[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Ikwele of Ibuzor in Oshimili North Local Government Council of Delta State,His Eminence, High Chief Celestine Okafor, the 12th Ikwele of Ibusa. The Young and vibrant traditional Icon reflected on the revolutionary Obuzor System, as opposed to gerontocracy, which the community had known for centuries. As a Young and Proactive leading traditional icon in the history of Ikweleship in Ibusa, His Eminence, Celestine Okafor’s sterling leadership is a perfect blend of tradition and western modernism. He is happily married with wife and children.The Ibusa people see him as a traditionalist: The Ikwele is a symbol of unity and Peace. He is a peacemaker ,infact, he is a modern traditional Icon by extension, and also a philosopher.
We hold him in high esteem because we believe in terms of thought processes, vision that naturally he is the person who will direct and help us navigate through the challenges that may come our way. He is the custodian of lands matters within Ibusa .More significantly he ensures peace, harmony, unity and stability in the land.The present Ikwele of Ibusa is one that has carved a niche for himself, easily the most vibrant Ikwele ever in the history of Ibusa and that has been unquestionable in most of his actions and the directives he proclaims. It has also been clearly demonstrated in the positive reforms that he has carried out .It has also found expression in the peace, unity and harmony that exist among our people presently.
Ultimately it will be a beginning of the process in the history of Ibusa people, our traditional folklore, acknowledge and applaud heroes, so for us it is a beginning of a new dawn. Time has come for Ibusa people to acknowledge what is their own. Contrary to our historical past, if you do not eulogise great people we may be failing in one respect. We are not motivating our people to excel.we may have Ibusa sons and daughters that will distinguish themselves but might not be chiefs in Ibusa, but they may have done exceptionally well to be inducted to the Hall of Fame. Ikwele of Ibusa will be the first Ibusa son living or dead ever to be inducted into such Hall of Fame in our traditional history.
In this interview with Grassroots Publishers online, one of Africa cerebral minds shares his thoughts on various contemporary local and national issues like the revolutionary Obuzor System, as opposed to gerontocracy, which the community had known for centuries. And though there were pockets of opposition, he was determined to push through. He also talked on the state of the Ibusa town and the Delta State government neglect of the Ibusa town, youths empowerment, and the way forward. Excerpt:
As the 12th Ikwele of Ibusa, how would you describe your experience?
Ikwele is a traditional title which is hereditary and instituted to ensure that he gives approval to anybody interested in any traditional position in the town for any traditional title. In order words, if you are not certified with the judgement in a particular level of an administration, you cannot go to the next level of administration until you get to the highest point of traditional administration which is today the Obuzor -in- council.I ascended the throne seven years ago . I will describe my experience so far, as being very positive.
What is the Obuzor system all about?
The system came about because we ran the gerontocratic system, where the oldest man in the society automatically becomes king and is succeeded by the next oldest man. The Obuzor system came to replace this. It is a miniaturised state government because it is composed of all the components of Ib’uzor. These people constituted the government called Obuzor-in-Council, which is charged with the task of running the administration of this community on a day-to-day basis, thinking solely of the direction and policies of these communities. They coordinate and galvanise the effort of Ib’uzor people both at home and abroad to develop the communities.
Are you satisfied with the Obuzor system as it is today?
Yes,we have to move with time. There should be the Ib’uzor Wheel of Progress and the coordinator is the Obuzor. From now, whenever we have several opinions, we try to prioritise them by using this model. In a community like this, what we need to survive, is community contributions to various issues. We have to visualise a way of rendering account. We have now decided that every five years, there must be some sort of account, a report, and an audited account of how we have progressed so far. In five years, all the Okwulogbes will go back to their villages to seek for re-election. In their villages, they can either be re-elected or rejected. You can come back as many times as possible but must be going back for re-election after five years. People should assess your performance and if you did well, they will re-elect you. If, on the other hand, you didn’t perform well, they will reject you and appoint another person. This paves the way for new blood to be injected into the system.
We have also tried to show that there must be a flow of information. The Obuzor is the Chairman. A Diokpa heads each quarter. The Obuzor system has strengthened them by appointing a chief, who is like a Prime Minister to the Diokpa. The Prime Minister has an inner cabinet made up of 15 people. These people are the ears of the village. With 15 persons in each quarter, no household is too far away from their representative. So, they can always hear what is happening and be able to send back information. It is a two-way traffic. I can send messages down to the family, just as the family can send their message back to the table of the Obuzor. That again has been very helpful to us, as we can collect lots of information in two, three days.
The way we live, bury, marry and so on, has been very anachronistic for some time. We are trying to change some of them. For example, when somebody’s husband dies in those days, she would mourn for about 13 months, but now it takes only one month. All the burial ceremony must now be completed within one month. Both the interment and outing are now done in one day so that the young man doing the burial will not have to apply for leave twice in a month. we must commend His Royal Majesty , Obi. (
The present “Obuzor” is a human being like all of us and was a distinguished Professor, a retired lecturer and academics in the University of Ibadan. He is not infallible. He is prone to mistakes like us but that does not mean some of us should abandon him for one reason or the other. We clamoured and agitated for that institition to be established and we got it, we should all strive to make it work. There is therefore no doubt that what is happening in Ibusa today is a manifestation of the failure of some of the above named respected individuals to participate, tolerate, compromise, and respect a general consensus. We can also see that the youths in Ibusa have gone berserk because the elders are not setting good examples. Role models have become a scarce commodity. When some elders are busy secretly planning and executing disorder, what do we expect of the youths? If elders belong to secret societies, what moral justifications do such elders have to caution the youths against cultism? This seeming contradiction, which is a moral dilemma, is currently playing itself out not only in Ibusa but in the whole country.
