Following claims by Eze- Darah 16th of Ihiala Community in Anambra State, Sir Tobias Odimegwu Nwadialor, that his forefather was the founder and progenitor of the present Ihiala, the Traditional Prime Minister of Ihiala, Ogbuagu Vin Ezeaka, has warned against taking the people back to ancient history, advising that the focus should be on how to develop the area.
Dara Nwadialor had, in an interview, claimed that Eze-D’arah 1st migrated from Benin Kingdom more than 2000 years ago and settled at Ihiala for years before receiving nine others who migrated from various places and joined him to form the 10 villages in Ihiala.
He also claimed that Igwe Oluoha, who is recognized by the Anambra State government, is not the traditional ruler of Ihiala, but only Eze Amamu, a village in the area, stressing that the best way to have peace in Ihiala is to allow him (Nwadialor) to occupy his rightful position.
Reacting on Eze Dara’s claims, the next in rank in Ihiala Royal Cabinet, Ogbuagu Vin Ezeaka, refered Nwadialor to the Eastern Nigeria government’s commission of inquiry on the origin and founding of Ihiala, known as Smith’s Commission of Inquiry on Ihiala 1962.
According to him, the question of the history and origin of the component parts of Ihiala has long been settled by that report, recalling that the elders (Okparas) of the different sections of Ihiala appeared before the commission of inquiry, made their submissions, accepted the report of the commission of inquiry and signed the traditional document( constitution) that was borne out of the report of the inquiry. The report was meant for the peaceful existence and administration of Ihiala as a community.
Ezeaka, who is the Chairman of the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission said: “Any person seeking relevance out of, maybe, idleness, to try to draw Ihiala back to the years of cultural/ traditional crisis is doing a disservice to the community. The problem of Ihiala for the moment is no longer who settled first and who came later. The need to develop our community and catch up with modernity the way our contemporaries have done.
“We should look more towards how to come together to make rules and regulations for the development of Ihiala. Think of it , if a man has the resources to build a 5 -kilometer road for his community, but in the community, you excluded his father from certain rights and privileges, and you are also discriminating against him, how do you think he will willingly assist in developing that community?.
“People like Ichie Tobias Nwadialor should stop taking us back to ancient claims of arrivals and settlements in Ihiala. Other villages will soon come up with their own super history. This community called Ihiala has existed in this environment for over one thousand years .
“Since then, there has been no written history except the efforts of oral tradition and the 1962 commission of inquiry. Anybody who was not alive by 1556 or thereabout, or who did not discuss directly with anyone who was alive then, is giving us folk tale where the tortoise invited the elephant to a wedding ceremony.
“Let’s focus on what can unite us and develop Ihiala. Ihiala is fast sliding, and let us wake up.
I’m all for the creation of more communities out of Ihiala for development purposes only, but we must wait to get the nod of the government. The fight for self-determination is a continuous one and is not limited to the national level. Chief, hold your history and let us come together to develop Ihiala”.
Also reacting, a member of the Oluoha in – council, Ogbuehi Agbakazobi Emmanuel Obidiaso of Ihite Ihiala, said although these things happened over 600 years ago, the facts are still there.
According to him, Dara , in the interview granted by Data, he omitted the Ihiala Central deity, which is Urasi Umuduru , which is what Dara gave to Umuduru Ngum as a reward for defending him in a war.
He said that it is not in doubt that Dara is the first among the 10 villages in Ihiala, but Duru fought for him because he was facing some problems from his neighbours.
Ogbuehi Obidiaso said: “Dara came from Benin, quite alright, while Duru hailed from Mbosi in the present Ihiala local government area. Duru was a professional hunter and that was what took him to his present location in Umuduru Ihiala.
“It was Dim, who was one of the early settlers in the area, that introduced him to Dara. Of the 10 villages, five are located downtown, while the other five are upland. The people Duru fought on behalf of Dara were Amaja Mputu which were not part of Ihiala.
“After the battle, Dara gave Duru a deity called Urasi, which has remained the Ihiala Central Deity. There are other deities in the various villages , but Urasi became a central deity because it connects the 10 villages in Ihiala.”
He faulted Dara Nwadialor on his position concerning the Igweship of Ihiala, stating that the entire Ihiala agreed that the name of their traditional ruler should be Oluoha and he is the only recognized traditional ruler in Ihiala.
“The person that gave him the crown was Dara, but there are other Ogbuehi,’s of which I am one. and they work with Oluoha. It’s not every village in Ihiala that produces Ogbuehi because out of the ten villages, there are only six Ogbuhi’s.
“Duru has certain conditions which every Oluoha must fulfill during coronation. Among the requirements are one cow, two goats( one black one white), a cork, a baby chicken , white and red cloths, which will be tied to the deity, nine kolanuts and nine hot drinks. The black goat is to appease the gods of Urasi. Dara also gets one cow during the coronation.
“According to the Ihiala law, Oluoha is the Ogbuehi of Amamu and he is the first among equals. That is why there’s no other Ogbuehi for that village. All the Ogbuehi’s, including the Oluoha, wear the came crown up till today. But Oluoha remains the crown head of Ihiala. It’s not contestable. Oluoha rotates only among the kindreds of Dioha and the other nine villages do not participate in the contest whenever there’s a vacancy.
“I don’t know why Eze Dara is taking this position, but there is an Ogbuehi representing Umudara, his village, in Oluoha’s cabinet”, he stated.
CAPTION: Ogbuehi Agbakazobi Emmanuel Obidiaso of Umuduru Ngum Ihite Ihiala
