Across
Rivers State, there are echoes of jubilations. The land is evident with
feelings of goodtidings. From all nooks and crannies of the state, from
villages to towns, shores to shores, all around the various creeks, watching
the rivers and rivulets the signs are ominousas the sea waves carry the
messages as well. The atmosphere is resplendent with celebrations. It is 2017,
the golden age of our dear state, the Rivers State.
For
very significant reasons, there are indeed enough reasons that calls for
celebrations; For ourselves and our historical past, our culture of love and
unity, spirit of hospitality and collective achievements over the years. It is a season to reaffirm our identity and
pride as Rivers people. Today, we can strike the gong and beat our chest and
dance to the rhythm of the tune of unity that emanates from the beat by our
ancestors. The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain. We are indeed
a great people.
As
we bask in the euphoria of this celebration of the golden jubilee of our dear state,
my mind reflects on two other related issues that are tied to one
personality. Firstly, on a personal
level, my heart rejoices that my alma mater, Western Ahoada county High School, Ahoada has attained the significant
age of sixty years since its establishment in 1957. Secondly, Forty (40)
years ago, Rivers State lost one of her most outstanding personalities. His Majesty Eze Edmund Ashirim-Unoshi,
Eze-Ekpeye-Logbo of Ekpeyeland 1; who joined his ancestors on the 16th
of March, 1977. Eze Ashirim-Unoshi passed on at a time the infant Rivers State
that he fought for its establishment was just a teenage state at the age of
ten(10). And today the cherished state
that he defended against secessionist Biafra, in which he laboured to build and
nurtured has attained the golden age of fifty (50) years. It is pertinent to
state that before his demise, the late monarch in his lifetime had achieved for
himself as a person and for the Ekpeye nation, Rivers State and Nigeria
remarkable landmarks achievements that are worthy of note especially as we
indulge in the celebration of our dear state.
His
majesty Eze Edmund Ashirim-Unoshi was indeed a child of destiny. He was a
pioneer pupil of the Government Primary School, Ahoada. He later returned to be
a teacher in the same school. After this, he was transferred to the heart of Ibo
land as a civil servant, both as a teacher and a court interpreter. Driven by his nationalist zeal to protect his
identity and culture he played very significant role in the documentation of
the historical past of his people, the Ekpeye, when in 1929-31, he accompanied
the Cadet H. Newington in traversing the entire length and breadth of
Ekpeyeland in a bid to establish the exact history of the Ekpeye people. With this,
he defended the history and identity of the Ekpeye people.
At
the national level, Eze Ashirim-Unoshi fought doggedly for the development of
Ekpeye ethnic nation. He united the Ekpeye nation. Prior to his emergence, the
Ekpeye ethnic nation consisted of a collection of independent villages.
Administration was limited to the village level. Gerontocracy was the model of
administration. Its structure was based on the three tiers system. The Elders (elohwa)
at the apex, the elites (Umueze) at the middle and the youths (ikwu
ugboji) at the base. Each of these
institutions has a well-defined role to play in their individual community.
Based on this sense of independence by the communities, no community can exert
any influence over another community. However, Eze Ashirim-Unoshi eventually
influenced the unification of the Ekpeye nation with the institution of the
stool of the Eze Ekpeye Logbo and for the first time in her history, the
political development of Ekpeyeland was enhanced. Having ensured the proper
definition of the political map of Ekpeyeland and successfully establishing the
historical and cultural background of the Ekpeye nation, Eze Edmund Ashirim-Unoshi
evidently was adequately equipped to fight for the institution and recognition
of the stool of the Eze-Ekpeye-Logbo by the government of the old Eastern
Region. This was no mean achievement
taking into consideration the avalanche of opposition from the Ibo political
bigwigs. These Ibo politicians led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, K.O Mbadiwe, Michael
Okpara had sought to integrate the Ekpeye nation as one of the constituent
clans of Iboland.Eze Ashirim-Unosi was a lone voice in the midst of several Ibo
voices, yet theirs could not drown his voice. Today, the Ekpeye people are
distinctly placed in their historical narrative and the stool of the Eze Ekpeye
Logbo stands as the Ekpeye symbol of Unity.
He
persistently launched presentation to the colonial government from 1946 on the
need to grant the Ekpeye people the recognition of an overall King/clan head.
His presentation was convincing to the colonial government office at Enugu,
this is especially suitable considering the policy of indirect rule of the
colonialists. With the absence of a monarch for the Ekpeye people, there seemed
to be a vacuum in line with the colonial administrative policy. On the strength
of his presentation that Ekpeye and Ogba people through their patriarch,
Akalaka are from old Bini kingdom where there was an over-all kingship (the Oba)
and as such, Ekpeye and Ogba people should be granted Kingships,he was
severally invited to Enugu to defend the historical facts raised in his
petitionsand this he did successfully with ease. By 1948, the colonial
government had approved the establishment of the traditional stool of kingship
for the Ekpeye people but due to bureaucratic process and other unforeseen
factors, the approval was delayed for ten years, therefore, later in 1958 Eze
Ashirim-Unoshi once more reminded the colonial government of his previous
petitions on the subject of traditional kingship of Ekpeyeland. This time of course his request was granted and
in late 1959. The symbol of unity for the Ekpeye nation has been granted at
last and this was reaffirmed with a coronation ceremony at Ihuaba town in 1960.
The Eze Ekpeye Logbo of Ekpeyeland is here at last. The effort to institute the
stool of Eze Ekpeye Logbo was a personal endeavour of Eze Ashirim-Unoshi
without any financial or other form of support from any individual within or
outside Ekpeyeland.
