Atabor Julius, in a chat with centenarian, Mama Imamon Omenyi Ichaba Abuh, writes on her life and times.
Okpotala, a very sleepy and cozy village in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi state could be said to have all the trappings of modernity, the size not withstanding. To the outside world the town looked ordinary, but to the locals, the village was divinely created. It was reputed to be among the very early villages to receive Christianity in Igalaland.
The village which derived its name from a tree called Otala is striking with undulating topography laden with green vegetation. There is an unwritten laws for the well to do sons and daughters to bring their investment home, as avalanche of high rising architectural masterpiece buildings adorns the length and breadth of the village.
However, the most striking thing about Okpotala, which has a history of very old people. It played host to a woman, Madam Omenyi Ichaba Abuh, a centenarian, who at her age still has all her teeth intact, her eyes not dimmed even as she is mentality alert. She said if of recent, on the advice of her relatives, she was always on visits to her children and grandchildren who live in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, a trip of about 200 kilometers.
One amazing thing about this centenary is that on approaching her, she will call you by your name no matter how long she had lost contact with you.
Oija Mamo, as she is fondly called, gave birth to ten children of six males and four females which was a slight different from her mother who equally bore 10 children of which she is the only female among them.
Although she has lost five children, only one, late James Abuh, her second child, died last year at ripe age of over 80 years, the rest four died before their second birthdays.
While asking mama of her age, she joking replied, “three years”. However, in doing rough calculation of her age using the ages of her children, as her first child named Kadili, Paul who died about three years after birth and if he would have been alive now he would have been above ninety years. Her third child, Mr Peter Abuh who is now the surviving senior child said he is 80 years old, and judging by the gaps in between births which then hovers around three to four years and the ripe age for marriage then, hovers between twenty and twenty five years, one can conveniently conclude that she is 105 years old or above.
Growing up.
Mama noted that it was a different ball game for her as she has to learn the lifestyle of boys.
“I was alone among nine boys. I was not educated because there were no schools in my communities at that time.”
Her early lives was a mixture of farming and petty trading.
How she met her husband
Mama nodded her head in laughter. She said to propose to a lady at her time was entirely different from the practice nowadays. She said, it all started at a market in Bagana, a community not too far from her village, Ajokpachi Okocho, although not in existence again. One Omusa and his friend, Oguche Atumeyi, all of blessed memories, told her of their friend who needed a wife. She added that while narrating their experience of how they met her, that girls from Ajokpachi came to the Bagana market and checked into a burukutu drinking joint where Oguche, Omusa and their friends were already drinking. The other girls entered but she remained at the door. They were surprised to see a girl from that village that would not drink the local burukutu. Then, her eventual husband, Abuh Edibo who was also inside the room whispered to Oguche that this is the type of girl he needed for a wife.
“So, Omusa came out to meet me and inquired if I am leaving immediately and I said yes. He then told me that somebody will accompany me. I asked him, why an escort or is it because of the ‘Enefu Laikadede’ (whiteman) who was notorious for beating girls with waist beads.
“The white man was a terror to the people. He was very good in karate as nobody dare challenge him. I asked Omusa who the escort was and where was his village or is he the dreaded white man”.
She added that when she turned back, she saw Abuh Edibo following her and the only option for her to avoid the discussion was to pull a fast one telling him that she has forgotten something in the market. She said the lie does not deter him as the next Ejima market, he was also there. She recognised him as the man who followed her the other day and this time like a lion that is after a game, he followed her to her village Ajokpachi Okocho and let the carts out of the bag to her parents.
She said that during her time the bride price was five pounds, the currency in use at that time and it was the era that money was being used for bride price. Before then, it was entirely a farming affair that will last many years for the parent in laws.
While comparing how girls were being wooed at her time and now, she laughed.
“How can a young lady be walking on the roads with a guy holding hands in broad day light, which you dare not do it our time, if you do, you will be labelled wayward girl. To me, what they are doing now is rubbish.”
On the names of her children, mama, has this to say, “I was not initially a Christian, but my husband converted me. He used the opportunity of our courtship to preach to me. Yes, all my children have Christian names; Paul, James, Peter, Ruth, Abigail and the rest where christened by my husband who was an early convert and played significant roles in the establishment of Church Missionary in Many Lands (CMML) at Okpotala.
“Okpatala was a battle ground for the CMML and Catholic Ministry to establish their churches, however, the CMML was accepted while Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) went to the next village, Bagaji, to establish their church. Although, I lived with my parents at Odo, I do go to attend church services at Ajataonyaji village unfortunately the town is no longer in existence.
“In fact, I was among the very few whose husbands were not polygamous. Polygamy was in vogue then. But what really saved me was Christianity. Whenever my husband propose to any lady, they would ask him to convert back to paganism which he had vowed not to do.
Secret of longevity
“It is only God that has kept me strong and alive. If not now, I don’t have any old age ailments. I give him all the praise for his kindness upon me and my children. I have looked around, all my friends and mates have all died. As for my health, the word of says, ‘today our salvation is closer that when we first believed.’ God has done a lot for me except now that I am experiencing slight memory loss.”
It is about 20 years that your husband left you behind, have you ever have any encounter with him in a dream?
“Yes, I used to see him in a dream and we do relive old experiences. However, on this particular night, he asked me if I have prepared evening meal as he often told me that on no account should any of you skip evening meals. I told him that it was not long that I cooked the lunch and you are asking me of super, and in a moment he disappeared. Since then I had not missed cooking evening meals. I warned my daughter in laws not to miss preparing evening meals for the family. So, after the encounter, around 5-6 pm I have to prepare super and presented to his junior brother Mr. Abukar and I told him of the encounter.”
Memorable experiences
It was during my eight pregnancies. I have had series of miscarriages and not to give to chances, I decided to go to Ikah missionary hospital, which was the only renown hospital at the time. I was examined and the result came out to be negative. I shouted at the result. I have all the signs of pregnancy and with this result I may be heading for another miscarriage. I became confused, but when I physically examined my tummy, I would feel signs of life in me. I increased my faith in God and said with him all things are possible.
The doctors told me that what was in me was a sickness and not a child, hence, I was referred to Enugu, in the Eastern state or Oturkpo in the old Munchi division, present Benue state.
With faith, I refused to go to the referred hospitals until God himself came upon me and I delivered a bouncing baby girl. I have to name her Mamonn, meaning the medical science knows nothing except God.
There was another experience I had when I went to consult an ifa oracle for revelation of what responsible for my multiple miscarriages. To consult an oracle was a norm. But, because of my new faith, I kept resisting their temptations. So it got to a point that I had to concoct stories before the Ifa so that they can let me free. During my first pregnancy, based on their pressures to expose all the wrongs that my parent have done to me. I told an Ifa god that I stole my mother’s yams for sale in the last market and that was why my mother was angry with me, just to satisfy their curiosity. I am the first child and a female out of the ten children of my parent.
Advice
It is my earnest desire for parents to educate their children. At that time, Christianity came with the establishment of educational institutions. My husband, as an early Christian, embraced education and that account for robust education of my children. From James who became General Manager, Triumph Corporation Kano; Sunday Abuh, was a Manager with Lake Chad Basin Development Authority; Peter is a retired Army officer; Ruth Ochada, a retired Principal and Abigail Iyaji, a retired educationist. My late husband used to tell us that if you don’t have child (Oma) you are doomed. He said Oma nyo, meaning children are good. If not for my children, with my age I would have died of poverty.
