Friday, November 20, 2020
Sunday, September 20, 2020
TOWARDS A MEANINGFUL RESTRUCTURING OF NIGERIA
MEANINGFUL AGITATION FOR EFFECTIVE RESTRUCTURING, MUST BEGIN WITH NIGERIA APOLOGISING TO BIAFRA
(79th Birth Day Message of Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh)
1. Fifty years after the Western and the Middle Belt/Northern Minorities of Nigeria fought and defeated Biafra in what was branded a Civil War, it must have dawned on them that in the defeat of Biafra, they conquered Nigeria. And the oligarchy is celebrating! Now the West and Middle-Belt must have realised they shot themselves in the foot, and need Nigeria to be restructured, perhaps as agreed in Aburi, they should first apologize to Biafra; and also lead the restoration from the front. The war was fought against Aburi Accord. The Middle Belt is very much down, suffocating and indeed scarcely can breathe. Time is of very essence. The ongoing deployment of northern youths all over the Southern forests, is proceeding at an alarming rate. Normal humans in the 21st Century do not live in forests. The coming Census shall open the eyes of even the blind; and that is, if by then it is not too late. The Parliament and the Judiciary have been emasculated; and therefore not there to protect citizen rights.
2.Biafra was declared by the Eastern Nigeria only because Gen. Yakubu Gowon, then pseudo Military Head of State of Nigeria was either manipulated or was oblivious of the daring implications of what he was doing, to reject the January 1967 Aburi Accord and the resolutions of the September 1966 Ad-hoc Constitutional Conference, to restructure Nigeria into a Con-federation. Twice in the peace negotiations during the 1966/67 crisis, Nigerian military and civilian leaders determined, without any prompting, that a confederal relationship was the only system that could sustain Nigeria as one country, with peace between the over 378 ethnic nationalities, most with no shared values particularly with the belligerent and the predators.
3. In Aburi of January 1967 and the Ad-hoc Constitutional conference of 12th to 29th Sept. 1966, the most confederal arrangement was agreed upon by representatives of the four regions excluding the Mid-West. In the Ad-hoc conference, the Northern delegation had proposed the most extensive of a confederation: (a) a number of very autonomous states/regions; (b) a central executive council, the chairmanship of which should rotate from year to year; (c) the chairman to be the Head of State for the year; (d) each state/region to have its own Army, Air Force, Police; and (e) any member state/region of the Union to reserve the right to secede completely and unilaterally.
The Eastern delegation added that (a) all legislations by the central authority must be ratified by the regions; (b) the regions to pay for their representatives in the central government and retain the right to recall them at will; (c) all regions to keep their respective revenues but share federal expenses equally; (d) the assets and liabilities of the Federation to be shared by the regions; and (e) each region to retain the right to issue its own currency.
The West and Lagos delegations accepted a combination of the North and East proposals, adding that Lagos should become part of Western Region. In essence the North, the East and the Western delegations voted for a very loose confederation. The Mid-Western Region only, opposed confederation. And the conference adjourned on 16th September 1966 to resume on Tuesday 20th Sept. Resuming on 20th Sept, the oligarchy and Gowon reversed themselves by discarding their earlier proposal for a loose confederation, and instead, changed to a highly unitary system, insisting on an “effective central government,” and “immediate agreement on the creation of states” with a proviso that the right to secession must be discarded. The East and West adjusted their positions, accepted a loose federation with the Federal Exclusive list cut down to a minimum. The East insisted that the North having massacred over 3,000 Easterners in the May 1966 riots all over the North, state creation should be no priority; instead a governance structure which must re-assure frightened Easterners of the safety of their lives and property in Nigeria should be prioritised. The Western, Mid-West and Middle Belt/Northern Minorities in the conference ignored the terrified mental state of the East and without putting any proposals in place to buoy up the spirit of downcast Easterners, recommended a strong central government with more states created. Naturally, in burgeoning federations, the more federating units, the weaker they are and the stronger, the centre. The East stood its ground that the creation of more states at that particular time was against its best security interests.
Gowon and the Middle Belt only saw in the emergence of the new Benue-Plateau State as their elusive escape for their people from subjugation of the oligarchy.
4. There was therefore a stalemate. On 29th September 1966, Gowon and the oligarchy unleashed the most horrendous ever pogrom in Nigeria on Easterners all over the North and beyond, obviously to compel the East to accept their revised stand. By the time Gowon decided that the casualties had exceeded his approved plan, another casualty 27,939 dead Easterners, mainly Igbo and mainly in the North, had been added to the 3,000 of May; and 1.129 million severely traumatised Easterners had fled for safety from the rest of Nigeria to the East. The September/October killings spread to Lagos where it was executed on civilians by northern soldiers occupying Lagos. Several thousand escapees arrived in the East with severed limbs, eyes and/or ears or both plucked, and/or various other mutilations. Pregnant women were disembowelled and their unborn babies cut to pieces.
Between May, July, September and October 1966, the Nigerian Police, Army and thugs executed these beastly brutalities on unarmed Easterners. They raped, maimed and butchered them, looting their property also. Easterners were driven to resolve that they were no longer safe anywhere in Nigeria; and that even in their own home region of the East, they needed to control their security and welfare to live in a country with fellow human beings who would predate on them as mere prey.
Easterners trooped back to their homeland and decided to live or die there. Gowon showed neither remorse nor sympathy. He instead demonstrated triumph in his public utterances. He offered no relief for Nigerians who had become refugees in their own country. No salaries for refugee Federal civil servants, now back in the East for their safety. Worst of all, he with-held Federal allocations to the Eastern Region government battling with resettlement of over a million traumatised refugees. Except for £500,000.00 he once remitted, by end of February 1967 Gowon owed Eastern Region government in statutory monthly allocation, the total sum of £11.33 million.
5.The rest of Nigeria saw through that and imagined that any of them could become victims to that level of crude brutalisation; and therefore at the Nigerian Supreme military Council meeting held at Aburi, Ghana on 4/5th January 1966, all members of Nigeria’s Supreme Military Council, including the Military Governors, considering that the insecurity situation created by the pogroms prevented the Eastern Region from attending any meeting in any part of Nigeria except it is held outside Nigeria territory, proposed, discussed and ratified a confederal form of governance for Nigeria, popularly branded, Aburi accord.
6. Gowon went back to Nigeria and prompted by the oligarchy, reversed the Aburi accord and instead issued Decree No. 8 which altered the confederal agreement to a federation with very strong centre. Further more on 6th of May 1967 Gowon altered the structure of the federation of Nigeria from 4 regions to 12 states and unilaterally created three states in the Eastern Region with no consultation whatsoever with the government of Eastern Region. He followed this up with other draconian measures against the East. The Eastern Region was compelled to declare itself, the independent Republic of Biafra. On 6th of July 1967 Gowon invaded the East in a bid to force back to Nigeria, a people they butchered over 30,000 of their men, women and children, all civilians, barely 9 months before and drove away from the rest of Nigeria, perhaps with no other intention than wipe away the remnants.
7. Chief Obafemi Awolowo on 6th of June 1967 had joined the Federal Government of Nigeria as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and the Deputy Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Nigeria launched the offensive against Biafra, a month after the Chief joined. It was no coincidence. Anyone who claims the West joined the war because of the Mid-West invasion which took place later on 9th August 1967 is likely to be indulging in Jihadist of Deception. Even then what was the Mid-West operation about? Gen. Ojukwu lent 3,000 armed young men to Lt. Col. Victor Banjo, a Yoruba Nigerian, to rid his home State of unruly northern troops who occupied it, despite the resolution of the Meeting of 8th and 9th August 1966 of Representatives of Regional Governors and Gowon that troops should be sent back to barracks in their region of origin. The Banjo operation failed because the Military Governor of the West and the Ibadan Garrison Commander, both Yoruba, betrayed the Nigerian and Yoruba patriot, Banjo, who was never a Biafran. Typical of Nigerian values, Banjo in turn, turned around and betrayed the 3,000 young Biafrans under his command whom he neither ordered to advance nor retreat for upwards of 3 clear days within which the Nigerian Army recovered from the shock of the advance. The boys turned into sitting duck and were massacred.
8. In the war, Nigeria had no chance whatsoever of sustaining or winning any confrontation against Biafra without the combined efforts of the West and Middle Belt/northern minorities. The West took care of the intrigues and subversion needed to win that kind of war, the sourcing and management of the financing, the propaganda/publicity, the diplomatic efforts that the oligarchy needed to mask the Jihad the war was meant to be for them, and the command of the battle fronts. The Middle Belt and Northern minorities took care of the brutal killings, massacre and the blood-letting. The Bachamas, the Godogodos and other fierce looking special height-natured soldiers from the Middle Belt and minority north, enjoyed themselves in what they were trained to do best – massacre unarmed Biafrans.
9. Special mention needs be made of Chief Awolowo’s pride in asserting that he indeed single-handedly ended the war, first with the change of the Nigerian currency in January 1968 which impoverished Biafra and rendered all the Nigeria currency in their possession valueless; thus making Biafra unable to buy arms and other essential supplies. Secondly, he asserted and rightly too, that he then proceeded to starve Biafra to surrender with his argument that starvation was a legitimate instrument of warfare. He did and succeeded. It might be legitimate under the 7TH Century AD society Sharia Law and the Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammadu is struggling to create, but certainly not under international law, if only the affected party would muster the courage to challenge Nigeria.
10. Inflicting starvation on people in itself violates UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 5 which clearly states that, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Starvation deliberately inflicted on a targeted group’s conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction is torture. Therefore starvation of a civil population in war situations is a grave violation of Articles 3 - Right to Life and Article 25 (1) which stipulates as follows: Everyone has the right to a Standard of Living adequate for health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services . . .
Starvation, which is torture therefore further, violates the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
.Nigeria was admitted to UN on 7th October, 1960. Citizens of Nigeria are therefore entitled, as of right, to the protection of UN UDHR, UN Charters, Conventions, Covenants and treaties, subject to the protocols of each instrument.
Starvation of a civil population in a state of war therefore cannot be a legitimate instrument of warfare. It is instead a crime against humanity, a crime without borders - an international crime.
Chief Awolowo, an erudite sage and legal giant, without any prompting or reservation, confessed to this crime in a Town Hall interview at Abeokuta during the 1983 presidential election campaign which he granted to Mr. Innocent Oparadike (later Chief) who became the Managing Director of Daily Times newspaper 1995-1996. The clear message is a reminder to the oligarchy which dumped him in the 1979 presidential election and instead, teamed up with so-called ex-rebels to form the 1979 Federal Government. The intention of the assertion was probably a reminder to the oligarchy that he deserved a pay-back in the 1983 presidential election. He did not get it and died in 1987.
11. Generally since 1970 the Yoruba have basked in the glory of winning that war and have been well rewarded. Eastern Nigeria economy was shut down for the West to be exclusively forced on Nigeria as the only country’s economic nerve centre, hence the Lagos near permanent lock-down and the consequential desertification of the Eastern economy.
A community, no matter howsoever rich, without control over its affairs, is still slave in a major aspect of life. Eventually the veil of self deceit as victors of the war, started dropping off with political developments. First, Chief Awolowo’s 1979 and 1983 failed presidential bids. And then, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and eventual unresolved death of Chief MKO Abiola, the undeclared winner of that election! Thereafter, NADECO was born and the mouthing of agitation for restructuring surfaced. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo came in as an appeasement. But after that what next?
12.For the Middle Belt, the sack of Gowon as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces in a bloodless coup of July 29, 1975 and the blood-letting which included thirty Army officers, from Lieutenants to a Major-General, a Police Commissioner, seven non-commissioned officers and a civilian radio broad-caster, that followed the attempted Dimka coup of 13th February 1976, in which the arrow-head of the July 29, 1966 kill-back coup, Gen. Murtala Mohammed, was killed, must have reminded them of the Ahmadu Bello’s Jihadist declaration published in the Parrot of October 12, 1960
. . . We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools. . . .
Gowon is alive to date because he was out of the country on the day of the attempted coup; and the subsequent British denial of his extradition request and asylum granted him by Britain. Had he been repatriated, the same inquisitorial military tribunal must have condemned him and his execution would have been a matter of course.
Till date (2020), hundreds of Plateau people in Gowon’s state of origin, Plateau, and his adopted state of Southern Kaduna (mostly Christians), are being slaughtered daily by herdsmen Islamic militants. Rape is everyday occurrence. Those lucky to escape, live in refugee camps as IDPs, whereas the herdsmen militants occupy their indigenous lands, communities and homes. Names of 54 of such occupied Plateau indigenous communities have been changed to Fulani by the Fulani militants who now occupy the sacked communities. Worst still, the Federal and State authorities react as if nothing happened. So far, the other Middle Belt state, Benue, has successfully resisted the Plateau state experience under the leadership of its indefatigable State Governor Samuel Ioraer Ortom. The Tivs, unlike most Nigerian groups and like pre-war Igbos, are born dogged resisters of operation. Despite all odds, they held the Northern Nigeria aggression down from 1960 in Tiv riots until the 15th January 1966 coup intervened to save them.
13. Right to Self Determination Agitation
Rights agitation is not a tea party. Any oppressed group in Nigeria, under UN multi-lateral treaties with Nigeria, and Nigeria’s laws, has a right to agitate for the right to self determination and even secession. It is not a criminal offence, neither is it an act of war, as some lily-livered groups, like a coalition of Yoruba groups under the aegis of Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) led by one Adesina Animashaun, might wish to mislead the Yoruba and the nation. United Nations Charter, Conventions and Covenants guarantee that and Nigeria, as a party to UN is bound by them. The same with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) which Nigeria ratified and domesticated as African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
The Nigerian Act provides as follows:
“Article 20 -1. All peoples shall have the right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen.
2. Colonised or oppressed people shall have the right to free themselves from the bonds of domination by resorting to any means recognised by the international community.
3. All peoples shall have the right to the assistance of the States Parties to the present Charter in their liberation struggle against foreign domination, be it political, economic or cultural.”
As it is obvious in the Article 20 – 3 above, the Nigeria State is supposed to assist such liberation struggle and not arrest, detain, kill or proscribe them as the fascist government of Nigeria is doing to IPOB. I wonder why IPOB has not petitioned the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights over the killing of its members by Nigeria State actors.
On the contrary, in the United Kingdom, Northern Island and Scotland variously agitated for self determination and the U. K, which is dominated by the English, 83.99% in 2012, joined in working hard to deregulate governance by devolving powers to the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish regions. The Scots in 2012 were only 8.32% of the UK population; whereas Wales, contributed only a mere 4.9%. Northern Ireland was 2.8%. After the deregulation and promises for more, Britain which had no legal framework for referendum introduced a new law, an Order-in-Council, in the recent case of Scotland, which enabled the Scottish independence vote. The English campaigned with love and exhibited desperation for the Scots to stay, unlike the Nigeria’s oligarchy which would have threatened hell fire and brimstone, as if it created and owns anybody. On 18th September 2014, the Scots voted 55.30% to stay in UK.
Canada is another example of civilised reaction to agitation to the right to self determination by a component unit. The province of Quebec is occupied mainly by French-speaking Roman Catholic Christians, unlike the rest of Canada which is dominated by English-speaking Pentecostal Christians. Twice, Quebec, 1980 and1995, went to polls in referenda to separate or stay but twice voted to stay. Through all these, Canada deregulated, devolving powers to the regions including the earlier Official Language Act of 1969 which made Quebec’s French language equal official language with the English. Quebeckers have been 13 times Prime Minister out of 23, since Canadian independence of 1867. The current PM, son of a former PM of Canada, also a Quebecker, is a Quebecker. Yet the province of Quebec in 2014 was only 23.07% of Canadian population.
Catalonia, a province in Spain, has been agitating for separation since the 19th Century AD and sometimes calls out millions of demonstrators to block and lock down the streets of its provincial capital of Barcelona; but no one has ever been hurt. But in Nigeria between 2015 and date President Buhari’s regime has massacred over 300 unarmed self determination rights agitators in prayer sessions, meetings in their homes and occasionally demonstrating on the streets, for daring to agitate for lawful rights! Come on, Nigeria is returning to life in the 7th Century AD Arabian nights in which might is right!
Kosovo (majority of Moslems) achieved independence from Christian Serbia peacefully without a fight. And so did over 23 independent nations emerge through non-violent agitations from the collapse of the Soviet Union into 15 Republics in 1991; Czechoslovakia into two Republics in 1993; and Yugoslavia into six Republics in 1989. Federations come and go if they fail. Violence cannot sustain failed federations like Nigeria! Peaceful and truthful negotiations can.
In 1995 Ethiopia dumped its autocratic 1931 Constitution because the constituent states agreed that it was not representative enough and like the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, was forced on the people of Ethiopia without the democratic process of constitution-making which ought to culminate in a written Constitution that establishes a new social contract after extensive popular discussion and compromise. On 21st August 1995, Ethiopia adopted its 1995 Constitution whose objective is to respect people’s freedom, rights to live together without any discrimination and inequality. Article 39 of the Constitution entrenches the right to Self-Determination and Secession of the federating units. This provision has the natural tendency of humbling the majority groups to respect minority rights, the same time it encourages the minorities to stay as equal and free citizens with no bullying from the majority.
14. Means of Achieving the Right to Self Determination
Throughout history, the right to self determination has been achieved in various countries through two forms, namely: (a) War and (b) Pacifist non-violent agitation.
I am a Prince of Nri, the oldest kingship in Nigeria, which as far back as the 10th Century AD, combined pacifism and spirituality in shaping the culture and tradition of most of Igbo land. It abhorred and still abhors violence of any kind from over the past 1,000 years. I therefore abhor war, not only for its destructive nature but its bestiality, brutality, its futility and stupidity. I subscribe to the view that war mongering is not only uncivilised but also a cowardly escape from the problems of peace-making. I completely agree with General Dwight Eisenhower, the five-star US Army General, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe which defeated Germany in World War II, the first Commander of NATO and the 34th President of US (1953-1961), on the futility of war as encapsulated in his now famous War quote: "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can; only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
Douglas MacArthur, another US five-star war-tested General and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army and who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theatre during the World War II, appears to have validated Eisenhower in his own popular war quote:
I know war as few other men living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its abolishment, as its destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes.
Above views are consistent with the views of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher and writer, best known for The Prince written in 1513: One ought never to allow a disorder to take place in order to avoid war, for war is not thereby avoided, but only deferred to your advantage.iki
It is thus therefore appears that in contemporary thinking, war among the enlightened, is stupid and should be avoided at all costs! Not so in Islamic fundamentalism. According to the African/American missioner/ scholar, Dr. Peter Hammond: The ultimate purpose of Islam is the establishment by force of a worldwide Islamic State where Sharia Law is enforced on all. To achieve this is the goal of Islam.
And this objective is over 90% the source of Nigeria’s woes of development since the 1960s.
I therefore vote against any war. Instead I stand for non-violent rejection of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria; and the ultimate restructuring of Nigeria back to the 1963 Constitution with only one amendment. Instead of four regions Nigeria should be reconstituted into six regions under Parliamentary democracy as against the now primitive and very corrupt and arbitrary system of Presidential democracy.
15. In Nigeria it is becoming a culture since 2015 for the security agencies to attack kill and maim unarmed rights agitators as if they are criminals. IPOB, which has not been found to have killed even one person, has been proscribed as terrorists; the same time the same government cuddles herdsmen militants, which is internationally ranked in the world as the fourth deadliest terrorist organisation for killing thousands annually in terrorist attacks in Nigeria and Cameroon.
