By: Ike Philip Abiagom
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]onflict is a universal phenomenon that is inevitable in human interaction. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two religions since the introduction of Christianity in Igbo land(southern Nigeria). It examines the nature, pattern, rationale for the conflicts. The method adopted by this study is qualitative and comparative. Both oral interviews and library materials were used. The study validates the following: There is occasional destruction of lives and property and demolition of the people’s artifacts and groves by Christians, and this has led to reduction in the sources of income of the people, and in the tourist sites available in most Igbo towns. It also led to syncretism in the people’s culture. Finally, it helped in refining some obnoxious beliefs and practices of the Igbo race.
As odd as it may sound to people who aren’t familiar with any other religion apart from Christianity or Islam, there are communities in Delta State that place Ogwugwu-Uja as their gods. An example of such communities where residents still regard Ogwugwu-Uja as one of their gods is Ibusa ,in Oshimili North local government area of Delta State. We have witnessed unprecedented mass murder, butchery, carnage and barbarity by well-armed and highly favoured ethnic militias coupled with genocide and unprecedented extra-judicial killings of non believers of Ogwugwu-Uja.
we have witnessed the total and complete dashing of the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the Nigerian people.Our government is corrupt, weak, paranoid, incompetent, cowardly, fearful of criticism, terrified of a strong opposition, unable to cope with dissent, insensitive, delusional, wicked, sociopathic and psychopathy. Worse still, they have attracted the opprobrium, contempt, derision and scorn of the entire international community and the derision of major corporate investors and multi-national corporations.
I pray that God intervenes soon and does something extraordinary because this accursed culture simply has to go.They have divided us along religious and ethnic lines more than any tradition in our entire history. They have come to spread poverty and distribute shame.They have sought to idolise our state, demean our faith, disgrace the Church and undermine our Christian leaders and clerics.They have brought us to our very knees, turned us into a nation of beggars and paupers and reduced us to cowardly and timid slaves.
They seek to break us, cause us to crawl, crush our spirits, torment our souls and compel us to accept a North Korean-style system of government with its cultic worship of a maximum ruler, who sees himself as a demi-god and deity that must be obeyed and worshipped by all.
The worship of deities and spirits, hierarchy in the cultural context of Ibusa, in Oshimili North Local Government of Delta State, south-South Nigeria. Ibusa, like any other traditional African society has no classical work or records about her religious practices.The worshiping of deities and spirits in Ibusa community has gotten to the climax that even the government cannot protect it citizens against this evil ancient traditional practice.
The government authority in Delta State of Nigeria has practically admitted the helplessness of the officers over the deity, Ogwugwu-Uja, a traditional practice in Ibusa of Oshimili North Local Government of Delta State whereby pre-teenage or teenage male children are ‘chosen’ to serve the Chief Priest as heir apparent to the traditional throne and the forceful circumcision of sisters of the Child Chief Priest.
The Chukwudi Dike case is said to be complicated by two factors. Firstly the child’s late grandfather was a member of the community traditional Ruling Council and by implication, one of the custodians of the age long practice. He is suspected to have given his tacit approval and suspected to regard the choice of his grandchildren as an honour. Having fallen out with his son, Elofu Ambrose Dike, the father of the children in question, he made overtures to the High Priest, Ohene, to soft-pedal on his family but was promptly abducted, extra-communicated from the community for two market weeks but released unharmed and placed under “house watch”. Secondly, Elofu Ambrose Dike and his wife , are known serious Christian believers. Indeed Mrs Dike is the President of the Catholic Women Organization (CWO)in a Isselle -Uku archdioceses who had announced in her inaugural speech that she is resolved to confront such practices against children and the girl child Priest. Her husband resisting the abduction of the child Chief Priest led to his torture and release to enable him produce the child for consummation of the traditional ritual. When he absconded and would not produce the child on the appointed date, a delegation was sent to his house,to fetch them dead or alive. The Dike’s are said to have escaped out of the country,with their only son Chukwudi Dike who ought to assume his position as the new annionted Ogwugwu-Uja Priest, possibly to the Canada, as all efforts to trace them have so far failed.
