyn's father, Diokpa Nicholas Kawado Akabude in Umuakale Quarters of Ukala Okpunor where Prophet Temitope Joshua had led his family members to marry his long time heartthrob all the way from Arigidi Akoko, his Yoruba hometown.

Arigidi Akoko, Joshua's hometown, nicknamed "Imo Arigidi Akoko" is a community in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State. It is a vibrant and important economic hub with its location favourable to agricultural production such as cassava and yams.

The Arigidi Akoko community stands out in culture since it is known for the numerous festivals celebrated by the people including the New Yam Festival which is now known as Arigidi Day.

In an article published in The Sun on 5 January 2017, the people migrated from Ile Ife and settled in Benin. It was from Benin, they settled in their present site in 1819.

Femi Fani-Kayode once described the people as fearless, hard-working, and resilient people who never back down in the face of challenges.

As for the correctness of the Temitope and Evelyn's marriage, one source said to PEN MASTER, "The truth remains that T. B Joshua was in Umuakele Quarters, Umuitonor village in Ukala Okpunor to marry his wife Ejime Evelyn Joshua née Akadude."

Although another source had claimed that T. B. Joshua was present at Ukala during his late father-in-law, Kawodo Akabude's burial in Umuakele, Umuitonor village in Ukala Kingdom, further findings from PEN MASTER suggests that it was indeed the burial of his mother-in-law in 2002 and that Prophet T. B. Joshua was not physically present but family delegates and church members were in attendance.

Furthermore, Akabude the father of Pastor Evelyn Joshua died in 1986 at which time, the Joshua couple was yet to contract their marriage.

The marriage produced three children - Serah, Promise, and Heart. Serah is a Lawyer. Promise is a graduate of Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics in the United King­dom.

BBC Africa had chronicled an investigative report in which it claimed that T. B. Joshua enforced rape, torture, and seclusion of individuals within a structure in Lagos. These allegations gave birth to further reactions from different quarters.

Although some Nigerian heavyweights prominently Ovation Magazine Publisher, Dele Momodu and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode questioned the BBC allegations, a reaction from a certain individual recently contained in a video, claimed that T. B. Joshua and his wife, Evelyn were never married traditionally even though the couple was rightfully married according to the Ukala Okpunor rites of Anioma.

Ejidoh, Onicha-Olona President-General Sends Congratulatory Message to Chief Odiakosa for Holding Medical Outreach in the Community

Come to Ibusa, Pen Master Begs the Foundation

- Emeka Esogbue

The office of the President-General of the Onicha-Olona Development Union has sent a message of appreciation to Chief Michael Brian Onyekali Odiakosa, the Nwadialor of Idumuje-Unor and Osigie of Issele-Uku over his Onicha-Olona choice and successful implementation of his team's medical mission in the community, describing the mission as timely, cost-saving, lifesaving and a great relief to the people.

In a letter addressed to Chief Odiakosa, the Osigie of Issele-Uku Kingdom, titled "Special Appreciation: Medical Mission to Onicha-Olona 23rd to 24th March 2024, a copy, also made available to PEN MASTER, Patrick Ejidoh, the community's President-General said, "on behalf of the Onicha-Olona community, I wish to appreciate your kind gesture by extending your medical mission to our community for free health accessibility."

"In addition, the special case of the hydrocele patient you have fully taken up the bill for surgery in Asaba is of special mention and commendation."

"We are most grateful for your magnanimity and as Oliver Twist, will be ready for a repeat performance if the opportunity knocks in the nearest future."

Meanwhile, PEN MASTER has appealed to the Chief Michael Brian Odiakosa Foundation to carry out a similar medical mission in Ibusa, which boasts a population of people from different groups and backgrounds.

Chief Odiakosa who responded said Ibusa was in his plan though the largeness of the community would require larger funding.

He said, "Well, most definitely, we will visit the community because it's in our plan. However, the time is what I don't know."

"Ibusa is a large community that requires an adequate financial budget. All my pet projects have been self-funding and that's the beauty of what we do."

