Ikem celebrates the life and love of her longest monarch, Igwe F. O. O. Okwor.
By Anayochukwu Agbo
Ikem, headquarters of Isiuzo Local Government Area, is agog with people and ancestoral spirits as people from all walks of life bid Igwe Francis Osochi Okwor, Enyioha 2 of Ikem, a benevolent monarch, a final farewell on Friday, April 28, 2023.
A weeklong series of activities to honour the Igwe began on Wednesday, April 26, with the last Ofalla of a meritorious 47 years on the throne of Ikem Asokwa, which began in 1977
According to his son, Engineer Onyeka Martins Okwor, managing director of Enugu State Water Corporation, Igwe Okwor, named Ogbodo Okwor Odo at birth, was born between 1930 and 1935, judging by date of events that happened about the time of his birth.
As was with Igbo hinterlands, the entire village was grossly uneducated and records of births were marked by events which sooner or later are forgotten and became imaginary.
His mother was Okike Eze Agbor from the family of Eze Udugbegba of Ikem (the Last Eze Ikem Asokwa) from Ebia Village, the last King of Ikem at Ugbele (Ugbene present Nike area) from where Ikem Asokwa migrated to our present location North East of Enugu State.
His father, Okwor Odo Ogbu Nwa Idoko Nwugwu of present Umu-Ugwu Idoko Ushi in Umuaram, Ikem Asokwa, was a great farmer of repute throughout Igbo Ise (Eha Amufu, Neke, Mbu, Umualor and Ikem).
He killed inyinya (horse) for Igede Igbo Ise and thus extended his influence throughout Uzo Egu, a fit achieved by only very few people termed wealthy at the time.
Ogbodo Okwor Odo a name by which Igwe Okwor was known throughout Ikem, like most of his age mates in Ikem and other hinterlands of Igboland, did not go to school per se. As he told his children, his sin was that as a child he handled his father’s hoe while he was resting in one of their several farming works then as a toddler, so when the people on drive for kids to go to school came calling he was asked to go and hide in the drying ceiling (Elu Uko) with his childhood friend and cousin, Chief Ugwu Joseph Nnamani who later became the Onowu of his Cabinet for years.
As the enforcers for Umuaram kids to go to school championed by Igwe Okwor’s uncle, late Chief Isaiah Okwor, Chief John Ugwuagbo and Chief Lazarus Idoko mounted pressure on his father coupled with the institution of a fine of One Pound (£1) by Umuaram elders that any father who refuses to allow a nominated child to go to school will pay, Okwor Odo Ogbu Igwe Okwor’s father rather than allow him to go to school opted for his younger brother, Chief (Dr) Ede Raphael Okwor (PhD), then living with his grand mother at Akasa village in Eha Amufu.
Going to school by Dr. Raphael Ede Okwor (PhD) was what made Igwe Okwor literate. He told his children that his younger brother who was grudgily released by his grandmother for school had to travel from Askasa to the school in Umuaram daily on foot, a no small journey even today with bicycles. But despite the hardship of such daily travail Dr. Raph endured and continued school until his grandmother saw that it wasn’t something temporary and his suffering had become much and allowed him to return home for schooling.
This was how Igwe Okwor got his own academic tutelage. As his younger brother, Dr. Ede Okwor Raphael, was learning he was teaching or coaching his elder brother, Ogbodo Okwor Francis. This allowed Igwe Okwor to have enough knowledge to attempt the Standard Six Certificate examination which he passed in 1962. Dr. Raph later enrolled him into the Rapid Result College of United Kingdom (UK), a distance learning institute which prepared him for Ordinary Level examinations and in 1965 he took the London GCE O’Level exams and obtained the certificate.
In 1976 the Local Government of Isi Uzo sent him to Institute of Management and Technoloy (IMT) for a certificate Course in Office Practice and Management where he improved his secretarial ability and added shorthand writing to his typing skill and earned the Certificate in Office Practice.
Igwe Okwor started out as a farmer following his ancestral occupation of farming, particularly his grandfather and father.
The coming of Christianity into Ikem and the going to school of his younger brother, Raphael, changed his life’s trajectory and work experience.
Since becoming literate Igwe Okwor worked with Shell BP during their exploration activities of the Lower Benue Basin hinterland. “What was his exact schedule of duty was never clear to us, but we can remember his telling us about how Shell BP set up a camp just opposite our Compound in Umuaram Ikem (we met the cement slab of the camp as kids) and how he was with them everywhere they went,” said Engr Onyeka.
Igwe Okwor’s main employment was with the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service where he started as a night watchman and later as Clerk in the local government system that culminated in inservice training at IMT and earned him Certificate in Office Practice and Management. He retired from the services of Old Anambra State Civil Service in 1976 to become the traditional Ruler of Ikem in 1977.