16.The Nigeria military governments imposed feudalism on Nigeria through it 1979 and 1999 Constitutions because that is the only way of life known to the northern Generals who have dominated the Nigerian Army since 1967 - the corrupt and unaccountable rulership of the Emir through his Serikis, branded Presidential system and a so-called federation, which is only so in name. The National Bureau of Statistics confirms that the North West and East remain the capital of poverty in Nigeria. This is despite their permanent domination of power at the centre and unlimited access to the Federal treasury.
17. The on-going effort of the Buhari administration appears like the implementation of the resolutions of the 1989 Islam-in-Africa Abuja Conference with a view to formalising Nigeria as an Islamic Sultanate. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo belatedly called an operation he had tremendously facilitated as Military Head of State and elected President, Fulanisation and Islamisation. I welcome him to his rebirth to reason. Otherwise what are the moves for RUGA and its various mutations; Grazing Reserve; Cattle Colony; Water Resources bill; National Livestock Transformation Plan, Hate Speech; Anti-Social Media Bills; Broadcasting Code; Community Policing subsumed under the failed Nigerian Police; Closing Nigerian borders but leaving it open for the flotsams and jetsam of Fulanis of Africa who need no visa to invade Nigeria with VIP-visa-on-arrival; flooding of Southern Nigerian forests with trailer loads of Northern and Fulani unemployable able-bodied youths who are provided motorcycles on arrival and probably automatic weapons; attempted efforts by the Minister of Education to subsume Christian Religious Knowledge under Islamic Studies; the illegal humiliation and hunt-down of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Hon. Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen and his replacement by a Sharia Judge afflicted with Sharia mentality; raiding of homes of Judges of Courts of Record; masked raiding of the National Assembly; emasculation of State Governments with illegal Aso Rock Executive Orders; the swearing in of the Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad on nothing (no Quran); the 2019 swearing in of President Muhammadu on nothing (no Quran as per official photograph of the event in the internet), thereby driving opacity as prevalent in all of Nigeria’s MDAs; failure to query and discipline Alhaji Justice Tanko for calling for violation of the secularity of the Nigerian State implicit in his irresponsible statement calling for amendment of the Constitution to accommodate the peculiarities of the Sharia Code and his very unbecoming boasting that they, the Moslems, have the votes in the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to suit their own positions as Moslems; the constitution of the Federal Character Commission contrary to the Law and/or its spirit; indiscriminate violation of the federal character provision in Chapter II Section 14(3) and (4)the 1999 Constitution despite the double speak in Section 6 (6) (c); the dubious intention to manipulate the coming Census figures by appointing the Chairman and Secretary of the Census Commission from the same section and faith of the country, contrary to the approval of the National Council of State, thus appearing to compromise the Census figures even before the count; the one-sided filling of all the top positions in the Presidency and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including all the Armed services with Nigerians from one section and faith ; the glaring condonation of monumental looting as evidenced in the Auditor General of the Federation’s (AuGF) 2017 Audit Report, in all these offices (Presidency and (MDAs) headed by untrained and inexperienced hands generously referred to by the former Governor of Jigawa State and Foreign Minister, Alhaji Sule Lamido, as Nigeria’s 2nd Eleven, but at best, apprentice officers; the condonation of terrorists - Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen militants and several flagrant compromising of the security, welfare of the Nigerian people and the office of President and Head of State of Nigeria; the squelching of patriotism in the corrupt and incompetent leadership of Federal MDAs who all now seem to share the Sultan of Sokoto’s loyalty to the Quran and not the Nigerian Constitution, as it is typical, world-wide, with fundamentalist Islamists and so many other horrible infractions
18. Nigerian financial affairs are grossly mismanaged, perhaps, a deliberate effort to accumulate funds for the ultimate Jihad to Islamise Nigeria. The 2017 AuGF Report confirms that nobody appears to be in charge of Nigerian finances; and that the Federal Government of Nigeria is a mere Bazaar in which officers spirit off billions of Naira unquestioned. Over N300 Billion was found to have been stolen from almost all MDAs of the Federal Government of Nigeria within the 2017 financial year.
The 2017 report further revealed that the nation lost a whooping N5.785 trillion on unauthorized deductions from the Federation Account from 2014 to 2017 from a trio of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The same time, the Debt Management Office (DMO) told the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debts in June 2020 that deficit financing of the revised 2020 budget would rise from N2.18 trillion to N4.56trillion. If someone is in charge of the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the necessary political will, the N5.785 trillion infractions could be recovered to fund the entire budget deficit and save the nation from sliding into debt trap it has virtually fallen into.
Instead, the FG continues to indulge in toxic foreign loans; and the borrowed funds are again re-looted. By the beginning of 2015 total Nigeria’s foreign debt was around $9.7 billion and by 31st August 2020, it stood at $26.6 Billion.
19. Nigeria’s Debt Service/Revenue Ratio: At N24.34 trillion as at December 2018, the Nigerian government debt to GDP ratio was estimated to be in the region of 24.1%. The budget implementation report from the Budget Office suggests that total spending in 2017 was in the region of N6.05 trillion against total revenue of N2.71trillion.The World Bank prescribes debt service to revenue ratio of not more than 22.5%. Nigeria’s Debt Service to Revenue ratio was at over 60% of total revenue, which means for every N100 earned, it spends N60 in servicing debt. In the first quarter of 2020, Nigeria recorded debt service to revenue ratio of 99% - debt service of N943.12 Billion as against the Federal Government retained revenue of N950.56 billion.
20. Debt Trap: A country walks into a debt trap as its revenue earning becomes unable to service its external debts; and the cost of servicing accumulates, thus building up the total foreign debt and annual cost of servicing the total accumulates.
21. Nigeria is already world capital of extreme poverty and at the same time, the most terrorised country in Africa. It also holds the record of the world’s highest mortality rate of under 5 years old infants. It also belongs to the club of most corrupt government in the world. Again in human development Nigeria is in the lowest human development category.
22. In governance the executive branch has emasculated the legislature as well as the judiciary. The state governments have succumbed to infantile relationship with the presidency. Most state governors are afraid of the high handedness of the presidency.
23. The Way Out
The 1999 Constitution is Military Decree no. 24 of General Abdulsalam Abubakar’s military government. It is not the people’s constitution. It was devised as a one-man dictatorship road-map to ruinous religious state, instead of a federation of over 378 diverse ethnic nationalities.
To save these nationalities from ruinous and factitious end it is being driven to, the immediately available option is to return Nigeria to the democratically chosen 1963 Constitution as Parliamentary Democracy, with the federating units as the six zones already being operated. The autonomy of the six should be enlarged to enable each secure itself and develop within its desires and limits.
Nigerian politicians do not have the decency for operating presidential democracy which is more prone to impunity and corruption. Besides, comparatively, world-wide, parliamentary democracy has overwhelmingly delivered more human prosperity than the misery, impunity, corruption, poverty, violence and instability, human rights abuses, abridgement of press freedom and less free democracies which are more common in presidential democracies. More details are available in pages 406 to 425 of my 2017 title, TO THE RESCUE – The Right to Self Determination, the Pathway to a Genuine Federation of Peoples with No Shared Values.
Parliamentary democracy will dispel the likes of Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari from politics because it will humble them to attending parliament regularly with their ministers, all of who would be elected parliamentarians. It frequently requires the prime minister to answer questions on every aspect of governance from members on the floor of the House. A simple majority of votes would easily remove the Prime Minister, the Head of Government, as against the protracted impeachment procedure required to remove a President. In parliamentary democracy the state is represented by a non-executive President, whereas the Prime Minister is the Head of government.
24. Leadership of the Agitation for Restructuring:
Western Nigeria and Middle Belt/ Northern minorities who defeated Aburi restructuring in the Civil war and therefore conquered Nigeria, must lead the way in the agitation for the right to self determination.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, never saw the four walls of a University, nor did he have a degree in Political Science, Law or any of the Humanities; but successfully out-manoeuvred the more educated Azikiwe and Awolowo in constitutional negotiations for Nigeria’s independence from the 1ate 1940s to 1960. Whenever he failed to get others to agree to stipulations that would protect the less educated North from the more educated South, he drew back; threatened secession and if the threat did not work, he unleashed riots on Southerners in the North – 1945 Jos riots and the 1953 Kano riot. That compelled Azikiwe and Awolowo to surrender. And he continued with that strategy until he got Nigeria under his firm control. A few days after Independence of October 1, 1960, with his deputy as Prime Minister, he issued the call to order of Jihad (Parrot newspaper of October 12 1960) which his descendants are still executing:
“The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate from our great grand- father, Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South as conquered territories and never allow them to have control of their future.”
His ability to play Zik and Awo was reason why his equally less educated deputies referred to the more educated Southern politicians as “Intellectual Fools.”
To get the oligarchy forego the privileges the fraudulent 1999 Constitution conferred on them, the South, led by the West and the Middle Belt, must organise and demand their right to self determination including the right to secede. They both restored the oligarchy on the driver’s seat in 1967-70 and elements in the West and Middle Belt performed the 2015 wonder. Any of them unwilling to agitate for the right to self determination, must stop deceiving others for such person is either lily-livered or is an agent of the oligarchy.
25. Prof. Banji Akintoye-led Yoruba World Congress (YWC) and the O’Odua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC) led by Oluwole Suleiman, Michael Popoola and Mrs Aduke Fadahunsi, have all brazed the trail and anybody in the West serious on meaningful restructuring should join in their efforts. Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu should be told that he is not any smarter than the Yoruba sage, Chief Awolowo, and the business/political wizard, Chief Abiola. Repeating a formula several times and expecting different results, Einstein, the Science guru, branded that madness. Tinubu, with eyes wide open, brought this reign of locusts on Nigeria; and therefore must step back in order that his brothers would resolve his mess.
26. To rebuild a nation betrayed and destroyed over the last 60 years is unlikely to be a one-day affair. It might be a relay race. Catalonia is still in a struggle started in the 19th century. Apartheid struggle in South Africa lasted 1948-1991. South Sudan fought for 39 years and by 2011 when they achieved independence, the violence of war had stolen most of their peace values.
I am aware that the oligarchy has dug deep into the Middle Belt and divided them. A lot of organisation is required to muster a resounding followership. But there is no alternative.
Whenever the West shows the genuineness of its leadership, they will see that the East and the South-south are ready. The West must do some work on their cousins in Edo.
(Details of this exposé are in process of international publishing and is likely to be early next year)
Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh
14th Sept. 2020
emekaonyesoh.blogspot.com.ng
Till date (2020), hundreds of Plateau people in Gowon’s state of origin, Plateau, and his adopted state of Southern Kaduna (mostly Christians), are being slaughtered daily by herdsmen Islamic militants. Rape is everyday occurrence. Those lucky to escape, live in refugee camps as IDPs, whereas the herdsmen militants occupy their indigenous lands, communities and homes. Names of 54 of such occupied Plateau indigenous communities have been changed to Fulani by the Fulani militants who now occupy the sacked communities. Worst still, the Federal and State authorities react as if nothing happened. So far, the other Middle Belt state, Benue, has successfully resisted the Plateau state experience under the leadership of its indefatigable State Governor Samuel Ioraer Ortom. The Tivs, unlike most Nigerian groups and like pre-war Igbos, are born dogged resisters of operation. Despite all odds, they held the Northern Nigeria aggression down from 1960 in Tiv riots until the 15th January 1966 coup intervened to save them.
13. Right to Self Determination Agitation
Rights agitation is not a tea party. Any oppressed group in Nigeria, under UN multi-lateral treaties with Nigeria, and Nigeria’s laws, has a right to agitate for the right to self determination and even secession. It is not a criminal offence, neither is it an act of war, as some lily-livered groups, like a coalition of Yoruba groups under the aegis of Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) led by one Adesina Animashaun, might wish to mislead the Yoruba and the nation. United Nations Charter, Conventions and Covenants guarantee that and Nigeria, as a party to UN is bound by them. The same with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) which Nigeria ratified and domesticated as African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
The Nigerian Act provides as follows:
“Article 20 -1. All peoples shall have the right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen.
2. Colonised or oppressed people shall have the right to free themselves from the bonds of domination by resorting to any means recognised by the international community.
3. All peoples shall have the right to the assistance of the States Parties to the present Charter in their liberation struggle against foreign domination, be it political, economic or cultural.”
As it is obvious in the Article 20 – 3 above, the Nigeria State is supposed to assist such liberation struggle and not arrest, detain, kill or proscribe them as the fascist government of Nigeria is doing to IPOB. I wonder why IPOB has not petitioned the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights over the killing of its members by Nigeria State actors.
On the contrary, in the United Kingdom, Northern Island and Scotland variously agitated for self determination and the U. K, which is dominated by the English, 83.99% in 2012, joined in working hard to deregulate governance by devolving powers to the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish regions. The Scots in 2012 were only 8.32% of the UK population; whereas Wales, contributed only a mere 4.9%. Northern Ireland was 2.8%. After the deregulation and promises for more, Britain which had no legal framework for referendum introduced a new law, an Order-in-Council, in the recent case of Scotland, which enabled the Scottish independence vote. The English campaigned with love and exhibited desperation for the Scots to stay, unlike the Nigeria’s oligarchy which would have threatened hell fire and brimstone, as if it created and owns anybody. On 18th September 2014, the Scots voted 55.30% to stay in UK.
Canada is another example of civilised reaction to agitation to the right to self determination by a component unit. The province of Quebec is occupied mainly by French-speaking Roman Catholic Christians, unlike the rest of Canada which is dominated by English-speaking Pentecostal Christians. Twice, Quebec, 1980 and1995, went to polls in referenda to separate or stay but twice voted to stay. Through all these, Canada deregulated, devolving powers to the regions including the earlier Official Language Act of 1969 which made Quebec’s French language equal official language with the English. Quebeckers have been 13 times Prime Minister out of 23, since Canadian independence of 1867. The current PM, son of a former PM of Canada, also a Quebecker, is a Quebecker. Yet the province of Quebec in 2014 was only 23.07% of Canadian population.
Catalonia, a province in Spain, has been agitating for separation since the 19th Century AD and sometimes calls out millions of demonstrators to block and lock down the streets of its provincial capital of Barcelona; but no one has ever been hurt. But in Nigeria between 2015 and date President Buhari’s regime has massacred over 300 unarmed self determination rights agitators in prayer sessions, meetings in their homes and occasionally demonstrating on the streets, for daring to agitate for lawful rights! Come on, Nigeria is returning to life in the 7th Century AD Arabian nights in which might is right!
Kosovo (majority of Moslems) achieved independence from Christian Serbia peacefully without a fight. And so did over 23 independent nations emerge through non-violent agitations from the collapse of the Soviet Union into 15 Republics in 1991; Czechoslovakia into two Republics in 1993; and Yugoslavia into six Republics in 1989. Federations come and go if they fail. Violence cannot sustain failed federations like Nigeria! Peaceful and truthful negotiations can.
In 1995 Ethiopia dumped its autocratic 1931 Constitution because the constituent states agreed that it was not representative enough and like the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, was forced on the people of Ethiopia without the democratic process of constitution-making which ought to culminate in a written Constitution that establishes a new social contract after extensive popular discussion and compromise. On 21st August 1995, Ethiopia adopted its 1995 Constitution whose objective is to respect people’s freedom, rights to live together without any discrimination and inequality. Article 39 of the Constitution entrenches the right to Self-Determination and Secession of the federating units. This provision has the natural tendency of humbling the majority groups to respect minority rights, the same time it encourages the minorities to stay as equal and free citizens with no bullying from the majority.
14. Means of Achieving the Right to Self Determination
Throughout history, the right to self determination has been achieved in various countries through two forms, namely: (a) War and (b) Pacifist non-violent agitation.
I am a Prince of Nri, the oldest kingship in Nigeria, which as far back as the 10th Century AD, combined pacifism and spirituality in shaping the culture and tradition of most of Igbo land. It abhorred and still abhors violence of any kind from over the past 1,000 years. I therefore abhor war, not only for its destructive nature but its bestiality, brutality, its futility and stupidity. I subscribe to the view that war mongering is not only uncivilised but also a cowardly escape from the problems of peace-making. I completely agree with General Dwight Eisenhower, the five-star US Army General, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe which defeated Germany in World War II, the first Commander of NATO and the 34th President of US (1953-1961), on the futility of war as encapsulated in his now famous War quote: "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can; only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
Douglas MacArthur, another US five-star war-tested General and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army and who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theatre during the World War II, appears to have validated Eisenhower in his own popular war quote:
I know war as few other men living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its abolishment, as its destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes.
Above views are consistent with the views of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher and writer, best known for The Prince written in 1513: One ought never to allow a disorder to take place in order to avoid war, for war is not thereby avoided, but only deferred to your advantage.iki
It is thus therefore appears that in contemporary thinking, war among the enlightened, is stupid and should be avoided at all costs! Not so in Islamic fundamentalism. According to the African/American missioner/ scholar, Dr. Peter Hammond: The ultimate purpose of Islam is the establishment by force of a worldwide Islamic State where Sharia Law is enforced on all. To achieve this is the goal of Islam.
And this objective is over 90% the source of Nigeria’s woes of development since the 1960s.
I therefore vote against any war. Instead I stand for non-violent rejection of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria; and the ultimate restructuring of Nigeria back to the 1963 Constitution with only one amendment. Instead of four regions Nigeria should be reconstituted into six regions under Parliamentary democracy as against the now primitive and very corrupt and arbitrary system of Presidential democracy.
15. In Nigeria it is becoming a culture since 2015 for the security agencies to attack kill and maim unarmed rights agitators as if they are criminals. IPOB, which has not been found to have killed even one person, has been proscribed as terrorists; the same time the same government cuddles herdsmen militants, which is internationally ranked in the world as the fourth deadliest terrorist organisation for killing thousands annually in terrorist attacks in Nigeria and Cameroon.
16.The Nigeria military governments imposed feudalism on Nigeria through it 1979 and 1999 Constitutions because that is the only way of life known to the northern Generals who have dominated the Nigerian Army since 1967 - the corrupt and unaccountable rulership of the Emir through his Serikis, branded Presidential system and a so-called federation, which is only so in name. The National Bureau of Statistics confirms that the North West and East remain the capital of poverty in Nigeria. This is despite their permanent domination of power at the centre and unlimited access to the Federal treasury.