"Our Anioma communities like Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Asaba, Agbor, and Obiaruku will require larger funding than we have previously had in other communities. Surely, the community falls within my Foundation's arrangement and we shall visit it when the time comes."

The Foundation has successfully carried out free medical outreach programs in parts of Anioma communities that include Idumuje-Unor, Idumuje-Ugboko, Akwukwu-Igbo, and now, Onicha-Olona.

In February, the Foundation commenced bulldozing activities in an attempt to grade the Ogbeakwu Quarters farm road in Idumuje-Unor, a selfless initiative that was greeted with commendation from different quarters of the community.

Chief Michael Odiakosa is a believer in the Anioma project.

For your news and other information on Anioma, follow the PEN MASTER Blog

BREAKING NEWS FROM ANIOMA

Burial Committee Announces Burial Date for Late Omu Anioma, Advises Guests on Dress Code

- Emeka Esogbue

The Committee for the burial of HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, the Omu of Anioma has announced the date for the celebration of rites of passage of the late Omu.

The Committee, in a press statement released to the general public on Monday in Okpanam, Delta State, signed by the Committee Chairman, Hon Barr Bridget Anyafulu, and Dr. Afamefuna Dunkwu-Okafor, Chief Mourner/ Co-Chairman, noted that the rites of passage of the late Anioma Queen Mother would hold from 24th to 27th April 2024.

The release read in part, "The burial committee of HRM, Obi Martha Dunkwu, wishes to inform the public that the
celebration of the passage of Omu Anioma comes up from 24th - 27th April 2024."

"The burial will involve both traditional burial rites and Night of Tributes/Farewell.
While the traditional rites will take place from 24th-25th April 2024 at the Dunkwu Family
Compound, Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area, Delta State," as contained in the press statement.

"The Night of Tributes
and Memorial Farewell is from 26th-27th April 2024 at Omu Palace, Okpanam."

"More details on the specific time for the traditional burial rites and Night of Tributes/Memorial Farewell will be communicated in due course," the Committee assured the general public.

Also worthy of note is the dress code emphatically stated in the press statement.

"It is emphasized that the Omu Anioma represented purity, and so, the dress code for the events
will be all white including the traditional Akwa-Ocha of the Anioma people."

Recall that HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, the Omu of Okpanam/Anioma and Nneoha passed away on February 15, 2024, in her hometown, after a brief illness.

The 21-man Burial Committee with its members drawn from different communities of Anioma, wishes all guests and dignitaries a safe journey to and from Okpanam,
venue of the celebration of the passage of Omu Anioma.

For your news and information on Anioma, follow the Pen Master Blog

Pen Master's Anioma Man of the Month: Applauding Elder Statesman, Austin Izagbo

- Emeka Esogbue

From Enuani to Ika; Ika to Ndokwa, the Anioma people have never been found lacking in terms in terms of human richness. In whatever human endeavour you want, the people are readily there for you.

Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, PhD, Nigerian Elder Statesman, Politician, Businessman, Technocrat, Administrator, and PR Guru, evidences the Anioma human gains.

Dr. Austin Izagbo hails from Umueze in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, a community known for its human greatness having the pride to boast of popular living figures in the likes of Prof Pat Utomi, Dame Winifred Akpani, Amb Ignatius Olisemeka, Chief Celestine Okobi, Prof Chris Nwaokobia, Chief Fred Ajudua, Olympian Gold medalist, Kingsley Obiekwu, Zik Zulu Okafor, Chief Sebastian Adigwe, Mr. Frank Atuche and many more.

Elder Statesman, Dr. Austin Izagbo, the Ide of Ibusa, is one of the greatest figures from Delta State yet almost unsung. In April 2022, Izagbo clocked 70, and in his famous tribute, published in several tabloids, Tony Eluemunor, a seasoned Journalist wrote:

"Nigeria is becoming increasingly dysfunctional simply because she does not applaud the likes of Dr Austin Nonyelim Izagbo. This businessman and politician should be celebrated by the entire nation for his large social conscience and uncommon example."

