New yam festival: Community leader calls for peace

Emeka Ibemere

Against all odds in this year’s new yam festival of the people of Ogwashi-Uku, in Idemili Local Government Area, of Aniocha-South Delta State, a prominent son and a community leader of Agidiase and Agidiehe, has called for protection and total peace during the Inne festival of the community.

The new yam festival, also known as ancient Inne festival takes place at the palace of Agidiehe quarters, come October 21, 2014. 

It would be recalled that last year’s event generated a lot of bad blood over the actual date of the festival.

The altercation followed amidst who, when and where to celebrate the high reverend event among the two communities of Ogwashi Uku Kingdom.

It was gathered that following the protracted Obiship squabble among the people of Ogwashi-Uku, the Inne festival became controversial as to whom to preside over the event.

Last year, about five people were allegedly killed in crises over the Obiship in Ogwashi-Uku kingdom between the families Obi Felix Ogochukwuka 11 of Deiyi royal family of Agidiehe quarters and Umu obi Obahai royal family.

Despite the Appeal Court ruling in Benin City on the legal tussle over the Obiship of Ogwashi Uku kingdom headquarters of Aniocha-South Local Government Area of Delta State, peace eluded the community.

The court had declared the Umu obi Obahai royal family as the only family qualified to produce obi of Ogwashi Uku.

The court ruling said Professor Chukwuka Okonjo is the authentic Obi of Ogwashi Uku after the High Court in Delta State removed from the throne, Obi Felix Ogochukwuka 11 of Deiyi royal family in 2007.

The judgement didn’t go down well with the people of Ogwashi-Uku even though the case was said to be resting with Supreme Court.

However, last year’s festival of the famous Inne festival attracted altercation between both families and some kingmakers in the community of whom and when the Inne festival should be celebrated?

The tension attracted the deployment of Nigerian Army, mobile policemen and other security agencies in the area following the Inne festival which was held on October Monday 14, 2013.

The soldiers were allegedly drafted to the community apparently to prevent Deiyi royal family of Agidiahe, who are claiming the heir apparent to the Obiship from celebrating the Inne.

Ogwashi-Uku people said they don’t want a ruler who doesn’t know their customs and tradition to be their monarch and refused Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, the father of the coordinating Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala from Umu obi Obahai royal family, from observing the new yam festival.

The tussle between the two families led to the observation of the festival of Inne separately between both families and some kingmakers in the community. While Umu obi Obahai royal family celebrated their own separately, the families of Obi Felix Ogochukwuka 11 of Deiyi royal family of Agidiehe quarters observed their differently.

The tension attracted the deployment of Nigerian Army, mobile policemen and other security agencies in the area following the Inne festival which was held on October Monday 14, 2013 by Agidiehe quarters. The soldiers were allegedly drafted to the community apparently to prevent Deiyi royal family of Agidiahe, who are claiming the heir apparent to the Obiship from celebrating the Inne.

However, this year’s festival of the famous Inne festival is to hold on Tuesday 21 and it’s expected to attract senior citizens of the community in fun-fare affairs.  Last Sunday October 12, was observed as Ihu-ji, (the traditional roasting of yams) by chiefs and king-makers in Agidiesei and Agidiehe of Ogwashi-Uku.

During the observation of the yam roasting festival, in Agidiahe quarters on weekend,  a king maker and community leader, HH Nwajei Chuks Nwajei, Agumba and Akaji obi of Ogwashi-Uku told Daily Newswatch that Ogwashi-Uku people are ready to celebrate the new yam festival on Tuesday 21 October without any problem.

The leader who sued for peace and calmness during and after the celebration said Agidiase and Agidiehe communities are peace loving people and shouldn’t go for troubles while celebrating one of their cultural heritages. Nwajei called on the new Delta State Police Command to make sure that the Force under him carried their duties professional as they did last year.

 He cautioned the police by any attempt to intimidate the community with force or disrupt the Inne Festival. The community of Ogwashi-Uku is expected to troop out en-mass to join the procession leading to the Inne festival. Nwajei stated that he would continue to appreciate the good role played by the Nigerian police adding that he would appreciate it; this year if they could perform the same feat they achieved last year in maintaining peace and order during the festival.

“Ceremonies of Ogwashi uku, the new yam festival has started. Any time we have Inne festival, we always have problems. We have two camps in Ogwashi-Uku kingdom”, he added. “The leadership of the kingdom is now divided into two. Like the Appeal court judgement said if your father is not a king, you cannot be king, it was affirmed by the Appeal court but we are in Supreme court to give interpretation to the current Obi that is seating on the throne whose father was never a king but because of his connection and political glut he is enjoying, they now sitting on the throne”.

According to the community leader, every October during the Inn festival, soldiers usually invade the kingdom and disrupt the beautiful cultural show that portrays the identity of Ogwashi Uku people.

“Soldiers were brought last year and people died. But thank God for the Ogwashi-Uku Police Station, which gave me maximum protection; if not I would have been killed,” he said.

“I did my Inne festival successfully and it was the best. We are appealing to the police through the media to inform the Inspector General of Police and all Nigerians to help us out, so that we will celebrate out Inne peacefully”. Nwajei stated that he was aware of plot to rope him into matters so as to use it and deny him the happiness of Inne festival by not allowing him to be part of the festival.

“I’m aware that they are going to use the army again as they did last year to disrupt our Inne festival. We are aware that hoodlums are also to be used to run us down during the festival and that is why we are calling on the police to discharge their duties well on Inne festival”, Nwajei revealed.

“They want to attack our own camp. I have called my lawyer to get an injunction at the Federal High Court because we have the right of association and freedom of movement under the constitution to have our ceremonies. Let the Obi do his own festival in his own way and allow us to do our own. “We want the media to please help us to educate the law enforcement agencies that we are in a democracy and no man has the right to colonize the Nigeria army and use it to intimidate the people he claimed that he is ruling”.  According to him, there are lots of signs that their year’s festival was going to be disrupted.

“And I’m aware that somebody has met with State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), against us to stop us from carrying out our ancient event. I’m aware that petitions have been written against me just to hoodwink me into something that I don’t know about just to frustrate our Inne festival”, he stated.

Nwajei said he is using this medium to call the attention of the security agents in the country over the high level of kidnapping in Ogwashi-Uku. He urged the government to investigate kidnapping saga in his community.