Fellow Okolochians.

          

         OKOLOCHI AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY

                     EZESHIP STOOL! WHY THIS RIFTS!!

FELLOW OKOLOCHIANS,

 INTRODUCTION: - My names are Chukwuemeka George [d.th], son of Honorable Innocent Ahamefula Okere, illustrious son of Okolochi, foremost Super Counselor, Community leader and philanthropist etc. I recognize our immediate past Eze, His royal highness Eze F.I.N.O Nwabiri Ezeriohama 1 of the Okolochi Autonomous Community who joined his ancestors over a year ago, Let me also acknowledge my very good friend, great father, defender and mouth piece of the entire Okolochi people and the most indefectible fighter against injustice, Corruption and Misrule, Rt. Hon. Innocent Ahamefula Okere who also joined his ancestors some years back [May their gentle soul rest in perfect peace Amen!].

 My fellow citizens, we have come a long way, so it will only be proper for us to strive to do things right to prove that the labors of our noble heroes in the past on our behalf were not in vain. In the cause of finding a replacement for our late Eze several documents has been in circulation, worthy of mention is a purportedly written and submitted memorandum to the Imo state panel of inquiry on autonomous communities by our late Eze, and a draft constitution for Ezeship selection by the Okolochi community development union [Ocdu].  

Incidentally, these documents as expected have left trails of reactions and bad blood is being generated already.

History:- As said, it is difficult to accomplish anything  of real value in this life unless you have positive interaction and  relationships, also a person can only achieve their potential greatness through relationships with others. Putting these facts into perspective only supports this argument by social scholars that nearly everything we do can be done better if we team up with a coach [Mentor].

The questions herein are who is our coach [Mentor] or who supposed to be our coach and how or where do we locate them. Sincere answer to these probing questions will determine our seriousness of achieving our expected end because it is only in effective partnering with the coach [Mentor] or a coach [Mentor] that talent is recognized, developed and blended into effective use, just as the saying has it that “HE WHO KNOWS OTHERS IS WISE AND HE WHO KNOWS HIMSELF IS ENLIGHTENED”-lao tzo.  

What seems to be wrong in the documents of the OCDU and the purported Eze’s Memoranda is the lack of clear correlation between the two and our forefathers given tradition and culture, whereas this tradition and culture is the coach or Mentor in reference herein.

Okolochi as an Autonomous community has been in existence for over 500 years and surely do have a unique way of Managing/administering self but the two documents in mention herein are suggesting otherwise. The question is where has our tradition and culture gone to, what is the traditional role of ONYE ISHI ALA-head of the land, ONYE ISHI OTAMIRE high priest of the land, OHA NA IKORO-head of heads of our various ruling houses in council, NDE ISHI OWE-heads of compounds, NDI MGBONO-village medians, and NDE NWANWA etc. in the administration and management of the land and in the making of a new Eze, at what point do we draw the curtain for another to open. The process of selecting  a new Eze will determine the kind of respect it deserve so the process should be sacred enough to create such feeling as we may wish it to remain both in the mind of the people and in their sight and in the sight of GOD. Anything near or about to go the popular Morris Iwu/ Professor Jega political way of doing will only create bad blood and instability in the community.

The two committees that dropped the herein mentioned documents failed to understand or where out rightly not well briefed about what the duty of a transactional and not transitional committee is expected to do if not to work through creating and adopting clear structures, that will be clearly enough in line with what is obtainable aforetime.

Even if what the two committees were given to actualize as term of references was to completely jettison our existing way of doing things traditionally, it should not have been the way they went about it.  Installation of a number one citizen traditionally anywhere around the world can never and will never be the business of all and sundry.

OUR NOW CHALLENGE: - As true children of Okolochi, we must listen to the voice of our fore -fathers, make amend in some cases and adopt in some other cases hook, line and sinker. By this I mean that we must settle all outstanding issues that bother on our tradition and culture, Bible standard is that we removed one Clooney of spirit and replaced it with another or else the former will regroup and return much more in their numbers than they were initially. We want to redefined or redirect or reassign properly the role or duties of ONYE ISHI ALA which recently I leant has been dangerously tampered even without due consent of the OHA-NA-EZE  Okolochi , ONYE ISHI OTAMIRI which we already know that the custodian in the person of Ndaa- Ogo-oma is long gone to meet with his ancestors, we want to see to the stability of the oha na ikoro given the important role they play or will have to play in Ezeship installation, we want to specify the role of Okolochi community development union[Ocdu] including membership status, we want to stabilize the youth giving the fact that they represent our true image both in the inside and on the outside.

This is what should dominate our 2016 conference unless if otherwise, someone or some people really do have some personal or hidden agenda[s] that is aimed at massaging their personal ego for self-aggrandizement, even our late Eze; His Royal Highness Eze F.I.N.O Nwaberi-the Eze ri oha nma 1 of Okolochi Autonomous community- Owerri West Charged me on oath sealed with prayers with my knees on ground in the presence of Pastor Emma who is a youth leader in Umuejimola  [Otaabli] and the Primate of Sabbath mission Okolochi in reference to Apostle Charles Obichere to go get Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai of the Assembles of Gods Church to liberate Okolochi as according to him without a well doctored spiritual rebirth in the land nothing will move forward then and in the time to come and is evident that his prophesy is already a reality giving the kind of drum we are now beating.