Austin Izagbo has given so much to his Ibusa community, Anioma, Delta State, and the country, Nigeria as a whole, and deserves greater applause. To start with, serving the Ibusa community, Izagbo, a communal unifier, has been associated with nearly every form of development in the community and many can attest to it. It is difficult to write the socio-cultural, economic, and political history of the community without the mention of his contributions.

In the 1990s, Dr. Izagbo came to a favourable limelight in the Delta State administration of Group Capt Ibrahim Kefas as a Commissioner for Sports, Youths, and Social Development and he took the opportunity to leave developmental strides to his people and society.

Within his short stay in office, State Commissioner, Izagbo had supervised the establishment of the Asaba Arcade, Ibrahim Kefas Centre, Iand busa and restarted the construction of the abandoned Asaba and Warri stadiums in the state in a swift manner that left all pleasantly surprised and was hailed in the state for the accomplishment. His fame then started to spread.

In Ibusa, his fame had also grown and spread and he had emerged as the socio-cultural engine room; the people's reliable source, channel, and power link between the community and the government. Austin Izagbo was in the mouth and dictionary of nearly every Ibusa man or woman wishing to make genuine progress or render communal development to the society and indeed, he was willing to assist every group and individual with the right agenda to move the community forward.

In 2015, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over-paid his company by N75 million and he quickly returned it with integrity. In 2022, a certain Josephine Agu who was a cleaner at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, was reported to have returned the sum of $12,200 and was honoured by former President Muhammadu Buhari with the Nigerian National Award Federal Republic Medal II but unfortunately, we have not heard that Dr. Austin Izagbo has been equally honoured with a national award by the government for this show of integrity.

Extremely friendly, always with a show of love for everyone, Izagbo runs an open office to virtually every Ibusa son and daughter, warmly introducing and showing them to colleagues and business partners as his brothers and sisters.

Eloquent in Enuani and English language, with oratorical prowess, Izagbo is an experienced master of the Enuani culture and proverbs and a modern-day builder of the Ibusa community with whom this author, (Dr. Emeka Esogbue) has nicely and proudly worked within the administration of Ibusa under the auspices of the Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) in 2017.

A mere conversation will reveal that even the most knowledgeable in Enuani's anthology could become lost in Izagbo's profuse amount of core Enuani proverbs since the man is readily armed with different versions of local maxims for different situations.

Warm-hearted but his friendliness to all irrespective of age and status did not start in a day. Nicknamed "Jaguar," Izagbo was the first-choice goalkeeper of the University of Port Harcourt Football Team and together with Mike Ozekhome and Jason Orah, they founded the Scala Football Club. He is further put on record as Nigeria's first initiator of the first acada beauty contest, which was held in the country just as his legendary communal roles in the evolution of the Obuzor system of administration for his people cannot be forgotten in history.

If for anything, gratitude is owed to his landmark and remarkable contributions to the institution now enjoyed by the people of the community.

Dr. Austin Izagbo is Pen Master's Anioma Man of the Month

Akwa-Ocha is the Attire for Anioma Traditional Marriage

- Emeka Esogbue

In case you are Anioma or getting married to an Anioma bride or groom, the pictures below will help your curiosity about how the Anioma people dress on the day of their traditional marriage.

Anioma is one of the ethnic groups in Delta State with the rest as Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Isoko. The traditional fabric of the Anioma people is generally called Akwa-Ocha but it is also called Otogwu and Ogbeyi-Akpani in other quarters of the region. It is an indigenous hand-woven material produced by the people, especially from the Aniocha axis.

The fabric traditionally comes in Ibe-ator (three layers) for men and Ibenabor (two-layers) for women though some huge women may go with Ibe-ator to support their large body size.

