Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Chief Jideofor Onubogu became President General of Ogidi Union Nigeria in October 2015. His community has lately embarked on full scale cultural revival culminating in the unveiling of Ijele Inwele masquerade. In this interview, Onubogu spoke on the abolition of wake as part of funeral ceremonies; reduction of days of mourning and the modification of some existing traditions and culture of Ogidi people, among others.
Your tenure ends in October this year; will you seek re-election?
Well, there is provision for second tenure but I have to leave that choice for the community to decide and the monarch to decide; Ogidi people should decide that, I think the power of the community belongs to him, the community can say you have tried, let’s try him again and if they say no, I think it is better I don’t contest and then I leave that to God.
What are your major achievements these three and half years?
First of all, peace; there is relative peace in Ogidi; there is peace and unity in Ogidi now than before. We have better organized system now than yesterday. Presently, we have a working system, formerly we never had one. We have a traditional ruler, we never had a monarch for 18years but now we have Igwe Alex Onyido and he is doing very well. I think the people have had the opportunity to choose their king. We have the traditional quarter ministers who are four in number. We have the Onowu, Owelle, Okwuosa and Aje Okpala Ogidi who is the first son of Ogidi; that is High Chief Emeka Nwabueze. We also have Emeka Udeze (Ogene Ogidi); we have Maxwell Okudo who is Akagu Ogidi. These are the four present structures Ogidi put in place to cushion the governance of the community. I think Ogidi is a better organized community today, having relative peace, there is very low crime rate, police is no longer arresting our people and throwing them into the cell anyhow, presently the police’s working relationship with the community is superb. I think generally, I will say we are scoring more than 70 per cent compared to what it used to be. My people will now say they have seen light at the end of the tunnel. My position as the President General has given our people a little hope.
So, it was your administration as President General that produced the current Igwe for Ogidi?
Yes, I thank God for that, it was made possible by Almighty God; there was no bloodshed during the selection and election of the Igwe which everybody anticipated that we will murder ourselves and those who threatened me and those who thought that the power to live and die was in their hands. I think they are now found out that all powers belong to God. Even though there is litigation on it. I’m presently having about five law suits, two criminals ones; three civil cases over the Igweship. Even the criminal cases in the court are about the Igwe matter. The people that are quarrelling and fighting the community over the issue of Igwe should know that all powers belong to God. So, what is happening in the community today is God’s decision and not mine, I have no strength, all the strength I have cometh from God, so I think, I have achieved nothing, God has achieved everything that is the best way to put it.
Looking back; what was the tradition and customs of Ogidi like when the community had no monarch and the situation now?
We are passing through a rough period in terms of getting our tradition down to what it used to be. Our traditions and customs have been abandoned for decades because of lawlessness and it is not easy to make bad ones change, but presently, I like the way they changed some of the traditions. Our royal majesty is working, he is trying to bring back those traditions Ogidi community is known for like the age grade, he has revived the age grade. He has set up the committees to establish it and the ones like ‘Ito aro’; those who are 80 years and above are honoured and not only to ensure that these things are put in place, the Igwe is even working to finance them. I think generally, in terms of culture and tradition, Igwe Onyido is doing well, he is a God sent man to Ogidi and our people are giving him full support.
People have talked about expensive burial in Igboland; what is your community doing about that?
I’m happy that question came up because presently, I’m one of the committee members of the state Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU); the platform that is looking into the cost of burial in Igbo land. It is a thing we should all reflect on. Now, the state of the economy is too bad and even if the economy is so good, death is just vanity, no matter what you are doing or giving to a dead man, you are wasting your money because he can’t wake up again. I think we should pay more attention to the living than the dead. The respect of mourning the death, leaving a dead body in the morgue for so long is meaningless. So, if we should emulate the style of the Muslims, their style is that when they die; you don’t take them to the morgue, they are buried immediately; it will solve the problem. Presently, Ogidi is even considering making burial one day affair, that is where we are heading to now because mourning now is for two days in Ogidi and we don’t do wake keep any longer. If you have to extend it longer than two days, you have to pay the community a fine of N100,000. Also, we are stepping down the Umuada, Umuogbo protocols that make burials very expensive; that is the area the Igwe is getting involved to see that everything is streamlined to make burial easier.
Land grabbers who sell and resell land, give Ogidi bad image; how are you tackling it?
This is a sensitive question because land presently has become a last resort for these boys to get bulk money and those who are criminally minded among them, they have this belief that land belongs to God, they don’t believe that land belongs to man any longer. To them, he that has power should take the land from the other person. This is madness and it is not going down well with the young ones. So, we created committee in respect of that and more so, there is a constitutional review which the Igwe’s palace has put in place and for you to purchase any land in Ogidi, you must consult the community. The Igwe must know where you are buying the land and the PG must know who owns the land. So, this style of entering any land to sell and buy land is gone. Those buyers who obey the rules will not fall into the trap of fraudsters. Hence, it is to checkmate the land grabbers because if you sell any land that does not belong to you, we’ll know and when we make investigation, we’ll find out. So, I’m advising those who are buying land to make appropriate inquires and investigation to who owns the land.
What is your advice to Ogidi people?
My advice to my people in Ogidi is that if you are a rich man and others are poor and you don’t help your brother, you are going to have problem. So, use your wealth and help your people. I thank those of them who use their wealth to help others in the community like our monarch; Igwe Onyido, Chief Obiora Okonkwo, Chief Emeka Nwabueze and others. These people have to be emulated; they bring out their resources to help others in the community. Presently, there the Igwe’s empowerment scheme is going on in the community by way of piggery farming which they opened for youths in the community and I thank Igwe and Chief Nwabueze for that initiative. I enjoin other rich men in the community to emulate that initiative by assisting the young people in the community. They should help those who need help and empower the younger ones that want to work hard.
Then, on tradition I think we should assist the traditional ruler, Igwe Onyido to drive the tradition and general administration of the community. Igwe is the grand patron of Ogidi Union and father of entire Ogidi. My advice is that we should not kill the union; we should support the union and support the palace to move Ogidi community forward. Litigation is not the best way to solve our problem; we can sit down on a roundtable to resolve our differences.