The Ijele does not ask the big and small masquerades to leave the Village Square when it wants to enter. They have to. They are not the Ijele. They are masquerades and that is the essential difference. The Ijele must take pre-eminence as a matter of course. And, mind you, there is no question of arrogance or preposterous self-inflation here. It is the nature of the Ijele to live thus. So do not expect that it will acknowledge the cheer and applause of the crowd, no. Do not expect that it will thank anyone for getting out of the way as it approaches. Absurd! There is no contemptuous air of superiority on display here no. It is just the natural majesty conferred on the Ijele by its very identity, as well as the triumph of the Aristocratic Principle of Nature.
The Ijele’s majesty is inherent in, and internal, to it. What can you give to the Ijele? How will you even approach it in order to bestow anything on it? Who are you to enter the square while it walks the square? Please note this: there are masquerades and then there is the Ijele! In the affairs of his people, and as it pertains to the everyday values of leadership and desire for group cohesion, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu towered above many of the platforms he presided over throughout his life. He had his human failings but he was a man among men. But back to masquerades in Igboland.
The masquerades serve many social purposes in traditional Igbo society and are often the audio-visual aids used by society to embody several key core, moral and cultural values. The Agbogho nmanwu, for instance, is the physical embodiment of the most graceful maidenly beauty. Dainty, beautiful, calm and exquisitely womanly in every sense of the word, its form and dance steps may be called a living admonition for any woman who tends towards any form of brashness. The Ulaga, Oji onu and a few others are the entertainment masquerades; while Agaba, Okwonma, Ike Udo represent uncontrolled manly strength and youthful rascality respectively. Onuku (the fool) represents degenerate manhood and is so degenerate in appearance that every pregnant woman would do anything to avoid sighting or being reminded of this masquerade throughout the period of pregnancy. It is only Onuku that fights with women, or enters the village square from obscure corners and sneaks up to unsuspecting women to take liberties with some parts of their anatomy. Yes masquerades have great moral, epistemological, educational and political values in Igboland.
But the Ijele is royalty embodied! That is why it is laden with choices gem on the few occasions it comes out. A yearly appearance for the Ijele is out of the question, because royalty is never part of the evening and morning market rush. And it is within this context of the Ijele that we must locate the title of Ezeigbo Gburugburu given to Ojukwu, Dikedioranma Ndigbo, Ikemba Nnewi. Ezeigbo is not the same as Eze Ndigbo. The latter refers to one who exercises some authority of convening and cultural adjudication among Igbos living within a given physical space. Such a person is Eze Ndigbo, or king/leader of those specific Igbos. Ezeigbo (not eze ndi Igbo), on the other hand, literally means “His Igboness”: One in whom the Igbo essence is most clearly and meaningfully embodied and who ‘bodies it forth’ without apologies, without reservations and without being afraid of his own voice!
Can this be said of the late Ikemba? But of course! It is common knowledge that the man exemplified some of the best and the worst qualities of the Igbo man. Industry, courage, artless candour and a bluntness that sometimes makes others look for a fire extinguisher. Ikemba lived for equity and had the unfortunate distinction of always speaking up when he could have kept quiet and surreptitiously enjoyed a materially and professionally rewarding personal and family life. Valentine Obienyem in his book, Ojukwu: The Last Patriot, described him as the only man left standing when officers of the Nigerian army resolved to ignore the codes of their own very profession. It would be recalled that the Ikemba had argued, after the second military mutiny of 1966, that the reasonable thing was to allow Ogundipe, the most senior officer, to take command because, it will “destroy esprit the corps and spell doom for discipline in the army once an officer is allowed to command his superiors” outside such clear ceremonial contexts as ‘parade majors’ etc.
But this is more of an occasion to speak on Igbo matters, than dwell on the well documented life of Ikemba and add to the epidemic of tributes that have been flowing for months now. The take-off for this is perhaps to clarify the circumstance and cultural validity of the title of Ezeigbo conferred on him. At the time he received the title, not many people of the younger generation knew much about the tradition rites and priesthoods of the Igbo. This led to the laughable suggestion that he had been given a title by ‘palace servants’. Tattooing, divination, cleansing of abomination and many other ‘religious practices in Igboland came from Nri – with few exceptions. The people and particularly their priests (Adamas), are “adjudicators of disputes, cleansers of abominations, and conferrers of very high titles all over Igboland”. They are absolutely indispensable for many rites and rituals and the coronation of kings.
The ontological status of the Adamas is such that they are the ones who traditionally perform all rituals and who keep custody of sacred objects associated with the office of Eze-Nri. In addition they have access to the Uno-Ngu (the most sacred inner chamber), which is the sanctuary or abode of the symbol of authority and justice (Ofor-na-Alor) of Eze-Nri. This is quite apart from the fact that the Adamas have been historically associated with office of high priests in Igboland; including their crowning of the first Eze-Nri, Eze-Nri Namoke, in 600 B.C.
It is the Adamas who control all the stages and processes leading up to a person being crowned Eze-Nri, once such a person is chosen. They are also the ones who perform the actual coronation, through the head titled man, Isi-Nze of Adama. It is the Isi-Nze of Umudiani who would ordinarily place the crown, made of cow hide and encircled with eagle feathers on his head, bring Ofor-Nri and Alor-Nri Menri from the palace of the previous king and hand it to the new one as symbol of authority. It is also the Adama who enumerates all the taboos the king should observe, as well as those to be observed on his behalf by others and the people at large. But enough of all that.
Ikemba, son of Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu and husband of Bianca, a woman whose cerebral excellence is little known except by those who encounter her in her analytical words and thoughts, adieu! As the tributes and ceremonies flow in and around remember that even though you can be said to have lived for others, you must now live for yourself by looking up to God, the Giver of Life. There is rejoicing that you lived here but we pray for the greater joy that follow your entrance into His kingdom of Justice and Love.
May you become “Ikuku ama na onya” for anything that wants to stand on your way in this regard.
Article by..............Dr. Ikechukwu, Chairman of the Publicity
Committee for the burial of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
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