I can see that Ikeogu’s Million Dollar question is not only raising dust, but a sand storm.
Like a bloodhound I smell blood.
Ikeogu! Ike ogu; we don’t need the services of a clairvoyant to tell us that Dom Ikeogu descended from an ancestry tested and tried with remarkable “strength for battles”. My advice for free is; ignore this dude at your own peril.
There is no doubt that Dom Ikeogu’s Million Dollar Question; has not only ruffled feathers, but also tampered with the hornet’s nest. I don’t envy Dom Ikeogu, though I envy his iron guts, to put the ‘almighty’ Agbalanze Society on the firing line. I expected them to come raining fire and brimstone from all cylinders, but I believe Prof. Agbakoba’s rejoinder both jolted and prematurely took the wind out of their sails.
It is obvious from every indicative index, that the prestigious Agbalenze Society would not touch such a definitive toga, with even a 30 foot long bamboo. But why make the ‘noble gathering’ a fall guy, as the American’s would say in their local parlance? We all know that the government at all levels of Nigeria is majorly to blame for Onitsha’s inglorious rotten or nonexistent basic infrastructures. So why would Ikeogu, present before Pontius Pilate for judgment the socalled nobilities of Onitsha.
Maybe Ikeogu has valid grounds to call for the crucifixion verdict. Empathically, there is no decent human being that would not involuntarily cringe or shudder at the wanton display of wealth in the face of abject poverty. And this crass behavioural pattern we all, including the Agbalanzes accept in truth. What we get in defence is that; it all boils down to personal or individual choice for the prevalent ostentatious title taking. We can not but agree with the postulation; that anybody is justifiably free to use their hard-earned wealth in any way or manner they deemed fit. Apostle Paul’s admonition of; “…everything is lawful for an adult to do, but not everything is expedient…”, may not hold water here for varied reasons of faith.
So far, it has been very interesting following the battle from the sidelines safely out of harms way. Worthy of note is the absence of the usual bias distinct divide between initiates and non initiates, or shall we say nobles and mere mortals. The Agbalanze advocates have made spirited attempts to repair the damage from Agbakoba’s friendly fire, and of a certain Ikpeazu that became visible during this brouhaha. It is indeed a daunting uphill task, for the real life attorneys of note, in the USA.
The maverick Onitsha culture aficionado, and my younger brother, Onwa Buchi Amene’s avalanche of esoteric nuances in damage control, though plausible, but fell short of the Chinese adage; teach a man to fish, and feed him for life…
Nnabuenyi Chuma Uwechia, my namesake, and senior colleague back at CKC, if I am not mistaken; truly impressed all of us, with his fluid prose, and grammatical sophistry. His robust piece has a human face, if juxtaposed against some other write-ups. The final paragraph of Uwechia’s submission was humanity personified. It was this paragraph that galvanised me to put pen to paper. Uwechia’s courageous admission to amplify the ghostly whispers reverberating in the sacred Agbalanze groves, and varied fora of discuss. His clarion call to all visible stakeholders to step up their game for the viable progress and development of the greater Onitsha community. It was high time I stepped over the parapet into the line of the salvos.
In Christian Hans Andersen’s ‘The Emperor’s New Cloth’, it took only a little baffled boy to blurt out the truth, “…but the emperor is naked”, to bring the very wealthy royal and his band of sycophantic subjects, and court jesters to their senses. Though, the emperor was already a sad victim of his own tomfoolery. Onitsha must be seen to move forward, beyond the laxity of governance, and the governed. Let me present these proactive steps and measures for us to tinker into a feasible codicil of sorts;
- There is so much to be desired in the prestigious nobility….intimidation cannot be a means to boost membership or join the Prestigious Agbalanze Society. The intimidation tactic is definitely repulsive.
- There is now need to review your extanct rules of engagement. For instance a prospective initiate must not have questionable means of livelihood. Let us boldly retrace our steps to see where we took the wrong turn.
- For a group that prides itself in prestigious glamour, some of your songs are not befitting, but outrightly ribald and casting of aspersions.
- The noble Agbalenze Society should consider the Chinese adage, to teach people how to fish, and not just spoil them in orgies of food and drinks, tied up with a piece of fabric.
- Since our Agbalanzes are wealthy, and of the privileged class… a kind of tax or levy should be placed for purely wholesome grassroots self-development purposes.
- Beyond the Agbalenze Society, Onitsha indigenes whether noble or less noble must design a kind of self-help development programmes to fast track us out of our comatose position.
- Onitsha eggheads must be convened to brainstorm, and map out positive alternatives. The ilks of Dom Ikeogu must be encouraged, not gagged.
On a final note, I see a glimmer of hope for a more environmentally friendly City of Onitsha. Ikeogu’s presumably flamboyance capital of Nigeria, shall come true, with the basic infrastructures and amenities in abundance. So let us sheath our swords, and get down to work…there is work to done.
Chux Ofege Onyenyeonwu writes from Lagos
