OWERRI Historical: "OWERELA IHE MARAYA AKA"

By Njemanze and Njemanze

Owerri is the capital city of Imo State in the south eastern part of Nigeria in West Africa. Populated
majorly by the people of igbo tribe, Owerri is arguably the most cosmopolitan city in the entire south east today. 

Like most other towns/cities in Africa, the history of Owerri is steeped in valour, courage and victory.

It all started in the 14th Century. An Aristocrat named Oha, with his wife, Arugo, had two sons. the first Son was Ekwem while the second was Ndum. they lived in a village called Umuori in Uratta  which is located in present day Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.

Oha the Aristocrat became old in age and died after a brief illness. By the igbo custom, the first son (usually called Opara in igbo culture) is required to provide the funeral cow.

Now, it is almost a taboo for an aristocrat to be buried in igbo land without the slaughtering of a cow, the burial would be deemed inconclusive. the passage of an igbo aristocrat is not a trivial issue even till this day. i witnessed the burial ceremony of an Ozo title holder in Onitsha, OMG! it was then i realized that the Oyinbos lied to us. Its a lie, not all men are born equal. an Ozo or Ichie title holder is not equal to a commoner. Mba! those are indeed aristocratic titles. The beauty of the African culture is that it always balances. so, while the Ozo or Ichie title holder has more communal priviledges, they also are expected to display more communal responsibilities.

So, Ekwem being the first son of Oha was supposed to provide the cow for their father's funeral. However, Ekwem was a man without means. Though a very honourable man in his own right, sometimes, honour is not synonymous with wealth. So that their father can have a befitting burial, Ekwem requested that his younger brother who was more wealthy should assist to buy the cow. Ndum bought the cow for the funeral. Thereafter, things were no longer at ease for the family as Ndum demanded to be given the head and heart of the cow since he was the one that bought the cow. Tufiakwa!

Imo outlaws female circumcision

Written by George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
~The SUN Nigeria. Tuesday, September 20, 2016. 

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha says the ancient practice of female circumcision has been outlawed in the state, warning that offenders risk jail terms without an option of fine.

Okorocha, who stated this yesterday, during the official launch of the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) disclosed that a bill to that effect would be passed into law by the state Assembly .

According to him, such barbaric culture, which is harmful and not beneficial to the people, ought to be abolished, noting that Imo was still one of the states in the South East where female circumcision was widely practiced.

" This harmful ancient practice has been outlawed in this state and a bill to put a permanent stop it will be passed into law very soon and let me warn those who are still indulging in this practice to be ready to go to jail if caught because there would no option of fine," he said.

Speaking earlier, the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, who initiated the campaign in collaboration with the United Nations Fund for Population Agency (UNFPA), said women in the state have vowed to put an end to the barbaric practice which is not beneficial to the girl child.

Mrs. Okorocha further explained that the continual practice of Female Genital Mutilation must be stamped out in the state, especially in the rural areas, where the practice is prevalent and led to emotional trauma, broken homes and even death.

The Country Representative of UNFPA,Mrs Beatrice Mukta, disclosed that the organisation has been campaigning against the practice in most African Countries where the practice still subsist.

She commended wife of the governor for her relentless fight against FGM, noting that the battle against the ancient practice which is steeped in cultural myth may not be an easy one. she appealed to traditional institutions as well as women in the state to support the campaign.

Mrs. Okorocha had kick started the campaign against FGM/ Cutting with a protest match in which over 500 female students drawn from various schools in the state and women participated.