Chief Anayo Nwosu
Chief Anayo Nwosu
Our elders in Otolo would always
sing it into our ears that “Otolo ahọwụ eje Uruagu” and we believed them. They
would give us instances of dead Uruagu women married into our families, how
they came with deadly juju and nearly decimated our clan, but they never told
us about the good ones. That was how we in Otolo, especially those from
Ezeoguine Royal family grew up suspecting Uruagu and their people. I however
became inquisitive and was determined to ascertain or investigate the real
reason for that mutual suspicion between Otolo and Uruagu people. As I probed
and asked more questions, the reasons were not adding up. How can I understand
the “don’t go to Uruagu warning” when I have Uruagu blood running in my veins
as my grandmother, Agnes married to Enumah family in Okpunyo Nnewichi hailed
from Obi family in Okpunoeze Uruagu? But I did not have to wait for eternity to
find the answer.
I was to find out that the “Don’t
Intermarry with Uruagu” ban was premised on the animosity retained after a
protracted war between Otolo and Uruagu people which was also recorded in the
Ground Works of Nnewi History by John Okonkwo Alutu (in Pg. 111). That war was
termed “Ọnụọ Obili War” led by Eze Onyejemeni, an Otolo warrior, who was the
head of Nwakanwa family and later by his son, Eze Odumegwu. Please note that
Nwakanwa was the wife of Eze Oguine whose son Ekwegbalu aka Eze Enwe succeeded
his father as the next Ọnụọra or field marshal in Nnewi. Eze Enwe passed on his
warring traits to his son Eze Onyejemeni who led Otolo in the Ọnụobili war.
When he died his son, Eze Odumegwu (formerly called Nwosu Mgboli), another Ọnụọra,
took over the war and concluded it before 1903 when Major Moorehouse arrived
Nnewi to establish British colonial rule.
The purpose of the war was to
liberate Nnewichi from the strangulating war of occupation waged against them
by Ogbufo of Uruagu who forcefully seized and settled on a swathe of land
belonging to Nnewichi. Otolo warriors had to drive Uruagu from the occupied
Nnewichi settlement down to Ama Edo, Okwu Eze Mewi and the area bordering Nkwo
Nnewi Market. The recovered land was named Akabọ Ọnụọ Obili. Nnewichi was to
compensate Otolo with about 50 of acres of land. These land was shared amongst
Otolo families as tributes by Nnewichi. Eze Odumegwu used some portions of his
own share to relocate an Ọkanụ begotten by his sister married to a family in
Obiofia Abubor.
In 1946, the Catholic Mission
operating from Onitsha requested and leased 23 acres of the land to build
hospital, school, convent and a church from two Otolo families (namely:
Ezenwegbu and Ezeodumegwu) and the Obi of Abụbọ named Okeke Uduabagu. The
tenancy of this plot of land has been transferred to Nnewi Catholic Diocese as
well as the payment of rents and other obligations.
Ọnụọ Obili land covers parts of
St. Andrew’s Central School, Old Nkwo Edo and the land that passes through
Ufondu’s compound to Ukwu Ulasi terminating at Okwu Ana Nnewi. It crosses
Nnewi-Nnobi Road and goes beyond Maria Regina College and then runs west-wards
to Mbuli. This land is now inhabited by Abụbọ and Okpuno Nnewichi and a small
portion by Otolo.
According to Nnewi: United
Kingdom of Anaedo by Louis E. O Onukwu Pg. 36, Otolo went to war with Uruagu
for the following reasons:
1. To rescue Nnewichi from the
invasion of Uruagu
2. To secure its borders which
was dangerously close to the battlefield
3. To protect Ezi-Abụbọ Nnewichi
from where Uduji the mother of Eze Oguine came from.
This marital connection proved of
immense benefit to the Abụbọs in particular and Nnewichi in general during the
ensuing Uruagu-Nnewichi conflicts (Alutu P. 27). Alutu in his book (Alutu P.33
line 7) recorded that Eze Onyejemeni-led Otolo warriors fought so many wars
including helping Nnewichi recover its share of Nkwo Nnewi from Uruagu.
Umuezenwegbu family of Ezeoguine
was badly hit by the said war as it claimed the head of Eze Ewuzie, the the
first son of Ezenwegbu. He was killed by Abam mercenaries hired by Uruagu
during the Ọnụọ Obili war. So, even after the war had been fought, won and
lost, my extended family had yet to forgive Uruagu for the loss of their great
son who was father of Obimailo, Nwosu Ezeonwaneti, Mkparu, Anazodo, Anosike
etc.
It is noteworthy that a lot of
Uruagu families were also dislocated during Ọnụọ Obili war. It was the same war
that caused the mother of the paternal grandparents of one the most successful
businessmen from Nnewi, Chief (Dr) Cletus Ibeto to run back with her children
to her father’s people in Umuenem Otolo. They did not go back after the war.
We, in Otolo have noticed an initially tacit movement of our illustrious son
towards Uruagu but we are yet to be officially told. How can Otolo lose Ibeto
to Uruagu? Quite seriously, Dr Ibeto can claim both the citizenship of Okpunyo
Ebenato Uruagu as well as Obiofia Umuenem in Otolo. In Nnewi, a nwadiana or
sister’s child, has full rights or even more rights in his mother’s place than
his ndị nna ya ochie. So, Uruagu people rejoicing that they have regained
Otolo’s Ibeto and his brothers should know that ndi nna ochie can claim their
sister’s children not to talk of an illustrious one and a genius for that
matter.
Even as our elders were feeding
us with “Uruagu this and Uruagu that” in Otolo, some reasonable boys and girls
in Otolo and Uruagu are busy marrying themselves. In fact, one of the best
wives in my extended family is from Uruagu. Her name is Nwamaka. I have also
made great friends from Uruagu who are better than my blood brothers.
I enjoin the youths of Nnewi to
interrogate all those family or village restrictions that inhibit their social
or marital interactions. Those prejudices and preclusions may have been for
self-serving purposes of our fore-bearers.
No comments:
Post a Comment