Ezechime and Ezemu of Ubulu-Uku Rebelled Against Benin

Ezechime and Ezemu of Ubulu-Uku Rebelled Against Benin

Felix Ifeanyi Nwabuokei

He had helped Benin historical researchers to explain the missing link in their history regarding an Onicha-Olona personality who was taken from Onicha-Olona by Prince Orhogbua (later Oba Orhogbua) to become the Iyase of Benin and Benin historians had wondered why and how a non-indigene became an Iyase until he was able to supply answers to their puzzle. Once this development unfolded, Pen Master continually chased him until he was caught.

In this interview with EMEKA ESOGBUE (Pen Master), Felix Ifeanyi Nwabuokei renders account touching on Onicha-Olona history. He speaks on the rarity of finding Onicha-Olona historical documentations, the journey to the foundation of Onicha-Olona, the over two-decade kingship tussle that the community had to face and many other subjects that are of interest to watchers of the Onicha-Olona history. However, it would seem that the biggest of them all the revelation that Onicha-Olona is not of Ezechime ancestry. 

These and many more, Felix Nwabuokei tells readers in this interview. Excerpts:     

Pen Master: Nwabuokei, our readers will like to know you.

Nwabuokei: My names are Felix Ifeanyi Nwabuokei, I am from Idumu-Ugbe in Ogbeobi of Onicha-Olona community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. I am the son of Erasmus Nduka Nwabuokei. My grandfather is the Nwabuokei you mentioned in one of your articles on our people’s ancient lifestyle. My father, Nduka has his maternal home in your Igbuzo community. His mother was Ngbor, daughter of Obi Eseagwu of Umuneze in Umueze Quarters. The other family he related well with was the grandmother’s family where you have Obi Uwaechue of Odanta in Umuodafe of the Igbuzo community.  

Pen Master: You are known and respected in Onicha-Olona as a researcher on the historical events of the people. However, I have been wondering why with your likes, it is difficult getting to find acceptable historical documentations on Onicha-Olona. Nwabuokei, where is your people missing it?

Nwabuokei: (Laughing) Hmm! Well! Like you know already, documentation isn't that easy, it will need some measure of devotion and sacrifice, you know too that our people in the past would not easily sacrifice their farm for anything they considered not so important because they believed that if you want to know history of Onicha-Olona, there are people you should meet. they didn't really see the importance of written documentation. All the same, my father, Erasmus Nduka Nwabuokei did his best to keep some records though not published. Same with some other knowledgeable persons in the town. I am standing on my father’s foundation in to further researches on the Onicha-Olona community.

Pen Master: Well, you have spoken well. Nevertheless, in spite of the explanations tendered by you, one would have thought that some of your people who read history, sociology, anthropology and so on even as first degree graduates would have done something about the preservation of your history. 

Nwabuokei: (raises his hands) …we are working on that presently. Pen Master, you know am working on a book which I should have since published but I want to present the facts as they are and for the sake of tomorrow. I don't want my people to read lies or formulation like I have seen in several other communities that build their history on assumption. Let us say they don't want to make the sacrifices that involve researches.

Pen Master: Okay! Now, recently, contrary to the widely held views by our Anioma people, my historical research work on Onicha-Olona pointed to your community as lacking Ezechime ancestry but many from your community were surprised at this historical revelation or development. Are you also surprised?

Nwabuokei: Yeah! That your publication attracted many questions from readers. I got calls myself from people asking for more explanations on your conclusion. Let me throw more light on the deduction reached by you. It’s a known fact that some towns in Ezechime clan are not Ezechime children but many do not know the exact towns that are not Ezechime children. I have read many claims of Bini descents who still erroneously claim to be Ezechime children and I just smile every time I come across them. If you are Bini, how are you of Ezechime lineage? This is exactly the confusion in the Bini/Igbo claims of origin scattered on the internet today. 

Pen Master: (Laughing) …so, is Onicha-Olona community of Ezechime ancestry? 