Before becoming the traditional Ruler of Ikem, Igwe Okwor has been active in the administration of the Community not knowing that it will come handy someday.
His work experiences show that he was with the Local Government Administration from 1957 to 1976 and held several positions including Night Watchman which he told his children allowed him to read for his examinations.
He was the Secretary of Ikem Local Council between 1965 and 1967, served as the Secretary to Ikem Council of Elders from 1970-1977 and was finally crowned Eze Ikem in 1977 by the then Military Administrator of Old Anambra State Late Col. John Atomkpere. Between 1980 to 1991 Igwe was a member of the Anambra State Council of Chiefs (Igwe), a position he continued from 1991 to 2003 on the creation of Enugu State in 1991.
On becoming Igwe, he had to retire from the Civil Service to become a traditional ruler and a businessman. Since no salaries were paid to traditional rulers then, Igwe Okwor became a farmer, contractor and businessman. This led to the formation of Belform Nigeria Limited, a company formed by his children to grow his contracting and trading activities and he became the Chairman till his recent death on November 26th, 2022.
Igwe Okwor got married at a very young age. Infact, none of his age mates throughout Ikem was given a wife before him. This was to pamper him as a child of a wealthy farmer just like the bicycle purchased for him by his mother at a very young age when only very wealthy Ikem men like Chief Agbo Okorie had one.
Engr Onyeka recalls, “Unfortunately, his first wife, Mama Cajetan, died a few years after marriage but not before leaving a heir. This led to his marrying Mama Onyeka and later the very pretty Elizabeth, our mother now with the death of both first and second wives some years ago. All the wives had beautiful and very intelligent children and one may not sound pompous by saying that Papa has over sixteen children all with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in various disciplines and professions.”
Igwe Okwor like his parents started out as a traditional religionist but as the family through Dr. Raphael Okwor embraced education and became Christians he became a Christian at a young age and baptized in the Catholic Church as Francis. He later through the influence of his uncle Chief Daniel Eze Odo Ogbu converted to Abosso Apostolic Church in the early 1970s before bringing in the Christian Outreach Minitries (Holy Spirit Power Church) to Ikem and his Compound where he worshiped till death.
“He was a good Christian and abided with the teachings of The Holy Bible indeed and thoughts and in all his dealings with people and throne. The good testimonies from Ikem and beyond on his death are legion,” says Engr Onyeka.
Though a Christian he never forgot his native religion and protected them with his might against the over becoming, sometime strangulating influences, of far-right Christian groups who in occasions try to force conversion to Christian faith as evident in the near breakdown of law and order resulting in the forceful destruction of Odo worship centres across Ikem some years ago by some young priests, all in an attempt for stop Odo culture in Ikem.
It was his skillful handling of the case with other notable Ikem sons like Chief Barr. A.I.Nnamani (Ike Ikem 1) and Rev Fr.(Dr) Joseph Sonde Okwor, among others, that saved the day and cautioned that it should never repeat itself in Ikem Land.
His support is to allow for free worship and that individuals should make the decision to convert and not by force. His other rulings ended Christian/ Odo Cultural rivalry and conflicts in Ikem till today.
Igwe Okwor as a peacemaker has settled several cases which would have led to court actions and sometimes civil disobediences and breakdown of law and order across Ikem and neighboring Communities. Fear of God has dominated his proceedings and love for his people. He hated anybody taking advantage of the less privileged and would do anything within his powers to protect them. He was passionate about Ikem and his people and from his childhood worked to make Ikem proud as seen in wrestling competitions with neighboring Communities and other competitions where he excelled using his God given physical and oratory powers.
Igwe Okwor’s destiny was to serve Ikem. His mother’s uncle, Ogbodo Agbor, was wealthy but before he could even marry and have children developed leprosy and was then deserted by people, as was the precaution in those days.
According to Ikem mythology, Igwe Okwor was the reincarnation of his uncle, Ogbodo Agbor.
On his solitary bed he had pronounced that: since he was sure the leprosy will kill him that in his next world he will live very long. That since people now run away from him due to his sickness, in his next world people will seek him no matter where he is. That since he was not married and therefore no children, that in his next life he will have many wives and plenty children and finally that since no one seeks his counsel any longer, that no major decision in Ikem will be taken without his reincarnate’s involvement.
Attests Engr Onyeka, “Papa lived his life to fulfil his destiny. He fought and won many battles for his people. He however lost two: the Nigerian Civil War which he fought as a young man and now this 26th November, 2022, when he succumbed to nature and died at an estimated age of between 87-92years of age but the book is not closed as far as his offspring and genes throng the earth.”
His weeklong burial activities are a tribute to the life he lived in the service of the community as Ikem people, friends of the family and government of Enugu State honour him for the next one week.
