The Obuzo's Prophecy and the Shortness of Ibusa Organizations

 The Obuzo's Prophecy and the Shortness of Ibusa Organizations

- Emeka Esogbue

In 2008, Miss Florence Bob-Okonkwo of the Nkpanyala sector of Ibusa approached me and expressed her desire to start an Ibusa association, which we eventually dubbed the Ibusa Like-minds Association. 

After careful consideration, I concluded that the proposed organization's goal was to contribute to our community's social development through seminars and lectures, and because it was an Ibusa project, I bought the idea and agreed to participate in the project.

We immediately launched the Association's programming, including lectures and town hall meetings, some of which were well attended by our Ibusa people. The inaugural lecture program was held at the Federal Government Girls College in Ibusa, where speakers spoke thematically about the usage of hard drugs by Ibusa youngsters, which they claimed was growing more prevalent. 

It was at this session that I first met Mr. Peter Egbuchue. While we were concerned about the event's attendance, someone mentioned him to us as an Ibusa indigene who would be present. We were told that he was always enamored with Ibusa affairs and ready to fulfill his quota. True to their words, they quickly pointed to a figure who smiled and moved toward the hall's entrance. He appeared easygoing and convivial. 

After exchanging compliments with us, he discreetly sat down. Holding his paperwork, he came ahead of the other invited visitors.

Another presentation among many others that we had was conducted within the Ogbeowele Town Hall. Speakers were asked to summarize the Ibusa difficulties for publishing as a newspaper statement. 

Here, I recollect Emmanuel 'Kwasa' Amatokwu, who was brave, energetic, and knowledgeable about Ibusa difficulties and what he called recommendations.  Emmanuel Amatokwu took the floor and listed the perceived challenges in ascending order, making it difficult for the moderator to stop him.

What struck me more was his dissatisfaction with the mindsets of the Ibusa youth. Kwasa Amatokwu had used rhetorical questions to inquire how the Ibusa youngsters who were wandering the streets of Ibusa with 'agbada' (daggers) and other lethal weapons strapped to their bodies could grow into future Diokpas (elders) of the community. 

It was evident that the questioner, Emmanuel Amatokwu, did not require an answer. Nonetheless, no one responded to him.

Our operations were strengthened the next year, in 2009. Our reputation had also spread, with the Ibusa community eager to learn more about the Ibusa Like-Minds Association. I also gathered that some members of the Ibusa Community Development Union, Port Harcourt Branch, where the founder, Miss Florence Bob-Okonkwo, was based, had become helpful by providing financial support to the Association in order to hold lectures. 

This time, we decided to step up our efforts by paying courtesy visits to certain major Ibusa leaders to familiarize them with the Association and its goals. Among those we met was Onowu Joseph Abuah, who greeted us pleasantly, respected the Association's objectives, and vowed to support anything that would benefit Ibusa while also providing us with valuable advice. I found him knowledgeable on Ibusa affairs.  

We also paid a visit to the late Professor Chike Onwuachi, who welcomed us warmly. Using extremely turgid English terms, many of which the group had never heard before, he expressed sadness for Ibusa's dividing status and the part played by his generation. He assured us that his generation will work to remedy the wrongs. 

I recall visiting Chief Jude Okonma in his Asaba Hotel, where he expressed sadness for what he described as unfair treatment despite his services to the community. Florence Bob-Okonkwo, the late Philip Ngozi Ifechukwude, Mr. Awele Achakpo, Mr. Alex Okonma, and a few others who I can no longer recollect were on the visitation team. 

Finally, we paid a visit to the community's traditional ruler, the Obuzo of Ibusa. The prescribed authority greeted us with high expectations and appreciation, especially given our young age and desire for a better Ibusa. We introduced ourselves one after the other. When I announced myself as a historian, he adjusted and tossed me some questions about our history, but not wanting to delve into anything that could overshadow our reason for the visit, I brushed it off with a deflective action. 

We then expressed our motive for visiting. After carefully listening to us, the monarch informed us that he would not acknowledge us and that we should continue with our organizational activities. He told us to return in five years and that he would welcome us if we were still united as an organization. 

Surprised by the change of events, I managed to ask him why we should go and return in another five years. He went on to explain that this was due to the limited lifespan of Ibusa groupings and clubs. He believed that Ibusa associations are short-lived. 

As he predicted, despite all we prepared, the lectures and seminars we hosted, and the invitations we extended to famous figures from outside the area, the group never lasted more than three years. 

At the time, the dichotomous Obuzo and Diokpa problem was serious. It was surprising that whenever we held an event and extended invitations to famous Ibusa people, they began questioning who else from the community we had invited and would quietly withdraw as soon as certain names were mentioned. 

Things continued on like this until one man revealed the secret. He advised us to forgo alerting anyone about our invited guests, saying that if we did, we would be assured of stability.  

Things began to improve as soon as we stopped discussing who else from Ibusa we had invited. Nonetheless, the Obuzor predictions came true when we ceased to exist.  

With this experience in mind, I became even more resolved not to let the Igbuzo Singles Meet Worldwide (ISM), which I founded in 2011 to promote Ibusa marriage, die out. Despite Ibusa's smothering traits, I clung to the group's existence, not wanting to repeat the Obuzo prophecy. 

In 2021, we celebrated our tenth anniversary under the chairmanship of Ezinne Pat Ifeyinwa Nnabuife, with Hon Innocent Esewezie also in attendance as a serving Local Government Chairman and it was a memorable occasion.