Eze Onyeama n'Eke, an alternate view.
Nnaemeka M Onumonu
"Slowly but surely, Onyeama got the colonists to award him the "warrant
Chiefdom" of Eke."
Ndeewo nu.
A friend presented me with a copy of KWENU. I spent a lot of time perusing
and enjoying this great magazine. The owner MOE is to be commended for a
great work. Starting with the first page on which the Igbo calender is
depicted, the magizine takes you on a tour of great events.
Thanks to the magazine a new avenue to the investigative work of EKWE
NCHE research committee on "The Great Igbo Civilization" has been opened.
As this investigation continues the same conclusion is reached by all the
investigative members - That Ndi Igbo are the custodians of civilization.
The results of this investigative work will be presented to Ndi Igbo in due
time.
It is important that Onyeama n'Eke be carefully examined, for there are some
very frightening similarities in his time and to the present. It must be
remembered that the British were in the process of trying to subjugate the
Igbo nation at this period, now consider the present plight of Ndi Igbo
under the Hausa-Fulani domination. Since the British needed a vehicle to
enslave Ndi Igbo, the vehicle being the "Warrant Chiefdom", this compares
favorably to the vehicle that the Hausa-Fulani mafia are now trying to use
to enslave Ndi Igbo - paid lackeys who would insult the Igbo nation by
addressing Ndi Igbo in Hausa. Paid lackeys who would try to turn the
culture and tradition of Ndi Igbo, upside down.
Is it not interesting that the sickness that Ndi Igbo had to overcome
then, the same sickness we now strive to destroy. More interesting is the
cancer that Ndi Igbo struggled mightly to destroy.
So why is a look at Onyeama so important?
Lets start with a look at his humble beginning. Here is a man who understood
the Igbo saying that "if a man agrees strongly, his Chi will also agree".
From the article it can be surmised that he believed in himself and was
ready to work to achieve his goal. But like most of our educated brethren,
he conveniently forgot the remaining part of the above saying - in fact the
most important part, "our Chi is part of the Collective CHI, or that we are
part of the Collective and cannot, yes, can never be more than the whole".
No one can go against his Chi, how much more the Collective CHI.
Who were the so called enimies of this chief?
Since he was a tool of the British government only one conclusion can be
reached. If you opposed the British government you obviously was his enemy.
So one reaches the conclusion that this Igbo son denied his Igboness and
sided with the enemies of his people.
We should also remember that Ndi Igbo are a nation that know no kings.
I am reminded as a child of my cousin telling us that he now wanted to be
called "Osimiri", that was no big deal to us, we started calling him
"Osimiri". Even more interesting is what a friend related to me. He told
me that the praise name of his grandfather is "Eze Igbo", and that the
praise name of his mother is, you guessed it, "Igbo Enweghi Eze". Yet
this presented no conflict to any one, this my brethren is the Igbo way.
Onyeama had every right to call himself whatever he wanted, he could
have called himself "Eze Uwa" and no one would have cared, but he had no
right to impose himself on others. He definitely had no right to pursue
and destroy his brethren. When he lifted his hands and put to death his
brethren he commited Nso Ala. He went against his Chi and the collective
CHI of Ndi Igbo. He signed his death warrant. He had no choice but kill
himself. He is gone and forgotten, but Ndi Igbo and their way of life
continue.
Let all those that would go against their Chi and our Collective Chi
beware, just as Onyeama failed, and died in shame and alone, so will
they if they continue their evil ways. No one goes against Ndi Igbo
and survives.
Onyeama should be studied in the context of what if means not to be Igbo.
He was not a hero, he might have been a hero in a feudal society but in the
Igbo nation, he was an aberration. He was a stooge of the British government
and should be pitied. He had no redeeming qualities. HE WAS NOT IGBO.
Ndeewo.
Emeka.
