Society Gists

By: WALTERS ONYEISI UGOCHUKWU EZIASHI

My attention has been drawn to an article by one Felix S. Banye (?) captioned: DISTORTIONS AND ILLOGICAL THINKING: RESPONSE TO “IDUMUJE-UGBOKO KINGSHIP TUSSLE: OUR STORY, OUR CASE- WRITTEN BY WALTERS ONYEISI UGOCHUKWU EZIASHI (President-General – IUDU (2008 – 2012). Ordinarily, I would have not dignified Felix S. Banye (?) with a response as the article is as shallow, baseless, truly illogical and full of distortions like the writer. May I humbly ask: Who are the we you refer to in your introductory? Although I didn’t ask to get answer as am not expecting any, but suffice it to say that whoever is your we, singular or plural is and or are bundles of disappointment and disgrace to Idumuje-Ugboko and to humanity.

You will never know why I enjoy telling the world I was a President-General of Idumuje-Ugboko Development Union (IUDU) because of your myopic reasoning, envy and jealousy to everything done by someone else. I am proud to be associated with that office because under my watch as President-General of IUDU, I never compromised the development of Idumuje-Ugboko with selfish interest and myopic local politics/reasoning, anger and prejudice like some of you did and still does. I never allowed my personal interest to becloud the overall development of the people/community. I consider the well-being of the community before self. God used me to create a new face of Idumuje-Ugboko and under my watch Idumuje-Ugboko witnessed developmental Renaissance. I append it to remind some of you that I am a major stakeholder in that community as I have been to the mountain top and seen the promise land which we are still working on to get there irrespective of the anti-development of people like you who blow hot and cold at same time. You were once a President-General of IUDU, what forbids you from letting the world know you were. Is it because your tenure was acrimonious, debarred of structural/human development?

Mr. Felix S. Banye (?), you need not know my source or sources of information because you are not a member of the Umu-Nwoko Royal family neither are you of Umu-Omorhusi or Umu-Nkeze or have you also laid claim like some did especially to Nwoko name? I am not obliged to let you into my source(s) of information because you are the least qualified to be so informed. I wrote and still writes about the Nwoko lineage because I belong there and am proud to be, whether maternal or otherwise as your cabal always insinuate. I refer you to the Supreme Court of Nigeria Judgement in 2014 in the case of Ukeje v Ukeje and another of 2018 in Ordu v Elewa and particularly to Section 42(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

By the way who are you Mr. Felix S Banye? Are you a Nwoko, Omorhusi, Nkeze, Banye, Agwaibor or who? Where did you get your fabricated lies that you spew to the public? We have been at great loss trying to establish your family background. Are you from Ogbe-Ofu, Ogbe-Obi or Atuma? Because the name Banye that you bear as your surname is not your father, biological or customary. An advice for you Mr. Felix Sunday Banye (?), the next time you write about another man’s family, first tell us your own family, who you are in that family and the relationship you hold with the family you write about. You would have observed in all my writings, that I tell the public who I am and what I am in the family. This advice is important for you because the next time you don’t, you will leave us with no other option.

How dare you spew your childish tantrum that Nwabuokei was the last child of Nwoko away from Esuzor? Look at your logic Mr. Sunday Banye (?): You claimed because Williams was older than Nkanya therefore Ujomor married before him. Assuming but not conceding to your baseless and illogical argument, since when has it become a norm that childbirth is a determinant to who married first. In any event, let me educate you as you don’t know that Nwabuokei’s second wife Ibia, was inherited by Ujomor upon the death of Nwabuokei his senior brother? Let me inform you as am convinced you do not know that after the death of Nwabuokei, Ujomor one of his younger brothers inherited his second wife Ibia who bore for Ujomor two daughters, Sitemaife and Nwadehi. Sitemaife was the wife of Nwambuonwor from Idumuje-Unor and the mother of Onicha Nwambuonwor the popular footballer and artist of those days who now resides at Agbor in Delta State. Sitemaife grew old before she died and was buried at Uzebu Quarters, Ogbe-Obi, Idumuje-Ugboko. Nwadehi was the mother of late Diokpa Okeisa, one-time President of IUDU Lagos branch. At the death of Ujomor, Esuzor equally inherited Ibia as tradition permits and she bore him two sons, Nwokolo and Ezenwani. Nwokolo was the father of Late Alex Ikpontu Esuzor Nwoko and others while Prince Ezenwani Esuzor Nwoko was the father of Ambrose Udo Ezenwani and others. Please contradict my story. In Idumuje-Ugboko tradition does an elder brother inherit the wife of his junior brother? Well, it could be possible with people like you who are ready to circumvent any rule provided it pleases their inordinate desires not minding the consequences.