17. The on-going effort of the Buhari administration appears like the implementation of the resolutions of the 1989 Islam-in-Africa Abuja Conference with a view to formalising Nigeria as an Islamic Sultanate. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo belatedly called an operation he had tremendously facilitated as Military Head of State and elected President, Fulanisation and Islamisation. I welcome him to his rebirth to reason. Otherwise what are the moves for RUGA and its various mutations; Grazing Reserve; Cattle Colony; Water Resources bill; National Livestock Transformation Plan, Hate Speech; Anti-Social Media Bills; Broadcasting Code; Community Policing subsumed under the failed Nigerian Police; Closing Nigerian borders but leaving it open for the flotsams and jetsam of Fulanis of Africa who need no visa to invade Nigeria with VIP-visa-on-arrival; flooding of Southern Nigerian forests with trailer loads of Northern and Fulani unemployable able-bodied youths who are provided motorcycles on arrival and probably automatic weapons; attempted efforts by the Minister of Education to subsume Christian Religious Knowledge under Islamic Studies; the illegal humiliation and hunt-down of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Hon. Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen and his replacement by a Sharia Judge afflicted with Sharia mentality; raiding of homes of Judges of Courts of Record; masked raiding of the National Assembly; emasculation of State Governments with illegal Aso Rock Executive Orders; the swearing in of the Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad on nothing (no Quran); the 2019 swearing in of President Muhammadu on nothing (no Quran as per official photograph of the event in the internet), thereby driving opacity as prevalent in all of Nigeria’s MDAs; failure to query and discipline Alhaji Justice Tanko for calling for violation of the secularity of the Nigerian State implicit in his irresponsible statement calling for amendment of the Constitution to accommodate the peculiarities of the Sharia Code and his very unbecoming boasting that they, the Moslems, have the votes in the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to suit their own positions as Moslems; the constitution of the Federal Character Commission contrary to the Law and/or its spirit; indiscriminate violation of the federal character provision in Chapter II Section 14(3) and (4)the 1999 Constitution despite the double speak in Section 6 (6) (c); the dubious intention to manipulate the coming Census figures by appointing the Chairman and Secretary of the Census Commission from the same section and faith of the country, contrary to the approval of the National Council of State, thus appearing to compromise the Census figures even before the count; the one-sided filling of all the top positions in the Presidency and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including all the Armed services with Nigerians from one section and faith ; the glaring condonation of monumental looting as evidenced in the Auditor General of the Federation’s (AuGF) 2017 Audit Report, in all these offices (Presidency and (MDAs) headed by untrained and inexperienced hands generously referred to by the former Governor of Jigawa State and Foreign Minister, Alhaji Sule Lamido, as Nigeria’s 2nd Eleven, but at best, apprentice officers; the condonation of terrorists - Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen militants and several flagrant compromising of the security, welfare of the Nigerian people and the office of President and Head of State of Nigeria; the squelching of patriotism in the corrupt and incompetent leadership of Federal MDAs who all now seem to share the Sultan of Sokoto’s loyalty to the Quran and not the Nigerian Constitution, as it is typical, world-wide, with fundamentalist Islamists and so many other horrible infractions
18. Nigerian financial affairs are grossly mismanaged, perhaps, a deliberate effort to accumulate funds for the ultimate Jihad to Islamise Nigeria. The 2017 AuGF Report confirms that nobody appears to be in charge of Nigerian finances; and that the Federal Government of Nigeria is a mere Bazaar in which officers spirit off billions of Naira unquestioned. Over N300 Billion was found to have been stolen from almost all MDAs of the Federal Government of Nigeria within the 2017 financial year.
The 2017 report further revealed that the nation lost a whooping N5.785 trillion on unauthorized deductions from the Federation Account from 2014 to 2017 from a trio of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The same time, the Debt Management Office (DMO) told the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debts in June 2020 that deficit financing of the revised 2020 budget would rise from N2.18 trillion to N4.56trillion. If someone is in charge of the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the necessary political will, the N5.785 trillion infractions could be recovered to fund the entire budget deficit and save the nation from sliding into debt trap it has virtually fallen into.
Instead, the FG continues to indulge in toxic foreign loans; and the borrowed funds are again re-looted. By the beginning of 2015 total Nigeria’s foreign debt was around $9.7 billion and by 31st August 2020, it stood at $26.6 Billion.
19. Nigeria’s Debt Service/Revenue Ratio: At N24.34 trillion as at December 2018, the Nigerian government debt to GDP ratio was estimated to be in the region of 24.1%. The budget implementation report from the Budget Office suggests that total spending in 2017 was in the region of N6.05 trillion against total revenue of N2.71trillion.The World Bank prescribes debt service to revenue ratio of not more than 22.5%. Nigeria’s Debt Service to Revenue ratio was at over 60% of total revenue, which means for every N100 earned, it spends N60 in servicing debt. In the first quarter of 2020, Nigeria recorded debt service to revenue ratio of 99% - debt service of N943.12 Billion as against the Federal Government retained revenue of N950.56 billion.
20. Debt Trap: A country walks into a debt trap as its revenue earning becomes unable to service its external debts; and the cost of servicing accumulates, thus building up the total foreign debt and annual cost of servicing the total accumulates.
21. Nigeria is already world capital of extreme poverty and at the same time, the most terrorised country in Africa. It also holds the record of the world’s highest mortality rate of under 5 years old infants. It also belongs to the club of most corrupt government in the world. Again in human development Nigeria is in the lowest human development category.
22. In governance the executive branch has emasculated the legislature as well as the judiciary. The state governments have succumbed to infantile relationship with the presidency. Most state governors are afraid of the high handedness of the presidency.
23. The Way Out
The 1999 Constitution is Military Decree no. 24 of General Abdulsalam Abubakar’s military government. It is not the people’s constitution. It was devised as a one-man dictatorship road-map to ruinous religious state, instead of a federation of over 378 diverse ethnic nationalities.
To save these nationalities from ruinous and factitious end it is being driven to, the immediately available option is to return Nigeria to the democratically chosen 1963 Constitution as Parliamentary Democracy, with the federating units as the six zones already being operated. The autonomy of the six should be enlarged to enable each secure itself and develop within its desires and limits.
Nigerian politicians do not have the decency for operating presidential democracy which is more prone to impunity and corruption. Besides, comparatively, world-wide, parliamentary democracy has overwhelmingly delivered more human prosperity than the misery, impunity, corruption, poverty, violence and instability, human rights abuses, abridgement of press freedom and less free democracies which are more common in presidential democracies. More details are available in pages 406 to 425 of my 2017 title, TO THE RESCUE – The Right to Self Determination, the Pathway to a Genuine Federation of Peoples with No Shared Values.
Parliamentary democracy will dispel the likes of Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari from politics because it will humble them to attending parliament regularly with their ministers, all of who would be elected parliamentarians. It frequently requires the prime minister to answer questions on every aspect of governance from members on the floor of the House. A simple majority of votes would easily remove the Prime Minister, the Head of Government, as against the protracted impeachment procedure required to remove a President. In parliamentary democracy the state is represented by a non-executive President, whereas the Prime Minister is the Head of government.
24. Leadership of the Agitation for Restructuring:
Western Nigeria and Middle Belt/ Northern minorities who defeated Aburi restructuring in the Civil war and therefore conquered Nigeria, must lead the way in the agitation for the right to self determination.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, never saw the four walls of a University, nor did he have a degree in Political Science, Law or any of the Humanities; but successfully out-manoeuvred the more educated Azikiwe and Awolowo in constitutional negotiations for Nigeria’s independence from the 1ate 1940s to 1960. Whenever he failed to get others to agree to stipulations that would protect the less educated North from the more educated South, he drew back; threatened secession and if the threat did not work, he unleashed riots on Southerners in the North – 1945 Jos riots and the 1953 Kano riot. That compelled Azikiwe and Awolowo to surrender. And he continued with that strategy until he got Nigeria under his firm control. A few days after Independence of October 1, 1960, with his deputy as Prime Minister, he issued the call to order of Jihad (Parrot newspaper of October 12 1960) which his descendants are still executing:
“The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate from our great grand- father, Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South as conquered territories and never allow them to have control of their future.”
His ability to play Zik and Awo was reason why his equally less educated deputies referred to the more educated Southern politicians as “Intellectual Fools.”
To get the oligarchy forego the privileges the fraudulent 1999 Constitution conferred on them, the South, led by the West and the Middle Belt, must organise and demand their right to self determination including the right to secede. They both restored the oligarchy on the driver’s seat in 1967-70 and elements in the West and Middle Belt performed the 2015 wonder. Any of them unwilling to agitate for the right to self determination, must stop deceiving others for such person is either lily-livered or is an agent of the oligarchy.
25. Prof. Banji Akintoye-led Yoruba World Congress (YWC) and the O’Odua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC) led by Oluwole Suleiman, Michael Popoola and Mrs Aduke Fadahunsi, have all brazed the trail and anybody in the West serious on meaningful restructuring should join in their efforts. Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu should be told that he is not any smarter than the Yoruba sage, Chief Awolowo, and the business/political wizard, Chief Abiola. Repeating a formula several times and expecting different results, Einstein, the Science guru, branded that madness. Tinubu, with eyes wide open, brought this reign of locusts on Nigeria; and therefore must step back in order that his brothers would resolve his mess.
26. To rebuild a nation betrayed and destroyed over the last 60 years is unlikely to be a one-day affair. It might be a relay race. Catalonia is still in a struggle started in the 19th century. Apartheid struggle in South Africa lasted 1948-1991. South Sudan fought for 39 years and by 2011 when they achieved independence, the violence of war had stolen most of their peace values.
I am aware that the oligarchy has dug deep into the Middle Belt and divided them. A lot of organisation is required to muster a resounding followership. But there is no alternative.
Whenever the West shows the genuineness of its leadership, they will see that the East and the South-south are ready. The West must do some work on their cousins in Edo.
(Details of this exposé are in process of international publishing and is likely to be early next year)
Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh
14th Sept. 2020
emekaonyesoh.blogspot.com.ng
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
WHY DOES BUHARI WANT TO WEAKEN GOVERNORS?
WHY DOES BUHARI WANT TO WEAKEN GOVERORS?
VANGUARD NEWS ON JUNE 1, 2020
By Ochereome Nnanna
One thing many Nigerians do not know about Muhammadu Buhari is that he is very ideologically-driven. There are not many things he does out of mere whims. Before he proposes an idea, signs a document or refuses to sign, he carefully considers how it falls into the scope of his mission in power.
When he ignores Section 14(3) of the Constitution and appoints mostly Northern Muslims (especially Fulani) into high offices rather than equitably sharing them among all the stakeholders, it is part of a grand agenda.
Moderates of this ideology are ready to accommodate other Nigerians knowing it is a hopeful way of maintaining control for as long as possible. But the extremists want Nigeria to become the property of their tribe (not just region), including those among them who are not even Nigerians. And they want to take it by force.
This group sees Buhari’s ascent to power for the second time as a once in a lifetime opportunity to nail home this agenda. The high uptick of armed herdsmen’s occupation and marauding of the forests, farmlands and highways of the Middle Belt and South of Nigeria became pronounced under Buhari.
In view of the foregoing, let us ask ourselves what President Buhari them wants to achieve with his recent Executive Orders seeking the direct allocation of funds to the local government councils, LGCs; the State Houses of Assembly, SHAs and Judiciaries. Many of us, including eminent lawyers and sectional leaders of thought have applauded these measures. I had started applauding until I thought twice.
There is no doubt about it: the power the governors have been exerting over their LGCs, SHAs and Judiciaries is unconstitutional, undemocratic and corruption-enhancing. The governors thus continue to operate like emperors and military administrators in spite of our return to constitutional rule in 1999. They are so powerful that nobody can hold them to account while in power. The SHAs cannot impeach a governor unless there is a Federal hand in it.
Democracy is impossible at the grassroots because those in power at the LGCs are the governors’ agents. On the other hand, some of the governors (such as Orji Kalu, Bola Tinubu, Chibuike Amaechi, Samuel Ortom, Nyesom Wike, and others) have capitalised on their powers to assert the boldness of the state as a federating unit. Take away these powers and the Federal Government (which is under the control of a sectional and ethnic establishment) will neutralise any governor no matter how brave.
Could Tinubu have survived President Olusegun Obasanjo’s onslaughts when the former was the governor of Lagos without being in full grasp of the LGCs/LCDAs, Judiciary and LSHA? Could Wike have succeeded in his second term bid in Rivers amid the massive military and police might mounted against him if he had been similarly stripped?
Before we continue to clap for the “independence” of these state arms of governance, let’s consider this. With these “freedoms” the LG chairmen, speakers and members of the SHAs and state chief judges will acquire some level of independence. They will begin to resist their governors and fall out with some of them.
If these governors are in the bad books of Abuja, the heads of these governmental arms could be wooed by Abuja with money and police/military support to ruffle their governors. They could be tools in rendering governors incapable of holding their grounds against Abuja’s intentions which go@ against the interests of the people. Abuja will more easily get governors impeached, some chief judges playing along.
If Abuja comes back with the Ruga or Cattle Colony demands it will find compromised leaking points to get its way.
Buhari’s interest in promoting the independence of the LGCs, SHAs and State Judiciaries is a double-edged sword. With autonomy, good officers will be more able to rapidly develop the grassroots and hold the governors to account. Quislings can be empowered to sell out collective group interests and make the capture of states for the interest of an “empire building” ethnic group easier. That was what created crisis in the Western Region in the First Republic.
These sudden benevolences by an ultra-statist centralist are simply packaged to weaken the state governors for purposes that are neither altruistic nor compatriotic. If Buhari were such a democrat, he would have started the crusade from Abuja itself. He would have been promoting the independence of the National Assembly and Federal Judiciary. Why is he pocketing them and “freeing” state governance arms? It stinks.
If the President wants to promote true federalism and democracy, he should push for the six geopolitical zones to become the nation’s federating units with power drastically devolved to them. The Federal Government should have no business with the LGCs. The regions should create and legislate on all local government affairs. The respective regions should determine the paces of their development.
Abuja must give power back to the people and stop using Federal might, resources and institutions to drive the expansionist designs of an ethnic group or section. These Executive Orders are Greek gifts!
VANGUARD NEWS ON JUNE 1, 2020
By Ochereome Nnanna
One thing many Nigerians do not know about Muhammadu Buhari is that he is very ideologically-driven. There are not many things he does out of mere whims. Before he proposes an idea, signs a document or refuses to sign, he carefully considers how it falls into the scope of his mission in power.
When he ignores Section 14(3) of the Constitution and appoints mostly Northern Muslims (especially Fulani) into high offices rather than equitably sharing them among all the stakeholders, it is part of a grand agenda.
Moderates of this ideology are ready to accommodate other Nigerians knowing it is a hopeful way of maintaining control for as long as possible. But the extremists want Nigeria to become the property of their tribe (not just region), including those among them who are not even Nigerians. And they want to take it by force.
This group sees Buhari’s ascent to power for the second time as a once in a lifetime opportunity to nail home this agenda. The high uptick of armed herdsmen’s occupation and marauding of the forests, farmlands and highways of the Middle Belt and South of Nigeria became pronounced under Buhari.
In view of the foregoing, let us ask ourselves what President Buhari them wants to achieve with his recent Executive Orders seeking the direct allocation of funds to the local government councils, LGCs; the State Houses of Assembly, SHAs and Judiciaries. Many of us, including eminent lawyers and sectional leaders of thought have applauded these measures. I had started applauding until I thought twice.
There is no doubt about it: the power the governors have been exerting over their LGCs, SHAs and Judiciaries is unconstitutional, undemocratic and corruption-enhancing. The governors thus continue to operate like emperors and military administrators in spite of our return to constitutional rule in 1999. They are so powerful that nobody can hold them to account while in power. The SHAs cannot impeach a governor unless there is a Federal hand in it.
Democracy is impossible at the grassroots because those in power at the LGCs are the governors’ agents. On the other hand, some of the governors (such as Orji Kalu, Bola Tinubu, Chibuike Amaechi, Samuel Ortom, Nyesom Wike, and others) have capitalised on their powers to assert the boldness of the state as a federating unit. Take away these powers and the Federal Government (which is under the control of a sectional and ethnic establishment) will neutralise any governor no matter how brave.
Could Tinubu have survived President Olusegun Obasanjo’s onslaughts when the former was the governor of Lagos without being in full grasp of the LGCs/LCDAs, Judiciary and LSHA? Could Wike have succeeded in his second term bid in Rivers amid the massive military and police might mounted against him if he had been similarly stripped?
Before we continue to clap for the “independence” of these state arms of governance, let’s consider this. With these “freedoms” the LG chairmen, speakers and members of the SHAs and state chief judges will acquire some level of independence. They will begin to resist their governors and fall out with some of them.
If these governors are in the bad books of Abuja, the heads of these governmental arms could be wooed by Abuja with money and police/military support to ruffle their governors. They could be tools in rendering governors incapable of holding their grounds against Abuja’s intentions which go@ against the interests of the people. Abuja will more easily get governors impeached, some chief judges playing along.
If Abuja comes back with the Ruga or Cattle Colony demands it will find compromised leaking points to get its way.
Buhari’s interest in promoting the independence of the LGCs, SHAs and State Judiciaries is a double-edged sword. With autonomy, good officers will be more able to rapidly develop the grassroots and hold the governors to account. Quislings can be empowered to sell out collective group interests and make the capture of states for the interest of an “empire building” ethnic group easier. That was what created crisis in the Western Region in the First Republic.
These sudden benevolences by an ultra-statist centralist are simply packaged to weaken the state governors for purposes that are neither altruistic nor compatriotic. If Buhari were such a democrat, he would have started the crusade from Abuja itself. He would have been promoting the independence of the National Assembly and Federal Judiciary. Why is he pocketing them and “freeing” state governance arms? It stinks.
If the President wants to promote true federalism and democracy, he should push for the six geopolitical zones to become the nation’s federating units with power drastically devolved to them. The Federal Government should have no business with the LGCs. The regions should create and legislate on all local government affairs. The respective regions should determine the paces of their development.
Abuja must give power back to the people and stop using Federal might, resources and institutions to drive the expansionist designs of an ethnic group or section. These Executive Orders are Greek gifts!
ISLAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL
ISLAM FROM CONCEPTION WAS DESIGNED TO TO BE AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL.
Islam has always undertaken Jihad of the sword (physical war) for political space; Jihad of Sharia for constitutional order which recognises no government based on Constitutions other than Sharia (Quran, Hadith/Sunna & opinion of Islamic scholars on issues not covered in the two).
With Jihad of Words & Deception Islamists turn followers into fanatical/incendiary militants; and also deceive the unbeliever.
And that is the deception Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ironsi, Obasanjo, Jonathan and most non- Moslems of Nigeria in Afenifere, OHANAEZE, SOUTH-SOUTH & MIDDLE BELT LEADERS of date, have suffered/ are suffering from the 1950s till date.
Gullibility of these leaders has brought Nigeria to where it is today - quarter to Islamic State.
Nigeria has been experimenting the impossible in its effort to breed carnivorous leopards with herbivorous lambs in the same pen. In Nigeria of today the leopards are devouring the lambs and unless there is separation into strongly partitioned pens, it is only a matter of time, there would be few lambs left, if at all any.
With Jihad of taxation & finance Islamists bribe their way through any obstacle.
With Jihad of Polygamy (Population) they breed children they have neither the capability nor the intension of bringing up properly (Almajiri). The intension is to overwhelm the non- MOSLEMS politically and also increase poverty which supplies the militants that fight their Jihad of the sword. Poverty is the life blood of feudalism. This same Jihad includes Manipulation of Census figures.
At the end of the day Sharia Jihad attempts to compel adherents live their lives as Prophet Mohammed lived (Hadith or Sunna) till he died in 632 AD. That is part of why primitive open grazing is preferred to civilised cattle ranching. They tell you is their way of life even though Saudi Arabia, the citadel of Islamism, breeds cattle in air-conditioned environment.
They have inflicted Jihad of Deception on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, like they did to Azikiwe, Awolowo etc
& and the leadership believes this DECEPTION.
Simply put, the young men streaming down South from the North might fight a Jihad of the Sword before 2023. Or they might not.
They might be employed to serve the purposes of RUGA. Marry or impregnate our poor daughters and form increased Fulani communities down South.
20/30 years from now, they can boast of substantial Fulani population in the South to engage in politics/physical war without importing any more Fulani into Nigeria!
On enslavement, the Fulani can plan for 50 years in advance, unlike us.
What is happening in Nigeria today is after all, the call to order for Jihad which the Sarduana (Chief Jihadist (warrior) of the Sultan Sarkin Mussulumi) declared in October 1960, a few days after Independence.
May we help ourselves so that God will find an effort to bless.
Emeka Onyesoh
1/6/20
Islam has always undertaken Jihad of the sword (physical war) for political space; Jihad of Sharia for constitutional order which recognises no government based on Constitutions other than Sharia (Quran, Hadith/Sunna & opinion of Islamic scholars on issues not covered in the two).
