…Ihima, a town of three Obobanyis
By YJ Itopa.
Obe Obanyi(widely produced and spelt as Obobanyi) literally means a great hunter. In the distant past when hunting was done with with simple hunting implement, it was regarded as a great feat for a hunter to dare enter the forest and grassland to kill a stocky and large mammal like a biston (Buffalo).
Upon return from hunting such hunter would be appreciated with special salutation epithet like obe obanyi which means he was not a kind of hunter who entered the forest only to return home with partridges or Weaver birds.
In the course of time, the respected oboba nyi greeting became a title. The Ohueta clan of Ihima had such hunters whose feat eminently qualified them to take the title of Obobanyi of Ohueta.
According to the clan historians, none of any Obobanyis of Ohueta has ever sat on any throne other than the Obobanyi.
The clan had dismissed with a wave of hand any perceived ill feelings as to why they had applied to Okehi Area Traditional Council for the title of Obobanyi for the clan. That was the brief history of how the Obobanyi stool evolved.
Ohueta clan coronated a new Obobanyi.
After the death of a reigning Obobanyi, as tradition demands, the clan would wait until after a year before a new Obobanyi is installed. However the tradition is not rigid on the timing because certain circumstance can influence it.
Republican like the other Ihima clans, Ohueta has order in which the stool is mounted.The people rotate the stool among the sub clans that constitute Ohueta clan of Ihima.
The four sub clan are Ezi Obe, Ezi Ogun, Ezi Adesi and Ezi Adobe. For ease of administration and recognition each of the sub clans is sub divided into Ohueje.The arrangement is to ultimately satisfy the classless consciousness of the people. It also encourages a sense of belonging.
Using rotation principle, Ezi Adobe who is the youngest of the sons of Ohueta was the next in line to sit on the stool of their progenitor.
Now Adobe would rotate it to ohueje whose turn it was to feel the vacant stool. In the case of the current installation, ohueje ozoku which is the most senior ohueje was asked to produce candidate for the vacant stool. Other Ohueje in Adobe sub clan are Itutu Eba and Ezi Adorere.
After scaling through selection hurdles, the Obobanyi-designate would be distinguished by wearing a kind of neck ring fashioned out of the back of palm frond or fern called ‘nyanka’.The would-be Obobanyi will wear the nyanka for three months. This time he is no longer an ordinary person.
Thirteen days before the royal ceremony, a stone stool long turned up side down will be turned over.The ritual was meant to show that the clan is ready to enthrone a new monarch. This very moment, all the coronation relics of Ohueta clan would be moved to the house of Obobanyi designate.
One painful aspect of the Royal position is that the monarch is no longer permitted to see his mother. Asked to bare his mind, the newly crowned Obobanyi, HRH Omonori Suberu agreed that it is not easy for man not to set his eyes on his mother that is still alive. But he quickly said that he had since abode by the dictates of the tradition as the Obobanyi.
Ebira is not a typically patriarchal in its make up. When an Obobanyi is being installed the role of the mother is recognised. The Obobanyi designate will carry kola nuts to mother’s kinsmen for prayers.
Seven days to the occasion he would return with ram for more blessings. In the past the ‘omenyi’, the kinsmen of one’s mother would barb his hair. This practice is no longer religiously adhered to. The best they can do is to cut clump of hair from the nape and the forelock just to get them involved in the ceremony.
In the case of Obobanyi Omonori whose mother is from Emani clan, he necessarily skipped the hair scrapping and prayer ram presentation due to no fault of his.
On the Coronation Day
It was Saturday, September 16th, 2017 at Ohueta Ihima when Ohueta clan also known as Eziogu Ihima, with well wishers from within and outside Ihima trooped out in a great procession, snaking through many streets in Ihima, with a masquerade called ‘Anayire’ leading the installation carnival.
Chief Omonori the Obobanyi designate at this moment is assumed to have got lost or disappeared and the festive crowd has the mandate to find him. Anayire masquerade which is believed to have the knowledge of life and death, will lead the fanfare to find the ‘lost’ Obobanyi designate.