What was the attraction for accepting to be the Ikwele of Ibusa?
Ikwele is a traditional title which is hereditary,For me, it was not a question of attraction, but that of service. It was a call to serve. If you are close to me, you will know that I am a child of circumstance. I try one way or another to build bridges. Whenever there is a gap, I provide a bridge. By the time I came here, I had done virtually everything with my power to showcase the Ikwele of Ibusa to the whole world and to support the Obuzor of Ibusa.
What can you say about this town called Ibusa?
Ibusa is a town blessed with so many natural resources and high profile personalities.A town known for peace, hardwork and harmony. Ibusa people are known with farming, hunting, and petty trading , It is unfortunate that in Ibusa, a town which is in the Delta state capital territory, there is no govt presence at all. The question that easily came to my mind was whether the town is really part of the so called Delta state capital territory. I could not believe that in the state, a particular ethnic stock, which seemed to have hijacked and literally ‘appropriated’ the state, would practice this type of discriminatory development against other ethnic groups.
In Ibusa, there is no single state Ministry located in it, yet the town is just about 7 km away from Asaba. There is a rising youth unemployment, which has allowed cultism (all of which are called Otu-nzuzu in Igbo) to gain firm root.Their members operate in a triangular fashion: Ibusa, Asaba and Okpanam. They harass and instil fear in people and occasionally, unleash bloody clashes. It is unfortunate that because of lack of jobs and skill acquisition centres, these youths have decided to seek comfort in cultic practices. They are also being recruited and used by politicians to cause confusion. Well, I must say I am highly disappointed with the administration of Sen. Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, the Executive Governor of our dear state, Delta state. We had high hope and were happy when he emerged as the governor of Delta state. The words in our mouth were like “Our own is on the throne; our Anioma son is there” but our hope was dashed when Gov. Okowa failed the Ibusa people. The Asaba-Achala-Ibusa Road that begins in Asaba, covering Achala and terminates in Ezukwu quarter of Ibusa is a very strategic road that connects Ibusa with Asaba, the state capital. It is so strategic that its reconstruction would have open up another end of Ibusa with Asaba and their is no single road constructed in Ibusa by this present government of Gov. Okowa in Ibusa or any other state government project in the town., Ibusa people are very disappointed with this present state government. I will not fail to appreciate our able Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, because he has attracted lots of roads to Ibusa town though NDDC projects and equally empowered our youths , so we must commend his efforts and want him to do more for his people.
What are your achievements so far?
Yes, you know that one of the biggest problem our people have is land dispute. Our youths who want to turn themselves to land barons ,this has triggered so many land dispute. But as a peacemaker, I have restored peace to my people. I have also ensured youths’ empowerment by seeking help from well-meaning sons and daughters of this wonderful town. At least, most of our youths are into various entrepreneurial jobs and are doing well in it. The dispute which has lingered between Achala and Ezukwu was brought to a halt immediately I came on board as the Ikwele of Ibusa .
What is your advice to the youths and message to your Ibusa people?
The Ibusa youths should disassociate themselves from social vices like cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery as they will bring dent to their names and that of their families. Ibusa youths should embrace peace and harmony amongst themselves and be very determined in whatever job they are into. Ibusa town need peace and unity to enable us take the town to the next level.I understand partly, the predicament of the Obuzor. He is the first to be so crowned by the people and given staff of office. He was chosen by the Ogbes, which made up the Otu Odogwu, to pioneer the new institution. He was supported by the other Ogbes that made up the Otu Uwolo and Otu Iyase. Therefore as the pioneer instrument of the much clamoured new change, he is not expected to cosy along easily. He is bound to encounter problems and these problems come in different shades. As a retired academic, the Obuzor should see problems as challenges. I believed that with time, Ibusa people will learn to adjust to the new system and perhaps in the future, re-define and tailor the Obuzor institution to their need.
The world is literally going bananas in different facets of technological development. We should not be seen to be consulting our dead ancestors while the white man is, any moment from now, preparing to start going on holidays to the moon. Any appointed Odogwu, Uwolo, and Iyase, should be well armed. They should be proactive and able to discern afar. For example, I expect the holders of such offices to be holding and organising seminars for our roaring youths; to be organising and inculcating self employment principles in them; to be submitting proposals on partnership by reaching out to the Local Government Council, other governmental agencies, the private sector, individuals and groups. The theme of these proposals should revolve around how to empower the youths, the dangerous effects of drugs and substance abuse, basic health education and security consciousness.This will help to cleanse the youths of their quest for quick money and “ego di na oshia” siege mentality.At present, Ibusa is under invasion by rampaging youths, cultism, kidnappers and some clueless native politicians; while the three war lords seemed to be doing nothing.These offices of the war lords should start transforming otherwise they would in the near future be rendered useless. In all, the onus does not lie on the Obuzor alone or on the war chiefs(Ikwele). No. It lies on all of us. There is the saying that if you cannot be a good follower, you can equally not be a good leader. Whether you reside in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Enugwu, Clabar or Abroad, we are all guilty of the probable mess Ibusa is turning into. The fact that one lives far away does not make one immune to the dangerous tendencies in Ibusa. Not to show an atom of concern is an admission of self guilt. I appeal once more that the town belongs to all us.We have no other place except Ibusa. Individuals should embark on soul searching to cleanse themselves of acrimony, hate, petty jealousy, and ego. What we need is peace, tolerance and respect.Thanks and God bless Ibusa.
By : Grassroots Publishers