In a chat with 86 years old Chief priests of Ogwugwu-Uja shrine who identified himself as Priest Ngozi Okafor, he boasted that no amount of civilization can change that part of their culture; worshipping of Ogwugwu-Uja. “Several churches have come to deliver this community but have failed to stop the worship of Ogwugwu-Uja. I used to be a Christian before my father whom I inherited this job from died. I had to relocate to the village and learn the traditions of our people.
“If you mistakenly kill a Ogwugwu-Uja snake or fish , you will simply appease the gods or face the consequences. There was a particular case, the man called all kinds of pastors to pray for his family, at the end of the day he came to me and performed the sacrifice. It dawned on him that it was not a joke when his three kids died mysteriously.
“Several churches have been advised to stay away from that part of our religion. We welcome the fact that they have brought a lot of development in our area, but the fact remains that no one can force us to abandon what we believe in.”
To appease the gods, Okafor said:that the Ogwugwu-Uja shrine snake will surely locate Chukwudi Dike and his entire family members and will make them to come back to the Ogwugwu-Uja shrine for sacrifice. It is an honour to the Dike’s family that the gods of Ogwugwu-Uja shrine chose his only son as the next Chief priests of Ogwugwu-Uja shrine, just as the Christians rejoice when they spot an angel in their homes.
“One of my close relatives tried it. He came back from the city, and told me that he has just finished seven days fasting. To try the potency of his prayers, he said would kill as many Ogwugwu-Uja shrine pythons as he could lay his hands on. He actually went to the Ogwugwu-Uja shrine to find one. Today, my brother is dead and buried and no one can explain what happened to him.”
“It is a taboo for an indigene to reject the call of the gods and it carries a capital punishment and nobody can change our culture and tradition. It is highly forbidden in our community for indigenes or visitor kill or eat our river oboshi fish.
In Ibusa Community, Nigeria, people honour river oboshi fish so much that it is a taboo to harm or kill one. river oboshi fish are called azu oboshi, which literarily means ‘fish of great Ogwugwu-Uja shrine’. Ibusa people are known to gently entreat a oboshi fish or Python that has entered their house to come out, rather than try to kill it.
What happens if you decide to kill one to see what will happen? The gods will force you to accord the river oboshi fish or snake a befitting burial like that of human being. You will have to buy coffin, bags of rice, cow/goat, rent canopies and chairs, pay for local canon to be shot and other expenses. As long as there is breath in me great Ogwugwu-Uja shrine chief priest, no matter what, I will exercise my gods-given right of expression and I will fight the family of Dike and send evil to bring suffering, hardship, pain, shame and tears to them for refusing give their only son to worship the great Ogwugwu-Uja shrine.
He is the proverbial “darkness that seeks the darkness”. Yet, in the end, his own darkness will overwhelm him and the light and power of the Living God will bring him and his gods down to their knees and remove him from his exalted and dizzy heights.
Yet the beast remains as relentless as ever because, like satan, his time is short. It is no longer Ambrose Dike,his wife and members of his family alone that are being targeted anymore by the Ogwugwu-Uja shrine chief priest.
Such is the nature and way of Baal. He simply does not know when to stop. Like Pharaoh, his heart has been hardened unto destruction so that, at the end of the day, when nemesis catches up with him and his fellow idol worshippers, the name of the Lord will be glorified.
Like Nebuchadnezzar, he will be brought to his knees and he will crawl like a grass-eating beast in the forest until his eyes are opened and he acknowldges the majesty and awesome power of the Lord God of Hosts and the Ancient of Days.we are calling on Nigeria government to look into this traditional practice of some communities like Ibusa and put a stop to such evil act.
By: Ike Philip Abiagom
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