For some months past, it has been consultations and meetings within various segments, groups, associations, traditional institutions and even the clergy in Ohafia on the modalities that will constitute or translate to a befitting rites of passage for the Udumeze of Ohafia.
Udumeze is the traditional title of the paramount ruler of Ohafia clan in Abia State, south east of Nigeria. The Udumeze sits and presides in – council over 26 independent communities consisting of the Ohafia clan.
The Ohafia clan is arguably one of the largest homogenous clans in Abia State in terms of size and population. The Ohafia people are acclaimed warriors and known to have embraced western education earlier than most communities in Nigeria.
Chief Umeh Kalu, SAN, is the Co-Chairman of the burial Central Planning Committee. In this exclusive interview with Sunny Idika, Publisher of The Whisperer, he said the Ohafia people are united in ensuring that the Udumeze gets a befitting rite of passage. Excerpts:
I CAN SEE THAT THE MOOD IN OHAFIA IS THAT OF MOURNING AS A RESULT OF THE DEATH OF OHAFIA PARAMOUNT RULER
Well, I will say that it’s not entirely that of mourning. It is a mixture of mourning and celebration. It is mourning because we have lost somebody as eminently accomplished as Prof. Imaga. We have lost a leader who was a rallying point for all the 26 Ezieogos’ in Ohafia. We’ve lost somebody who stood for justice. one who cared for his people and was prepared to make every sacrifice towards projecting the image of Ohafia.
We are celebrating because Prof. lived a good life that is worthy of emulation and equally died at a fairly old age. He ran a good race and remained committed to his Christian faith to the last moment. His life was that of fulfillment in various aspects, including raising the bar in traditional leadership in this part of our country.
AS A PROMINENT OHAFIA LEADER, TELL US WHAT PREPARATIONS THE OHAFIA PEOPLE ARE MAKING TOWARDS THE BURIAL?
The Ohafia people are united in ensuring that the Udumeze gets a befitting rite of passage that is commensurate with his status and accomplishment. Never in the near history of Ohafia have I seen the sense of determination and commitment that have been exhibited by all sons and daughters of Ohafia, including those in diaspora in the project of bidding our Udumeze a farewell deserving of a king.
Preparations are in top gear and different committees have been set up towards organizing the event. The central working committee of the burial committee is made up of prominent Ohafia sons and daughters. Huge financial contributions have been made towards this event, while a good number of our citizens have made donations in kind and equally placed their services on gratis for the organizing committee, towards achieving a hitch free burial. We have seen Ohafia sons and daughters, old and young, the rich and the not so rich, the educated and the not too educated, etc at their best. Nobody is excluded in this project. It is indeed a cocktail of what Ohafia represents.
The Central Working Committee has sufficiently sensitized and mobilized all Ohafians to this event. The event proper will be streamed live for those outside Ohafia and in diaspora. All notable media organisations within our state, sub-regions and nationally have been contacted towards media coverage of the pre and post event. I can proudly tell you that it is a national event.
Our Udumeze being a Presbyterian of the Christian faith will have the church play its role, while not undermining the culture and traditions of our people
WE HEAR THAT THERE WERE DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE BURIAL. HAVE THESE DISAGREEMENTS BEEN SETTLED?
Well, I will consider those disagreements as a storm in a tea cup which has long been nipped in the bud. It was indeed a minor disagreement within the Elu Ohafia community concerning the leadership of their development union. This disagreement due to intervention of well-meaning Ohafia personalities have been kept in abeyance to make way for the more important task of laying the Udumeze of Ohafia to rest with full honors and participation by all Ohafia citizens. There are always bound to be disagreements where serial interests exist. But what is important is having those disagreements resolved whenever they emerge. So for me, everybody is onboard, and we are ready to proceed in unison.
I am hopeful that whatever is left of the Elu Ohafia problem will be amicably resolved to the satisfaction of all contending parties and to the admiration of all Ohafians
APART FROM ORGANS OR ORGANIZATIOS WITHIN THE OHAFIA CLAN, ARE THERE OTHER INTEREST GROUPS INVOLVED IN THIS BURIAL?
I can tell you emphatically that the death of the Udumeze and his ongoing rites of passage has elicited a reconnect between Ohafia and clans outside Ohafia that have affinity with us. The history of the Ohafia people is replete with their heroic exploits in their migration from Owan in Edo State, all through to Rivers, to Lokpanta to Ibeku, to Abam through Bende, and finally to Ohafia. History has it that on arrival to Achichi Ohafia, a segment of Ohafia people moved to Ututu where there settled.