His
Majesty Eze Ashirim Unoshi was quite desirous of the need to enhance an
improved human capital capacity of the Ekpeye people and therefore he ensured
the establishment of the first secondary school in the entire “Orashi Region”
and one of the foremost in Rivers State; the Western Ahoada County high School,
(W.A.C.H.S) Ahoada 1957, and today that great centre of education has clocked
sixty (60) years. Furthermore, to widen the scope of literacy in the Ekpeye
nation he worked for the grant of university scholarshipof some young school
leavers, (though his son was qualified for the scholarship grant yet he chose
to give the opportunity to another candidate) and he encouraged them to travel
to the western world to acquire university education. These pioneer scholars
were later to become the first crop of graduates and elites that emerged in
Ekpeyeland.
In
the political setting in the 1940’s/50’s, Chief the Hon. Edmund Ashirim-Unoshi
was the pioneer President of the Ekpeye/Engenni County Council (present day
Local Government Chairman) and later a member of the Eastern Region House of
Assembly, Enugu and House of Representatives, Lagos. With his coronation as the
Eze Ekpeye logbo of Ekpeyeland, Eze Ashirim-Unoshi had aguaranteed seat as a
member of the Eastern Nigeria House of Chiefs.
His
Majesty Eze Edmund Ashirim Unoshi was a frontline Statesman that spearheaded
the agitation for the creation of Rivers State. He served as the Chairman for
the 1956constitutional conference committee for the agitation and creation of
the old Rivers State (now Bayelsa and Rivers) from the Eastern Region with Hon.
E. S. Bezu, Barr. O. Inko-Tariah and Barr. Nwikaas members, the success of this
committee at the constitutional conference resulted to the recognition/invitation
of Rivers Movement by the British Labour Party government, resulting to the sending
of Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye,the secretary of Rivers Movement to the London Constitutional
conference in 1957.
By
1967, the newly independent Nigerian nation was engulfed in a bloody civil war.
His Majesty Eze Ashirim-Unoshi stood his ground against all odds to defend the history,
culture and the right of the Rivers people with much emphasis on the unity of
Nigeria. This was recorded during the visit of the British Prime Minister Right
Honourable Harold Wilson to River State in 1968;in his welcome address on
behalf of the Chiefs and people of the Rivers State of Nigeria, he declared as
follows, “the Rivers State of Nigeria
which was created on May 27 1967 is inhabited by many groups of people. These
people who make up the population (1.5 million) of the Rivers State are NOT Ibo.
They are a people who have been knit together for centuries by trade, marriage,
and geographical affinity, they share an identical culture. They are definitely
distinct from the Ibos”.He had early pointed out in the address“that we came to be grouped with the Ibos
was merely an administrative arrangement. The bonds which unite us with Ibos
are no greater than those which unite us with the Hausas, the Bins, the
Yorubas’ etc”.Similarly, His Majesty Eze Ashirim Unoshi went further to
declare as follows “The creation of the
Rivers State on may 27 1967 was an answer to the prayers of the Rivers people.
We have welcomed our State earned with blood and tears and shall defend it to
the very last drop of our blood”.His zeal, patriotism and dexterity
stimulated the actualization of the dreams of the creation of Rivers State.
Another
notable achievement of His Majesty Eze Ashirim Unoshi in Rivers State that
would not go unnoticed was in the area of traditional rulership. Having
identified the strategic role of traditional institutions in the development of
the state and the need for unity in view of the heterogeneous ethnic
constituent of Rivers State, he convened
and instituted the first Rivers State chief’s conference on the 17th
of May, 1969 and the body was formally inaugurated on the 28th
of June 1969 by the old Rivers State government. Eze Ashirim-Unosi eventually
assumed the headship of the body as the
pioneer Chairman of the council of chiefs in Rivers State, with Chief T.A. Agbaka
and Chief D.A Kwosah as Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Therefore,Eze
Ashirim-Unosi laid the foundation for the council of traditional rulers in the state,
which is today known as the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.
His Majesty Eze Ashirim-Unoshi, who
became the first Eze-Ekpeye-Logbo, brought peace, publicity, pomp and dignity
to the Ekpeye monarchy and with this came more recognition by the Nigerian
government and additional political influence in the region.
These laudable achievements of the
late King have in no minimal measure and without doubt contributed immensely to
the development of the Ekpeye Kingdom in particular, Rivers State and indeed
the Nigerian nation at large. In all it remained a statement of fact that His
Majesty Eze Edmund-AshirimUnoshiwas a selfless and dedicated leader, resilient
and visionary, a worthy statesman and uncommon achiever of his generation,
whose impact transcends times as we today celebrate his contribution to
humanity.
The jubilee bells tolling across Rivers
State will remain inaudible if in the roll call of the architect of the
creation of Rivers State, the name of
His Majesty Eze Edmund Ashirim- Unoshi, Eze-Ekpeye-logbo of Ekpeyeland 1 is
not included. Though, he fought for the creation of the state and defended the
entire people of Rivers State as recorded in his welcome address to the British
Prime Minister in 1968 yet no street or edifice was named after this great son
of Ekpeyeland and leader of men, to immortalise his name, within Port Harcourt,
the capital city of Rivers State. Successive administrations has denied him his
pride of place as his name has been deliberately struck off and is therefore
conspicuously missing from the list of the great patriots of Rivers State.
Indeed,the present and future generation owes him a debt of gratitude for his
outstanding contributions to humanity and this can only be fulfilled when we
find a way to immortalise his name.
Gift
Vincent Ekine
Chairman/Executive
Director
Ekpeye Cultural
Heritage Centre (E.C.H.C)
Ahoada
Rivers State
Nigeria
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