Nwabuokei: Before I tell you about Onicha-Olona, a settlement in Ezechime clan but not Ezechime children, let me tell you about Ezechime: During the reign of Oba Ewuare, history has it that he conquered many towns and villages in Ika, Ekiti, Igbo, Ikare, Kukuruku down to the Guineas. He had the entire regions under his kingdom, at that time. Men with skill and powers were taken to Bini for the service of the Oba. Ezechime, Ezemu and others were among the personalities that Bini relied on. Ezemu that could not be tamed worked for the Oba at will while Ezechime rose to prominence just like Daniel in Babylon. He was privileged to marry a princess from the kingdom and was among the Uzama of Bini kingdom. The Uzamas where the people who decided the king's successor after his demise as the kingdom. It was the role that Ezechime played against the emergence of Oba Esigie that made him to flee Bini for fear of being killed by the new Oba and Queen Idah, his mother. Esigie, because of the crisis during his emergence and the role the Ozamas played, decided to stripped the power of Uzama in deciding who succeed the Oba, so he introduced Primogeniture in Bini kingdom. When he introduced it, Ezechime got more infuriated claiming that it was the brother of Esigie that was supposed to become the Oba. With this development, Chime decided to cede this Benin region. It was also as a result of this that he killed the Benin Princess who was his wife for not sharing his ambition. 

Pen Master: But …

Nwabuokei …Very soon, Ezechime and Ezemu of Ubulu ganged up against Oba Esigie with the agitation to secede from Benin. However, Oba Esigie with the help of his mother, Queen Idia, sent out warriors in company of Prince Orhogbua, which included Prince Ugbe, Princess Olo, sister to the late wife of Ezechime and others. These assigned migrants in company of other noblemen under the leadership of an Ogbele, a Benin Iyase set out on the exploit that founded the Onicha-Olona Kingdom. You actually reported this in your own treatise. 

Pen Master: from your analysis, you separated Onicha-Olona ancestry from Ezechime ancestry but houldn’t we know why some historians of your community maintain that the community was founded by Olomina whom they also claim to be the son of Ezechime?  

Nwabuokei: (Chuckles) Well, I am not the type that debate a report but will only ask to know more to become cleared on issues. The first time I heard this Olomina version was about two years ago when a man posted it to our community’s social media forum precisely on WhatsApp. The source of his information was also funny hence, I do not consider it wise to reveal the personality here. Anyway, I politely replied him in the forum by putting the history straight to hm. The truth is that in our legend, Olomina like a palm tree and our people believe that a woman from Akwukwu called Nwadili formed that tree with ripe fruits to entice the Princes and their warriors, for them to eat and die but Ogbele Udugbami sensed danger in it and stopped them from eating the fruit. In return, he used Ikpai to curse the tree and the tree died. This made the people to start calling them "Ndi Nochi Olomina". I have read many people trying to give one meaning or the other to that name” Onicha” but they are free. Ion the other hand, it may interest your readers again to know that there was never anything known as “Ezechime clan” before 1937 and that the formation of clans came as a result of the inabilities of Onicha-Olona to resolve their royal crisis which the British led them into. Onicha-Olona was the center of all other towns at the time. But because Obi Egbuna was not comfortable with this, he helped the British to destroy Onicha-Olona monarchy in 1900, the year that the crisis started. We know that by 1937, Okoh Donatus was the Court Clark in Onicha-Olona, a court like the area council of today but Okoh Donatus pulled away because of Onicha-Olona crisis and established another court in Issele-Uku while calling on towns considered as Ezechime family to accept it as their Court. He then went ahead to name it “Ezechime Clan Court”. This is the genesis of Issele-Uku claim of Ezechime headship. The claim is based on official establishment of the Clan Court as I kust narrated and not by ancestry or lineage. In other words, the location of Ezechime Clan court in Issele-Uku led Issele-Uku to begin to claim Ezechime headship rather than head of Ezechime clan set up by Okoh Donatus. At this time too, the other towns which are not children of Chime or the Children of Oba Idu, declared that they were only compelled by invasion to join the clan since they were neither of Chime or the Oba but aborigines of the area occupied by them. These set of settlements formed their clan which is known as “Odiani Clan” which it is still known today. interestingly, Akwukwu and Atuma were to form their own clan. Incidentally, Onicha-Olona was left with Obomkpa, Onicha-Ukwu and Ezi in the Onicha-Olona Court but they bore no name of clan. However, with time they were fused into the Ezechime clan. That is a reference you hear today that also confuse those who do not know to think they are of Ezechime ancestry. Now, you see that Onicha-Olona is not a descendant of Ezechime and Olomina was a tree formed to poison the advancing Princes and their warriors.