With Jihad of Words & Deception Islamists turn followers into fanatical/incendiary militants; and also deceive the unbeliever.
And that is the deception Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ironsi, Obasanjo, Jonathan and most non- Moslems of Nigeria in Afenifere, OHANAEZE, SOUTH-SOUTH & MIDDLE BELT LEADERS of date, have suffered/ are suffering from the 1950s till date.
Gullibility of these leaders has brought Nigeria to where it is today - quarter to Islamic State.
Nigeria has been experimenting the impossible in its effort to breed carnivorous leopards with herbivorous lambs in the same pen. In Nigeria of today the leopards are devouring the lambs and unless there is separation into strongly partitioned pens, it is only a matter of time, there would be few lambs left, if at all any.
With Jihad of taxation & finance Islamists bribe their way through any obstacle.
With Jihad of Polygamy (Population) they breed children they have neither the capability nor the intension of bringing up properly (Almajiri). The intension is to overwhelm the non- MOSLEMS politically and also increase poverty which supplies the militants that fight their Jihad of the sword. Poverty is the life blood of feudalism. This same Jihad includes Manipulation of Census figures.
At the end of the day Sharia Jihad attempts to compel adherents live their lives as Prophet Mohammed lived (Hadith or Sunna) till he died in 632 AD. That is part of why primitive open grazing is preferred to civilised cattle ranching. They tell you is their way of life even though Saudi Arabia, the citadel of Islamism, breeds cattle in air-conditioned environment.
They have inflicted Jihad of Deception on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, like they did to Azikiwe, Awolowo etc
& and the leadership believes this DECEPTION.
Simply put, the young men streaming down South from the North might fight a Jihad of the Sword before 2023. Or they might not.
They might be employed to serve the purposes of RUGA. Marry or impregnate our poor daughters and form increased Fulani communities down South.
20/30 years from now, they can boast of substantial Fulani population in the South to engage in politics/physical war without importing any more Fulani into Nigeria!
On enslavement, the Fulani can plan for 50 years in advance, unlike us.
What is happening in Nigeria today is after all, the call to order for Jihad which the Sarduana (Chief Jihadist (warrior) of the Sultan Sarkin Mussulumi) declared in October 1960, a few days after Independence.
May we help ourselves so that God will find an effort to bless.
Emeka Onyesoh
1/6/20
ELSE WE WANDER INTO CONJECTURE LIKE ENUGWU-UKWU & AGULERI
ELSE WE WANDER INTO CONJECTURING LIKE ENUGWU-UKWU, IGBOUKWU & AGULERI.
I must commend Prince Charles Tabansi for his first posting on the Enugwu-ukwu imbroglio. As is consistent in my coming title on Nri, he inexorably dismisses Enugwu-ukwu pretences without breaking any bones.
I congratulate him.
But his Posting titled " *NRIBUISI IGBO"* seems to raise more historical controversies than it appears to answer. I will discuss four of them hereunder:
1. *Menri was the First Son of Eri, not the Last:*
Historical evidence says so. Onoja, Nwa Oboli, who founded the Igala dynasty, was the last son of Eri. Oboli was the last wife of Eri. We used to crack jokes during moonlight plays in the 1950s on Onoja Nwa Oboli's IQ.
MeNri has been shown by renowned historians & anthropologists as the first son of Eri.
Please refer to MDW Jeffreys, PhD, a Cambridge scholar of Anthropology. He put Nri ahead of all the other Eri sons as the one who took charge after the demise of Eri. Whilst Menri was still at Eriaka (Obuga), famine struck. Menri was reported to have appealed to Chiukwu for palliatives for the Igbo nation. Chiukwu directed him to make some sacrifices which he did. The sacrifice with his son resulted in the yam and its culture - Ifejioku etc - Refs. MDW Jeffreys: _"The Umunri Tradition of Origin_ ," African Studies XV, 1956, pp. 122-3.
Elizabeth Isichei repeated Jeffreys legend in her 1983 book, " _A History of Nigeria_ ," p. 24.
I reproduced this myth in pages 20-22 of my 2014 published Public Lecture titled " _IWA OJI IN IGBO COSMOLOGY_ " in ABIA State University Uturu, Centre for Igbo Studies (Obi Ikenga). Copies of the published lecture are available in the extant Eze Nri Palace of Nrienwelani II.
Furthermore, our own dear Onwuejeogwu, in page 26 of no. 2, September 1977 edition of ODINANI Journal seems to have impliedly validated this when he wrote as follows:
" _Eri was sent by CHUKWU (the creator) from the sky to rule mankind; he came down the Anambra, near the present site of Aguleri. His first wife bore Nri, the founder of Agukwu Nri; Agulu who founded Aguleri; Onogu, the founder of Igboariam; Ogbodudu, the founder of Amanuke; a daughter Iguedo who bore the founders of Nteje, Nando, Ogbunike, Umuleri and Awkuzu. His second wife bore Onoja who left for the upper Anambra near Ogulugu, and to found Igalaland._ "
Continuing, he further asserted:
" __Nri the son of Eri left the Anambra southwards into the forest. He lived first in Amanuke, then near the present Enugwu-ukwu, finally at Agukwu."__
Ownership of Obuga, as the first son of his father, was probably why Nrifikwuanim instructed and his sons returned and buried his body in Eriaka, now known as Aguleri. As I confirmed in my 2014 Lecture, Aguleri claims, published in Sunday Vanguard newspaper of August 10, 2014, pp.36-37 assert that the had identified Nri grave along with that of his father, Eri; but no news of that of Agulu. This further development from Aguleri further authenticates my position.
Again this probably is reason why every emerging Eze Nri, returns to Obuga, MeNri's inheritance, for some rituals before finally ascending the Eze Nri throne.
If renowned historians/anthropologists and other credible evidence have accorded Nri the first position, why should we go for the conjecture of the last.
If however there are reliable evidence by published authorities; that would be a different thing. Even then, we shall have subject such source to thorough verification.
2. *UNION WITH AKAMKPISI & DIODO*
It is true that Eze Nribuife unified the thrones of Nri and Diodo during his reign 1159 - 1252 AD and as Onwuejeogwu wrote that _"was crucial to the process of the unification of the three settlements. . ."_ But as Onwuejeogwu also admits, that was the beginning of the process " _each unit still maintains its autonomy in several ways."_ Those several ways, however included the most critical aspect of unification of thrones - homage to the unified throne. Onwuejeogwu further admits " _that Diodo and AKAMKPISI sections must never pay tribute to Eze Nri."_
However in page 24 of Onwuejeogwu's 1981 book, " _An Igbo Civilisation, Nri Kingdom & Hegemony_ " he committed a faux pas by suggesting that Nzemabua, the Kingmakers of Nri, included four Ozo men from Diodo & AKAMKPISI. Till date this never happened. Onwuejeogwu could be excused for misunderstanding what our elders told him because at the time, he was indeed battling with more thorough grasp of Igbo language as his third language after Hausa and English. He admitted this much severally to me on Igbo language.
The unification under Nribuife can, at best, be regarded as superficial in most because the two settlements did not seem to have subjected themselves to Eze Nri Palace until the reign of Eze Nrijiofor II. There was no meeting point for the three units which continued to operate separately until later.
The amalgamation into a federation in actuality appeared to have commenced sometimes in the late 1940s. under my father, Prince JBN Onyesoh, as the founding PG of NPU in 1947. He was reported to have foreseen the present acrimonies from that amalgamation and expressed very serious reservations.
There was no OruNzenaino before EzeNrijofo II. It was founded under His Majesty during the amalgamation. My father, as one of the very tiny percentage of literate members of that Nzemabua, was overruled in his objection to according Akamkpisi/Diodo 12-man membership of the 24-man Ruling Council, despite their making less than 20% of the population of the Union. Till date, this disproportionately equating 20-26% to 74% has created very serious problems for the present generation, which is yet to muster the guts to resolve the obvious inequity.
Uruoji village alone constitutes 31% of amalgamated Nri!
Akamkpisi as we grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s, used to celebrate its Agwu, Onwasato and such other big festivals on their own separate dates, weeks apart, from Nri.
Initiation into their Ozo, till date is a different kettle of fish.
Agukwu shares no shrine with AKAMKPISI. It, instead, shares with Enugwu-ukwu.
3. *Nri Bu Is Omenani Igbo* : Above assertion is more plausible than "Nri Bu Isi Igbo. " If Nri as Menri or as Nrifikwuanim bu Isi Igbo, what was his father?
The over ten legacies of Nri puts Nri above & over all other Igbo Communities, as the Custodian of Igbo Culture & Tradition/ Ancestral Homeland.
Besides Diodo, Akamkpisi, Eriaka, it is common ground that Amanuke, Ugbene, Osili and a host of other Igbo Communities, also existed before Nri.
It thus seems to make more sense to define Nri supremacy by asserting it as follows: *Nri Bu Isi Omenani Igbo*
4. *History has two major sources*: First, Primary Sources, also called original sources; and secondly, Secondary. Sources.
Primary Sources are artefacts. documents, diaries, manuscripts, autobiographies, recordings or any other source of information that was created at the time under study by witnesses or participants to the event.
Secondary sources are generally *scholarly* books and articles, which invariably interpret and analyse primary sources and may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.
Anything outside these, is mere conjecture or wishful thinking like Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri, do.
All articulate citizens of Nri of today are 20th Century children, including my humble self. Therefore to be more credible,
writers are advised to write without reference, only on what they witnessed. If they wish to go beyond that, the source of such information should be disclosed.
Let us learn to show superiority over Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri's wild claims and assertions.
The truth and nothing else, but the verifiable truth, is what puts Nri over and above all the other communities.
Igboukwu seems to have been put to rest. And so shall the rest eventually be.
Emeka Onyesoh,
Oba Agbalanze,
Obeagu Village,
Agukwu, Nri. 2nd June 2020.
I must commend Prince Charles Tabansi for his first posting on the Enugwu-ukwu imbroglio. As is consistent in my coming title on Nri, he inexorably dismisses Enugwu-ukwu pretences without breaking any bones.
I congratulate him.
But his Posting titled " *NRIBUISI IGBO"* seems to raise more historical controversies than it appears to answer. I will discuss four of them hereunder:
1. *Menri was the First Son of Eri, not the Last:*
Historical evidence says so. Onoja, Nwa Oboli, who founded the Igala dynasty, was the last son of Eri. Oboli was the last wife of Eri. We used to crack jokes during moonlight plays in the 1950s on Onoja Nwa Oboli's IQ.
MeNri has been shown by renowned historians & anthropologists as the first son of Eri.
Please refer to MDW Jeffreys, PhD, a Cambridge scholar of Anthropology. He put Nri ahead of all the other Eri sons as the one who took charge after the demise of Eri. Whilst Menri was still at Eriaka (Obuga), famine struck. Menri was reported to have appealed to Chiukwu for palliatives for the Igbo nation. Chiukwu directed him to make some sacrifices which he did. The sacrifice with his son resulted in the yam and its culture - Ifejioku etc - Refs. MDW Jeffreys: _"The Umunri Tradition of Origin_ ," African Studies XV, 1956, pp. 122-3.
Elizabeth Isichei repeated Jeffreys legend in her 1983 book, " _A History of Nigeria_ ," p. 24.
I reproduced this myth in pages 20-22 of my 2014 published Public Lecture titled " _IWA OJI IN IGBO COSMOLOGY_ " in ABIA State University Uturu, Centre for Igbo Studies (Obi Ikenga). Copies of the published lecture are available in the extant Eze Nri Palace of Nrienwelani II.
Furthermore, our own dear Onwuejeogwu, in page 26 of no. 2, September 1977 edition of ODINANI Journal seems to have impliedly validated this when he wrote as follows:
" _Eri was sent by CHUKWU (the creator) from the sky to rule mankind; he came down the Anambra, near the present site of Aguleri. His first wife bore Nri, the founder of Agukwu Nri; Agulu who founded Aguleri; Onogu, the founder of Igboariam; Ogbodudu, the founder of Amanuke; a daughter Iguedo who bore the founders of Nteje, Nando, Ogbunike, Umuleri and Awkuzu. His second wife bore Onoja who left for the upper Anambra near Ogulugu, and to found Igalaland._ "
Continuing, he further asserted:
" __Nri the son of Eri left the Anambra southwards into the forest. He lived first in Amanuke, then near the present Enugwu-ukwu, finally at Agukwu."__
Ownership of Obuga, as the first son of his father, was probably why Nrifikwuanim instructed and his sons returned and buried his body in Eriaka, now known as Aguleri. As I confirmed in my 2014 Lecture, Aguleri claims, published in Sunday Vanguard newspaper of August 10, 2014, pp.36-37 assert that the had identified Nri grave along with that of his father, Eri; but no news of that of Agulu. This further development from Aguleri further authenticates my position.
Again this probably is reason why every emerging Eze Nri, returns to Obuga, MeNri's inheritance, for some rituals before finally ascending the Eze Nri throne.
If renowned historians/anthropologists and other credible evidence have accorded Nri the first position, why should we go for the conjecture of the last.
If however there are reliable evidence by published authorities; that would be a different thing. Even then, we shall have subject such source to thorough verification.
2. *UNION WITH AKAMKPISI & DIODO*
It is true that Eze Nribuife unified the thrones of Nri and Diodo during his reign 1159 - 1252 AD and as Onwuejeogwu wrote that _"was crucial to the process of the unification of the three settlements. . ."_ But as Onwuejeogwu also admits, that was the beginning of the process " _each unit still maintains its autonomy in several ways."_ Those several ways, however included the most critical aspect of unification of thrones - homage to the unified throne. Onwuejeogwu further admits " _that Diodo and AKAMKPISI sections must never pay tribute to Eze Nri."_
However in page 24 of Onwuejeogwu's 1981 book, " _An Igbo Civilisation, Nri Kingdom & Hegemony_ " he committed a faux pas by suggesting that Nzemabua, the Kingmakers of Nri, included four Ozo men from Diodo & AKAMKPISI. Till date this never happened. Onwuejeogwu could be excused for misunderstanding what our elders told him because at the time, he was indeed battling with more thorough grasp of Igbo language as his third language after Hausa and English. He admitted this much severally to me on Igbo language.
The unification under Nribuife can, at best, be regarded as superficial in most because the two settlements did not seem to have subjected themselves to Eze Nri Palace until the reign of Eze Nrijiofor II. There was no meeting point for the three units which continued to operate separately until later.
The amalgamation into a federation in actuality appeared to have commenced sometimes in the late 1940s. under my father, Prince JBN Onyesoh, as the founding PG of NPU in 1947. He was reported to have foreseen the present acrimonies from that amalgamation and expressed very serious reservations.
There was no OruNzenaino before EzeNrijofo II. It was founded under His Majesty during the amalgamation. My father, as one of the very tiny percentage of literate members of that Nzemabua, was overruled in his objection to according Akamkpisi/Diodo 12-man membership of the 24-man Ruling Council, despite their making less than 20% of the population of the Union. Till date, this disproportionately equating 20-26% to 74% has created very serious problems for the present generation, which is yet to muster the guts to resolve the obvious inequity.
Uruoji village alone constitutes 31% of amalgamated Nri!
Akamkpisi as we grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s, used to celebrate its Agwu, Onwasato and such other big festivals on their own separate dates, weeks apart, from Nri.
Initiation into their Ozo, till date is a different kettle of fish.
Agukwu shares no shrine with AKAMKPISI. It, instead, shares with Enugwu-ukwu.
3. *Nri Bu Is Omenani Igbo* : Above assertion is more plausible than "Nri Bu Isi Igbo. " If Nri as Menri or as Nrifikwuanim bu Isi Igbo, what was his father?
The over ten legacies of Nri puts Nri above & over all other Igbo Communities, as the Custodian of Igbo Culture & Tradition/ Ancestral Homeland.
Besides Diodo, Akamkpisi, Eriaka, it is common ground that Amanuke, Ugbene, Osili and a host of other Igbo Communities, also existed before Nri.
It thus seems to make more sense to define Nri supremacy by asserting it as follows: *Nri Bu Isi Omenani Igbo*
4. *History has two major sources*: First, Primary Sources, also called original sources; and secondly, Secondary. Sources.
Primary Sources are artefacts. documents, diaries, manuscripts, autobiographies, recordings or any other source of information that was created at the time under study by witnesses or participants to the event.
Secondary sources are generally *scholarly* books and articles, which invariably interpret and analyse primary sources and may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.
Anything outside these, is mere conjecture or wishful thinking like Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri, do.
All articulate citizens of Nri of today are 20th Century children, including my humble self. Therefore to be more credible,
writers are advised to write without reference, only on what they witnessed. If they wish to go beyond that, the source of such information should be disclosed.
Let us learn to show superiority over Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri's wild claims and assertions.
The truth and nothing else, but the verifiable truth, is what puts Nri over and above all the other communities.
Igboukwu seems to have been put to rest. And so shall the rest eventually be.
Emeka Onyesoh,
Oba Agbalanze,
Obeagu Village,
Agukwu, Nri. 2nd June 2020.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
North's Fatuous Claim of Ownership and Funding Oil Exploration in Nigeria
North's Fatuous Claim of Ownership and Funding Oil Exploration in Nigeria
The uncontrolled provocative statements by Northern politicians seem to add salt to injury in the Niger-Delta militancy imbroglio. Two spurious arguments commonly bandied about by Northern politicians are that by virtue of 72% Nigerian land mass being in the North, the North rightfully owns the oil wells as far as 200 nautical miles off-shore; and that revenue from North's export of groundnut, cotton and other produce funded oil exploration in Nigeria.
Yet the history of oil exploration in Nigeria is well documented and it is unknown that any government, including the Federal government, invested even a kobo in oil exploration. Developments in oil industry in Nigeria from the beginning in 1908, have been well documented as is shown below.
Major Events in the history of the Nigerian Oil and Gas:
1908: Nigerian Bitumen Co. & British Colonial Petroleum commenced operations around Okitipupa in the South-West. This was before the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914. The British Treasury was still lending money from year-to-year to support feudalism – Native Authority Administration in the North.
1938: Shell D’Arcy was granted Exploration license by the Colonial Administration as full concessionaires to prospect for oil throughout Nigeria and they paid all their bills including licensing fees;
1955: Mobil Oil Corporation joined operations in Nigeria.
1956: First successful well drilled at Oloibiri, in present Bayelsa State by Shell D'Arcy which changed its name to Shell-BP Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited.
1958: First shipment of oil from Nigeria took place.
The Poverty of the North from before Amalgamation:
(a) The above statement of facts shows that the first concession to the Nigerian Bitumen Co. & British Colonial Petroleum was granted by the Colonial authorities of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria, in 1908 - before the amalgamation in 1914 and the North therefore was not involved.
(b) The main reason the North was amalgamated with the South by the British, was because the North was not viable enough to sustain its governance. Consequently the Colonial Administration, annually, had to borrow from the British treasury to sustain governance of the North, which included the expensive feudalism-based Native Authority with very generous salaries for the Emirs.
(c) Whereas the North could not financially sustain its governance, the South was rich enough to defray its cost of governance and in addition, invest in development projects.
The unviability of the North in relation to the South was aptly captured in the following extract from the British Colonial Report No. 878, Nigeria, 1914 below.
"It (the Northern Protectorate) depended at first on a substantial grant-in-aid from the Imperial Exchequer, averaging about £274,000 per annum, and though this was being rapidly replaced by the product of the direct tax, which yielded in 1913 the large sum of £546,000 – about half of which was paid into revenue, the remainder being assigned to the Native Administration – the essential needs of the country could not be met without a considerable additional revenue. . .
