A Clash of Cultures in Itsekiri Kingdom

Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase II


Omon-Julius Onabu writes about the most recent clash of cultures in Itsekiri Kingdom of Delta State and how dialogue averted losses that the kingdom would have suffered

It started like a harmless drop of rainfall. The sun had barely cast its shadow on earth on September 4, 2013, when two cultures clashed in the ancient Itsekiri Kingdom in Delta StatE.

After 26 years of running the affairs of the kingdom according to customs and tradition, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase II, disagreed with the traditional rules with which he came into office. He thus unilaterally moved swiftly to alter them.

"Today, I renounce our allegiance to Umalokun and other gods of the sea. I also repent for the name and title of “Ogiame” that my ancestors and I have borne as it connotes our allegiance to Umalokun and other deities of the sea, all of which are false. Henceforth, I submit and present the title 'Ogiame' to God, the creator, who made the seas and rules over all", the monarch had stated in the edict meant to establish a new covenant to overwrite the existing one to which he is a custodian.

So the September 4, 2013 proclamation indicated in clear terms that he desired a clean break from everything associated with the Itsekiri monarchy that he considered fetish or "un-Christian."

“In conformity with the new covenant through the blood of Jesus, I release the royal bloodline, the chiefs of the Iwere Kingdom, the Iwere people and land, waters and atmosphere of Iwere Kingdom from all ties to all other spiritual covenants and agreements", the monarch had declared with a sense of finality.

That act became a trigger for a revolt among his subjects who consider the action of the monarch as an affront to the rules of the kingdom. Soon, the attempt to change the royal nomenclature of the title of the monarch suddenly pitched the people against their paramount ruler, who had to recant to give peace a chance.

Interestingly, what made the Olu of Warri's traditional, legislative crisis a unique one was that the two cultures in turbulent confrontation in Itsekiri Kingdom or Iwere-land are from the same source. They are associated with the same entity; the Itsekiri ruling house.  Indeed, it was not a case of a stranger "invading" Iwere-land with new ideas that are alien to the Itsekiri.  Perhaps after more than a decade on the throne in line with the Olu dynasty, Ogiame Atuwaste II apparently picked enough holes with his kingdom's traditions and practices that he decided to do away with them for good. He decided to substitute the time-tested culture with ecclesiastical model without prior consultation with the people.

However, if he thought his authority as the custodian of the Itsekiri customs and tradition placed him on such a pedestal that would make his purely personal conviction or proclamation a law, the monarch had a huge surprise awaiting him. His people, his own subjects simply would not buy that.

Sacred Customs
Although culture, like other features of any human society, is dynamic, resistance would be inevitable where an attempt is made to practically supplant a people's culture with another in a wholesale manner.

According to an analyst who described the clash of cultures as a modern test for ancient sovereignty, Mr. Mike Ikhariale, “this development may indeed be limited to the Itsekiri nation but it actually has larger significations to constitutionalism as a governing process and the exercise of sovereignty in a customary setting, an important lesson that would be immensely beneficial to other communities and the larger Nigerian society.”

Ikhariale argued that as a matter of constitutional law, anyone, including the Olu, has the right to change and profess any religion as dictated by his conscience but it is another thing altogether when such a right is extended to the annulment of a governing order or tradition of the entire community.

“The monarch of any kingdom holds office in accordance with the customary constitutional law of his domain,” he said.

He noted that many monarchs have abdicated their thrones for diverse reasons, ranging from old-age to religious convictions and ideological U-turns, adding that “Some have even done so for reasons as mundane as marriages or romance that are unacceptable to the succession requirements of the particular monarchy. If the Olu loves his new religion so dearly and cherishes the awaiting heavenly kingdom than his earthly one, the proper thing would have been for him to abdicate.”

The lesson according to him from the Olu of Warri crisis should not be lost on the nation as a whole. He said that rulers must take into account the constitutional environments in which they are called upon to serve.