In the olden days, the possession of the Akwa-Ocha used to differentiate the wealthy from the poor because it was expensive to purchase yet a cultural necessity though cheaper ones also existed. This was the derivation of the name "Ogbeyi-Akpani," literally meaning that the poor do not attempt to ask the price. Since it was difficult for the Anioma man to live fully or complete his stages of life without the use of Akwa-Ocha, the fabric was part of the way of life of the Anioma man which made it an available stock in Anioma family homes. In fact, to date, it is required in death.

Akwa-Ocha is white which is the traditional colour of the Anioma people however, it may be spotted with different designs which come in various colours to further beautify it. The white symbolizes purity, sacredness, and cleanliness in the life of the people. The Anioma descent is expected to be pure, unsullied, and free from immorality. In traveling to the world beyond, Akwa-Ocha, the cloth of purity becomes one of the sacred clothes to accompany him home either covering the prepared remains or utilized as "itu uni" rites.

Akwa-Ocha is not exactly in traditional use anywhere except in the Anioma Region (which may include Onitsha, Ogbaru, and Ndoni, three communities that are Anioma by extension but geographically lying outside Delta State).

This makes the Akwa-Ocha fabric unique to the Anioma people. It plays valuable trado-spiritual roles in the Enuani society of Anioma thus, it is also worn in times of funerals, festivals, and other socio-religious rites.

In today's world rarely would the traditional marriage of the Enuani people of Anioma in Delta State hold without the bride and groom in attired in Akwa-Ocha. This is just as there cannot be a funeral ceremony without the attire in use. Such is the attachment of the people to their cherished attire.

The Anioma bride and groom often excitingly look forward to adorning themselves in their native Akwa-Ocha attire during their traditional marriage and the parents of the celebrants may most likely also appear in the attire. The trendy beauty of the Akwa-Ocha is that it can be tailored to any style for men and women including traditional skirts for men called 'mbulukwu' and a befitting top to fashionably harmonize it. Some men may make a wrapper of it while others prefer to leave it as fashionably simple as possible to look culturally beautiful.

Whatever you choose, the day of the Anioma traditional marriage is the day of the display of Akwa-Ocha.

An Anthology of Enuani Proverbs and Sayings on Death with Literal Meaning as Compiled By Emeka Esogbue

The Enuani subgroup of Anioma is known for its richness in proverbs and saying which may be applied to common situations, which enriches the dialect of the people. Usually, the phrases express basic truth which are striking or paradoxical to the hearer but they can be enigmatic.

The good speakers of Enuani are known by their familiarity with the people's proverbs, which is also the reason the traditional lyrics of the people are full of proverbs. Proverbs may also contain contemptous references in some cases but it depends on the situation at hand.

This particular compilation is about death. The compilation expresses the people's submission, abhorrence, condemnation and praise and avoidance of deathly situations. It is better appreciated by the readers.

