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2500-Year-Old Intact & Sealed Coffins Discovered In Egypt
~1.8 mins read
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Igwe Kenneth Orizu: Why I Abolished Osu Caste System
~3.7 mins read
Nnewi traditional Stool is Hereditary and not by Election –Igwe NnewiI abolished Osu caste system so their pretty women would marry – Igwe NnewiObi of Otolo and Igwe of Nnewi in Anambra State, Igwe Kenneth Orizu, speaks to TONY OKAFOR about the abolition of the Osu caste system in his kingdom, among other issues
You have been on the throne since 1963; did you ever imagine that you could serve for this long?
No, I didn’t. It’s the grace of God that brought me this far. I didn’t expect this long reign. I thank God for his grace.
Being on the throne for so long, do you sometimes get bored or feel your lifestyle has become monotonous?
I have not felt bored since I ascended the throne. Initially, it was hectic but with time I set up committees that have assisted me to do the work of the kingdom seamlessly.
You are from a privileged background as your uncle, Nwafor Orizu, was a senate president and your grandfather was said to be the first man to drive a car in the old Eastern Region. What are the fond memories you have of your childhood?
Orizu 1 started his reign around 1905. No one dared to see him with your naked eye. He moved mostly at night if he was travelling to far places, for instance, when going to court in Onitsha because that was the only place the court was then. They were four monarchs that attended Onitsha court in those days – he, Obi of Onitsha, Amobi in Ogidi, and Idigo in Aguleri. There were very few monarchs then.
There were no vehicles then so he went to Onitsha by a shoulder carriage (palanquin) carried by 16 able-bodied men. Four men would start and when they got tired, another four would take over and they would continue to take turns until they got to Onitsha after some days. Once they got to Onitsha, they would carry him to a guest house and he would rest to attend court the next day by 9am. After the court proceedings, he would return to his guest house again and rest till 8pm when he would begin the journey back to Nnewi. Nnewi monarchs never travelled during the day in those days to avoid being seen by ordinary people. It was taboo to see Igwe Nnewi with the naked eye in those days; seeing him with the naked eye attracted sanctions. He went on night journeys with his retinue of bodyguards who rang the bell to warn people to steer clear because Igwe Nnewi was on the road.
Nobody would dare come out otherwise they would be conscripted and sold as slaves or made to become one of the wives of the monarch if she was beautiful.
At a point, going to court in Onitsha became tiresome such that his subjects bought a motorcycle for him. However, he didn’t use it for a long time because of the inherent danger it exposed the Igwe to. So, they considered buying a car for him. That was how money was raised and given to some persons that went to Lagos and bought a Ford car for him.
When the news of the new car spread, the white Resident Officer in Onitsha visited Orizu in Nnewi. The white man observed that the car had no number plate and licence to enable the monarch to drive it without being disturbed on the way. He promised to help Orizu get his vehicle registered by establishing a licencing office in Onitsha. That was how a licensing office was established in Onitsha and my grandfather was issued a number plate that read: Onitsha 1.
As a young man, you worked with a group of newspapers, what did you enjoy most about the experience?
Yes, I worked with the Outlook Newspaper in Enugu. But in the course of my job, I was posted to various places such as Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Asaba, Sapele to establish Outlook offices. I did that diligently and sales and readership improved for the outfit in most areas where the newspaper was previously not known. I enjoyed the sense of dedication and punctuality I passed on to workers. I made them come to the office by 5.30am instead of 8am to distribute papers to vendors.
You were said to be instrumental to the clearing of Agbedo forest in your domain, what significance or problems did this forest have?
Edo Nnewi was one of the deities in Nnewi which the people worshipped as a god. It was a female deity. Deities ruled Nnewi then while Obi was their link with the people. They relied on the deities to determine what would happen. It was when the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was Governor of Eastern Region that he suggested that the Agbedo forest should be cleared. He wrote a letter to me to see how Nnewi town could start. I agreed with him but told him that since the Agbedo was jointly owned by the community, the other Obis of Nnewi should be consulted, including the priests of the various shrines.
You have been on the throne since 1963; did you ever imagine that you could serve for this long?
No, I didn’t. It’s the grace of God that brought me this far. I didn’t expect this long reign. I thank God for his grace.
Being on the throne for so long, do you sometimes get bored or feel your lifestyle has become monotonous?
I have not felt bored since I ascended the throne. Initially, it was hectic but with time I set up committees that have assisted me to do the work of the kingdom seamlessly.
You are from a privileged background as your uncle, Nwafor Orizu, was a senate president and your grandfather was said to be the first man to drive a car in the old Eastern Region. What are the fond memories you have of your childhood?
Orizu 1 started his reign around 1905. No one dared to see him with your naked eye. He moved mostly at night if he was travelling to far places, for instance, when going to court in Onitsha because that was the only place the court was then. They were four monarchs that attended Onitsha court in those days – he, Obi of Onitsha, Amobi in Ogidi, and Idigo in Aguleri. There were very few monarchs then.
There were no vehicles then so he went to Onitsha by a shoulder carriage (palanquin) carried by 16 able-bodied men. Four men would start and when they got tired, another four would take over and they would continue to take turns until they got to Onitsha after some days. Once they got to Onitsha, they would carry him to a guest house and he would rest to attend court the next day by 9am. After the court proceedings, he would return to his guest house again and rest till 8pm when he would begin the journey back to Nnewi. Nnewi monarchs never travelled during the day in those days to avoid being seen by ordinary people. It was taboo to see Igwe Nnewi with the naked eye in those days; seeing him with the naked eye attracted sanctions. He went on night journeys with his retinue of bodyguards who rang the bell to warn people to steer clear because Igwe Nnewi was on the road.
Nobody would dare come out otherwise they would be conscripted and sold as slaves or made to become one of the wives of the monarch if she was beautiful.
At a point, going to court in Onitsha became tiresome such that his subjects bought a motorcycle for him. However, he didn’t use it for a long time because of the inherent danger it exposed the Igwe to. So, they considered buying a car for him. That was how money was raised and given to some persons that went to Lagos and bought a Ford car for him.
When the news of the new car spread, the white Resident Officer in Onitsha visited Orizu in Nnewi. The white man observed that the car had no number plate and licence to enable the monarch to drive it without being disturbed on the way. He promised to help Orizu get his vehicle registered by establishing a licencing office in Onitsha. That was how a licensing office was established in Onitsha and my grandfather was issued a number plate that read: Onitsha 1.
As a young man, you worked with a group of newspapers, what did you enjoy most about the experience?
Yes, I worked with the Outlook Newspaper in Enugu. But in the course of my job, I was posted to various places such as Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Asaba, Sapele to establish Outlook offices. I did that diligently and sales and readership improved for the outfit in most areas where the newspaper was previously not known. I enjoyed the sense of dedication and punctuality I passed on to workers. I made them come to the office by 5.30am instead of 8am to distribute papers to vendors.
You were said to be instrumental to the clearing of Agbedo forest in your domain, what significance or problems did this forest have?
Edo Nnewi was one of the deities in Nnewi which the people worshipped as a god. It was a female deity. Deities ruled Nnewi then while Obi was their link with the people. They relied on the deities to determine what would happen. It was when the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was Governor of Eastern Region that he suggested that the Agbedo forest should be cleared. He wrote a letter to me to see how Nnewi town could start. I agreed with him but told him that since the Agbedo was jointly owned by the community, the other Obis of Nnewi should be consulted, including the priests of the various shrines.
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