Southern Nigeria, on the other hand, presented a picture which was in almost, all points exact converse of that of the North. Here the material prosperity had been extra-ordinary. The revenue had almost doubled itself in a period of five years. The surplus balances exceeded a million and a half. . . And so while Northern Nigeria was devoting itself to building up a system of Native Administration, and laboriously raising revenue by direct taxation, Southern Nigeria had found itself engrossed in material development."
The British Colonial Secretary, Lord Lewis Vernon Harcourt's pre-amalgamation report on the proposal to the British government, openly affirmed the intendment of the amalgamation and the state of finances of the North and South, in his insulting designation of the South as a rich bride about to be given away in marriage, without her consent and/or consultation, in order to sustain a not so well-to-do groom.
"We have released Northern Nigeria from the lending strings of the treasury. The promising and well conducted youth is now on allowance on his own and is about to affect an alliance with a southern lady of means. I have issued the special license and Sir Fredrick Lugard will perform the ceremony . . ."
(d) The North which was found by the British to be unable to fund its development projects, could therefore not have been able to fund oil exploration by 1938 when Shell D' Arcy was granted its exploration license and concession by Colonial Britain. Oil was struck in commercial quantity in 1956 at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, South-South of Nigeria; and in 1958, the first shipment of crude by Shell-BP out of Nigeria took place.
(e) The North accepted self-government only in 1959, as against 1957 by the South; and from 1914 to date, has maintained the ranking of the poorest region in Nigeria, largely due to the cost and the policy of maintaining feudalism; and a misconception that wealth is predestined by God, therefore man does not need to fight and defeat poverty. Presently there is an unimaginable war in the North-East, with its consequent devastations to the economy of the region in particular, and the country in general, about Western Education being a sin or not.
On the second claim that their 72% ownership of Nigerian land mass entitles the North to ownership of oil wells 200 nautical miles off-shore, one would like to ask following questions:
• Suppose there was no amalgamation of the two protectorates in 1914, could the North have skipped the Southern land mass, however small, to own oil wells off shore?
• Had the premier of the North pulled out the North as he threatened to do in 1959, after the general elections when Chief Awolowo offered to serve as Finance Minister under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as Prime Minister in an alliance government of Azikiwe's party – the National Council of NigerianCitizens (NCNC) and Chief Awolowo's party - the Action Group; and/or as Colonel's Murtala Mohammed and Yakubu Gowon originally planned in their “Araba” counter-coup of 29th July 1966, before the British HighCommissioner and the United States Ambassador intervened to stop them from pulling out and declaring the North an independent Republic, where would the off-shore oil wells have been?
• And finally, if Nigeria disintegrates as predicted and as the North is presently pushing the rest of the country to, would the North over-fly the Southern land mass to own the oil wells beyond 200 nautical miles?
It is important to bear in mind that it is the monopolisation of the oil blocks by Northerners and the judicial murder of Dr. Ken Saro Wiwa, who was, after the civil war, one of the earliest Niger-Deltans to raise a voice of protest against the exploitation of the Niger-Delta by the oligarchy; that stoked the fire of militancy in the Niger-Delta.
Nigeria seems to be conducting its affairs god-like, ignoring all warnings. It was Prometheus in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, 'The Masque of Pandora' (1875) who initiated the wisecrack -
“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
Nigerian leaders have paid no heed to any of the predictions of failure of Nigeria instead, they attack the symptoms of the ailments of the nation with raw brutality, as if brutality would ever heal the contradictions in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious federation, with little or no common shared values. It is sheer commonsense that until the source of an ailment is dealt with, the symptoms are bound to persevere."
Notes:
7 (a) History of Nigerian Petroleum Industry by Garbrich Global Services Ltd, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, May 3, 2015 - www.linkedin.com/.../history-nigerian-petroleum-industry....
7 (b) British Colonial Report no. 878, Wyman and Sons Ltd, London, April 1916, p.38.
7 (c) Harcourt, Lewis Vernon, Lord: Report to the British Parliament on the Amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates of Nigeria, London, 1912.
Culled from:
Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh: TO THE RESCUE – THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION, THE PATHWAY TO A GENUINE FEDERATION OF PEOPLES WITH NO SHARED VALUES, BBK Limited, Enugu, Nigeria, 2017, pages 12 to16.
The uncontrolled provocative statements by Northern politicians seem to add salt to injury in the Niger-Delta militancy imbroglio. Two spurious arguments commonly bandied about by Northern politicians are that by virtue of 72% Nigerian land mass being in the North, the North rightfully owns the oil wells as far as 200 nautical miles off-shore; and that revenue from North's export of groundnut, cotton and other produce funded oil exploration in Nigeria.
Yet the history of oil exploration in Nigeria is well documented and it is unknown that any government, including the Federal government, invested even a kobo in oil exploration. Developments in oil industry in Nigeria from the beginning in 1908, have been well documented as is shown below.
Major Events in the history of the Nigerian Oil and Gas:
1908: Nigerian Bitumen Co. & British Colonial Petroleum commenced operations around Okitipupa in the South-West. This was before the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914. The British Treasury was still lending money from year-to-year to support feudalism – Native Authority Administration in the North.
1938: Shell D’Arcy was granted Exploration license by the Colonial Administration as full concessionaires to prospect for oil throughout Nigeria and they paid all their bills including licensing fees;
1955: Mobil Oil Corporation joined operations in Nigeria.
1956: First successful well drilled at Oloibiri, in present Bayelsa State by Shell D'Arcy which changed its name to Shell-BP Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited.
1958: First shipment of oil from Nigeria took place.
The Poverty of the North from before Amalgamation:
(a) The above statement of facts shows that the first concession to the Nigerian Bitumen Co. & British Colonial Petroleum was granted by the Colonial authorities of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria, in 1908 - before the amalgamation in 1914 and the North therefore was not involved.
(b) The main reason the North was amalgamated with the South by the British, was because the North was not viable enough to sustain its governance. Consequently the Colonial Administration, annually, had to borrow from the British treasury to sustain governance of the North, which included the expensive feudalism-based Native Authority with very generous salaries for the Emirs.
(c) Whereas the North could not financially sustain its governance, the South was rich enough to defray its cost of governance and in addition, invest in development projects.
The unviability of the North in relation to the South was aptly captured in the following extract from the British Colonial Report No. 878, Nigeria, 1914 below.
"It (the Northern Protectorate) depended at first on a substantial grant-in-aid from the Imperial Exchequer, averaging about £274,000 per annum, and though this was being rapidly replaced by the product of the direct tax, which yielded in 1913 the large sum of £546,000 – about half of which was paid into revenue, the remainder being assigned to the Native Administration – the essential needs of the country could not be met without a considerable additional revenue. . .
Southern Nigeria, on the other hand, presented a picture which was in almost, all points exact converse of that of the North. Here the material prosperity had been extra-ordinary. The revenue had almost doubled itself in a period of five years. The surplus balances exceeded a million and a half. . . And so while Northern Nigeria was devoting itself to building up a system of Native Administration, and laboriously raising revenue by direct taxation, Southern Nigeria had found itself engrossed in material development."
The British Colonial Secretary, Lord Lewis Vernon Harcourt's pre-amalgamation report on the proposal to the British government, openly affirmed the intendment of the amalgamation and the state of finances of the North and South, in his insulting designation of the South as a rich bride about to be given away in marriage, without her consent and/or consultation, in order to sustain a not so well-to-do groom.
"We have released Northern Nigeria from the lending strings of the treasury. The promising and well conducted youth is now on allowance on his own and is about to affect an alliance with a southern lady of means. I have issued the special license and Sir Fredrick Lugard will perform the ceremony . . ."
(d) The North which was found by the British to be unable to fund its development projects, could therefore not have been able to fund oil exploration by 1938 when Shell D' Arcy was granted its exploration license and concession by Colonial Britain. Oil was struck in commercial quantity in 1956 at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, South-South of Nigeria; and in 1958, the first shipment of crude by Shell-BP out of Nigeria took place.
(e) The North accepted self-government only in 1959, as against 1957 by the South; and from 1914 to date, has maintained the ranking of the poorest region in Nigeria, largely due to the cost and the policy of maintaining feudalism; and a misconception that wealth is predestined by God, therefore man does not need to fight and defeat poverty. Presently there is an unimaginable war in the North-East, with its consequent devastations to the economy of the region in particular, and the country in general, about Western Education being a sin or not.
On the second claim that their 72% ownership of Nigerian land mass entitles the North to ownership of oil wells 200 nautical miles off-shore, one would like to ask following questions:
• Suppose there was no amalgamation of the two protectorates in 1914, could the North have skipped the Southern land mass, however small, to own oil wells off shore?
• Had the premier of the North pulled out the North as he threatened to do in 1959, after the general elections when Chief Awolowo offered to serve as Finance Minister under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as Prime Minister in an alliance government of Azikiwe's party – the National Council of NigerianCitizens (NCNC) and Chief Awolowo's party - the Action Group; and/or as Colonel's Murtala Mohammed and Yakubu Gowon originally planned in their “Araba” counter-coup of 29th July 1966, before the British HighCommissioner and the United States Ambassador intervened to stop them from pulling out and declaring the North an independent Republic, where would the off-shore oil wells have been?
• And finally, if Nigeria disintegrates as predicted and as the North is presently pushing the rest of the country to, would the North over-fly the Southern land mass to own the oil wells beyond 200 nautical miles?
It is important to bear in mind that it is the monopolisation of the oil blocks by Northerners and the judicial murder of Dr. Ken Saro Wiwa, who was, after the civil war, one of the earliest Niger-Deltans to raise a voice of protest against the exploitation of the Niger-Delta by the oligarchy; that stoked the fire of militancy in the Niger-Delta.
Nigeria seems to be conducting its affairs god-like, ignoring all warnings. It was Prometheus in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, 'The Masque of Pandora' (1875) who initiated the wisecrack -
“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
Nigerian leaders have paid no heed to any of the predictions of failure of Nigeria instead, they attack the symptoms of the ailments of the nation with raw brutality, as if brutality would ever heal the contradictions in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious federation, with little or no common shared values. It is sheer commonsense that until the source of an ailment is dealt with, the symptoms are bound to persevere."
Notes:
7 (a) History of Nigerian Petroleum Industry by Garbrich Global Services Ltd, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, May 3, 2015 - www.linkedin.com/.../history-nigerian-petroleum-industry....
7 (b) British Colonial Report no. 878, Wyman and Sons Ltd, London, April 1916, p.38.
7 (c) Harcourt, Lewis Vernon, Lord: Report to the British Parliament on the Amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates of Nigeria, London, 1912.
Culled from:
Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh: TO THE RESCUE – THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION, THE PATHWAY TO A GENUINE FEDERATION OF PEOPLES WITH NO SHARED VALUES, BBK Limited, Enugu, Nigeria, 2017, pages 12 to16.
Monday, March 30, 2020
IGUARO NDIGBO – PROCLAMATION OF THE IGBO LUNAR CALENDAR
IGUARO NDIGBO – PROCLAMATION OF THE IGBO LUNAR CALENDAR
(Igbo 2020 New Year Lecture by Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh at Eze Nrienwelani II Palace at Nri, Anambra State, Nigeria on 15th February 2020)
Preamble - Definitions
1.1. Days of the Igbo Week: Iguaro is the ritual proclamation of Igbo lunar calendar by Eze Nri which Eze Nri performs yearly as the originator of Igbo days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo (all Deities) which determine the "Izu" (week) that add up to the "Onwa" (month) that yield the " Aro" (year) , another deity by itself, again controlled by Eze Nri. Aro has a shrine in Nri and it is taken care of my kindred (Ezekanmadu) high priest.
Onwuejeogwu’s “The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology: Dating Nri (Igbo) Oral Tradition,” 1997 in p. 47 and in page 2 of his 1987 Ahiajioku Lecture, “Evolutionary Trends in the History of the Development of the Igbo Civilisation in the Culture Theatre of Igboland in Southern Nigeria,” detailed how the four supernaturals (otherwise deities) of days, were revealed to Eze Nri who now controls them. The Igbo market days and Aro are thus, deities controlled by Eze Nri. Pages 114 & 115 of his 1997 “Afa Symbolism& Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony” contain elaborate details of this fact. Iguaro Eze Nri was the biggest festival in Igbo land performed in the palace of Eze Nri by Eze Nri, dating from 900AD. The Onitsha people in 1750 AD introduced Ofala, (a festival very similar to Nri yam festival of Onwasato), when Onitsha was founded. Fig. 7 in page 88 of “An Igbo Civilization Nri Kingdom and Hegemony” (1981) graphically shows the proclamation of Igbo New Year as one of the ten mystical powers of Eze Nri.
Eze Nri therefore encouraged trade all over Igbo land by establishing the four market days Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo and their “alusi” supernaturals. His Nri agents, serving as priests, travelled all over the length and breadth of Igbo land consecrating the markets and initiating people into Ozo. For example, Nri agents established the famous Nkwo market at Onitsha. They also used to initiate Onitsha people into the Ozo title, which Onitsha treated and continues to treat with utmost dignity.
Trading as an alternative to farming in a difficult ecology was one of the hall marks of the Nri economic system, in its efforts at diversification. Nri insisted on having a well-organized cycle of farming and trading among the Igbo. They created the peace that made these possible among hostile communities and towns.
Igbo people believed that any dead person went to the land of the dead (ani mmuo) through Nri. Thus Nri town became the center of Igbo pilgrimage until the British in 1911, instigated by the Missionaries, destroyed the system, and ordered all Igbo to avoid Nri. According to Northcote Thomas, the British colonial government anthropologist, who witnessed this event in 1911 and wrote in 1913 “He (Eze Nri) is the spiritual potentate over a large extent of the country and so great is the awe which he inspires that recently, when, probably for the first time in history, an Eze Nri entered the native court of Awka while it was sitting, the whole assembly rose and prepared to flee” (Anthropological Report on the Ibo Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Law and Custom of the Ibo of the Awka Neighbourhood of S. Nigeria, 1913, p.48).
Above demonstrates the awe and respect Ndigbo had for Eze Nri. The early missionaries were solidly behind this colonial government move to destroy the institution to enable both of them achieve their respective missionary and colonial objectives. The destruction was only partially successful, because the Ozo/Eze forms continued all over Igbo land. Eze Nri continued installing leaders who are symbols of truth and peace and continued giving the Ofo Nri, the ritual symbol and staff of authority. Till this day, Ndi-Igbo, love to wear the red cap as the external symbol of the Ozo/Eze title, which they regard with pomp and dignity. Regardless of whether any one knows or accepts it, the red cap the Igbo chiefs wear, is admission of and submission to the supremacy of Nri culture, for EzeNri introduced the Ozo/Eze and the hierarchy of titles before and after Ozo.
1.2. The Concept of the Year deriving from 13 Lunar Months: Before the British liquidation in August 1911, Nri had developed its concept of Aro - the year. First, as already stated, Aro is a supernatural force revealed to Eze Nri in the past; then Nri transformed it into a cycle of one year. Aro is divided into thirteen segments, namely: Onwa Agumaro, fixed around mid February of the Gregorian calendar. This is the month for the proclamation beginning of the Igbo lunar calendar by Eze Nri for all Igbo. It is followed by Onwa Mbu, Onwa Abuo, On wa Ife Eke, Onwa Ano, Onwa Agwu, Onwa Ifejioku, Onwa Eliji, Onwa Ilommuo (Onwasato), Onwa Ana, Onwa Okike, Onwa Ajana na Edeaja, Onwa Uzo Alusi. A study of the year system, the genealogy of Onwa, the age grade, the kinship system resulted in working out Nri system of time, published by Prof. Onwuejeogwu in 1997 already referred to above as “The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology . . . The lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment, were known to the Nri priests of Alusi Aro. Knowledge of the movement of the heavenly bodies was employed. Northcote Thomas (MA, FRAI) the government anthropologist in 1910, reported that he got “names for the following heavenly bodies at Agukwu: “Pleiades, Orion and Great Bera”. Nri elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others, which helped them in calculating the intervals between each lunar period and finding the directions during their sojourn from one Igbo-village to another in both the semi-forest and forest zones.
2. The Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar - Iguaro (New Year):
As previously stated, the annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days to ‘onwa’ made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days and to Aro of 13 Onwa. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon; thirteen of which make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation is indeed the declaration of Igbo New Year which invariably falls mid-February of every year. This similar to the Chinese lunar/solar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month Every year. Every Igbo month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze Nri therefore keeps account of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar. Thus any Igbo traditional ruler who pretends to proclaim the Igbo Lunar Calendar very early in January is merely repeating or extending the January 1, Gregorian New Year celebrations, and definitely not the Igbo Lunar Calendar. He needs to explain to the Igbo world in which Aro deity shrine the necessary expiations, ablutions and sanctifications are performed before he commenced the process. And some of these pretenders of Iguaro are highly-placed consecrated Christian Church officials. Some even demean Igbo culture and tradition by summon the Igbo year in the altars of Churches. Only them know what tradition they wish to have other Nigerians and world believe Ndigbo came from; and what culture the Igbo had before the emergence of Christianity in the Igbo culture area in 1857.
During the Onwa Agumaro, Igbo representatives from far and wide congregated at Nri for the “announcing of the year.” This is a big ceremony, which all Ndigbo awaited with eagerness because of its ritual, economic and political importance. Till date Iguaro Ndigbo (Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar) by Eze Nri is still the most culturally significant of all Igbo Traditional Festivals.
First, it gave all those under Eze Nri ritualism protection and the spiritual energy to face the New Year. Secondly, representatives were given the Ogwu ji, the yam medicine, and thirdly, it gave them opportunity to express solidarity and oneness with the Eze Nri and the Levitical and ritual laws which they had willingly obeyed. Nri people developed a body of philosophy based on phenomenology which deals a distinctive African philosophy which seeks a linkage between past and present, and between present and future. The nature of this philosophy is the theme of the Onwuejeogwu’s 1997 book, earlier referred to, captioned “Afa symbolism and Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony. . .’
The Nri people were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy, administration and the management of a segmented and decentralized system.
2.1The Yam Cult in Igbo Civilisation: Before the coming of the white man, yam used to be a determinant of a man’s success or failure in Igbo land. Everyone lived on the land and farmed. Yam was the lead crop.
Nri Menri, the founder of Nri, the first Son of Eri, was known to have introduced the yam culture in Igbo agricultural cycle. In Professor Elizabeth Isichei’s book, “A History of Nigeria” (1983), page 24, she related what elders told Dr. M. D. W. Jeffreys in the 1930s which Jeffreys published in 1956 titled “The Umundri Tradition of Origin,” in the African Studies Journal XV, pp. 122-3 and his 1934 Divine Umundri King of Igbo Land - his unpublished doctoral dissertation . It is important to note that in the 1930s, unlike now, there was no politicization of Igbo history by the elders. The elders told the truth as it was handed down by their forebears. This is unlike the present times in which people make wild and unsubstantiated claims merely for the convenience of their political goals. Jeffreys wrote:
“. . . while Eri was alive he and his dependants were fed by Chuku [God] and their food was azu igwe [back of the sky]. When Eri died this food supply ceased and Ndri at Aguleri complained to Chuku that there was no food. Chuku replied that if Ndri did as he was told he could obtain food. Ndri asked what it was he had to do and Chuku told him that he had to kill and bury his eldest son and daughter . . . . This killing of the eldest son and daughter was carried out, and the bodies buried in separate graves. Three native weeks later, shoots appeared out of the graves of these children. From the grave of his son, Ndri dug up a yam, cooked and ate it. . . . The next day Ndri dug up koko yams from his daughter’s grave. . . Ndri also had a male and female slave killed and buried and in three weeks there sprang from the grave of the male slave an oil-palm, and from the grave of the female slave, a bread-fruit tree.”