From this brief narration, you can see that some of these communities where the founders of Ohafia settled at one point or the other in the cause of their migration have maintained their contact with the Ohafia people. All these clans have indicated their interest to participate in the burial of the Udumeze and will send their delegates to the event.
I equally expect the Ohafia Local government and the Abia state government to participate in all respects in the burial of the person in the status of the Udumeze of Ohafia. Our neighbors are not excluded in the list of participants, as we have extended invitations formally and traditionally to the Nkporo community, Abiriba community, our Abam brothers, Ihechiowa and Ututu brothers, the Aro Chukwu community and all other communities in the old Bende union, that is, Item, Igbere, Alayi, Ugwueke, Bende, Ibeku, Isikwuato, Ovim, Ikwuano, and indeed all other communities in the old Bende union. We equally expect our friends, well-wishers and in-laws of Ohafia at the event. All our cultural dances will be on display, including a solemn assembly and thanks giving service that will be held at Achichi Elu on Sunday 7th July under the superintendence of Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai.
WHAT DO THE OHAFIA PEOPLE WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS ELABORATE BURIAL AS YOU HAVE ENUMERATED?
We want to give honor to whom honor is due. The Udumeze having served Ohafia selflessly and meritoriously for 14 good years needs to be honored. We equally intend to use the opportunity to let all Ohafia people of good will to know that not only will God honor good deeds, humans can equally honor good deeds. More importantly, is that we want to use this opportunity to rekindle the Ohafia spirit of love for one another, communal co-existence, unity of purpose and excellence in all that we could put our hands to achieve.
The Ohafia clan has for some years been relegated to the background in the allocation of political offices, government policies and infrastructural development. One can boldly say that successive governments prior to the present government in Abia state did not only neglect Ohafia but subjugated us to the benefit of our neighbors. It is indeed surprising that despite our humongous size in population which translates to voting advantage in elections, we have not been able to harness the benefits of our large population.
We want to sound it loud and clear that we have identified those things that have hindered or retarded our growth in the past, and will henceforth re-establish the astuteness, courage, valour, and unity of purpose for which our fore-bearers were known. We will henceforth as a people not take things that do not belong to us, but will insist on retaining and keeping those things that are rightly ours. Ohafia is the third largest City in Abia, after Aba and Umuahia. We will henceforth insist that the third largest city status in Abia be reflected in government’s dealings with Ohafia, bearing in mind that Ohafia plays host to one of the largest Nigerian Army settlement (Barracks in our sub-region).
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR OHAFIA GOING FOWARD AFTER THIS BURIAL?
My expectations is that the Ohafia people will henceforth under-play or in fact abandon those things that separate us as a clan. Our fore-bearers were united, and that will explain why they made all their conquests and were never defeated in all the battles that they were confronted with. They were not just eminent warriors and conquerors, but machineries who were lured to assist and liberate other communities that were endangered. We will henceforth embrace all those virtues that defines us as Ohafia citizens.
ARE THERE LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM THE LIFE AND TIME OF YOUR LATE MONARCH?
The lessons to be learnt from Prof’s life are legion and multi-dimensional, depending on which aspects you want to assess him. Prof. was soft spoken, patient, attentive, a careful listener, caring, and selfless. All these attributes endeared him to his subjects, including the 26 Ezieogos that constituted his Council. The above mentioned attributes made Prof. a rallying point for all of them. Prof. earned the confidence of all the Ezieogos, and was ever prepared to be an impartial arbiter in most intra and inter communal disputes that came before his Council for adjudication. His love for Ohafia was unquantifiable. All these and more made the reign of Prof. who we are celebrating a success story. Those who want to succeed in any area of their life should imbibe the attribute that I have just enumerated.
AS ONE WHO HAS PLAYED ACTIVE ROLE IN PARTY POLITICS FOR SOME TIME, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE OHAFIA PEOPLE POLITICALLY?
The future they say is pregnant no doubt, but Ohafia has all it takes to make herself a determining factor in the politics of Abia state. We have what most people don’t have. We have the numbers. We have the human resources and the capacity to make our voices heard. All we need as a people is to close our ranks, shed our differences, present and project the best amongst us, and collaborate with other clans with shared visions and ideals with us, in other to achieve greatness. We must be fair to our neighbors in our dealings with them. We must insist on getting fair treatment from all that seek our hand of fellowship in the pursuit of mutual wellbeing.
I see a bright future in our future political participation, especially with the ongoing electoral reforms that will ensure near accuracy in the voting strength of every community in Abia State and Nigeria.