Incidentally nobody seems to care about this all important observation raised by our great visionary leader. By our traditional hierarchy EZE is number one followed by Onye ishi ala and then Onye Ishi Otamiri-the high priest of the land whose office is highly exalted and Revered by all including the Office of the Eze.[The administration of the land revolves partially around these three] follow by Oha-na –Ikoro, Titled men like Chiefs/Nze’s, Ocdu and the youth. So one begins to wonder how and why somebody or group[s] will want to allow themselves to be used to brutally bastardy’s our noble fore fathers given way of administering our land.

A people’s way of life speaks for them, and a people’s way of life is not just there meaning that it is as the people have made it. We must define our game before inviting players in. Are we are transforming, reforming or creating a new complete order; this is what Ocdu and Eze’s purported document is not clear about whereas what the Eze told me in witness is a new paradigm shift in the order of Jesus Christ. If we claim ignorant of existing facts we risk being consumed by the strength of its consequences.   

According to history the name Okolochi is derived from the names of our foremost father and son of the town, namely Ochi and Okolo. Whereas Ochi begat Okolo it became as given unto the son to bore his father’s name as a mark of distinction and identification ,there after Okolo the son of ochi begat Echekwuru, Oyoko, Iwuala, Chieze, Ejimola  and the expansion continues and continued but something as important as the name came up which is character personification and preservation.

 Ochi had reasoned and thought it over and over how they could document or preserve their personality/ threat for the knowledge and understanding of their generations [you and me] to come even in the face of total lack or inadequate storage facilities like motion and still image converters.

This idea gave rise to the choice of picking any animal or reptile likened to their character content or behavioral tendencies and dwelling amongst them and most likely not easily extent over time and two types of Snakes were chosen namely EKE i.e.

Python and BLACK VIPER i.e. EJU, the reason being for the known fact that snakes has been proven over time to be one of the longest living creatures in history.

While EKE represented the character personification of the father, Eju represented the youthful tendencies of the son.  As result of this, every okolochi indigene revered EKE, and considers any or group who kills it as enemy of the entire kingdom. The appearance of EJU at any particular point in time may be considered as an abrasion, a sign of a strong man passing on or strong thing to happen or that had taken place.

On the other hand the appearance of EKE in any of the family members of Okolochi’s home or in a strategic places like market places, multi-purpose houses etc calls for spiritual enquiry as it is seen  and perceived as the father having some things to say for or against at that material time, however the Christians community considers this value and practice as  idol worship and wherein the custodians as of today lacked

in-depth knowledge and story line of what the practice is all about, had given more sure support to the opposite augment wherefore worshiping these reptile theory dominates and out weighs its original place in history. [Story lifted from the book “Can this Generation face GOD” by Apostle Dr. Chukwuemeka George d.th].

We need to as a people rediscover ourselves and this can only work out if we shun greed and unpatriotic acts by calling a spade a spade and not some kind of agricultural instrument. Those who believe that Ezeship stool is exceptionally for the haves must do a rethink because our late Eze was not rich at the time of his selection but would have passed as one of the richest within save his faith and style of leadership, My bible tells me that money is a defense as well as wisdom and King Solomon had both of them and in fact he had wisdom before money so we can now see that money as a criteria for Ezeship stool may back fire and everybody suffers it and GOD forbids. Our Eze to be maybe rich, average or poor but has those qualities Okolochians believe that as of  today those qualities are what they needed to pursue their destiny purpose as a people and of cause wealth & riches will naturally join in its time.

My solemn advice is that we slowed down and adopt the pain of discipline other than the pain of sorrow. Spending some good years/money/time/materials and even human resources in the court of arbitration and spending some one year in preparation to sail into our new Okolochi with her brand new Eze [IHU OCHI], brand new onye-ishi ala [OKE OSISI OCHI], brand new, Onye-Isi ntu aja [EBUBE OCHI], and others would be worth waiting for and a delight to behold. All sensitive court cases should be withdrawn unconditionally; all very sensitive traditional institutions should be seen to be in place and working.

Am sure GODs willing if we use the incoming 2017 to fix our Okolochi, the first quarter of 2018 would be good to go for the EZE selection and coronation, What must be must goanna be for as long as GOD Liveth! The two main stream parties in this Ezeship struggle i.e. The OCDU and The remnant of the immediate past Eze’s Cabinet and their timing supporters must shift their sword, come to the round table and embrace peace, knowing fully well that statutorily it is not in their places and has never been anywhere in Igbo land that they played such role on individual capacity to achieve the enthronement of an Eze in council.

No one should mistake the quietness of EKE and the fierceness of EJU as signs of weakness or rascality. Let us join hands together to chase away the hawk and blame the loitering Chicken later. The Almighty GOD of OCHI will not spear any or group who decides to hold her people to ransom, let us be careful and be warned as well!

Long live great sons and daughters of Ochi!

Long live our great heroes in the ages past!!

And long live great compatriots of the now!!!

Cc. All Churches in Okolochi.

All Okolochi Women org. home & abroad.

All Okolochi Leaders of thought home and abroad.

The body and the leadership- Ocdu- home &Abroad.

The body and the leadership- Oha na Ikoro Okolochi.

Okolochi Youth leadership and body-home and Abroad.

Umu-ngbuno okolochi Married/yet to marry/Umu-nwa-nwa.

All Okolochi Chiefs and Nde Nze’s home and abroud.

               A2016/decemberaposledrchukwuemekageorgewrite.