THE PROVERBS

1. Mbonsi onye kwa nmadu, ka okwa onwea - A person who is mourning the dead is mourning himself
2. Onye lote onwu omea nwayo - One gets calm when he remembers death
3. Onwu ka dike - Death is mightier than the warrior
4. Onwu bata obodo ajulu oyi - The news of death often leaves a city cold
5. Onwu nyi dike obubu - Death is greater than the warrior
6. Onwu ka njor - Death is the worst situation
7. Onwu ajor ka - Death is too bad
8. Onwu sor ojinea - Death gladdens the heart of the enemy
9. Onye mali mbonsi onwua - Who knows the day of his death?
10. Ani elike ife di nma - The ground swallows the best
11. Onye obuna ga anaa na - Everybody will die
12. Onye ji ndua aka - Who is responsible for his life?
13. Ogbu nmadu ga anwu anwu - He who kills will die someday
14. Wadie ji kwa oge eni ozu - Burial is not done on daily basis
15. Ofu onye adi enyi ozu ekpo aja - One person does not ceremonially burial a person and cover the ground
16. Ozu ozor ga nwu ta - Another death will soon occur
17. Wa bulu ozu onye ozor odi ka wa bu osisi - When the corpse of another is carried, it looks like the wood is carried
18. Ebe esu no nwu obulu inyie - Wherever the milipede dies is his grave
19. Onwu bata fodu be onye - Death goes round every household
20. Odi ndu ga nwu anwu - The living will die
21. Onye ka li onwu - Who is bigger than death?
22. Onye je be Chukwu gbala nmanya - Who went to God with a bribe to avoid dying?
23. Onwu bu uya - Death is sorrow
24. Onye si na oma nwu anwu - Who has declared that he cannot die?
25. Onye ebu enu ana - Who carries the world to the world beyond?
26. Onye nwe uwa - Who owns the world?
27. Ya di ba zia ka ogoli ji akwa di e - The wife soon comes to term with the death of her husband
28. Oje ga egbum gbue onwea abu hor ajor ogwu - The charm to forces one to himself instead of me is not a bad charm
29. Agwor nata mbekwu nana ezea niyi - The snake biting the tortoise is biting to kill himself
30. Ogbulu onye na onye yi - He kills another will surely die
31. Wasi ka wa gbue dike ka obodo julu oyi, wa egbue dike obodo enwulu oku - The decision to kill the warrior to usher peace invited conflict when he was killed.
32. Obu nma na na na nma- He who lives by the sword dies by the sword
33. Onwu yalim - Death should spare
34. Onye agba na shi onwu - Who avoids death?
35. Onwu abuhor ani ife ofuu - Corpses are not strange to the ground
36. Ozu adi tor na enu - The death will surely be buried
37. Onwu si wa kwube - Death permitted mockery
38. Onwu gbue ani elie - When death kills, the ground eats
39. Onwu ka nke iga eme - Death, what will you do next
40. Onwu egbulu akpati, gbulu onye pia ni - Death consumed the casket and the maker
41. Onwu mea njor - Death did evil

The Enuani: Who Are They?

By Emeka Esogbue

The Enuani people are one of the Anioma subgroups located on the West Niger Bank, Delta State, South-South of Nigeria. The dialect of the people, which is basically Igbo, is indigenously referred to as Enuani. Thus, the people as well as their metamorphic version of language are known as “Enuani.” Interestingly, the Igala language is also spoken by the Ebu people.

Although they are known as “Anioma” Today, together with Ika and Ndokwa/Ukwuani, all of who collectively occupy the Delta North District in Delta State, the people had known and identified themselves as “Enuani” long before the arrival of the European missionaries and the evolution of the Anioma name coinage or etymology given social impetus by Chief Denis Osadebay.

The word “Enu-Anu” exists as two words that denote “High” and “Low.” It is derived from the topographical nature of the people. Hence, the Enuani are people who inhabit the highland compared to their surrounding neighbours. The topography of the people greatly contrasts the Ukwuani (Ukwu- Ani) area, derived from the lowland nature of the area. In this sense, while the Ukwuani are lowlanders, the Enuani are highlanders by geography.

By combination, what is called Aniocha and Oshimili today are components of Enuani. It was the fate of the people that the British colonialists for administrative convenience would continuously move some of the communities in cycle to Aniocha and Oshimili and often returning them. For instance, the people of Ibusa were once known as Aniocha and situated under Ogwashi-Uku before becoming the Oshimili that they are today. There is also a strange or uneven reflection in the present-day local government geographical arrangement of some of the Enuani communities.

Ibusa lies about 6 miles close to Asaba but it shares abnormal local government arrangements with Akwukwu-Igbo. Illah is naturally situated 25 kilometers north of Asaba and has the community as a neighbour but Asaba and Illah are never found in the same local government. Instead, it is the distant Ibusa and Illah that share the local government.

Loosely speaking, and by sentiment, the Onicha Ado (Onitsha), Ogbaru, Ndoni, Obosi, and a few others are considered Enuani settlements by origin. While the River Niger appears to naturally separate Onicha Ado from the rest of the Anioma in Delta State, the community is a close member of the Enuani family by origin as well as migration.

