By Ability Chukwuemeka Mbah

Waking up this first Saturday morning of this beautiful year 2023 to a video making round our social media spaces of Chief Lucky Chukwu, the elder brother to Enugu East Labour Party Senatorial Candidate, Barr Oyibo Chukwu addressing some of the Party's supporters with Barr Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga seated, and saying that Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Enugu State PDP Gubernatorial candidate is an Ezza man claiming to be an Nkanu man; was to say the least a brazen dispel of ignorance. As an indigene of Owo, that is politics taken too far. While we are proud of our fraternity with the great people of Ezza Ezekuna, but the feeling of a man whose identity has been misplaced and robbed is better imagined. Chief Chukwu's tone was rather to derogate the people of Nkanu nation, Enugu State and PDP for electing an "Ezza man" their Gubernatorial candidate as if anything is wrong with that in our Nigerian Constitution. That will be a thesis for another day.

Normally, such ignoramus speech won't have elicited reaction from anyone but for the sake of our future generations. I would have allowed him to wallow in his ignorance, but as is usually the case, where knowledge is lacking, speculations tend to flourish; and such speculations gets elevated misguidedly to the status of historical facts, through unchallenged repetitions over time. 

The ubiquitous nature of oral and written history of Nkanu nation and her people requires I don't repeat them here. Great sons of Nkanu land have done justice to that, especially on Community by community level. However, Pastor Barr Anayo Enechukwu in 1993 wrote what can be termed to be a wholesome history of the Nkanu nation in his book titled; "History of Nkanu". To the glory of God, he's still alive here with us and can be referenced.

Owo is a Town in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-East Nigeria. She is bounded on the North by Ubahu, on the East by Amezu, Umuhuali, Nkalagu and Ubeagu (four of the popular Igbo Esaa towns of Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State - the remaining three are: Ezillo, Nkalaha and Iyionu); on the West by Nike, and on the South by Oruku and Amechi Idodo. She is made up of six ancient clans - Ashishi, Ohuani, Ogere, Ishiegu, Emene and Ndiagu; the last two has different epoch of migration and historical origin. In 2006, Mbulu Owo was created as a separate Autonomous Community. 

Owo is one Nkanu Town with certainty in pattern of migration. Unlike other Igbo towns still being confronted with varying information surrounding the migration of the different people to their present abode. This is one of the major problems of African historiography, but Owo was spared that confusion. 

Their migration started from Umuatugboma, Akegbe Ugwu in Nkanu West LGA - who themselves traced their origin to the Ntuegbe Nese clan - a confederation of five groups of towns all of which claim descent from a legendary founder, Ntuegbe. His five sons founded the towns of Ogwugwu(Ogugu), Owelle(Owelli Court), Ihe and Agbogwugwu(Agbogugu); all in present day Awgu LGA, and Akegbe. Any elder from Akegbe Ugwu knows that Owo and Akegbe people don't see each other's blood; we know what that means in Igbo cosmology. Till this present day, Ndi Owo still have their own stone in Akegbe for the worship of "Ani Akegbe", situated at the ancestral shrine of Umuatugboma. From Akegbe Ugwu, they migrated to Ugbene Nike in present day Enugu East LGA. In search of greener pastures, they made further migration to their present location. 

The leader of the second migration from Ugbene Nike was a great hunter called Ugbene, according to oral history; the son of Emeli Agada of Nike. He had four sons - Otuwa, Navugo, Eze Onyikuchi and Igwe Onyieze. In one of his hunting expeditions, Ugbene through the assistance of his dog, discovered the Idodo River and relished the vegetative nature of the surrounding area. He went back to his people and announced the good news. He later set sail, with his entire immediate family; to occupy the Idodo area on both banks of the river. 

Otuwa, the first son of Ugbene founded the clan of Ashishi - where Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is among the descendants. He had two sons - Adenyi Aga and Akiyi. From the lineage of Adenyi Aga, came Nnamchi Aniowo Arum Aga Adenyi - the great Anukaenyi of Owo. He is the first Chief of Owo and a pacesetter unequalled in the anals of the people. As a result of his dexterity and hardwork, he was appointed the Warrant Chief of Idodo clan by the British authorities and presided over the Idodo Native Court - one of the seven Native Authority Courts established by the British in the Nkanu sub-district of Udi Division, Onitsha Province. He is the great grandfather of Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah - whom many believe is a reincarnation of Anukaenyi himself. The rest is history as they say, as I implore Chief Lucky Chukwu to explore the National Archives, Enugu along Colliery Avenue, behind Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture, GRA; to cure his ignorance. 

I don't want to venture into the history of Amurri in juxtaposition, because I believe Chief Lucky Chukwu spoke for himself, not for the people. My advice to the opposition in Enugu State is simple: there is life after politics. Let's stick to the issues because the power we seek is to do good and develop our people and State. I am not imbued to insulting elders and I won't start today. I only have a simple advice for Chief Chukwu of the great Amurri Kingdom who threw caution to the wind and choose to dance naked in the open: "a freeborn given the job of a slave must at the very least apply the work ethics of a freeborn". 

Mbah is a Doctoral Student in the History and International Studies Department, University of Nigeria; and writes from Onukwachi village, Ogere Owo!!