Who made you a birth registrar to know the birth date of Umu-Nwoko and their children particularly my biological grandfather Nkanya? Do you know I could sue you to court for misinformation and defamation of my parental lineage, thereby causing me psychological trauma and irreparable damages? For emphasis Nkanya’s first child was late Ogoli of Idumugo popularly called Ogoli Nwa-Nkanya who before her death was an Ada-Ebo many years ago and until her death was married to Late Abel Ikemefuna of Atuma who lived all his live at Ogbe-Ofu. You claimed Nkanya was born in 1903 right? May God forgive you for you know not what you do. Do you know late Jonathan Ukwu Osiba the first CMS Catchiest in 1902 when the Missionaries came back to Idumuje-Ugboko? He is from Ogbe-Ofu Village, Idumuje-Ugboko and her first daughter, Late Christiana Okpohobuogo Nwabuokei Nwoko Nee Ukwu-Osiba (my grandmother) was born that same year 1902. She grew up to become the wife of Jonathan Nkanya Nwabuokei Nwoko (my grandfather). Jonathan Nkanya Nwabuokei Nwoko was a son-in-law to Jonathan Ukwu Osiba. Are you telling the world that Nkanya’s wife was older than him by one year? For the records Nkanya was born in 1893. In 1951 he was appointed a member of the Olukumi Native Court, Idumuje-Unor. He died in 1969 at the age of 76yrs. Go back to the records Mr. Birth Registrar. Ekwumekwu movement started in 1883 and finally ended in 1914. Nwabuokei and few others were captured and taken first to Ogwashi-Uku before finally Calabar in late 1892. It was after their capture and the movement had temporary setback that the Ekwumekwu Movement relocated their operational base to the Aniochas. Go back to history and existing official records.

Your challenge on a government official document “The Intelligence Report of Idumuje clan 1937 by R.B. Karr” shows you can go any length to deceive the people provided your inordinate ambitions are achieved. What a shame!

Mr. Felix S Banye (?), when some years back you approached the Nwabuokeis to come forward and take over the Obiship of Idumuje-Ugboko because you found out the throne of Idumuje-Ugboko belongs to them as true descendants of Obi Nwoko I, first son Nwabuokei, in the principles of primogeniture, what was on your mind? Were you playing a double standard or was it because your cabal then had disagreement with you over your inconsistencies and loud mouth? Do you remember Obika Chukwuka (Omorhusi) who died a few years back and your story about how he showed and or gave you the letter from Justin Nkeze Omorhusi (Obi Omorhusi II) directing that they should change their name from Omorhusi to Nwoko? You forgot you told a member of my family how Obika told you that he left the Nigerian Police because of that change which he refused because they are not Nwoko but Omorhusi? You also claimed he told you that at demise of Obi Albert who was not supposed to be on the throne that there will be crisis because the real owners of the crown will come forth.  Were you drunk when you made that revelation to the Nwabuokei family? Recall that at demise of Obi Albert, you came to Crown Prince Solomon to appeal to him to come forward and take his fathers throne as you are ready to support him knowing it’s his family right. What happened to that promise Mr. Felix. I knew you were not hypnotized nor under any duress when you made the promise or was it because your cabal rejected you then that you went to him?

