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By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
Unenurhie community is a culturally rich community in Urhobo land with over five different cultural festivals being celebrated annually by the indigenes at different times of the year such as, Ohworhu, Ererivwin, Ohor, Idju, Ikenike etc. Amongst these rich cultural celebrations is Ohworhu cultural festival. The Ohworhu cultural festival is a masquerade dance festival which is usually celebrated around September of every year to honour the deity of Ohworhu, a water deity. Its celebration usually last for two or three weeks as the case may be with a lot of festivities and cultural grandeur.
However, the point we want to raise here is not to tell how the festival is celebrated by the people because as a cultural analyst, we have written much on its history, celebration and the importance of the cultural festival to the Unenurhie people. But on a very serious note, we want to talk about an important traditional chieftaincy institution that is almost fizzling away from the Ohworhu cultural dance. That is the Ohworhu traditional chiefs, called ‘Inugbedjor.’
Before now, the Inugbedjor were the recognized traditional chiefs in Unenurhie community. They constituted the Odion’Rode Council of Chiefs/Elders. The Odion’Rode Council of Chiefs/Elders was the highest traditional leadership organ of the Unenurhie people. It was like the Supreme Court in judicial matters in any country e.g Nigeria. The Odion’Rode Council of Chiefs/Elders was vested with the traditional duties of legislature, executive and the judiciary. And majority of its members were mainly these Inugbedjor and other selected elders from the designated eight streets that make up the entire community. The Odion’Rode palace then was a beehive of traditional activities ranging from community matters to individual or family matters.
However, before moving forward, let us discuss the truth about this cultural society. The Inugbedjor is a traditional society for noble men in the community. It’s for noble men because the traditional processes of acquiring the Unugbedjor traditional chieftaincy title are very cumbersome and expensive. First, the prospective member of this noble institution must be a responsible man in the community; a man that is legally married and have children. After this qualification, the would-be member must be financially independent because the process of entrance into the traditional society involves much money. Even after being initiated, the member must be ready to meet up financial demands of executing the cultural festival every year as a communal obligation or his personal obligations to friends, visitors and family members. This means, there must be enough food and drinks in the home of Unugbedjor all through the year. Secondly, the cultural society of the Inugbedjor is only opened to male children of the community. Women are never admitted into the group. The admission is also opened to both indigenes and non-indigenes of the community. The chief priest of Ohworhu is the recognized head of the Inugbedjor and it is rotational among members based on seniority status and not on age. The chief priest is the custodian of the Ohworhu cultural festival and the one in charge of its co-ordination.
In recent times, there is a downturn or change in the traditional settings of the community leadership. What we grew to meet in the community as youths was that, even though there were government recognized chiefs through the institution and gazette of the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom as the clan head, the Inugbedjor and such government recognized chiefs work hand in hand in the traditional leadership of the community. All of them were recognized members of the Odion’Rode Council of Chiefs/Elders. Secondly, the Inugbedjor were always accorded respect in cultural events and other social gatherings like marriage ceremonies as traditional chiefs, dressed with their full regalia in the community and anywhere in the world.
Unfortunately, the story has changed today. The Inugbedjor is now a dumped society of demons or irresponsible people in the community. What has gone wrong? First, the teaching and preaching of some Christians that participating in these cultural festivals is a sin and a gateway to destruction has adversely affected the participation of many of our youths in the cultural events and also reduced the membership strength of the Inugbedjor traditional group. As at now, there are only two or three members in the group. A road way to extinction.
Secondly, and more importantly, the non-acceptance of the Inugbedjor by the Ovie traditional institution as the clan head, mandated by the Delta state government to confer chieftaincy titles on deserved indigenes. To buttress this point, I won’t forget in a hurry when late His Highness, Charles D. Ogodo, a banished Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom in 2005 and 2006 tried to give recognition to these Inugbedjor as traditional chiefs in Unenurhie community and to also used them to form his traditional cabinet, all of us knew what happened to him in that year. In fact, it was one of those decisions that led him into exile. It was a case of insubordination to the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom masterminded by the same Unenurhie people. Blood for blood!
Conclusively, the purpose of writing this short discourse is to present this issue to the traditional institution of the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom whose traditional duties is to oversee Unenurhie community whether these respected Inugbedjor traditional society can be culturally absolve into the Evwreni traditional council of chiefs as it was the practice in those days. As a matter of fact, if drastic action is never taken now by the Ovie to look into this issue, we may succeed in losing this rich traditional society which formed part of our history and identity as a people. If these people can be accorded honour and respect as it were, it will definitely motivate young people in the community to join the group thereby paving the way for multiplicity and continuity.
Secondly, Christians in Unenurhie community and Urhobo in general should learn to preach repentance, forgiveness and salvation of souls as it’s the scriptural standard than to castigate people of other religions. Christians should know that Nigeria as a country is recognized by our constitution as a multi-religious nation. That means, we have different religions and as a Nigerian, you are free to practice any of them. You can’t convert anybody to your religion by castigating or abusing the person’s present religion. That is not the kind of conversion that was done by Jesus Christ or his disciples in the Bible. The people converted from their hearts based on convictions of changed negative characters and miraculous activities. Forcing somebody against his religious will is a kind of religious sabotage which the Hausa/Fulani jihadists are into today in every part of the country. I believe we Christians are strongly against them for this evil act. But why do we do the same to our fellow brothers and sisters here at home with the Bible because they are into other religions? Therefore, let the Unenurhie people protect the Inugbedjor traditional institution from total extinction.
Young Erhiurhoro; Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.