The Enuani challenge started after they lost the Ekumeku battle to the British and Dr. Joseph Egwu, an Anioma historical researcher, captured it accordingly. He wrote in Anioma Essence Magazine: “Anioma Region was divided into four and joined to other groups who were then given political precedence over Anioma. Asaba Division was joined to the Benin Province and Aboh Division (Ndi Olu) was joined with Urhobo, Ijaw, and Itsekiri to make up the Delta Province. Onitsha, Oguta, and environs were joined to the Eastern Provinces. This made political unity nearly impossible. This was the genesis of our woes.”

The Enuani fate of balkanization suffered by Ndoni is more pronounced and recent. After Nigerian independence in 1960, Ndoni fell under the Western Region like the rest of the Anioma settlements. When the Midwest was created in 1963, Ndoni was still part of the Aboh Division. In 1967, the Gowon administration carved out Rivers State as one of the 12 states created by him to block the Biafran secession. Sadly, the Boundary Adjustment and Local Government Reforms, by omission or commission, relocated Anioma’s Ndoni to Rivers State where it remains to date probably due to the politics of oil.

Indeed, the British brought a lasting punishment on the Anioma people because the people never recovered from the punitive balkanization measures meted out to them. The indigenous governments that took over from the imperialists, continued the creation of states along the lines of the disparity set by the British. Much as the people of Onitsha tried, they were never considered part of the proposed Anioma State. Worse still, the proposed Anioma State was never created despite being the oldest agitation in the country being older than the independent Nigerian state, rich, homogenous, and meeting other criteria for state creation in the country.

Today, the Enuani territory seems much apart from their lost territories. While cultures and dialects remain the same, they are scattered in various states.

Although they are often separately called “Aniocha” and “Oshimili,” the people are cohesively known as ENUANI, the same way the Ukwuani are Ukwuani and Ika is Ika. Conscious of this ‘abnormality’ in the name which rather rests on local government, some of the people have started to make the move to return themselves to the adoption of Enuani rather than the divisive singularity of Aniocha and Oshimili. The young men and women of Enuani appear to have found greater love and pride in the identity of the usage of the name, “Enuani.”

The origin of the people of Enuani shows that they have a heterogenous beginning as they migrated from different Nigerian ethnic groups. In other words, the various Enuani communities have a varied history of origin and migration and are not all of the same ethnic stock as often attributed to them. From variegated and diverse ancestries, existential consciousness naturally dawned on them. So, collectively, they became the Enuani.

The Ibusa, Isheagu, and Ewulu are examples of Igbo communities in Anioma. The Ebu, Oko Ogbele, Oko Amakom Oko Anala claim Igala while Ozanogo among others is a Benin settlement. Still, there are the Yoruba settlements of Ugbodu, Ukwunzu (once known as Eko Efun), Ogodor, and others. They migrated from the Ile-Ife axis to settle where they are found today.

The original settlers of the Ogwashi-Uku are the Ikelike (Benin) while the original settlers of Issele-Uku are the Nri (Igbo). Asaba is connected to the Igala in Kogi State by origin and Illah is a settlement with Igbo, Igala, and Benin migrants. The three Nigerian ethnic descent formed the Illah settlement natively called “Alaah.” According to the information posted on Wikipedia, Igbo descendants in Illah prominently includes Umuagwu and Ogbe-Orji. The Igala descendants are Ukpologwu and Ogbe-Olu while the Benin descendants are Ukwemege.

The Igbo are of Nri ethnic stock. The Igala foundation in Illah was led by Ogwu, an Igala Crown Prince who was not allowed to succeed his father as the Attah of Igala. Angered by the ugly situation, he went on exile, West of the Niger, and arriving at Omorka, he founded Ukpologwu in Illah. The Benin population in Illah was according to the oral tradition of the settlement, led by Edaiken, the Prince of Benin throne.

Edem, Utei, Nwabukwu, and Agwu sent appeals to Edaiken to help them conquer their enemies from across the River Niger, in their eastern boundary, who constantly terrorized them. Once he achieved the feat, he was given land to settle in Illah.