As the effort to find him intensified, the people who had searched many other houses of the clan members are now at Ojo the capenter’s house at Ichamete.
Here a masquerade costumed in immaculate white will appeare in the front of ojo ‘s house to signal to Anayire that the Obobanyi designate could be found there. By coronation law, Anayire will not enter Ojo’s house straight away. For seven times he must go round the building before he would enter to find the prize.
Anayire would later appear with the much sought Obobanyi designate. Uproarious applause heralded his appearance. He has appeared in white abada. Four different masquerades will accompany him to the arena. They are Ekuoba, Anayire, Ekububa and Akatapa.
The installation performance is at the front of the house of the would-be Obobanyi’s house, lchamete in Ikuehi. He now stands under a conopy located at the centre of the venue. It was like a big circle planned to allow the people in festive mood to have a full glimpse of coronation performance.
He will go round the stool for seven times. His akatapa will guide him in this royal ritual. In each circle ,the feminine masquerade will touch the edge of the stool. Chief Omonori who is few inches away from becoming the Obobanyi Ohueta clan of Ihima will also step his left foot on the stool like his guide.The circling of the stool is seven times.
At this moment the Onyeiza, the clan sister comes to ululate. Other women quickly echo it as a way of endorsing the ceremony.
Upon completion of the stool circling, Chief Omonori radiantly sat on the stool of his forefathers. The moment he did, the carnival procession and the guests which comprise a number of monarchs from all over Ebira land accorded the newly crowned royal father ecstatic salutations.
Now, there is kola nut breaking rituals which took a while because its breaker must pay homage to God, the ancestors and other stakeholders in Ebira cosmic system, the crowning and presentation of ‘Aja'(crown) and ‘Omu’ (Buffalo’s tail) to Obobanyi climaxed the occasion.
‘Aja’ is a charmed red cap with rings of shiny cowries with feathers hoisted in it denoting dignity, authority, distinction and success while ‘Omu’ is the tail of the Buffalo the Ohueta progenitor was said to have killed while hunting.
After the installation act, His Royal Highness, Chief Omonori Aliu Suberu, the Obobanyi of Ohueta paid homage to a retinue of royal fathers from across Ebira land even as his kinsmen and circle of friends took turn to pay their respect to him.
While the ceremony was on, Chief lsaac Jegede who was privileged to be the Chairman of the Ihima King Makers Council, an illustrious son of Ohueta spoke on why his clan, (Ohueta clan) from time immemorial, had chosen the title of Obobanyi and not any other title.
His address
First and foremost, I want to express our unreserved gratitude to Almighty God for making this occasion a huge success. It is God who won this battle for us because many did not think it will happen this way. We went through thick and thin before we got what rightly belongs to us. Our forefathers had taken Obobanyi title. I grew up to meet it so. It is a taboo for someone to attempt to rename our child when we are don’t deserve such impudence. The title of Ohueta clan head has always been Obobanyi.
The title of Obobanyi means a great hunter. If you kill a buffalo, it qualifies you. Our forefathers killed three buffaloes on three different occasions. Three clans in Ihima take Obobanyi title.
There is Obobanyi of Emani clan where the needless contention comes from. There is Obobanyi of Ohionwa clan. Let me say it clearly that there is no single clan head that all Ihima people ever resolve to install as their monarch.
It is only Ohi stool that was created in 2006 that all the people of Ihima saddled with equal stake or interest. All the six clans contributed three candidates each to form the leadership of the Ihima king makers council, a body that is installed with the responsibility of choosing the Ohi whenever the need arises. A clan head cannot pride himself as the traditional head of Ihima. We only have Ohi of Ihima.
Another prominent son of Ohueta clan who spoke to The Graphic correspondent was Chief Amos Suberu. Suberu, a Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Kogi State Customary Court of Appeal, was the Chairman of the Ohueta clan, Obobanyi Candidate Selection Committee.
