09102019 - 2020: Buhari presents N10.33trn job creation budget to NASS

42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019
VOL. 2 NO. 55 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019
Titled Chiefs of Oraeri at the ceremony
Anambra community
abolishes 500-year old
Osu caste system
By Vincent Ujumadu
AFTER over 500 years of
practicing the Osu
caste system, the ancient
kingdom of Oraeri in Aguata
local government area of
Anambra State, has offiicially
abolished it. Those who were
hitherto refereed to as Osu in the
community have been bestowed
with all rights and privileges
enjoyed by the free born in the
area. At an impressive ceremony,
which coincided with the 8th
Month festival presided over by
the traditional ruler of the
community, His Royal Highness,
Eze Emmanuel Ezenriagu, Eze
Nri 21st of Oraeri, the joy of
those that were liberated knew
no bounds as they exchanged
pleasantries with their former
masters.
The ceremony, which took place
at the Eke Forest where the
original Osu people ran into for
protection during the era of slave
trade, attracted who –is-who in
the in the area and from
neighbouring communities. It
was gathered that the dedication
of human beings into the Osu
caste system began during the
reign of Okpara Eze 5th during
which the affected people were
regarded as untouchables and
banned from mixing freely with
other people.
At the head of the abolition
process was Okpara Eri X111th,
Anthony Nwafor Okafor, a
Pharmacist, who also holds the
title of Eze Adama of Igbo land.
Though he operates a private
pharmacy shop in Enugu, Okafor
had, in the past few years, been
campaigning for the total
abolition of Osu system in Igbo
land,
He said: “About 500 years ago,
Oraeri people acquired some
captives during inter tribal wars.
At that time, some people in
Oraeri wanted those captives to
be killed, but the then Eze
refused. When the pressure from
his subjects became too much, he
took those people to the Eke
Shrine on the outskirts of the
community, thereby dedicating
them to that shrine. With that
action, nobody could touch them
any longer, otherwise the person
could incur the wrath of the gods
which had assumed the bona
fide owners of those people.
“During the era of slave trade,
they ran into the inner side of
the shrine for protection and to
avoid being sold to slave traders.
That was how they escaped
being sold into slavery. To
identify the Osu, their ears were
slashed so that anybody who saw
them would know immediately
that they were untouchables from
Eke Shrine.”
Okafor said that over the years,
their population grew and the
Osus remained special specie,
adding that if anyone disturbed
Ezeoba Ramas Asuzu
ceremony
them, they were permitted to
report to the Eze Eri who would
punish such a person
adequately. According to him,
there were however dos and
don’ts for the Osu people. For
instance, he added, the free born
were barred from having sexual
relationship with the Osu and
nobody should even have a
handshake with them.
He said further: “ But with
modernity, such discrimination
began to whittle down, leaving
only two areas which were that
they must never take traditional
titles and should not get married
to a free born. However, as
Traditional ruler of Oraeri, Eze
Emmanuel Ezenriagu during the
people became more
enlightened, we decided to
abolish Osu Caste system
completely. And with the
ceremony we performed today,
everybody in Oraeri can
intermarry and it has become an
offense to brand anybody an
Osu.” According to him, the
entire community agreed in
unison for this abolition.
How the abolition process
began
In the words of Okafor, “When
I took the title of Okpara in 1990,
I took it upon myself that Osu
Caste system must be abolished
in our community. It was not easy
at the beginning. In the past four
years, I chose to be sampling
people’s opinion on the matter
and it was during that period that
I found out that many people in
our community also wanted the
system abolished, but did not
know how to go about it. About
three months ago, we renewed
the campaign and happy
enough, the leadership of Oraeri
Development Union and our
traditional ruler were in
support.”
He said that with Osu
abolished in the place where it
began, the expectation was that
all the communities in Igbo land
where it still exists, should take
a cue from Oraeri and abolish it
without further delay.
The traditional ruler of Oraeri,
Eze Nriagu said with the
abolition, anybody who
discriminates against them
would henceforth be sanctioned.
“With the ceremony we have
performed, they will start taking
traditional titles and everybody
will be intermarrying. They are
good people and many of them
are intelligent and beautiful and
everybody stands to gain by the
ceremony we have performed,”
the Monarch said.
President General of Oraeri
Development Union, Mr. Okey
Atueyi said the community had
taken a bold decision and
commended everybody in the
area for their support in putting
the discriminatory system into the
past. “You can see how happy the
people are. This ceremony has
made this year’s New Yam
festival special and it was
therefore not surprising that our
people returned in large
numbers from all over the world
to witness the historic event,” he
said.
The councilor representing
Oraeri Ward in Aguata Council
Area, Hon Briggs Ikpegbu
commended the people of Oraeri
for their unity and taking a
collective decision on the issue.
He was optimistic that with the
abolition, more progress would
be recorded in the area of
community development.
There was indeed joy and
happiness after the
pronouncement of the abolition
by the Eze as the titled men and
women, as well as the freed
persons, danced to the beating
of the drums together, which was
something that was unheard of
in the past.
Kingship crisis brews in Nri, the
acclaimed cradle of Igbo civilisation
*As the oldest aborigine insists on producing the next
monarch
By Vincent Ujumadu
FOLLOWING the vacuum
created in Nri Monarchy as
a result of the demise of its
traditional ruler, Eze Obidiegwu
Onyesoh two years ago, the
Uruofolo village, which claims to
be the oldest aborigine in the
ancient town, is insisting on
producing the next traditional
ruler for the area. The founder of
the Universal Worship Center in
Nri and a very knowledgeable
person in Igbo tradition,
Ezeoba Ramas Asuzu, who has
been at the forefront in the
agitation, said with the vacuum,
time had come for the right thing
to be done.
Asuzu said Nri kingdom had
actually been in crisis since the
death of Eze Nrijiofor Tabansi
over 30 years ago. According to
him, Nri kingdom is divided into
two, Agukwu-Nri and Ikenga(
Ifite) Nri. Going down memory
lane, Asuzu said Ikenga Nri was
already producing kings before
the migration of Agukwu-Nri to
the area.
He said: “There was a problem
in 1115 AD when Nri Namoko,
who was the king from Diodo
village in Akamkpisi quarters,
was not taken good care of. He
was sick and his nephew,
Nribuife came to look after him.
He bestowed ‘Ofo na Alo’- the
symbols of royal authority- on
Nribuife and ordered him not to
go back to where he came from,
but to take over the throne of
kingship of the entire Nri.
“Nribuife accepted and agreed
never to depart from Akamkpisi
and Diodo where the original
throne of Nri Namoko domiciled.
He was crowned the king at a
place called ‘Eke Agu’, but after
about ten years, the Agukwu
people conspired and told Eze
Nribuife to leave the Eke Agu
palace for them.
“Then they took an oath that the
kingship should only rotate
among their lineage made up of
three villages of Uruoji,
Agbadani and Obeagu. As far as
I am concerned, that was a taboo.
That was where the problem of
Nri started and since then, Nri
kingship struggle had persisted.
“But we are saying that enough
is enough. Nobody is a slave in
Nri Kingdom and no village is
excluded from producing a king;
so, it could come from
Umuochogu in Obeagu village
or from Akamkpisi quarters.
“For record purposes, Uruofolo
is the oldest aborigine in Nri
kingdom and they are the
rightful owners of the town.
Therefore, the next king will
automatically come from Uruofolo
village. The village has the
Continues on Page 43