Magnus I. Ekwueme
You promised to do a research on this individual. I would suggest you save
your criticisms until you have done your work. And I mean thorough research
backed up by historical events. After you present your work, we will be
able to weigh both sides from what we can recollect from oral history. No
doubts people of Enugu extraction will be interested. As if that is not
enough, could you follow it up with Eze nwa Iboko? He was equally powerful
but I do not know who came first: Onyeama or Iboko but I am sure they could
not have co-existed given their perceived powers. Another topic worth
researching is that Aro oracle that mesmerized people and made Arochukwu
what it was.
Biko, let us learn from your promised research but do not kill our interests
by first condemning the man before you find out who he really was.
Egb...@aol.com
writes:
<< Onyeama should be studied in the context of what if means not to be Igbo.
He was not a hero, he might have been a hero in a feudal society but in the
Igbo nation, he was an aberration. He was a stooge of the British government
and should be pitied. He had no redeeming qualities. HE WAS NOT IGBO.
>>
Emeka nwanna:
As an Igboman to another, I must say that your perception of Eze Onyeama
n'Eke, Okwuluoha Agbaja, is fundamentally flawed, and there are little or no
basis for the curious conclusions in your alternate view. You are right:
Onyeama deserves no pity--he was above pity. However, since this is not a
defense of the man nor the piece on him, I will restrict my personal
contribution to two points and leave it there.
Here goes:
1. Igbo enwe(ghi) eze
This saying has been both misunderstood and misapplied -"Igbo nwere eze," no
doubt about that. They are so many "NDIEZE" that almost everyone is an "eze"
in his own castle. In Aguata area, whole clans have "eze" before their names.
Ask Ichie Santos Ezembakwe or Zeribe Ezeanuna. They are both netters. You
have even said that much in one of your submissions.
Onyeama NEVER claimed to be Eze Ndiigbo. Besides his trading in Aro outposts
as a youngman, there are no records of his extensive travels in Igboland --
even though he visited England. In fact, he was Onyeama n'Eke. Period. His
troubles started when he OVERSTRETCHED his reach into other surrounding
communities, many of whom never contested his grip on the development of
Enugu. He never tried to "conquer" any territories. In fact, the chiefs of
Udi Division fought him in courts and succeeded in restricting him to his Eke
base, though his powerful tentacles were everywhere in the area via
marriages, influence, economy, etc. The capital of the area was many miles
away from Eke in Udi town, where the likes of Nathan Ejiogu and Dim
Odumegwu-Ojukwu served. These Enugu-area chiefs and all the civil servants
and soldiers were therefore ALL "colonial stooges," right?
The use of "EZE" to tag traditional rulers is quite popular, though Anambra,
Ebonyi and Enugu states use "Igwe" (which is more appropriate for "Royal
Highness.") Recently, the use of Ezeigbo has become popular; every major town
in Northern Nigeria has an "ezeigbo."
I believe Onyeama used "Chief." His grandson, Dilibe ("Nigger at Eton")
Onyeama, did not even use "Eze" in his biography of the man, and he never
for once claimed the man was a deity. No, he showed a man that was greatly
misunderstood and whose power so overwhelmed and awed the colonists that the
ruggedly republican Igbo shuddered. Whether he was a saint or sinner is
neither here nor there, and does not deserve your characterizations: he is
dead --- but he achieved much more than any of his contemporaries ever
dreamed of. It is that simple.
2. On Onyeama's Igboness
The day we start determining who is Igbo and who is not, we would have
introduced a dangerous rot in our nation-building. I believe that being Igbo
is dependent on having an Igbo father, since we have a strictly paternal
heritage. Of course, there is the male circumcision and various other
cultural "requirements" ---for lack of better word.
Onyema's father was Igbo, a prominent polygamous "Ozo" - a titled man. Ozo
Onwusi was the cream of the society. His wife and Onyeama's mother was from
nearby Ebe, and of Igbo parentage. Onyeama was not his first son and he had
no throne to inherit. Like Maazi Ja Jubuno (King Jaja) of Opobo, he created
one. How he used his powers is another story.