Pen Master: One major thing I deduce from all of these is that kingship tussle is not strange to Onicha-Olona judging from the Obi Egbuna episode. But more immediately, for more than two decades, your community was involved in kingship which left you without a King. Is this resolved amicably? 

Nwabuokei: Well, as at today, we have a leader and as long as the government has recognized him, he leads the town pending when monarchy will be restored in the community. One thing is that our fathers objected the system when it was initiated in 1918 after the death of Obi Odor in 1917 but British with their superior powers suppressed them, leaving them with no option other than to inform their children that we had Kings with Ada and Abele (Abeni) in their hands. Now, I am looking forward to seeing the King with these royal items on his throne as it was before. I am sure that the present leader cannot have it unless he decides to break our tradition. We need to retrace our steps, kill the greed and allow the truth as we know it to prevail in us.

Pen Master: Still on kingship matters, the Anioma people are becoming more worried than before that their traditional leadership appear more troubled than before. We have these tussles in Igbanke, Ubulu-Uku, Idumuje-Ugboko and maybe too, Ogwashi-Uku. Now, the news is Idumuje-Ugboko. Where does the problem lie? 

Nwabuokei: I wouldn't want to talk on this matter for now but I think it’s a sudden realization of fact which some people would not want to accept. There are errors somewhere but those benefiting from it wouldn't want a correction to the errors while those affected wouldn't want to let go but with time, things will get normal. Regarding Idumuje Ugboko, I plead with Hon Ned Nwoko to shield his sword and embrace his brother for peace and joy in the community, same with HRH Obi Nonso Nwoko, he should shield his sword and let go whatever it is for the peace and joy of his community. His subjects would be glad if this happens. Those who think they are benefiting from the crisis should have some rethink because the two brothers will definitely reconcile their differences.

Pen Master: in this present political dispensation, has Onicha-Olona made some benefits?

Nwabuokei: I think there is progress. You know there is the saying that Rome was not built in a day. Onicha-Olona was in the forefront until this persisted crisis weakened the community. I could still lay hand on the letter that Oba of Benin wrote to Onicha-Olona for the creation of then Midwestern Region. The content is interesting as it showed the place of Onicha-Olona in the region then. It was envisaged that if Onicha-Olona should work against the creation, there would be problems because of her position in the region then, hence the letter from the Oba to Onicha-Olona.

Pen Master: Now, you are famous for helping Benin researchers to intellectually fill in the missing of their Iyase. How did this happen?

Nwabuokei: I was actually documenting Onicha-Olona history and I listed the key men in the Benin invasion of the territory, and how Orhogbua took Mokpai, son of Iselu and made him Iyase in Benin, so when one Edo historic forum raised a discussion, I contributed, not knowing that my contribution meant much to the readers who had been asking questions about the personality of the man that Orhogbua, one of the founders of my community took from the area and made Iyase in Benin, the full story of the man is in my "Brief On The Exodus From Benin".

Pen Master: What are some of the positive changes you expect in Onicha-Olona? 

Nwabuokei: I look forward to having an industrialized Onicha-Olona, an Onicha-Olona where indigenes will only travel out of the town for leisure or for special assignments because everything they would need to live with is in their Olona City.

Pen Master: Nwabuokei is a dynasty in Onicha-Olona Kingdom. What is the story of this royal family?

Nwabuokei: Well, that is a fact that I wouldn't really want to talk about now. Yeah! Nwabuokei is a royal family in Onicha-Olona because his ancestors and cousins ruled Onicha-Olona till the British attacked the dynasty and introduced Okpalabisi which is a regency stool according to our ancient elders.

Pen Master: You have the Olona Ranch and Resort, which not many communities can boast of. How well is this ranch tourist center patronized?

Nwabuokei: Olona Ranch is a beauty to behold. Thank God for the life of Engineer Joe Bogwu for creating such a site in Onicha-Olona. People do patronize the center and I was informed that the center is undergoing some upgrade at present.

Pen Master: What more would you say about Felix Nwabuokei?

I am a researcher and a member of PEN Nigeria, an Association of Nigerian Writers. I am also a member of Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee (TLRC) of PEN Nigeria and an ordained Reverend Minister as a member of New Day Ministeries Association Inc. and other fellowships. I hold a Doctorate Degree in Ministry (D. MIN) with New Dimension Seminary. I am also a Businessman.

Pen Master: Nice speaking with you.

Nwabuokei: Thanks Pen Master