Excerpt 3: Mazi Obichukwu dares the King of Anioma
In this excerpt 3 of this historic book, the author detailed the nature of an Igbo man after the King had taken the proceeds of the land belonging to late Ogom’s son.
He paints the picture of a king who received money from British Corporation and decided he had reached the same level with them and can’t be controlled anymore.
This excerpt majorly addressed the outburst of Mazi Obichukwu, who believes age difference is signicance of hierarchy in Igbo culture.
He opposes the concept of a king being all and all, while arguing kingship is not Igbo tradition, but the concept of the white man.
The village of Anioma called for a meeting the second time after the first one couldn’t hold to discuss the condition of the village. With spiritual leaders of the village and all clans represented, Mazi Obichukwu spoke crudely to the King.
Excerpt 3
That was the nature of an Igbo man – his ability to use what he has to secure himself economically and politically.
Igbo man had proved to be the most stubborn man to nurture or control. He would stoop but only to conquer.
An Igbo man would not stoop forever, and he can be ruled over but can not be controlled or dictated to.
He would fight his way to relevance and once achieved can not be taken away from him.
He feared only God, the creator of mankind and that was his weakness – if found, can be the loophole to penetrate him.
Igbo matched the whiteman eye for an eye until they found out his weakness.
If the white pushed the narrative that he came with the message of God almighty, an Igbo man would listen and remain humble forever. Little wonder missionaries spread and gained grounds.
Then, and precisely, on October 21st, 1942, the sharpness of the sun reached its peak, but under the shade in Ajani Anioma was a soothing humidity.
The last downpour of the raining season may have poured – that was the wish of those that had been severally drenched by rain while harvesting vegetables or coming back from their farms.
The satiated rays of the sun could be seen through the slits of giant trees that made the arena remarkable.
Bamboo dais was made and used as official seats in a rectangular shape.
Soon; elders of Anioma land arrived in badges and filled the seats according to cartels. Soon after; the warrant chief Okenwa, then the King of Anioma, arrived in a casual dress, looked younger than Seventy One years, mean and unhappy. He sat on an isolated bamboo seat with two wooden seats kept beside him.
Warrant chieftain system of indirect rule had come to an end; abolished 12 years ago, as multiple persons, including women, were appointed into the imposed native courts.
Judicial courts spread in its existence throughout the planes of Eastern Nigeria. The white men did not solely use warrant chiefs for judicial purposes but control and access.
They were able to access the communities of Eastern Nigeria and forcefully took natural resources and properties of interest to them.
Warrant chiefs were used to sign treaties while also used to neutralize perceived resistance or critics that were capable of causing revolution.
They were sacred of revolution because of the historic experience with Ekumeku warriors who opposed their forceful invasion of Eastern Nigeria.
Pressure began to be mounted on the colonial masters and it yielded when warrant chieftain system was abolished but instead of give up, they indirectly initiated community monarchy, a system of leadership they had known all their lives.
The Kings in Igbo land barely profited the colonial masters like kings in Western and Northern Nigeria.
Igbo clearly told the Kings that only God is worthy of worship and due to the republican nature of an Igbo man, the core purpose of the colonial masters’ push for monarchy system failed woefully in Eastern Nigeria.
Warrant chief Okenwa followed the trend; from a warrant chief to the first King of Anioma.
Without much ado; native sceptres could be heard dangling in a distance until it became obvious that the bearers of the sceptres were coming for the same purpose the elders sat for.
It was Akajiofor Ajani II and Dibia Ndukwu. They struck their scepters on the ground at the entrance as they rooted firmly on the ground. They comfortably shook the scepters to a melodious tune, making a dramatic sound.
They left the scepters rooted in the ground and walked on in for the one-foot wooden seats – sat calmly and waited for the commencement of the meeting.
Ajani is the ancient altar erected by ancestors of Anioma, a practice popular among the Igbo tribe. It was erected to protect the land and solve problems beyond the physical.
“Welcome to this crucial meeting; I have looked carefully around me, and I can confirm the whole clans of Anioma are well represented by men of repute. The last meeting hit the rock because we all agreed that all the representatives of the clans of Anioma must be present. Today; we want to go through this tunnel unscathed and, above all, let us comport and compose ourselves. Last meeting had too many squabbles” Ogbueshi Odum appealed in his first speech and sat down.
Mazi Obichukwu raised his hand for the audience and got approved by the Warrant-chief.
“Last meeting had too many squabbles because our King disrespected me, I am older than him and he has no moral right to say I should sit down, it was blatant and without iota of regard for my age. Let me take us back to history; Anioma is not a Yoruba land or Hausa land, Anioma is Igbo land, and we should not forget our history in haste. Kings in Yoruba and Hausa lands decide for their people, but in Igbo land, the people decide for themselves. Kingship is not organic to Igbo; the idea of warrant chief was to smartly make Kings in Igbo land, and it came through the buyers of our people- those white men, parasites and scavengers and marauders, white monkeys, agric fowls and weaker creatures. They appointed warrant chiefs, and their warrant chiefs had a nomenclatural metamorphosis that begot Kings. Those masters told us they knew everything; they knew God, and they brought the gospel to us with iron-fist and deceit. They took charge of our economy, religion, social life, politics, security and everything, but to keep everything alive for our people, we cave in to kingship, that Kings may commune with them and bring home our own share of whatsoever they make off our land. So; kingship is a decorated warrant chief in our land, and this is why the King must always show courtesy and humility. That we allowed the King to be part of sensitive meetings in Anioma should not give him the impetus to speak carelessly to an elder of my age. We are all elders, but age is the natural hierarchy we observe here. The next time the King speaks disrespectfully to me, I will curse him and Ajani Anioma will heed to my words, ekwusia m” Mazi Obichukwu concluded and raised his two hands in surrender of the time he seized.
“Mazi Obichukwu, Mazi Obichukwu, Mazi Obichukwu” the King of Anioma calmly and lowly called him.
