2020 WONDER: 7 LAUDABLE EVENTS THAT THE IBUSA COMMUNITY LOST TO 2020

- Emeka Esogbue

The year 2020 has come and passed for Ibusa. Hopes of natives were high with some promises made but as it turned out, they were not fulfilled. COVID-19 did not also help matters as it ravaged and reneged hopes and promises owed the people.

Happily, some organizers held on tenaciously to their projects, making sure they came the way of our Ibusa people. One notable event the Ibusa community never missed was the Ibusa Football Tournament courtesy of Emmanuel Kwasa Amatokwu, the Iwu festivals of Ogbeowele and Umuodafe and Mgba. Still, many cookies crumbled in 2020. A lot of people took Alor than what has been the case in recent times.

This list is about the expectations of the Ibusa people that were never met in spite of high hopes.

1. The first of Ibusa abortion was the traditional crash of hope in the Odogwu of Ibusa. Although all hopes were high that the Odogwu of the community had emerged in Umueze-born Chief Charles Okonkwo, that hope crashed almost with the same hope with which it was raised. As signs gradually emerged that 2020 Odogwu expectation may be cut off, even the Igbuzo forebears and ancestors stopped to smile. As it eventually turned out, the Igbuzo community, prided in "Isunamborgu, Isu Fulu Ogu Ju Nni" often led by the Odogwu fought all the socio-econmic, cultural and political battles with an Odogwu to command the foot soldiers. Neighbouring communities came attacking the community left, right and center over land disputes but there was no Commander-in-Chief in Warlord Odogwu. The processes to produce a new Odogwu in the community became tough and created fissure in Ibusa walls and suddenly looked like it was dropped in the year and everything remained normal without an Odogwu.

2. With the much culturally publicized Josephine Nwannabuogwu as the candidate of Omu of Ibusa, everyone thought the community was moving to the right cultural direction of joining Akwukwu-Igbo, Onicha-Olona, Issele-Uku, Obior and other Anioma communities with the Omu cultural rebirth; and Asaba, Okpanam, Onicha-Uku, Ogwashi-Uku, Onicha-Ugbo and others where it is already entrenched, and where Ibusa would align with Anioma Omu once again but the 2020 hopelessness became the case. The wonder for many was what could stop the Institution in Ibusa to materialise in 2020 when there was already a willing candidate. The Institution was still considered important and a willing occupant was available, what was the 2020 challenge? The protuberance grew and the people did not see it materialise in 2020. Like the Odogwu, the Omu was also a lost event in Ibusa in 2020.

3. The third is that the annual conference of the Ibusa community Development Union did not hold. However, this was due to the COVID-19 crisis that stopped human assemblage. The COVID-19 pandemic forbade Ibusa from sitting together to evaluate policies in the community as well as deciding on the way forward. The trusted sapience of Dr Austin Izagbo could not be tapped by the community in the leadership compass due to the global situation hence, the year 2020 was not particularly fruitful for ICDU's conference. Although the conference was earlier scheduled, the heat of COVID-19 and government directives made it impposible.

4. Followers of social developments in Ibusa always know that there had always been the plan of the Ibusa Community Development Union that the Ibusa Town Hall located in Umuisagba would be converted to central police station in the community but despite the idea and series of display of the architecture of the said Central Police Station, it was still not birthed in 2020. The ICDU will have to re-resituate this project in their 2021 plan if it hopes to birth it.

5. For the first time in 2020, the singles of Ibusa were denied the opportunity of meeting in what had become an annual rite since 2011. The Igbuzo Singles Meet is an Association of unmarried youths of Ibusa who ritually meet to promote love, friendship, relationship and Ibusa culture. In 2019, the group met for the first time in Lagos but COVID-19 stopped the gathering in 2020. It has been an event that brings home young Ibusa minds, some of whom have not had the opportunity to visit their community of birth.

6. The Ibusa Youth Council once organized Ibusa Carnival for the community under the watch of Sir Alfred Isoh, hoping to match what is in Ogwashi-Uku but while many were thinking that it would be followed up, it turned out that it was one of those botched events of 2020.

7. Have we seen the end of NAIBS organized Miss Ibusa or it was just one of those events that didn't happen in 2020? The question is how long will the reigning Miss Olimmah carry the crown without any replacement? The Ibusa Beauty pageant was one attractive event the Ibusa community never witnessed in 2020.

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Emeka Esogbue

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