Excerpt of yet to be launched historical book
We take a look at the back story of a yet to be launched book. Dailytab24 strove to lay a hand on chapter one of the book, which is approximately 11 pages.
Dailytab24 have gained approval to publish only but the 11 pages of the first chapter of the historical book.
The title of the book remains confidential to protect it from intellectual theft. The author remains anonymous, promising to be public when due.
This excerpt takes a look at the first sighting of British oil explorers who came for land inspection in Anioma village.
The excerpt also deals with a visit to a warrant chief and the author sufficiently detailed the landscape of the village and the warrant chief’s house.
This episode also brings to fore the owner of a disputed land a British oil company wants to purchase.
The owner’s stance was highlighted and the excerpt ended with a visit to a warrant chief for purchase of the disputed land.
Below is the excerpt:
(Back Story) March 12th 1928: A convoy of five Chevrolet pickups passed through the bushy, narrow and brown roads of Anioma as naked children play with wheels in the neighborhoods – running freely, happily and chasing one another with their wheels. Minute male genitalia dangled up and down, while females had budded bare breasts, average, and weren’t an impediment. Youths, fathers, and mothers came out to adore the sighting of brand new pickups. It was a rare view for them; for years, they had not seen wheelbarrows let alone pickups in their village until recent days.
Tidings had flew to the nooks and crannies of the community that missionaries had arrived Anioma. It was a gossip – a false tiding that spread throughout the village. If missionaries would come, the Anioma warrant chief would be informed as the colonial masters in Eastern Nigeria were in charge of the missionary activities and would rightly inform the warrant chief – prior.
The rumour spread due to apparent fear because there had been stories that Catholic missionaries were taking over communities in Eastern Nigeria and changing the way of worship of Africans. Anioma was a culturally sensitive land, and they feared the God of their ancestors would vehemently rise against them if sacrileges were committed as a result of the invading Christian missionaries. Yet, they were not prepared to counter the missionaries that were as subtle as snakes. The missionaries over the centuries had changed their approach – instead of force potential converts, they came with deceit and disguised as helpers to pummel the planes of African communities.
Unable to understand the English language; the villagers could not understand the plate number brandished ‘British Corporation’. Each pickup had a driver and four passengers, all white men, wearing helmets and engineering tracksuit. They disgustingly starred at the dirty children, fathers, and mothers who ran out barefooted to catch a glimpse of them. In their stone-age dressing; they waved and smiled at the convoy. It was a beautiful sighting that would live in their memories. They all danced and jumped as the convoy sped as though the sight of the human beings was unbearable – raised dusts that would settle after the convey had disappeared.
The villagers ran back as it had become a normal sighting over the past two days, but each new day was like the first day – same vibe and same happiness. They prayed that the convoy kept coming as it had given a new storyline rather than repeated fairy tales under the moonlight.
The unknown British corporation had been visiting Isukwu for the past two days with their engineers without making their interest obvious. Isukwu is the area of hectares of land located next to Owele, where the people of Anioma usually farm. In what could be the discovery of oil; the British corporation indicated interest to buy three hectares of lands in the area, but the son of late Ogom, who is the rightful owner of the hectares refused.
Anioma warrant chief had sent for late Ogom’s son, who worked with Queen’s Atlantic Company in Abeokute – Western Nigeria. Late Ogom’s son was aware of the exploration and exploitation going on in Nigeria due to his exposure working with a British owned company. He then wrote a letter to the warrant chief and informed him he was not ready to sell his lands. Intuition moved late Ogom’s son to reject a sale as he perceived the colonial masters might have found natural resources they could exploit.
The corporation had lied that they wanted to use the land for a missionary school. Anioma was an oil rich region of Ibo land, and British corporation usually buy off lands they discovered oil without the knowledge of the owners. To play that same card on late Ogom’s son was one that could cost a thing.
Late Ogom’s son had clearly said he would not sell his lands until there was a solid investment he could make with the proceeds. He could potentially sell, but the British corporation feared he might discover is oil field, and when there is perceived knowledge of their intent, they strike devastatingly to cover their tracks. The corporation believed it won’t be long before late Ogom’s son began to wonder why his lands were not fertile, and that would ultimately unearth the resources beneath.
The refusal of late Ogom’s son to sell the lands triggered intelligence gathering on him. The corporation gathered all the information they could about him and concluded his exposure posed a threat to their interest and working in a sister organization like Queen’s Atlantic was all the reason they must pay due attention on him.
Unable to make him yield after several attempts; they decided to purchase the land through Okenwa, the warrant chief of Anioma. What the British corporation needed was a man that could sign on the papers they prepared, and they would take care of the rest. The bane of Africa is the white men that came with ornaments and the Bible in exchange for natural resources. The British corporation disguised as missionaries, but they targeted everything Africa had.
One week after the inspection of the hectares of land and gathering of information; a Volkswagen beetle drove into a large compound with different huts and mud houses, with works of fine art design on the walls of the mud houses. It parked and turned off the engine; the driver, a younger whiteman alighted and made for the car owner’s door, he humbly opened it and a suit wearing Brit in his fifties alighted with a briefcase. Tall and smart; he adjusted his neck-tie and inspected the compound before he walked on in while the driver leaned on the car, waiting for him.
He made for one of the most decorated mud houses and walked on in with his briefcase to a well decorated elder in his seventies – in native attire – sat buoyantly on an expensive locally made sofa He pretended to deny the Briton attention until he sat comfortably on an opposite sofa. The Briton seemed to be accustomed to the home.
The British Corporation had sent one of their contractors, familiar with the warrant chief of Anioma. Without a car parked in the compound, there were some other fancies and indication of wealth; the colonial masters took time to design his mud houses and roofed them with rag-felt that were well reinforced with asbestos fibers – unique roofing in entire Anioma with palm thatch.