Asaba is one of the Enuani settlements with a well-preserved history of origin, giving details of the root of Nnebisi, one of the founders of the settlement. Diaba from Agbakoba Village of Nteje in Anambra State was impregnated by Onojobo, a Prince and trader from Igala from Kogi State. Diaba and Onojobo’s child became known as Nnebisi. Nnebisi the founder of Asaba is therefore an Igala descent with an Igbo mother. Once Nnebisi realized that he was facing maltreatment, he returned to the present Asaba site, carrying a pot of charm that dropped at today’s site of Cable Point.

Nnebisi christened all his children’s Igala names to retain his roots. His children bore Ujom, Onne, Umune, Ojife, and Iyagba. Some of his grandsons also bore Ugbomanta, Ajaji, and Onaji. These names are preserved in Asaba quarters and clans and still exist in that name today.

There was Ezeanyawu, a descendant of Ezechime, the migrant from Benin. His place in the foundation of Ahaba (Asaba) is also retained in the history of the settlement.

After a thorough study, based on oral traditions, collected and documented from the area over time, supplemented by archival sources and local histories written by the people of the area, E. N. Mordi & P. O. Opone, in their paper titled “Origins and Migrations of the Enuani People South Central Nigeria Reconsidered” concluded that the given the various strands of primary, secondary and tertiary movements which settled the Enuani area, wholesale attribution of their origin to one source or area is at variance with the reality on ground and with the evidence.

From their findings, “the evidence and reality on the ground point to mixed origins from Igboland east of the Niger, from already established settlements within or neighbouring Enuani area, from Benin, Igala and Yorubaland.”

Accordingly, “there is also evidence of population movements from the area to people in other areas, including Benin and Igboland east of the Niger.”

True to Mordi and Opone’s historical conclusion in their research work, the Enuani communities do not share the same ethnic origin and never laid claim to it in their legends. What has happened is that over time, having stayed together, the Enuani people built syncretic cultures that unified them, making them appear unique. This homogeneity of cultures became evident in their customs, beliefs, mode of interaction, naming ceremonies (ipaputa nwa), funeral ceremonies, and other rituals. The people went ahead to evolve the civilizations of Omuship, Multiple Eze system, and Akwa-Ocha cultural fabric, all unique to them. There are also delicacies such as Ujuju, ose–ani, uno-uku, and others, unique to them.

Asaba and Illah became ancestrally tied by their Igala populations the same way, Akwukwu-Igbo, and Ogwashi-Uku are ancestrally tied by Nri kinship. During the Ilo Ine Festival of Illah, it was customary for the Asagba of Asaba to be invited and on one occasion, the Late Col Joe ‘Hannibal’ Achuzia was among the delegates of attendees. Ajiji is well retained in the history and legend of Asaba and Illah. Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku, on the one hand, are joined by Nri migratory factor. Ibusa and Issele-Uku, on the other hand, are linked by the Ogboli factor.

Asaba at a point shared closeness with Okpanam with whom she also shares the Igala population. Over time, Asaba, Ibusa, and Okpanam became more sisterly and culturally united, moving from political to economic and also social rebirth of life as they have remained today. Asaba, Ibusa, and Okpanam would evolve a similar political system of administration in Asagbaship, Obuzoship, and Ugoaniship respectively. Ibusa followed Asaba and Okpanam followed Ibusa.

In these three communities, the ‘ike elili ukwu’ ritual was also required for Omuship, elevating the occupier of the female traditional institution above her folks.

Ibusa is an Igbo community but her culture and dialect are today Enuani and there seems no difference among the three communities other than the names that the communities bear. In fact, Asaba, Ibusa, Okpanam, and Akwukwu-Igbo communities speak the same dialectic Enuani with unnoticeable tonal and homophonous differences.

Today, the people despite scattered origins, see themselves as Enuani, having sealed their sociocultural fate together.