Written by Egufe Yafugborhi
~Vanguard, Nigeria. Sunday, July 10, 2016.
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| Chief Nanna Olomu |
Of all his contemporary traditional rulers, particularly around the Niger Delta, that fought intruder British imperialists, got tried and exiled in his time, Chief Nanna Olomu was the only one who returned home to re-establish his throne and pre-eminence before he died.
All others died in captivity." This was one of the measures of the exceptional greatness of the legendary Itsekiri ruler, highlighted by Wilson Onime, Curator at the Nanna Living History Museum, Koko, Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State while taking visitors through the museum last Sunday in celebration of the 100th year of Nanna's death.
The Nanna Living History Museum, the nucleus of the celebration of Nanna's centenary remembrance, was, until the Federal Government accorded it that status, the palace the venerated colonial era traditional ruler of the Itsekiri people built, lived, died and was buried upon gaining freedom from captivity of the British imperialists who deported him to Accra, Ghana. The palace was declared by Federal Government as a National Antiquity in 1979 before the upgrade into the Nanna Living History Museum, dedicated by Gen. Sani Abacha in 1996 for the preservation of Nanna's legacy as an outstation of National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Nanna, born in 1840 and enthroned by the colonial overlords as Gofena (Governor) of Benin River (1885-1894), faced many trials in conflict with colonialists from the Nanna (Ebrohimi) War in 1894 through his trial and detention in Calabar (1894-1895) to his deportation to Accra, Ghana (1896) before his return to Nigeria in 1906 and death in Koko, Delta State: July 3, 1916.
The centenary celebrations, inspired by Pa J.O.S Ayomike, foremost Itsekiri historian and husband to a granddaughter of Nanna, Utsaghan, began with a visit by Ayomike and associates, including Edward Ekpoko, Secretary, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought and Chairman, Warri Study Group, to the home of Chief Victor Nanna, eldest grandson of Nana who now leads his famed grandfather's descendants and also holds the larger capacity as Olare-Ajao (Communal Head) of Koko, Nanna's final settlement and present day headquarter of Warri North council.
Activities then shifted to the Nanna Living History Museum where each visitor had the privilege of conjuring a personal sense of the historically documented majesty of Nanna with tour the home he lived. On display aside his tomb were the remainder of Nanna's treasures -his private boat, regalia, swords, jars and dishes set on his private dining, lamps, decanters, silver rays, spectacles, pendants, clocks, and water filters as well as pictures of his siblings, extended family as well as those of his contemporaries, particularly King Jaja of Opobo, Oba Ovonranmwen and his British friends among the imperialists who sacked him fall from Ebrohimi, his first throne where he was assumed Gofena (Governor) of Benin River. Inside the Nanna museum were also a treasured rifle and a cannon, a fraction of the arsenal he employed in the failed resistance of the imperialists invasion.
Tributes
A candle light session was held at Nanna's tomb where Onime, the museum's Curator, pledged commitment of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments to sustained preservation of the Itsekiri sage's legacy. Ayomike led the observance of a moment of silence in his honour and a requiem service at the museum's hall and dance entertainment by Itsekiri cultural groups followed simultaneously.
In a statement Onime read to Nana descendants, signed by its Director General, Yusuf Usman, the commission praised Ayomike as a friend and "a strong pillar"of the Nana Living History Museum while identifying with the Nanna family on the centenary of his death.
Ayomike, in a recount of some of the memories that defined Nanna's greatness, said, "Nana was buried with a giant diamond ring and lay in death on a regal catafalque fabricated by his own children who learnt the sophistry of carpentry and other vocations while studying in Ghana where their father was deported. In Accra he became a Christian, but Ralph Moor, Actg Governor and Consul General who placed a £500 reward for his arrest, tried and pronounced life sentence on him and seized his entire wealth, went back to Britain, got lunatic and took his own life."
He also shared fellow historians' thought on the greatness of Nanna in his reprinted work, 'Nanna, British Imperialism At Work', where he quoted Michael Crowder as saying, "The importance of Nanna at this stage of Nigerian history was considerable. Like Jaja, he stands out as one of the few who were able to offer serious resistance to the encroaching British and as Cook has pointed out, this led to the British practice of removing native chiefs who opposed British penetration rather than seeking their cooperation." Prof. Obaro Ikime, who Ayomike acknowledges as foremost authority on Nanna history, added his own assessment: "Far from derogating from his importance and reputation, the humiliation and exile he suffered have served to further enhance his prestige in the eyes of his countrymen and to win for him a worthy place in the history of the country." Tributes also came from Prof. Aborime (Abuja), Prof. Johnson Ekpere, Joseph Ayomike and Prof. Ogbemi Omatete.
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| No apathy -Eyengho • Foremost historian, Pa J.O.S Ayomike (l) and Chief Victor Nanna, eldest grandson of Nanna Olomu and Olare-Aja of Koko. |
Film and stage play maker, Alex Eyengho, who is passionate about projecting the Itsekiri culture through his works, would rather stick his neck out to any length to debunk the notion of Itsekiri apathy to the greatness of Nanna. He said, "There is no apathy. Nanna is a great African hero. No right thinking Itsekiri would hear about the celebration of Nana and won't want to be part of it. As an activist and arts practitioner, who has also done certain things about Nanna, I think the Nanna family narrowed this celebration as if it was a family affair.
"They did not reach out to the larger Itsekiri and Nigeria at large. Making it a Nanna descendants' affair was where they got it wrong. Everything I have heard about this centenary event were on the pages on newspapers. One would have expected the family to set up an all embracing committee of resource persons of diverse callings bringing their experiences to the table for an earthshaking celebration.
"This Nanna was a great hero. He was before Oba Ovoranmwen. He was the first to resist the British imperialists and was fought and overpowered before Ovoranmwen. I would have expected that at this point of his history, we would have staged a play to reenact how big Nanna was, as I have done for Itsekiri on such auspicious occasions. I put the blame squarely on the Nanna family who don't seem organized themselves. If there is any apathy, they created it."
Barring the sentiments over an apathetic Itsekiri to the greatness of Nanna, not all his folks loved him in his time and history has it that the hate within escalated the imperialists resolve to bring his empire down with fingers pointed to Nanna's rival and extended relative, Chief Dore Numa, who became the leading Itsekiri figure at the capture of Nanna.
J.O.E Sagay in 'The Warri Kingdom' on the trials of Nanna, pointed out: "Since no other Itsekiri chief came to give evidence against Nanna, it can be assumed that only Dore and Dudu, inspite of their claims to the contrary, were behind the Bristish action. And no peace came to Itsekiri land after the removal of Nanna."
Love or hate him, "the great man today lies buried in the bosom of his palace in Koko. Nanna died and a chapter of Itsekiri history closed. A fulfilled life it was, but one pierced and riddled with a dagger of hate -hate that has been dissolved by seeming irrelevance caused by time", Ayomike moved on the great Nanna of Itsekiri.
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