In paragraph 10, page 2 of your joinder posted on facebook on 27^th August, 2017, titled Re: Joinder: “Hidden Truth Revealed. The Whole Truth about Idumuje-Ugboko Kingship”, you said and I quote “…We have up to date, Obi Omorhusi I, Omorhusi II (later changed to Nwoko) and Obi Albert Nwoko III”. In 2020, just three years later, you changed your analysis and remembered there was an Obi Nwoko, Obi Amoje before your Omorhusi. At your age, one expects you should at least have the decency of consistency even in your fabricated falsehood, but no, you chose to be a disgrace to humanity by being consistently inconsistent. Are you bearing a generational curse?

Be it known to you that Umu-Nwoko never supported Omorhusi as Obi because he was not one. As a native doctor he was assigned with a duty of overseeing the palace as a guide not an Obi. So the question of support or opposition did not arise. Eze-Okwunye (Obi of Idumuje then) and Chief Priest Ba-Iyi Ime-Ogbe Ihu-Nmor (Onihe of Idumuje then) jointly gave Obi Nwoko I the traditional white chalk and authority of independence as king (crown) to rule independently over another settlement now called Idumuje-Ugboko.  Please Mr. Felix S. Banye (?) who crowned Omorhusi and Nkeze? You claimed that culture varies from town to town, right? Is it also your tradition that fifteen years after legitimate ascension to throne with a name, your Obi can change his name to another name e.g. Obi Omorhusi II changed to Obi Nwoko II? According to you it was from Izu-Ogbe on Ogbe-Obi main road that Nkeze left the people and while they were still at the meeting Nkeze’s death was announced. Which particular place on the main road and why did he leave them midway into the meeting? You also claimed Nkeze was supported by all as Obi, please can you tell the public what happened about a protest and colonial police arrest saga of Nkeze’s messengers because of the shutdown of the town market when Nkeze appointed Omu died in 1939. And also tell us why Late Prince Ezenwani Esuzor Nwoko and Late Diokpa Chukwujakwu Omezi organized a protest, held an Izu-Ani at Abuanor and prevented Nkeze from entering the palace.

Why did Nkeze changed his name from Obi Omorhusi II in 1942 to Obi Nwoko II bearing in mind that before 1927 he was Mr. Justin Nkeze Omorhusi and not Prince Nkeze Justin Nwoko?

I know for a sure you were not born as at 1897 that you quoted Nwoko died but you spoke authoritatively about events of the 1880s and early 1900s right? And you are advising me not to speak authoritatively because according to you, I was not born then. Who are you to determine my mother’s age? First determine your own age before another because am not too sure you know your age.

Finally, I want to say it again and again that Omorhusi was not Nwoko’s son neither was he a king in Idumuje-Ugboko. Secondly, be informed in case you don’t know that Umu-Ologbo is not a royal family granted that Umu-Nwoko are members of Umu-Ologbo family. The only Royal family who owns the throne of Idumuje-Ugboko are Umu-Nwoko which does not include Umu-Omorhusi as Omorhusi was not Nwoko’s biological son. Nwoko migrated from Idumuje-Unor and not Ashama or Ahama as you may choose to spell or pronounce. Therefore, Umu-Nwoko’s allegiance is to Idumuje and not Ashama or Ahama. Aside Idumuje, our immediate ancestral home, our first Progenitors were from Uzebu Quarters, Benin-City of the old Bini empire. Our forebears owed no allegiance to Ashama or Ahama neither do we their descendants. Our ancestors were not Umu-Ahama therefore we are not part of your Umu-Ahama and will never be.

WALTERS ONYEISI UGOCHUKWU EZIASHI

Grandson of Nkanya, the only son of Nwabuokei, the first son of Obi Nwoko I

 President-General (2008-2012)

IDUMUJE-UGBOKO DEVELOPMENT UNION (IUDU)