Yes, he was a tyrant. His grandson, a friend of mine, will be the first to
tell you that. His mother, one of Onyeama's numerous daughters, acknowledges
the man's prowess, his harem, his very successful businesses and his
Gestapo-like "Ogwumiri" private police. Unlike Eze nwa Iboko of Abakaliki
after him, who fiercely resisted colonial taxation, he (Onyeama) worked with
the colonists and got the best deals he thought he could. Unlike King Jaja
before him, he chose not to fight the colonists and their evil laws that are
stacked against anyone who stood in their way.
Unlike Eze Aro of his era (1900s), he did not want to drag the colonial army
into destroying the people's sacred shrines. Instead, he chose for his people
the Catholic missionaries -and only because they taught English and Latin. He
never converted. In fact he told Bishop Shanahan that the greatness of Jesus
they talked about should not have gone through the humiliation of
crucifixion. Yes, we can fish out many things he did wrong, and there are so
many more he got right within the system he functioned. Whatever, ONYEAMA IS
IGBO.
If we should hurl "NOT IGBO" at everyone who ever did something against our
nation, there would be few "Igbo leaders of thought" running about today. We
know those who stole from Biafra and embezzled money like common criminals,
who took money from all over charities and pocked it. We know the "sabos."
We know those who helped Gowon effectively, those who ran Abacha's outfit,
etc. etc. Yet, this man NEVER laid claim to the leadership of the Igbo
nation. He did not even encroach on Nsukka, which he could have done easily,
before the Nwodos took over.
If we should cast stones, according to your directions, then almost ALL
NDIEZE in Igboland today are stooges. How many of them got there by popular
choice? How many are in court today contesting their crowns? How many bought
the crowns OPENLY?! And all in a system remotely controlled by the Sokoto
Sultanate. Is this feudal system better than the imperial system? I doubt it,
and you will agree.
Maybe I did not get the metaphor or the poetry of your piece. Maybe someone
has patented the word "IGBO." As of today, and until I see otherwise, the man
who effectively built Enugu, trained the first Igbo (Euro-traditonal) medical
doctor, Dr. Onwu, the father of the first Nigerian Justice at The Hague, a
top orthopedic surgeon, and many other prominent VIPs was surely as Igbo as
Ndiigbo come. He might mean nothing to you, but he is surely something to
thousands of upright and patriotic citizen who carry his genes and or bear
testimony to his earthly existence. These alone are qualities.... and
quantities no one can take away from the legend of Onyeama n'Eke.
That's my personal take.
Ndeewo.
MOE
Nnaemeka M Onumonu
Ndeewo Mazi Magnus.
Could not get back to you promptly, sorry for the delay.
You have spoken well. Ndeewo.
If you look at the title of my write-up, you will see that it is called
"Onyeama n'Eke, an alternate view", the point here is - an alternate
view. It is not an indictment on the article presented in "KWENU", it is
an alternate view.
It is important that the two sides be presented. On what side we come
down on in this discuss will depend on how we view ourselves as a people.
This is a very important discuss that must take place, for until we
understand what we are, we will continue to run around in circles.
We are not Hausa, Yoruba we are not, Ijaw we are not, and we definitely
are not from any of the tribes in the western world.
Let us review some of the things we assume we know about our ancestors:
Igbo bu Ndi Eze - they considered themselves kings - this accounts for
our rugged individualism.
Igbo enweghi eze - this accounts for the collective leadership, where no
one man can make him/herself a mini god.