(Prof. Mervyn David Waldegrave (1890-1975), a former District Officer in Nigeria and Cameroon; later a Cambridge scholar and Anthropologist; and finally Professor of Anthropology, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa).
2.1.1. Ifejioku: Prof. Elizabeth Isichei had also related another version of the primacy of Nri among the sons of Eri in page 7 of her 1976, 303-page title “A History of the Igbo People,” the Macmillan Press Ltd, London.
Jeffreys and Isichei further revealed the source of yam reverence among the Igbo – the sacrifice Menri made before yam came into Igbo life. The essence of Ifejioku, Ihejioku or Ahiajoku, as it is variously called, in Igbo life, is explained by the sacrifice. Theft yam is a grievous offence; to uproot growing yam seedling, ranks almost pari passu with murder in original Igbo jurisprudence.
2.1.2.Ofo Nri: In my yet unpublished manuscript, “Dreams of My Ancestors” I defined Ofo as “ an Igbo Ritual Symbol and Staff which epitomizes Truth, Justice, Authority, Wholeness and Moral Innocence which is used by Kings, lineage heads, titled men, diviners and priests of shrines to communicate with God through ancestors in prayers and sacrifices.” Ofo has its origin from the pacifist, and humanistic purity of Nri traditional system of worship and that explains why Igbo political, business and traditional leaders go nowhere else for Ofo Igbo other than to Nri.
Starting from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (premier Eastern Region of Nigeria (1954-1959) to Dr. Michael I. Okpara, Premier Eastern Region 1959-1966), Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Military governor Eastern Region 1966/67 and Head of state of Biafra 1967-1970, Dr. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo (Nigerian Senate President 1999-2000) to Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, Governor of Enugu State (1999-2007) and hundreds of other Igbo political and cultural leaders, all visited and still visit Nri for bestowal of Ofo Nri. In 1996, for example, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, struggled to visit Nri for another Ofo Nri for the sake of crowning himself, spurious Eze Igbo Gburugburu. He insisted against the explanation that having bestowed Ofo Nri on him as Military Governor in 1966, he cannot be given a fresh one. Instead the former Ofo, lost or not, can be ritually replaced or reactivated, as the priests might deem necessary. Stopped by Nri people, through Anambra government and the Police, from visiting Nri on a date he chose, he preferred to invite a former Eze Nri Palace servant (Adama) to Enugu, to award him a fake Ofo Nri. Ikemba Nnewi (M.A, History, Oxford University, England), after Eze Nri turned him down for a second Ofo, he insisted because he knows as an Oxford trained historian that Nri is the only place in Igbo land to get Ofo.
3. Perceptions of non-Igbo Nigerian Scholars on Kingship in Igbo Land
Other Nigerians, including scholars, for reasons best known to them, had resolved that prior to British colonial governance, the Igbo nation had no centrally organized system of governance. While researching the 300-page manuscript, ‘Dirt on White Spectrum - the Travails of Sacred Throne of Nri - The Custodian of Igbo Culture/Tradition and Nigeria’s oldest Kingship Institution,” (in process of publication) I found that other Nigerians commonly regard the Igbo people as having no form of central coordination of their life. In Professor Akin Mabogunje 1971 book, The History of West Africa Vol.1, “The Land and Peoples of West Africa,” Longman, London, edited by Profs. J.F. Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder, the three scholars agreed that:
“Of the six important groups mentioned above as occupying the eastern forest area, only the Ibo had no centralized political organisation above the level of the local head man and council of elders. . . . Some form of supra communal religio-political organisation was provided through the agents of the Aro-Chukwu Oracle, which was the final arbiter for all inter-tribal strife.
Mabogunje (88 years old) is a University of Ibadan Professor of Geography and Nigeria’s first Professor of Geography; 1st African president of the International Geographical Union. Prof. Ajayi, Jacob Festus Adeniyi (1929-2014), who edited the work, was a Nigerian historian, Professor of History, of Universities of Ibadan and Lagos with several works on African History. He was Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos 1972-1978. Ajayi was a member of Ibadan School of Historical Research led by late Prof. Kenneth Dike in the 1960s, which introduced African perspectives to African History and caused African history to focus on the internal historical forces that shaped African lives. His co-editor of Mabogunje’s 1971 work, Prof. Michael Crowther, was also a distinguished historian and a foreign associate of Ibadan Historical Research School. Prof. Michael Crowther, (1934-1988), co-editor with Prof. Ajayi of Mabogunje’s work , was a British historian and author, notable for his books on the history of Africa, particularly, West Africa and from 1968-1978, variously Professor of History at Universities of Ife and Lagos, and Ahmadu Bello, University. That means that these were in the Nigerian University system by 1959 when Prof. Shaw, through the University of Ibadan commenced the excavations at Igboukwu and were there in 1966 when the Institute of African Studies of UI commissioned Onwuejeogwu to do the anthropological studies of the Igboukwu excavations whose reports were all deposited in UI. The centrality of Nri to Igbo civilisation was made very clear by those UI projects, in addition to previous works of colonial historians dating from the 19th century.
A 2010 report of a study on traditional rule and the evolution of democratic governance in each of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria since her independence in 1960, funded by the Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands in Abuja, titled, Traditional Rulers in Nigeria, depict the general impression and attitude of Nigerians, even among scholars, on kingship in Igbo land. Led by the historian, Prof. S.J.S. Cookey, the group included Profs Akin Oyebode (International Law, University of Lagos), A.D Yahaya (Political Science, Kano), Etannibi Alemika (Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Jos), Elo Amucheazi is a Professor of Political Science and Pro-Chancellor, Anambra State University. They dismissed the entire South-East as having no king whose influence affected more than a community, in following sweeping statement:
Even though there was ethnic homogeneity, the zone lacked mega states with centralised monarchies. Instead, what prevailed was small scale, village-based polities, anchored on agnatic kingship principles.
It therefore did not surprise informed opinions in Igbo land when in 2008 Otunba Olugbenga Daniel, Governor of Ogun State invited by the chairman of the year’s Igbo Day Celebrations Committee and former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo, to present a paper as the guest lecturer at Ohanaeze Ndigbo Igbo Day celebrations of 2008, took his time to regurgitate the same opinions of non-Igbo Nigerian scholars. In his lecture of 28th Sept. 2008, titled, Equity, Justice & Fairness as Tool for Political Equilibrium he openly assaulted the sensibilities of Igbo elite gathered to celebrate Igbo greats and mourn those lost in Igbo epic struggle for liberation, by declaring that there were no substantial Igbo oral traditions to account for a history of any Igbo kingship and therefore the Igbo had no central organisation. He therefore declared:
“Unlike the Yoruba, the Edo, the Hausa, Jukun and Kanuri, the Igbo did not develop monarchial forms of government. This is the background to the saying, “Ndi Igbo Echi Eze” (the Igbo make no kings). In addition to this difference in the form of government, the Igbo did not develop large political units as their neighbours did. The nucleus of their political and social unit was the lineage.”
Nothing can be further away from the truth than the above conclusions by non-Igbo scholars on kingship in Igbo land.
The Urgent Need to Restore Focus to Igbo Culture, Tradition and Civilisation
The late Rt. Honorable Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, first Premier of Eastern Regional Government of Nigeria, also first President of the Nigerian Senate, first indigenous Governor-General and later, President, was one of the earliest Igbo elites to be convinced about the need to give focus to Igbo Culture, Tradition and Civilization when on Wednesday, 29th March 1956, as the Premier of Eastern Nigeria, he moved the second reading of a Bill titled “The Recognition of Chiefs Law 1957.” Amongst other things he declared as follows:-
“Thirty years ago, Dr. P. Amoury Talbot gave a lot of reliable information about the Aro theocracy and the spiritual potentates of Agukwu Nri whose civil supremacy was acknowledged in Awka and Udi Divisions and which was a holy city that was comparable to Ile-Ife in its hey days.
From this remarkable ethnographer, we gleaned authoritative data about kings and chiefs who exercised spiritual and temporal power throughout the Eastern Nigeria just as their opposite numbers did in the North and West.
..It is remarkable that while the Ooni if Ife was recognized as the spiritual head of the Yoruba-speaking people; and the Sultan of Sokoto was highly respected among Muslims of the North, the role of the Eze Nri was not only minimized but was officially ignored.
…Therefore, the present government cannot be blamed for snubbing the chiefs of the East...”
‘'…The saving grace is that we are now engaged in the Herculean task of restoring the prestige and dignity of our chiefs, wherever such tradition exists, and we hope that we shall be given a fair chance to find a satisfactory solution.”1
Zik was an anthropologist by training and knew the implications of every word he spoke on this matter of chiefs and kings of the East.
In supporting Dr. P. Amoury Talbot, Zik was trying to give cultural focus to Ndigbo. Dr. Talbot was a learned scholar of Igbo culture who wrote several remarkable books on Igbo in the twenties: The peoples of Southern Nigeria, Volumes 1 & V. In his books he emphasized on what he saw, heard and read about the centrality of Igbo culture located at Nri town before the British and Missionaries from August 1911 deployed massive resources in an effort to destroy it.
Certainly Ndigbo require a reconstruction of their past to move forward. But that reconstruction must be based on solid facts derived from sustainable research and not mere conjecture or various bogus claims by charlatans in Igbo history who now seem dominate the newspaper and air space.
If Zik in 1956-57 was unable to restore the Igbo focus/center, if Professor Afigbo’s committee in 1976 was unable to do so too, Ndigbo in 2019 have no excuse to fail having gone through the harrowing experiences of lack of cultural center/focus imposed on the Igbo by the British and Christian Missionaries since 1911 and thereafter by Igbo politicians like Dr.Azikiwe; making it difficult for Ndigbo to have a clearing house for conflicts and their resolutions, on account of the devaluation of Igbo value system by modern forces and factors. The classification of Obi of Onitsha as first class chief whilst Eze Nri was ranked below him or not ranked at all, in 1957 by the Azikiwe’s regional government in Enugu, even after the above quote, which helped in no small way in convincing the Eastern Regional Colonial Governor, Clement J. Pleas, to establish the Eastern House of Chiefs, was a devastating blow on the effort to refocus the Igbo.
The need to write this plea might not have arisen if Dr. Azikiwe had not succumbed to primordial pressures of nepotism; and implemented the noble intentions of that 29th March 1956 address to the Eastern House of Assembly.
The compelling evidence derived from research on the Igbo is that Nri and Eze Nri historically and unchallengeably constitute the centre/citadel of Igbo culture, history and civilization; the destruction done by British imperialism and Christian Missionaries from August 1911, and the benign neglect and parochialism of Igbo politicians since 1957, notwithstanding.
The Legacies of Nri Civilization
Twelve legacies of Nri Civilisation speak for themselves and even before Nri mortal enemies, convincingly place Nri and Eze Nri, both in the Agukwu location, before any other community and kingship in Igbo land south-East, South-South and North-Central as the centre/citadel on which Igbo culture, history and civilization revolve. From the works of renowned scholars in cultural history including Prof. Onwuejeogwu, it has been distilled that the following legacies were bequeathed by Eze Nri/Nri civilization to the Igbo nation.
(i)The Igbo Market Days – Eke, Oye, Afo, and Nkwo; (ii) Igbo Lunar Calendar - 13 lunar months under the deity Aro; (iii) Agricultural cycle and crops – the yam culture (Ifejioku) and other food crops; (iv) Title taking – Ozo and Eze; (v) Pacifist Traditional Worship in Monotheism; (vi) Human Rights -upholding and protecting the Sanctity of human life and the Dignity of the Human Person; (vii) Unification of most of Igbo land under a Hegemony; (viii) The Concept of All-Kind and Merciful God; (ix) Unified Age-grade System for community development; (x) Democratized Monarchial System of Governance – rare in the world; (xi) Non-violence/peace philosophy in governance and (xii) Eze Nri kingship is the oldest kingship tradition in Nigeria – Details in APPENDIX II, titled “Placing Nri Kingship in a Dating Comparative Analysis with 14 Other Major Kingship Institutions in Nigeria.”
These bequeathals are what entitle Nri to the appellation: Isi Omenani Igbo - Custodians of Igbo Culture and tradition. More Details on these 12 bequests are available as APPENDIX I.
APPENDIX I
The Legacies of Nri Civilization
1. The Igbo Market Days: The present day commercial and ritual activity of the four market days- Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo. Nri priests established the shrines in most parts of Igbo land. The Bini market days of Aho (Agbado), Eken, Orrie (Edekioba), and Okuo (Eken’aka) are probable diffusions of the Igbo market days, the Benin kingship and civilisation having been established as dating 250 years after Nri, probably under Nri influence. Igala market days of Eke, Ede, Afor, and Ukwo probably emerged from the same Igbo source since Igala kingship (Atta) started only some 500 years after Eze Nri. Onoja Nwoboli, a son of the same father Nri (Eri), is known to have brought a lot of influence to bear on the founding of the Igala kingdom.
2. The Igbo Lunar Calendar - the concept of Aro (year) was introduced to Igbo life by Eze Nri who till date, proclaims, from year to year, the Igbo Lunar Calendar. The annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo to ‘onwa’ (month) made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon. Thirteen moon cycles make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation invariably falls into mid-February of every year in the Gregorian calendar, just like the Chinese lunar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month. Aro has a shrine in Nri. Every month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze therefore keeps account of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar.
Before the British attempted liquidation of Nri in August 1911, Nri had developed its concept of “aro”- the year. First, “aro” is a supernatural force revealed to Eze Nri in the past; then Nri transformed it into a cycle of one year. Divided into thirteen segments, namely: Onwa Agumaro(new year proclamation month), fixed around mid February, this is the month for announcing the year by Eze Nri for all Igbo. It is followed by Onwa Mbu (1st month), Onwa Abuo (2nd month), Onwa Ife Eke (Eke Market month), Onwa Ano (4th month), Onwa Agwu(month of Agwu {melancholy} month), Onwa Ifejioku (yam cult month),Onwa Eliji(New Yam month), Onwa Ilommuo(Thanks Giving Month), Onwa Ana(Land Deity Month, Onwa Okike(Okike Deity month), Onwa Ajana na Edeaja(Ajana Deity month), Onwa Uzo Alusi (All other Deity month).A study of the year system, the genealogy of Onwa, the age grade, the kinship system resulted in working out Nri system of time, published as The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology: Dating of Nri (Igbo) Oral Tradition by Prof. M.A. Onwuejeogwu, Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin, 1997. The lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment, were known to the priests of Alusi Aro. Knowledge of the movement of the heavenly bodies was employed. Northcote Thomas (MA, FRAI) the government anthropologist in 1910, reported that he got “names for the following heavenly bodies at Agukwu (Nri): “Pleiades, Orion and Great Bera”. Nri elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others, which helped them in calculating the intervals between each lunar period and finding the directions during their sojourn from one Igbo-village to another in both the semi-forest and forest zones. Nri astronomical and psychological knowledge were researched and published later the same year by Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin, Nigeria, titled "Afa symbolism and Phenomenology In Nri Kingdom and Hegemony: An African Philosophy of Social Action."
During the Onwa Agumaro, Igbo representatives from far and wide congregated at Nri for the “announcing of the year “. This is a big ceremony, which all Ndigbo awaited with eagerness because of its ritual, economic and political importance. Till date Iguaro Ndigbo ((Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar) by Eze Nri is still the most culturally significant of all Igbo Traditional Festivals.
First, it gave all those under Eze Nri ritualism protection and the spiritual energy to face the New Year. Secondly, representatives were given the Ogwu ji (yam medicine), the yam medicine, and thirdly, it gave them opportunity to express solidarity and oneness with the Eze Nri and the levitical and ritual laws which they had willingly obeyed. Nri people developed a body of philosophy based on phenomenology which deals a distinctive African philosophy which seeks a linkage between past and present, and between present and future. The nature of this philosophy is the theme of Onwuejeogwu’s 1997, Afa Symbolism and Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony . . .
The annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo to ‘onwa’ (month) made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon. Thirteen moon cycles make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation invariably falls into mid-February of every year in the Gregorian calendar, just like the Chinese lunar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month. ‘Aro’ (year), the supernatural has a shrine in Nri, incidentally looked after by my kindred. Every month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze Nri therefore keeps account for the Igbo nation, of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar. Thus any Igbo traditional ruler who pretends to proclaim the Igbo Lunar Calendar early in January is merely repeating or extending the January 1, Gregorian New Year celebrations and not the Igbo Lunar Calendar. He needs to explain to the Igbo world in which Aro deity shrine the necessary expiations, ablutions and sanctifications are performed before he commenced the process.
The Nri were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy, administration and the management of a segmented and decentralized system.
3. The Igbo Agricultural Cycle- Eze Nri introduced new varieties of yam, coco-yam and other food crops into Igbo agricultural cycle and spread the use of iron technology. It is significant to note that the much-celebrated Ifejioku is a symbolization of the supreme sacrifice Eze Nri made with his first son which initiated the yam culture in Igbo land. Imo State Government knowingly celebrates this sacrifice in its annual Ahiajioku lecture series. Unfortunately it is not on any record that Imo State Government has ever invited formally invited Eze Nri to this lecture series in recognition of this sacrifice which is being memorialized by this worthy lecture series. I have twice on my own attended two of the lecture and was duly recognized as a Prince of Nri;
4. Title taking - “Ozo” tile and kingship were brought into Igbo life by Eze Nri. His agents travelled all over Igbo land initiating people into ozo and kingship. The ubiquitous red cap of all Igbo titled personalities wear since after the Civil War (1967-70) emblemizes ‘Ozo,' introduced into Igbo life by Eze Nri. As one moves East, West, North or South of Nri ramifications of Ozo are encountered under different names like Okonko.
5. Pacifist Traditional Worship in a Monotheistic System: Eze Nri through his agents- Nri priests – brought into Igbo life a pacifist traditional worship system of one Supreme Being that places the utmost premium on the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person. Nri priests travelled all over Igbo land and beyond, proclaiming taboos and cleansing abominations – nso n’alu. The Churches branded it ancestral and deity worship and could not understand that the ancestors/deities represent in the Nri system what the Saints and Angels represent in Christianity. Acting with the Colonial powers from 1911 they descended on Eze Nri and Nri to extinguish what they termed they termed “the citadel of Satan and the headquarters of juju and voodoo and pagan priesthood for the whole Igbo tribe” (Father Duhaze 1906).
6. Sanctity of human life and Respect for the Dignity of the Human Person: Nri condemned all forms of human sacrifice, the slave trade and all inhuman treatment of any human. Killing or throwing away of twins, babies that cut the upper teeth first, those from bridged birth, dwarfs all ill- treatment of any human were forbidden by Nri. Those encountered alive, were indeed rescued and given full citizenship by Nri. The concept of Fundamental Human Rights was introduced into the affairs of men by Eze Nri, as early as 1043 A.D, long before the UN 10th of October 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
7. Unification of Igbo land under Hegemony: Nri attempted to unify the Igbo in a hegemony, which the slave trade, imperialism and colonialism eroded. But the core values of the hegemony still exist, hence most Nri legacies to Ndigbo survived even when the origin is little known and most Igbos and other Nigerians have not given thought as to how, when and why these bequeathals are pervasive.
8. The Concept of All-Kind and Merciful God: Nri developed the concept of Chukwu Okike(God), kind, just and peaceful as against the concept of a violent Chukwu that encouraged wars, slave-trade, blood-shed and human suffering in some Igbo areas under other influence.
