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YEAR 2002
RECONCILIATION AND PEACE YEAR
FOR OGWASHI-UKWU AND ITS PEOPLE
AN APPEAL FROM
CHIEF P.O.C. OZIEH, OON, JP. INST. PETROLEUM
I WEEP FOR MY PEOPLE - A POEM
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1. In the beginning –
There was a hamlet of people,
There was no hate among the people,
They loved themselves as one people,
Ikelike was the cradle of my people.
2. From, East of the Niger, Igbos joined my people,
From the West the Edos sought my people,
From the South the Okwes wooed my people,
Together they shared the love of my people,
And grew into Ogwashi-Ukwu people.
3. In the middle Ages –
Ogwashi – a town of brave people,
They never sought to conquer other people,
Or waged wars on neighbouring people,
They were contented God-fearing people.
4. In the early Twentieth Century –
The British dared the bravery of my people,
Whom they branded Ekumeku people,
A ploy to vanguish and colonize my people,
And set father against son, amongst my people.
5. To the glory of their bravery, it is written –
Major Bruce led the Colonial Fontier Forces,
With Captain Thoresby recceing amongst my people,
Fierce sieges engulfed our villages and people,
Bonelli’s Catholic Mision, bon-fired by Bruce’s people.
6. At Ngwu, gateway of brave Azungwu people,
Hepburn and Ratcliff, their platoons embattled,
Their forces astride our gates, empty bubbles,
Were blasted and vanguished with little struggle,
A teasing prelude to Abodei ding dong battle.
7. At Abodei the Epic Battle –
At Aniugo, Olloh, Abu Nkata, just scuffles,
At Nkpoloenyi a taste of our guerrilla-type battle,
At Abodei the supreme battle of Ngwu people,
Captain Wilson’s death gave victory to my people.
8. And so it s chronicled –
Wilson felled by Isiekwe Onemeke’s captured rifle,
In revenge, the loss of nine Okaeme brothers, in battle,
To the glory and gallantry of Ngwu people,
Led by Kanikwu, Agbambu, heroes, of our people.
9. Herein is the lesson of our colonial history –
The supreme sacrifices – bravery of Ngwu people,
Secured colonial respect, for Ogwashi people,
And earned the town, headquarters of a people,
From Ahaba to Ika, Kwale to Illah, Anioma people.
10. Then came our influenza generation –
The Odiahs, Ebubes, Utomis, great people,
They led with dedication, humility, our people,
Their patriotism endeared them to our people,
They gave the best in selfless service to our people.
11. Their prime legacy, Ogwashi Ukwu Union –
The second registered development union in the annals of Nigeria.
Together it held our people by honest counsel,
Engendered community service, without a hassle,
They founded a hospital and schools at secondary level.
12. In contrast our first hood and gown generation –
Whose claim, the golden fleece we won for our people,
In actions we lack the moral muscle,
To solve our problems, without a wobble,
As we fail at the toss of every trouble.
13. I weep for my generation –
Whose intrigues belie our facial dimple,
Our hoods and gowns, sanctuaries for acts unspeakable,
We are losing the chance to save our people,
Time, time can no longer wait for you, my people.
14. I weep for you, my people –
Whose hopes are now a fragile bubble,
Astride our young and old, a keg of trouble,
The creation of a generation devoid of courageous counsel,
History shall confirm we failed our people.
15. Within my dark generation of hood and gown –
There was a silver lining for my people,
A gem in dedicated service to his people,
His name, Madubuogo Isaac Okonjo,
All time champion of indelible service to his people.
16. Champions come and champions go –
Madubuogo, you are gone, truly gone,
Your generation still unable to sprout another champion,
Is wallowing in mutual deceit amongst our people,
In search of leadership for the second millennium.
17. I weep for my people – Ogwashi People –
At the doorsteps of the second millennium,
We are neck-deep in self-inflicted delirium,
Unable to see that the time has come,
To chose between glorified self and a people.
18. Madubuogo, though you are truly gone –
I avow that on the eve of your transition,
Your right hand outstretched across the great divide,
Among Fathers, Sons, Mothers and Daughters of our people,
You offered to reconcile Ogwashi People – but this was not to be.
19. Our baton to the next generation –
A town of intrigues and numerous squabbles,
Where untruth is star of all struggles,
And the voices of derision, the loudest cymbals,
We lack the courage to crucify evils.
20. The verdict of the next generation –
We wallowed in mutual deceit among our people,
We loved ourselves but not our people,
We swaggered around with hunchbacks of skeletal riddles,
The revelations therein we could not afford to gamble.
21. The next generation should rise to the occasion –
Inspire the once great Ogwashi People, back to life,
Let intrigues and derision, the bane of our divide,
Be sent post-haste, to their eternal graves,
That the glories of our past shall rise again.
Chief Patrick Ozieh, OON, JP. INST. PETROLEUM
Ogwashi-Ukwu
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The above verses were written between 1990 and September 1998. The verses, I hope, have conveyed to you my deep felt feelings about my town and people. Shall we in the name of the Lord God Almighty embrace PEACE so that together our town and PEOPLE shall rise again – Amen!
29th September, 1998
A Happy and Peaceful 2002 to all of you!
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The British penetration of Nigeria met with various forms of resistance throughout the country. In the south, the British had to fight many wars, in particular the wars against the Ijebu (a Yoruba group) in 1892, the Aro of Eastern Igboland in 1901-1902, and from 1883–1914, the Anioma of Western Igboland.