The OSU system - Thanks to our brother Mazi Ebube Odunukwe and the Elder
he consulted (please see write-up "OSU IN CANADA", which with his
permission I will repost), we now understand why the Osu system was very
important in the era of our great forefathers. Let us remember that to
them life was very precious and could not be taken away easily. Let us
also remember that they had no army or police, yet there was total order
in the lives of these gaints. THE OSU SYSTEM KEPT EVERYONE IN LINE, it
was like a sword hanging over the heads of would be criminals. Strict, you
bet, but our ancestors believed in ORDER. If this system still operated in
the form or way it was supposed to, there will not be too many of our
brethren ready to sell ndi Igbo to the highest bidder.
Chi na "CHI NA EKE" - They believed in a personal Chi and a Collective CHI,
"Chi na Eke" or "Ama Ama Amasi Amasi". Translated into their personal life,
this meant that each person considered him/herself part of the whole and
they understood that no one person was more important than the whole.
Nso Ala - It was an abomination to take ones own life or the life of a
brethren. There are other Nso Ala, but this we agree is one of the most
important, to them life was very precious and could not be toyed with.
If we were to consult an elder, this list will probably grow to ten
times this size.
One does not have to research these so called strong men to come down
on one side or the other, if we are to research, which we must do, it is
to find out what we are. We must find out what Igbo is. We must
understand what we are. We must seek to understand why we consider ourselves
UMU CHUKWU. We must seek to understand why we consider ourselves a unique
people. We must seek to understand our tradition and culture. And we uust
define ourselves in context of our tradition and culture. And for us to
really understand we must journey into our past. Example, why did our
ancestor consider chieftaincy not important? Why do we now confer all
manner of Chieftaincy titles on ourselves, is this Igbo?
Coming back to these strong men, did they take lives? Who gave them the
authority to take lives. If they did, they committed nso ala, and we
should not idiolize them. How does their modus operandi jive with Omenala
Ndi Igbo, if it is against everything we stand for, no matter the
percieved good, it must be strongly resisted.
The history of these strong men are still recent. Some of our elders
remember them and can tell us more about them. Arochukwu is another
and very important topic of itself. It deals with our spirituality
as a people and "the long juju", is a corruption that must be corrected.
Arochukwu was the Jerusalem of Ndi Igbo, before the coming of the white
men, it was our Mecca, it was a Holy city. But that topic we'll leave for
next time.
Ndeewo.
Chukwu gozie anyi.
Emeka.
> Lets start with a look at his humble beginning.. Here is a man who
> Onyeama should be studied in the context of what if means not to be Igbo.
> He was not a hero, he might have been a hero in a feudal society but in the
> Igbo nation, he was an aberration. He was a stooge of the British
> government
> and should be pitied. He had no redeeming qualities. HE WAS NOT IGBO.
>
> Ndeewo.
> Emeka.
>
>
>
Magnus I. Ekwueme
Ndewo.
I will be waiting for your reports. Nonetheless, we must refrain from
destroying our own. No one claims to be a saint. No one is without sin
either. My recollection is that Onyeama n'Eke and Eze nwa Iboko were
powerful men who ruled mercilessly. MOE added that while Onyeama accepted
and used the British, nwa Iboko hated anything British. What a contrast.
On the other hand, the 'long juju of Arochukwu' was a shrine through which
chief priests made money in the most dreadful way. These men and the
shrine are part of our history and for me, their lives should educational
rather than an indictment of their modus operandi. If you considered the
obas of Bini and yorubaland, they were no angels either and their people
have not destroyed or cursed at the mentioning of their names. It is
history to learn how those people were able to wield such powers. This is
my perspective.
Rgds,
Magnus
chetenn...@gmail.com
he was not educated and still managed to make Enugu a formidable place. the first Igbo Doctor was on his account, the first Black Judge to international court of Hague(during high cases of racism) was on Onyeamas account.
He made sure that his People were educated. what more do you want an uneducated man who got power by his natural ability to learn and exhibit high level intelligence as at that time?
this particular writer, look him up well, must be a coward and by todays standard, his intelligence has not and will not match that of Chief Onyeama, The Okwuru Oha 1 of Agbaja.