9. Unified Age-grade System: Nri introduced and unified the age - grade system among the Igbo and it became a political and economic structure for a more effective social organization.
10. Democratized Monarchial System of Governance: Nri introduced the concept of democratized monarchial system of rulership in Igbo culture. The representatives of the twelve families of Agukwu Nri in the Eze Nri cabinet (Nzemabua) who, most of the time, took decisions for Eze Nri in meetings, were chosen independently by each kindred according to established hierarchy of titles.
11. Non-Violence and Peace as Mantra in Governance and Justice to Society
Eze Nri institution has survived as the oldest kingship institution in Igboland and, indeed Nigeria, without no army and any record of fighting any war. Long before the non-violence as espoused by Mahatma Gandhi of India and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of USA, all of the 20th Century Eze Nri from 10th Century AD, has kept a record of non-violence in governance, relying solely on myth, divination, piety and spirituality as means of keeping society in balance, whilst dispensing justice to all members of society regardless of rank. This poses a challenge to 21st century peace studies.
A very bold statement of Nri as non-violent peace-maker is the case of Awka and Ugwuoba – two brothers who were killing themselves in battle until Nri intervened to separate them. Nri, otherwise originally pronounced and known as “Nshi” those days, intervened by settling between the two communities after settling their issues in dispute. The Nri settlers became known as Ama Nshi (community of Nshi). The English have no consonant diagraph in their alphabets and worst of all, found it a bit difficult to pronounce. They easily simplified the writing and pronunciation to Amansea. Itinerant Nri priests have a not-so-good record of getting back home once they find a comfortable settlement far or near the home, base unlike the Aro. Today UmuNri communities as far away as in Kogi, Delta and Edo states, even Ife in Osun State, are virtually lost to the Igbo nation. They got so completely assimilated that their Igbo language either became extinct for lack of use, or got so polluted that central Igbo people of today are unable to understand such hybrid Igbo language.
12. Nri Kingship is the oldest Kingship Institution in Nigeria
From a dating comparative analysis of the oldest known kingships in Nigeria, the Eze Nri kingship institution is the oldest kingship institution in Nigeria, probably of the same age with Kanuri kingdom whose age is merely estimated, and therefore could be merely second to Nri. The details are annexed as APPENDIX II.
APPENDIX II
PLACING NRI KINGSHIP IN A DATING COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH 14 OTHER MAJORKINGSHIP INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
The distribution of 15 kingdoms chosen for the dating comparative study, are as follows: Seven Igbo kingdoms; one Igala kingdom on account of the confession of Igbo/Igala relationship in terms of antecedents, Bini for similar reasons as Igala, and three Yoruba kingdoms selected in terms of age - the oldest and the newest; then two Hausa kingdoms - the first and the most famous. The last and not the least, is the only Kanuri kingdom. These kingdoms/kingships are presented hereunder in a chronological order of age from 900AD to date, along with authorities who studied them, have been fairly studied and recorded by various writers of some maturity whose works are easily verifiable.
1st Nri kingdom 900AD (date established by carbon 14) by Northcote Thomas (1913), MDW Jeffrey (1934) and Prof. M.A. Onwuejeogwu (1974 and 1981).
2nd Kanuri Kingdom: about 900AD (estimate) by Abdullahi Smith (1971), Smith (1971) and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
3rd Kano kingdom 950AD by J. Hunwick (1971), R.A. Adeleye (1971); and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
4th Agbor Kingship 950AD by Chief Iduwe (1985).
5th Daura Kingdom 950AD by J. Hunwick (1971), Dr. R.A. Adeleye (1971), and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
6th Ife Kingdom (Yoruba) 1045AD by Dr. R. Smith (1969), F. Willet (1960), and Johnson (1921).
7th Ijebu Ode Kingdom 1080AD by Dr. R. Smith 1969, Prof. E.A. Ayandele (1992) and Johnson (1921).
8th Old Oyo Kingdom 1145AD by Dr. R. Smith (1969) Dr. P.M Williams (1967) Johnson (1921).
9th Benin Kingdom 1140AD by Chief Egharevba (1934 and (1968) and Dr. R.E. Bradbury (1957).
10th Ubulu-Ukwu Kingship 1280AD by Mr. E.A. Ikemefuna and Obi Anene (1985).
11th Owa Kingship (Off-shoot of Nri) 1280AD by Obi E. Efeizomor II (1994).
12th Igala Kingdom 1450AD by Dr. J.S. Boston (1962).
13th Ogwashi-uku Kingship (Offshoot of Nri) 1500AD by Mr. Ben Nwabua (1998).
14th Aro Kingdom 1650AD by Prof. Kenneth Dike and Prof. J. Ekejiuba (1990).
15th Onitsha Kingship 1750AD by R.N. Henderson (1972) Prof Ikenna Nzimiro (1972).
Sokoto Sultanate was established barely 349 years ago, about 1670AD. It came into prominence with the successful over-running of Hausa kingdoms by the Fulanis in the Othman Dan Fodio’s successful Jihad of 1804-1808.
Above comparative analysis confirms a hidden fact that kingship was firmly established in Igbo life long before most of the much-talked of kingdoms in Nigeria.
All Rights to this document is hereby reserved to the writer Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh
NRI, Anambra State, Nigeria.
15th February, 2020
(Igbo 2020 New Year Lecture by Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh at Eze Nrienwelani II Palace at Nri, Anambra State, Nigeria on 15th February 2020)
Preamble - Definitions
1.1. Days of the Igbo Week: Iguaro is the ritual proclamation of Igbo lunar calendar by Eze Nri which Eze Nri performs yearly as the originator of Igbo days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo (all Deities) which determine the "Izu" (week) that add up to the "Onwa" (month) that yield the " Aro" (year) , another deity by itself, again controlled by Eze Nri. Aro has a shrine in Nri and it is taken care of my kindred (Ezekanmadu) high priest.
Onwuejeogwu’s “The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology: Dating Nri (Igbo) Oral Tradition,” 1997 in p. 47 and in page 2 of his 1987 Ahiajioku Lecture, “Evolutionary Trends in the History of the Development of the Igbo Civilisation in the Culture Theatre of Igboland in Southern Nigeria,” detailed how the four supernaturals (otherwise deities) of days, were revealed to Eze Nri who now controls them. The Igbo market days and Aro are thus, deities controlled by Eze Nri. Pages 114 & 115 of his 1997 “Afa Symbolism& Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony” contain elaborate details of this fact. Iguaro Eze Nri was the biggest festival in Igbo land performed in the palace of Eze Nri by Eze Nri, dating from 900AD. The Onitsha people in 1750 AD introduced Ofala, (a festival very similar to Nri yam festival of Onwasato), when Onitsha was founded. Fig. 7 in page 88 of “An Igbo Civilization Nri Kingdom and Hegemony” (1981) graphically shows the proclamation of Igbo New Year as one of the ten mystical powers of Eze Nri.
Eze Nri therefore encouraged trade all over Igbo land by establishing the four market days Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo and their “alusi” supernaturals. His Nri agents, serving as priests, travelled all over the length and breadth of Igbo land consecrating the markets and initiating people into Ozo. For example, Nri agents established the famous Nkwo market at Onitsha. They also used to initiate Onitsha people into the Ozo title, which Onitsha treated and continues to treat with utmost dignity.
Trading as an alternative to farming in a difficult ecology was one of the hall marks of the Nri economic system, in its efforts at diversification. Nri insisted on having a well-organized cycle of farming and trading among the Igbo. They created the peace that made these possible among hostile communities and towns.
Igbo people believed that any dead person went to the land of the dead (ani mmuo) through Nri. Thus Nri town became the center of Igbo pilgrimage until the British in 1911, instigated by the Missionaries, destroyed the system, and ordered all Igbo to avoid Nri. According to Northcote Thomas, the British colonial government anthropologist, who witnessed this event in 1911 and wrote in 1913 “He (Eze Nri) is the spiritual potentate over a large extent of the country and so great is the awe which he inspires that recently, when, probably for the first time in history, an Eze Nri entered the native court of Awka while it was sitting, the whole assembly rose and prepared to flee” (Anthropological Report on the Ibo Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Law and Custom of the Ibo of the Awka Neighbourhood of S. Nigeria, 1913, p.48).
Above demonstrates the awe and respect Ndigbo had for Eze Nri. The early missionaries were solidly behind this colonial government move to destroy the institution to enable both of them achieve their respective missionary and colonial objectives. The destruction was only partially successful, because the Ozo/Eze forms continued all over Igbo land. Eze Nri continued installing leaders who are symbols of truth and peace and continued giving the Ofo Nri, the ritual symbol and staff of authority. Till this day, Ndi-Igbo, love to wear the red cap as the external symbol of the Ozo/Eze title, which they regard with pomp and dignity. Regardless of whether any one knows or accepts it, the red cap the Igbo chiefs wear, is admission of and submission to the supremacy of Nri culture, for EzeNri introduced the Ozo/Eze and the hierarchy of titles before and after Ozo.
1.2. The Concept of the Year deriving from 13 Lunar Months: Before the British liquidation in August 1911, Nri had developed its concept of Aro - the year. First, as already stated, Aro is a supernatural force revealed to Eze Nri in the past; then Nri transformed it into a cycle of one year. Aro is divided into thirteen segments, namely: Onwa Agumaro, fixed around mid February of the Gregorian calendar. This is the month for the proclamation beginning of the Igbo lunar calendar by Eze Nri for all Igbo. It is followed by Onwa Mbu, Onwa Abuo, On wa Ife Eke, Onwa Ano, Onwa Agwu, Onwa Ifejioku, Onwa Eliji, Onwa Ilommuo (Onwasato), Onwa Ana, Onwa Okike, Onwa Ajana na Edeaja, Onwa Uzo Alusi. A study of the year system, the genealogy of Onwa, the age grade, the kinship system resulted in working out Nri system of time, published by Prof. Onwuejeogwu in 1997 already referred to above as “The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology . . . The lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment, were known to the Nri priests of Alusi Aro. Knowledge of the movement of the heavenly bodies was employed. Northcote Thomas (MA, FRAI) the government anthropologist in 1910, reported that he got “names for the following heavenly bodies at Agukwu: “Pleiades, Orion and Great Bera”. Nri elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others, which helped them in calculating the intervals between each lunar period and finding the directions during their sojourn from one Igbo-village to another in both the semi-forest and forest zones.
2. The Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar - Iguaro (New Year):
As previously stated, the annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days to ‘onwa’ made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days and to Aro of 13 Onwa. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon; thirteen of which make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation is indeed the declaration of Igbo New Year which invariably falls mid-February of every year. This similar to the Chinese lunar/solar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month Every year. Every Igbo month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze Nri therefore keeps account of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar. Thus any Igbo traditional ruler who pretends to proclaim the Igbo Lunar Calendar very early in January is merely repeating or extending the January 1, Gregorian New Year celebrations, and definitely not the Igbo Lunar Calendar. He needs to explain to the Igbo world in which Aro deity shrine the necessary expiations, ablutions and sanctifications are performed before he commenced the process. And some of these pretenders of Iguaro are highly-placed consecrated Christian Church officials. Some even demean Igbo culture and tradition by summon the Igbo year in the altars of Churches. Only them know what tradition they wish to have other Nigerians and world believe Ndigbo came from; and what culture the Igbo had before the emergence of Christianity in the Igbo culture area in 1857.
During the Onwa Agumaro, Igbo representatives from far and wide congregated at Nri for the “announcing of the year.” This is a big ceremony, which all Ndigbo awaited with eagerness because of its ritual, economic and political importance. Till date Iguaro Ndigbo (Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar) by Eze Nri is still the most culturally significant of all Igbo Traditional Festivals.
First, it gave all those under Eze Nri ritualism protection and the spiritual energy to face the New Year. Secondly, representatives were given the Ogwu ji, the yam medicine, and thirdly, it gave them opportunity to express solidarity and oneness with the Eze Nri and the Levitical and ritual laws which they had willingly obeyed. Nri people developed a body of philosophy based on phenomenology which deals a distinctive African philosophy which seeks a linkage between past and present, and between present and future. The nature of this philosophy is the theme of the Onwuejeogwu’s 1997 book, earlier referred to, captioned “Afa symbolism and Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony. . .’
The Nri people were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy, administration and the management of a segmented and decentralized system.
2.1The Yam Cult in Igbo Civilisation: Before the coming of the white man, yam used to be a determinant of a man’s success or failure in Igbo land. Everyone lived on the land and farmed. Yam was the lead crop.
Nri Menri, the founder of Nri, the first Son of Eri, was known to have introduced the yam culture in Igbo agricultural cycle. In Professor Elizabeth Isichei’s book, “A History of Nigeria” (1983), page 24, she related what elders told Dr. M. D. W. Jeffreys in the 1930s which Jeffreys published in 1956 titled “The Umundri Tradition of Origin,” in the African Studies Journal XV, pp. 122-3 and his 1934 Divine Umundri King of Igbo Land - his unpublished doctoral dissertation . It is important to note that in the 1930s, unlike now, there was no politicization of Igbo history by the elders. The elders told the truth as it was handed down by their forebears. This is unlike the present times in which people make wild and unsubstantiated claims merely for the convenience of their political goals. Jeffreys wrote:
“. . . while Eri was alive he and his dependants were fed by Chuku [God] and their food was azu igwe [back of the sky]. When Eri died this food supply ceased and Ndri at Aguleri complained to Chuku that there was no food. Chuku replied that if Ndri did as he was told he could obtain food. Ndri asked what it was he had to do and Chuku told him that he had to kill and bury his eldest son and daughter . . . . This killing of the eldest son and daughter was carried out, and the bodies buried in separate graves. Three native weeks later, shoots appeared out of the graves of these children. From the grave of his son, Ndri dug up a yam, cooked and ate it. . . . The next day Ndri dug up koko yams from his daughter’s grave. . . Ndri also had a male and female slave killed and buried and in three weeks there sprang from the grave of the male slave an oil-palm, and from the grave of the female slave, a bread-fruit tree.”
(Prof. Mervyn David Waldegrave (1890-1975), a former District Officer in Nigeria and Cameroon; later a Cambridge scholar and Anthropologist; and finally Professor of Anthropology, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa).
2.1.1. Ifejioku: Prof. Elizabeth Isichei had also related another version of the primacy of Nri among the sons of Eri in page 7 of her 1976, 303-page title “A History of the Igbo People,” the Macmillan Press Ltd, London.
Jeffreys and Isichei further revealed the source of yam reverence among the Igbo – the sacrifice Menri made before yam came into Igbo life. The essence of Ifejioku, Ihejioku or Ahiajoku, as it is variously called, in Igbo life, is explained by the sacrifice. Theft yam is a grievous offence; to uproot growing yam seedling, ranks almost pari passu with murder in original Igbo jurisprudence.
2.1.2.Ofo Nri: In my yet unpublished manuscript, “Dreams of My Ancestors” I defined Ofo as “ an Igbo Ritual Symbol and Staff which epitomizes Truth, Justice, Authority, Wholeness and Moral Innocence which is used by Kings, lineage heads, titled men, diviners and priests of shrines to communicate with God through ancestors in prayers and sacrifices.” Ofo has its origin from the pacifist, and humanistic purity of Nri traditional system of worship and that explains why Igbo political, business and traditional leaders go nowhere else for Ofo Igbo other than to Nri.
Starting from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (premier Eastern Region of Nigeria (1954-1959) to Dr. Michael I. Okpara, Premier Eastern Region 1959-1966), Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Military governor Eastern Region 1966/67 and Head of state of Biafra 1967-1970, Dr. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo (Nigerian Senate President 1999-2000) to Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, Governor of Enugu State (1999-2007) and hundreds of other Igbo political and cultural leaders, all visited and still visit Nri for bestowal of Ofo Nri. In 1996, for example, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, struggled to visit Nri for another Ofo Nri for the sake of crowning himself, spurious Eze Igbo Gburugburu. He insisted against the explanation that having bestowed Ofo Nri on him as Military Governor in 1966, he cannot be given a fresh one. Instead the former Ofo, lost or not, can be ritually replaced or reactivated, as the priests might deem necessary. Stopped by Nri people, through Anambra government and the Police, from visiting Nri on a date he chose, he preferred to invite a former Eze Nri Palace servant (Adama) to Enugu, to award him a fake Ofo Nri. Ikemba Nnewi (M.A, History, Oxford University, England), after Eze Nri turned him down for a second Ofo, he insisted because he knows as an Oxford trained historian that Nri is the only place in Igbo land to get Ofo.
3. Perceptions of non-Igbo Nigerian Scholars on Kingship in Igbo Land
Other Nigerians, including scholars, for reasons best known to them, had resolved that prior to British colonial governance, the Igbo nation had no centrally organized system of governance. While researching the 300-page manuscript, ‘Dirt on White Spectrum - the Travails of Sacred Throne of Nri - The Custodian of Igbo Culture/Tradition and Nigeria’s oldest Kingship Institution,” (in process of publication) I found that other Nigerians commonly regard the Igbo people as having no form of central coordination of their life. In Professor Akin Mabogunje 1971 book, The History of West Africa Vol.1, “The Land and Peoples of West Africa,” Longman, London, edited by Profs. J.F. Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder, the three scholars agreed that:
“Of the six important groups mentioned above as occupying the eastern forest area, only the Ibo had no centralized political organisation above the level of the local head man and council of elders. . . . Some form of supra communal religio-political organisation was provided through the agents of the Aro-Chukwu Oracle, which was the final arbiter for all inter-tribal strife.
Mabogunje (88 years old) is a University of Ibadan Professor of Geography and Nigeria’s first Professor of Geography; 1st African president of the International Geographical Union. Prof. Ajayi, Jacob Festus Adeniyi (1929-2014), who edited the work, was a Nigerian historian, Professor of History, of Universities of Ibadan and Lagos with several works on African History. He was Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos 1972-1978. Ajayi was a member of Ibadan School of Historical Research led by late Prof. Kenneth Dike in the 1960s, which introduced African perspectives to African History and caused African history to focus on the internal historical forces that shaped African lives. His co-editor of Mabogunje’s 1971 work, Prof. Michael Crowther, was also a distinguished historian and a foreign associate of Ibadan Historical Research School. Prof. Michael Crowther, (1934-1988), co-editor with Prof. Ajayi of Mabogunje’s work , was a British historian and author, notable for his books on the history of Africa, particularly, West Africa and from 1968-1978, variously Professor of History at Universities of Ife and Lagos, and Ahmadu Bello, University. That means that these were in the Nigerian University system by 1959 when Prof. Shaw, through the University of Ibadan commenced the excavations at Igboukwu and were there in 1966 when the Institute of African Studies of UI commissioned Onwuejeogwu to do the anthropological studies of the Igboukwu excavations whose reports were all deposited in UI. The centrality of Nri to Igbo civilisation was made very clear by those UI projects, in addition to previous works of colonial historians dating from the 19th century.
A 2010 report of a study on traditional rule and the evolution of democratic governance in each of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria since her independence in 1960, funded by the Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands in Abuja, titled, Traditional Rulers in Nigeria, depict the general impression and attitude of Nigerians, even among scholars, on kingship in Igbo land. Led by the historian, Prof. S.J.S. Cookey, the group included Profs Akin Oyebode (International Law, University of Lagos), A.D Yahaya (Political Science, Kano), Etannibi Alemika (Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Jos), Elo Amucheazi is a Professor of Political Science and Pro-Chancellor, Anambra State University. They dismissed the entire South-East as having no king whose influence affected more than a community, in following sweeping statement:
Even though there was ethnic homogeneity, the zone lacked mega states with centralised monarchies. Instead, what prevailed was small scale, village-based polities, anchored on agnatic kingship principles.
