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By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
The Igbe Orhe Ofuafo Oghene Healing Home in Unenurhie town, Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, founded by His Grace, late Uku Sunday Efedudu, in 1976 and presently headed by his heir apparent, His Highness, Uku Simon Efedudu, aka Ugo 1 ended its annual Igbe festival with prayers against the further spread of the deadly global epidemic of coronavirus in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
The annual Igbe convention, which lasted for a week at the holy temple, began with an all-night dance with different Igbe adherents from all over Nigeria in attendance. The second day of the week long religious celebration was the entrance to the community by the Uku and all his followers in a dancing troupe to cleanse the land of all evils and offered prayers for peace and abundant blessings to the people of the community.
The third day was billed for the founder’s day/ancestral worship with Urhobo special oil soup (Oghwo-Evwri) to thank the spiritual fathers. Whereas, the remaining days were used for different religious activities ranging from annual thanksgiving, pep talk, special prayers and anointing service.
Addressing newsmen during the second day of the religious feast, the Uku in charge, Uku Simon Efedudu said, “The Igbe religion is the core African religion and it was founded here in the land of Urhobo by Prophet Ubiesha Etarakpo from Kokori Inland.
“Many Christians today castigate us that we are worshipping idols. But they are being pushed by sheer ignorance to cause a kind of religious crisis in this country. We have the freedom of worship and association in the Nigerian Constitution. We need to respect other people’s rights. We as Igbe worshippers, we believe in life after death, and the eternity of the soul or spirit. Our common uniform is white colour. This symbolizes purity and holiness and we use the holy chalk as the spiritual tool to carry out all our holy services.
“This festival is celebrated annually. It’s a religious event to show our thanksgiving to Orise, the Almighty God. It’s an avenue to ask for more from God. We learn more from God in this period through his prophets, prophetesses and other Igbe religious teachers. It’s a period we renew our relationship with God and our forebears in holiness and purity of hearts. God is omniscient. We do a lot of spiritual activities all through the period of the feast. Let me at this time thank all my invited fellow Igbe members, community leaders from different communities and friends of the religion that celebrated the feast with us. May Orise bless all of you,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, the Oyiko of the Igbe group, Mr. James Amuke, thanked God for his abundant blessings upon his children this year and the successful celebration of a hitch-free feast.
“Let me send this message across to all people in respective of religion or tribe. Igbe is the original and truthful religion of the African people. God can solve all your problems here. Don’t be deceived, come and join us today,” Amuke said.
The secretary of the religion, Olori Charles Sunday, said this of the Igbe religion and the festival, “As a practicing Rosicrucian, I came to understand that the Igbe religion is an undefiled religion from God to communicate his mind and thoughts to man through the use of the holy chalk which is the real dust God created man with. The holy chalk we use here is the image of God in man manifested through Ubiesha. The Igbe festival is a spiritual convocation of purified hearts through the confession of our sins,” the PTI graduate said.
The religious festival ended with a strong prayer against the further spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
