By YJ Itopa.
An Ebira group known as Ebira Culture for Pride and Identity (ECPI) has concluded arrangement to hold a remembrance ceremony in honour of the iconic Ebira hunter, masquerade custodian, wrestler of ancient fame and farmer, Damisa Ejivade who died 28 years ago, November, 1994.
The occasion to remember the Ebira culture portrait which will begin with prayer sessions, preceded by cultural displays such as the Ebira hunters’ dance in his Ikuehi-Ihima country home on November, 24, 2022 will be fully held between 2nd and 3rd January, 2023 in Ihima with lined up of activities.
The 24th of November, 2022 activities will be a foretaste of the coming event.
Speaking on the plan to collaborate with the family of the diseased, to hold a befitting memorial event for the legend of other legends, the Chairman of the Group, Chief Sheidu Onukaba said that: “We have decided to honour this great man of history. If 28 years after his death, his name has kept coming up as the example of how Ebira cultural practitioners should conduct themselves with dignity. There is hardly any day that you don’t hear people discussing his wrestling prowess, hunting exploits, custodianship of a most spectacular Akoko masquerade.”
“Ebira people admire him because he never allowed his unrivaled powers to intoxicate him. In fact, Adai Damisa Ejivade was synonymous with humility. So strong and so humble. He is incomparable. And it is good to tell his story for the good of today and tomorrow,” Onukaba concluded.
In a telephone conversation with this correspondent, the Lagos State Coordinator of the remembrance, Muda Salawu Ovahaiye explained that the whole essence of the Damisa Ejivade event was to immortalise the hero of Ebira culture and tradition by inaugurating a Scholarship Foundation in his name.
Ejivade’s biography, nearing completion, will be presented to the public in no distant time.
The scion of Ejivade’s dynasty, Chief Uru Damisa and Mall Jimoh Hasan, nephew to the great Damisa and one of the anchors of the program, were full of gratitude to members of ECPI and other Ebira for planning the event to remember the life and times of their father.
The two family members promised to work in harmony with the ECPI to make the occasion a success.
Pa Ejivade’s masquerade, Akoko will close the event on January 3rd with its usual spectacular outing.