Responding to the question on why the clan ended up with Omonori Suberu as her choice, he made the following sentences:
The installation of the Obobanyi of Ohueta was a huge success. As our appellation Ozi Orenyi i.e children of the rain connotes, you can see that even heaven is in support of what we are doing.
Three of them contested for the royal position. But Chief Omonori Aliu Suberu performed very well. He was outstanding. The committee found him to be very resourceful, honest and patriotic. He is also a man of the people.
He is not a stranger to the republican nature of Ihima chieftaincy system. We said any would-be Obobanyi should have a house. He met this condition. We wanted somebody who has integrity and responsible, he has all these attributes. He is married with well trained and responsible children. He was not lazy. He is a business man and politician who has held political positions in the past. In fact, he was once Supervisory Councillor who left office with evidence of excellent performance.
Also present at the occasion was Mr Abdulmalik Abdulkarim, the Director-General, Kogi State Bureau of Information Services and Grassroots Sensitisation to Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello. Abdulkarim hails from Ohueta clan.
His remarks
I would like to thank my boss, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for the peaceful atmosphere that we are all enjoying here today. He does not joke with security. We are grateful to him. Ohueta is solidly behind him. At the appropriate time, Ihima people will know that they owe him a return for his good.
On the Obobanyi, the stool is rotated among the four sub clans of Ohueta in order of seniority. The last time ‘Adobe’ which incidentally is my sub clan and the youngest mounted the Obobanyi throne was in sixties. I am very happy that the honour done to my family when I was a kid is being repeated today in my presence to my younger brother.
In Ihima, we are the third most senior out of the six clans that we have. We all relate with one another with mutual respect. Ihima is a very organised community. Anything we do is on the basis of seniority. The six clans do things collectively and as you can see, traditional rulers of other clans and those of other communities in Ebira are all present.
The peace and blaze of this occasion has lent credence to the fact that Ihima people still enjoy peaceful coexistence.
Present while the colourful installation of the Obobanyi lasted was His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulraheem Ogido, the Ohi of Ihima and Chairman, the Okehi Area Traditional Council.
He expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the successful outing on the coronation. He was full of appreciation to Governor Yahaya Bello and Okehi Local Government Administrator, Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare for the series of peace meetings held towards the event. The Ihima paramount ruler assured the Governor that Ihima people will never let him down in their support for his administration.
The Ihima monarch stated that Ihima have always done things in common and that they always base it on seniority, adding that the presence of all the aboriginal clans and settler-clans showed that Ihima is at peace.
The Ohi took time to educate the people who may wallow in sewage of misinformation regarding the nature of Ihima chieftaincy firmament by giving the titles of traditional heads of the six native clans of Ihima as Obobanyi of Emani, Ogasube of Ure, Obobanyi of Ohueta, Ohiomata of Odumi, Obobanyi of Ohionwa and Idu of Oha. He listed the titles in order of seniority of the clans. Indeed, Ihima is a town of three Obobanyis and three other titles as listed above which are not in any way inferior to Obobanyi stool.
He explains further: When we say Ihima, who we interchangeably call Onotu, his representative is by the grace of God my humble self standing before you as Ohi of Ihima. It is the stool of Ihima that I am occupying as the royal patriarch of Ihima. This is the truth that is sacred. After my reign, the stool that is based on rotation will move to the next senior clan of Onotu’s son. No clan’s stool can be accepted to be of Ihima. We don’t have master and slave clans here. The Ohi is the only stool in Ihima that is our collective inheritance.
The royal father advised the newly crowned Obobanyi to be down to earth in the way and manner he deals with his subjects. “They are your strength. Whatever the situation, do not come home to turn the story upside down for the people. Ensure that you conduct the affairs of your people with equity and fairness. Be upright and just as you take decisions for the people.
The Ohi greeted the Obobanyi with traditional salutation: Taaaru! In return the festive throng hailed the Ohi with saaaki, saaaki, saaakii as he takes his royal leave.
Your Royal Highness sir, we join your numerous well wishers to congratulate you on your installation as Obobanyi of Ohueta clan. Most radiant shall your reign be. Oseeee!