It therefore did not surprise informed opinions in Igbo land when in 2008 Otunba Olugbenga Daniel, Governor of Ogun State invited by the chairman of the year’s Igbo Day Celebrations Committee and former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo, to present a paper as the guest lecturer at Ohanaeze Ndigbo Igbo Day celebrations of 2008, took his time to regurgitate the same opinions of non-Igbo Nigerian scholars. In his lecture of 28th Sept. 2008, titled, Equity, Justice & Fairness as Tool for Political Equilibrium he openly assaulted the sensibilities of Igbo elite gathered to celebrate Igbo greats and mourn those lost in Igbo epic struggle for liberation, by declaring that there were no substantial Igbo oral traditions to account for a history of any Igbo kingship and therefore the Igbo had no central organisation. He therefore declared:
“Unlike the Yoruba, the Edo, the Hausa, Jukun and Kanuri, the Igbo did not develop monarchial forms of government. This is the background to the saying, “Ndi Igbo Echi Eze” (the Igbo make no kings). In addition to this difference in the form of government, the Igbo did not develop large political units as their neighbours did. The nucleus of their political and social unit was the lineage.”
Nothing can be further away from the truth than the above conclusions by non-Igbo scholars on kingship in Igbo land.
The Urgent Need to Restore Focus to Igbo Culture, Tradition and Civilisation
The late Rt. Honorable Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, first Premier of Eastern Regional Government of Nigeria, also first President of the Nigerian Senate, first indigenous Governor-General and later, President, was one of the earliest Igbo elites to be convinced about the need to give focus to Igbo Culture, Tradition and Civilization when on Wednesday, 29th March 1956, as the Premier of Eastern Nigeria, he moved the second reading of a Bill titled “The Recognition of Chiefs Law 1957.” Amongst other things he declared as follows:-
“Thirty years ago, Dr. P. Amoury Talbot gave a lot of reliable information about the Aro theocracy and the spiritual potentates of Agukwu Nri whose civil supremacy was acknowledged in Awka and Udi Divisions and which was a holy city that was comparable to Ile-Ife in its hey days.
From this remarkable ethnographer, we gleaned authoritative data about kings and chiefs who exercised spiritual and temporal power throughout the Eastern Nigeria just as their opposite numbers did in the North and West.
..It is remarkable that while the Ooni if Ife was recognized as the spiritual head of the Yoruba-speaking people; and the Sultan of Sokoto was highly respected among Muslims of the North, the role of the Eze Nri was not only minimized but was officially ignored.
…Therefore, the present government cannot be blamed for snubbing the chiefs of the East...”
‘'…The saving grace is that we are now engaged in the Herculean task of restoring the prestige and dignity of our chiefs, wherever such tradition exists, and we hope that we shall be given a fair chance to find a satisfactory solution.”1
Zik was an anthropologist by training and knew the implications of every word he spoke on this matter of chiefs and kings of the East.
In supporting Dr. P. Amoury Talbot, Zik was trying to give cultural focus to Ndigbo. Dr. Talbot was a learned scholar of Igbo culture who wrote several remarkable books on Igbo in the twenties: The peoples of Southern Nigeria, Volumes 1 & V. In his books he emphasized on what he saw, heard and read about the centrality of Igbo culture located at Nri town before the British and Missionaries from August 1911 deployed massive resources in an effort to destroy it.
Certainly Ndigbo require a reconstruction of their past to move forward. But that reconstruction must be based on solid facts derived from sustainable research and not mere conjecture or various bogus claims by charlatans in Igbo history who now seem dominate the newspaper and air space.
If Zik in 1956-57 was unable to restore the Igbo focus/center, if Professor Afigbo’s committee in 1976 was unable to do so too, Ndigbo in 2019 have no excuse to fail having gone through the harrowing experiences of lack of cultural center/focus imposed on the Igbo by the British and Christian Missionaries since 1911 and thereafter by Igbo politicians like Dr.Azikiwe; making it difficult for Ndigbo to have a clearing house for conflicts and their resolutions, on account of the devaluation of Igbo value system by modern forces and factors. The classification of Obi of Onitsha as first class chief whilst Eze Nri was ranked below him or not ranked at all, in 1957 by the Azikiwe’s regional government in Enugu, even after the above quote, which helped in no small way in convincing the Eastern Regional Colonial Governor, Clement J. Pleas, to establish the Eastern House of Chiefs, was a devastating blow on the effort to refocus the Igbo.
The need to write this plea might not have arisen if Dr. Azikiwe had not succumbed to primordial pressures of nepotism; and implemented the noble intentions of that 29th March 1956 address to the Eastern House of Assembly.
The compelling evidence derived from research on the Igbo is that Nri and Eze Nri historically and unchallengeably constitute the centre/citadel of Igbo culture, history and civilization; the destruction done by British imperialism and Christian Missionaries from August 1911, and the benign neglect and parochialism of Igbo politicians since 1957, notwithstanding.
The Legacies of Nri Civilization
Twelve legacies of Nri Civilisation speak for themselves and even before Nri mortal enemies, convincingly place Nri and Eze Nri, both in the Agukwu location, before any other community and kingship in Igbo land south-East, South-South and North-Central as the centre/citadel on which Igbo culture, history and civilization revolve. From the works of renowned scholars in cultural history including Prof. Onwuejeogwu, it has been distilled that the following legacies were bequeathed by Eze Nri/Nri civilization to the Igbo nation.
(i)The Igbo Market Days – Eke, Oye, Afo, and Nkwo; (ii) Igbo Lunar Calendar - 13 lunar months under the deity Aro; (iii) Agricultural cycle and crops – the yam culture (Ifejioku) and other food crops; (iv) Title taking – Ozo and Eze; (v) Pacifist Traditional Worship in Monotheism; (vi) Human Rights -upholding and protecting the Sanctity of human life and the Dignity of the Human Person; (vii) Unification of most of Igbo land under a Hegemony; (viii) The Concept of All-Kind and Merciful God; (ix) Unified Age-grade System for community development; (x) Democratized Monarchial System of Governance – rare in the world; (xi) Non-violence/peace philosophy in governance and (xii) Eze Nri kingship is the oldest kingship tradition in Nigeria – Details in APPENDIX II, titled “Placing Nri Kingship in a Dating Comparative Analysis with 14 Other Major Kingship Institutions in Nigeria.”
These bequeathals are what entitle Nri to the appellation: Isi Omenani Igbo - Custodians of Igbo Culture and tradition. More Details on these 12 bequests are available as APPENDIX I.
APPENDIX I
The Legacies of Nri Civilization
1. The Igbo Market Days: The present day commercial and ritual activity of the four market days- Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo. Nri priests established the shrines in most parts of Igbo land. The Bini market days of Aho (Agbado), Eken, Orrie (Edekioba), and Okuo (Eken’aka) are probable diffusions of the Igbo market days, the Benin kingship and civilisation having been established as dating 250 years after Nri, probably under Nri influence. Igala market days of Eke, Ede, Afor, and Ukwo probably emerged from the same Igbo source since Igala kingship (Atta) started only some 500 years after Eze Nri. Onoja Nwoboli, a son of the same father Nri (Eri), is known to have brought a lot of influence to bear on the founding of the Igala kingdom.
2. The Igbo Lunar Calendar - the concept of Aro (year) was introduced to Igbo life by Eze Nri who till date, proclaims, from year to year, the Igbo Lunar Calendar. The annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo to ‘onwa’ (month) made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon. Thirteen moon cycles make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation invariably falls into mid-February of every year in the Gregorian calendar, just like the Chinese lunar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month. Aro has a shrine in Nri. Every month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze therefore keeps account of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar.
Before the British attempted liquidation of Nri in August 1911, Nri had developed its concept of “aro”- the year. First, “aro” is a supernatural force revealed to Eze Nri in the past; then Nri transformed it into a cycle of one year. Divided into thirteen segments, namely: Onwa Agumaro(new year proclamation month), fixed around mid February, this is the month for announcing the year by Eze Nri for all Igbo. It is followed by Onwa Mbu (1st month), Onwa Abuo (2nd month), Onwa Ife Eke (Eke Market month), Onwa Ano (4th month), Onwa Agwu(month of Agwu {melancholy} month), Onwa Ifejioku (yam cult month),Onwa Eliji(New Yam month), Onwa Ilommuo(Thanks Giving Month), Onwa Ana(Land Deity Month, Onwa Okike(Okike Deity month), Onwa Ajana na Edeaja(Ajana Deity month), Onwa Uzo Alusi (All other Deity month).A study of the year system, the genealogy of Onwa, the age grade, the kinship system resulted in working out Nri system of time, published as The Principles of Ethnogeneachronology: Dating of Nri (Igbo) Oral Tradition by Prof. M.A. Onwuejeogwu, Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin, 1997. The lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment, were known to the priests of Alusi Aro. Knowledge of the movement of the heavenly bodies was employed. Northcote Thomas (MA, FRAI) the government anthropologist in 1910, reported that he got “names for the following heavenly bodies at Agukwu (Nri): “Pleiades, Orion and Great Bera”. Nri elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others, which helped them in calculating the intervals between each lunar period and finding the directions during their sojourn from one Igbo-village to another in both the semi-forest and forest zones. Nri astronomical and psychological knowledge were researched and published later the same year by Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin, Nigeria, titled "Afa symbolism and Phenomenology In Nri Kingdom and Hegemony: An African Philosophy of Social Action."
During the Onwa Agumaro, Igbo representatives from far and wide congregated at Nri for the “announcing of the year “. This is a big ceremony, which all Ndigbo awaited with eagerness because of its ritual, economic and political importance. Till date Iguaro Ndigbo ((Proclamation of the Igbo Lunar Calendar) by Eze Nri is still the most culturally significant of all Igbo Traditional Festivals.
First, it gave all those under Eze Nri ritualism protection and the spiritual energy to face the New Year. Secondly, representatives were given the Ogwu ji (yam medicine), the yam medicine, and thirdly, it gave them opportunity to express solidarity and oneness with the Eze Nri and the levitical and ritual laws which they had willingly obeyed. Nri people developed a body of philosophy based on phenomenology which deals a distinctive African philosophy which seeks a linkage between past and present, and between present and future. The nature of this philosophy is the theme of Onwuejeogwu’s 1997, Afa Symbolism and Phenomenology in Nri Kingdom and Hegemony . . .
The annual proclamation of the Igbo lunar calendar is the exclusive function Eze Nri. Starting from the Igbo native week of four market days of Eke, Oye, Afo and Nkwo to ‘onwa’ (month) made up of seven native weeks which amounts to 28 days. ‘Onwa’ is a moon cycle tracked by observing the movement of the moon. Thirteen moon cycles make one Igbo lunar year. The proclamation invariably falls into mid-February of every year in the Gregorian calendar, just like the Chinese lunar calendar for which the Chinese shut down for close to one month. ‘Aro’ (year), the supernatural has a shrine in Nri, incidentally looked after by my kindred. Every month represents an activity in Igbo life. Eze Nri therefore keeps account for the Igbo nation, of each month by tracking the moon; and pronounces the event for the month. That way he arrives at when to proclaim the end and beginning of Igbo lunar calendar. Thus any Igbo traditional ruler who pretends to proclaim the Igbo Lunar Calendar early in January is merely repeating or extending the January 1, Gregorian New Year celebrations and not the Igbo Lunar Calendar. He needs to explain to the Igbo world in which Aro deity shrine the necessary expiations, ablutions and sanctifications are performed before he commenced the process.
The Nri were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy, administration and the management of a segmented and decentralized system.
3. The Igbo Agricultural Cycle- Eze Nri introduced new varieties of yam, coco-yam and other food crops into Igbo agricultural cycle and spread the use of iron technology. It is significant to note that the much-celebrated Ifejioku is a symbolization of the supreme sacrifice Eze Nri made with his first son which initiated the yam culture in Igbo land. Imo State Government knowingly celebrates this sacrifice in its annual Ahiajioku lecture series. Unfortunately it is not on any record that Imo State Government has ever invited formally invited Eze Nri to this lecture series in recognition of this sacrifice which is being memorialized by this worthy lecture series. I have twice on my own attended two of the lecture and was duly recognized as a Prince of Nri;
4. Title taking - “Ozo” tile and kingship were brought into Igbo life by Eze Nri. His agents travelled all over Igbo land initiating people into ozo and kingship. The ubiquitous red cap of all Igbo titled personalities wear since after the Civil War (1967-70) emblemizes ‘Ozo,' introduced into Igbo life by Eze Nri. As one moves East, West, North or South of Nri ramifications of Ozo are encountered under different names like Okonko.
5. Pacifist Traditional Worship in a Monotheistic System: Eze Nri through his agents- Nri priests – brought into Igbo life a pacifist traditional worship system of one Supreme Being that places the utmost premium on the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person. Nri priests travelled all over Igbo land and beyond, proclaiming taboos and cleansing abominations – nso n’alu. The Churches branded it ancestral and deity worship and could not understand that the ancestors/deities represent in the Nri system what the Saints and Angels represent in Christianity. Acting with the Colonial powers from 1911 they descended on Eze Nri and Nri to extinguish what they termed they termed “the citadel of Satan and the headquarters of juju and voodoo and pagan priesthood for the whole Igbo tribe” (Father Duhaze 1906).
6. Sanctity of human life and Respect for the Dignity of the Human Person: Nri condemned all forms of human sacrifice, the slave trade and all inhuman treatment of any human. Killing or throwing away of twins, babies that cut the upper teeth first, those from bridged birth, dwarfs all ill- treatment of any human were forbidden by Nri. Those encountered alive, were indeed rescued and given full citizenship by Nri. The concept of Fundamental Human Rights was introduced into the affairs of men by Eze Nri, as early as 1043 A.D, long before the UN 10th of October 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
7. Unification of Igbo land under Hegemony: Nri attempted to unify the Igbo in a hegemony, which the slave trade, imperialism and colonialism eroded. But the core values of the hegemony still exist, hence most Nri legacies to Ndigbo survived even when the origin is little known and most Igbos and other Nigerians have not given thought as to how, when and why these bequeathals are pervasive.
8. The Concept of All-Kind and Merciful God: Nri developed the concept of Chukwu Okike(God), kind, just and peaceful as against the concept of a violent Chukwu that encouraged wars, slave-trade, blood-shed and human suffering in some Igbo areas under other influence.
9. Unified Age-grade System: Nri introduced and unified the age - grade system among the Igbo and it became a political and economic structure for a more effective social organization.
10. Democratized Monarchial System of Governance: Nri introduced the concept of democratized monarchial system of rulership in Igbo culture. The representatives of the twelve families of Agukwu Nri in the Eze Nri cabinet (Nzemabua) who, most of the time, took decisions for Eze Nri in meetings, were chosen independently by each kindred according to established hierarchy of titles.
11. Non-Violence and Peace as Mantra in Governance and Justice to Society
Eze Nri institution has survived as the oldest kingship institution in Igboland and, indeed Nigeria, without no army and any record of fighting any war. Long before the non-violence as espoused by Mahatma Gandhi of India and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of USA, all of the 20th Century Eze Nri from 10th Century AD, has kept a record of non-violence in governance, relying solely on myth, divination, piety and spirituality as means of keeping society in balance, whilst dispensing justice to all members of society regardless of rank. This poses a challenge to 21st century peace studies.
A very bold statement of Nri as non-violent peace-maker is the case of Awka and Ugwuoba – two brothers who were killing themselves in battle until Nri intervened to separate them. Nri, otherwise originally pronounced and known as “Nshi” those days, intervened by settling between the two communities after settling their issues in dispute. The Nri settlers became known as Ama Nshi (community of Nshi). The English have no consonant diagraph in their alphabets and worst of all, found it a bit difficult to pronounce. They easily simplified the writing and pronunciation to Amansea. Itinerant Nri priests have a not-so-good record of getting back home once they find a comfortable settlement far or near the home, base unlike the Aro. Today UmuNri communities as far away as in Kogi, Delta and Edo states, even Ife in Osun State, are virtually lost to the Igbo nation. They got so completely assimilated that their Igbo language either became extinct for lack of use, or got so polluted that central Igbo people of today are unable to understand such hybrid Igbo language.
12. Nri Kingship is the oldest Kingship Institution in Nigeria
From a dating comparative analysis of the oldest known kingships in Nigeria, the Eze Nri kingship institution is the oldest kingship institution in Nigeria, probably of the same age with Kanuri kingdom whose age is merely estimated, and therefore could be merely second to Nri. The details are annexed as APPENDIX II.
APPENDIX II
PLACING NRI KINGSHIP IN A DATING COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH 14 OTHER MAJORKINGSHIP INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
The distribution of 15 kingdoms chosen for the dating comparative study, are as follows: Seven Igbo kingdoms; one Igala kingdom on account of the confession of Igbo/Igala relationship in terms of antecedents, Bini for similar reasons as Igala, and three Yoruba kingdoms selected in terms of age - the oldest and the newest; then two Hausa kingdoms - the first and the most famous. The last and not the least, is the only Kanuri kingdom. These kingdoms/kingships are presented hereunder in a chronological order of age from 900AD to date, along with authorities who studied them, have been fairly studied and recorded by various writers of some maturity whose works are easily verifiable.
1st Nri kingdom 900AD (date established by carbon 14) by Northcote Thomas (1913), MDW Jeffrey (1934) and Prof. M.A. Onwuejeogwu (1974 and 1981).
2nd Kanuri Kingdom: about 900AD (estimate) by Abdullahi Smith (1971), Smith (1971) and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
3rd Kano kingdom 950AD by J. Hunwick (1971), R.A. Adeleye (1971); and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
4th Agbor Kingship 950AD by Chief Iduwe (1985).
5th Daura Kingdom 950AD by J. Hunwick (1971), Dr. R.A. Adeleye (1971), and Onwuejeogwu (2000).
6th Ife Kingdom (Yoruba) 1045AD by Dr. R. Smith (1969), F. Willet (1960), and Johnson (1921).
7th Ijebu Ode Kingdom 1080AD by Dr. R. Smith 1969, Prof. E.A. Ayandele (1992) and Johnson (1921).
8th Old Oyo Kingdom 1145AD by Dr. R. Smith (1969) Dr. P.M Williams (1967) Johnson (1921).
9th Benin Kingdom 1140AD by Chief Egharevba (1934 and (1968) and Dr. R.E. Bradbury (1957).
10th Ubulu-Ukwu Kingship 1280AD by Mr. E.A. Ikemefuna and Obi Anene (1985).
11th Owa Kingship (Off-shoot of Nri) 1280AD by Obi E. Efeizomor II (1994).
12th Igala Kingdom 1450AD by Dr. J.S. Boston (1962).
13th Ogwashi-uku Kingship (Offshoot of Nri) 1500AD by Mr. Ben Nwabua (1998).
14th Aro Kingdom 1650AD by Prof. Kenneth Dike and Prof. J. Ekejiuba (1990).
15th Onitsha Kingship 1750AD by R.N. Henderson (1972) Prof Ikenna Nzimiro (1972).
Sokoto Sultanate was established barely 349 years ago, about 1670AD. It came into prominence with the successful over-running of Hausa kingdoms by the Fulanis in the Othman Dan Fodio’s successful Jihad of 1804-1808.
Above comparative analysis confirms a hidden fact that kingship was firmly established in Igbo life long before most of the much-talked of kingdoms in Nigeria.
All Rights to this document is hereby reserved to the writer Prince Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh
NRI, Anambra State, Nigeria.
15th February, 2020
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