“Leaders who came into office by way of customs and tradition and those who came in by way of democratic elections are all subject to the ultimate suzerainty of their people. That is what the Olu of Warri’s case just confirmed. A monarch has the right to quit. What is however not allowed is to hold on to the throne but unwilling to comply with the requirements of the office. It is only proper to expect that anyone who is called upon to fill a throne must submit to the norms and conventions of his kingdom subjects, however, to the constitutional repugnancy rule,” he emphasised.

This in fact was the general view of Itsekiri sons and daughters during and after the remarkable four-day street demonstration against the ill-fated "New Order."

A medical practitioner who obviously waved aside public perception of his professional status to join the jubilant crowd of women, men, youths and children celebrating the victory of the recanting of the new order by their monarch, Dr Felix Omatseye told THISDAY, "we, Itsekiri love our culture greatly and the Itsekiri love their king and accord him great respect in line with our culture. Culture is what makes us unique as a people. There was a conflict and we, the children of the king, wanted our royalty to be intact, as it was in the beginning, because royalty is the apex of our culture. So, we want to pass it down to generations yet unborn as a unique gift from almighty God.

"This is not against Christianity. In fact, some of his predecessors were also Christians and of course most of the people are Christians and some are followers of other religions. So, it was not meant as a fight against Christians or Christianity, but to safeguard the culture the people cherish. Even in Rome, tradition has a place and is respected by the Church."

Similarly, two Itsekiri opinion leaders, Prince Frederick Omaghomi and Hon. Godwin Omamogho as well as members of Warri Council of Chiefs led by Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, expressed satisfaction at the turn of  event and advised non-Itsekiri people not to misconstrue the action of the people as a disrespect for Atuwatse who will continue to be loved by his people.

"The Itsekiri can never fight their king", Omamogho pointed out, noting that at no point throughout the protest was any insulting words used on the king as the people merely made a passionate appeal to the Olu of Warri to see with the people. Prince Omaghomi asserted that Ogiame Atuwatse II as the 19th monarch was actually the 10th Christian to ascend the royal throne, hence no one could rightly argue that it had to do with religion though the people believe their king was "misled" by external elements with a “hidden agenda”.

Similarly, Mrs Progress Oyibo, an Itsekiri woman leader who presided over the cooking and dishing out of food at the palace ground while the protest lasted, thanked the Itsekiri leaders for their cooperation in defending the tradition of the land.

The bone of contention

Earlier, at the height of the conflict, the Warri Council of Chiefs had taken strong exception to the "New Order of Iwere Kingdom" proclaimed by the monarch in which the Olu said that as a descendant of Prince Ginuwa of the Benin Kingdom, the progenitor of the Iwere monarchy, and "as a royal priest in the order of Melchizedek" he was using "the authority of the blood of Jesus to destroy all ancient and new altars in Iwere land not raised up to the Lord by the laws governing the new covenant of life in Christ."

But the Emiko royal family quickly dismissed the declaration as a flagrant disobedience to the rules that brought Olu to power with six cardinal points.

In a position paper signed by 37 members of the Emiko royal family of Warri, they declared that historically "when Prince Ginuwa left Benin to become the first Itsekiri monarch about 1480, it was with the authority and blessing of his father (Olua, the then Oba of Benin) to reign over the river - hence the title 'Ogiame'". Therefore, the title deed over the riverside areas as well as the “Ogiame” title belongs to the Itsekiri people, who have so addressed their rulers that included Christians for over 500 years.

So, as soon as the people realised that the monarch chose to play tough, following reports that he had practically shut the door against his people and was no longer acknowledging traditional greetings reserved for the monarch, the Istekiri leaders swung into action mobilising the people for an indefinite, but peaceful protest including laying siege to the palace of the Olu of Warri. They maintained that though the monarch, as the custodian and trustee of the title on behalf of the Itsekiri people, Atuwatse II can make necessary periodic review of aspects of the traditional practices, he could not do so without due process including having consultation with Itsekiri stakeholders and the constitution.

When the heat was turned on and the battle-line drawn, even the noble supporters of the king, including the about ten who signed the contentious document to supplant the Itsekiri I customs and traditions capitulated, either renounced the new order or went into a hidden.

The Governor's Intervention
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had cut short his engagements in Abuja to visit his kinsmen at the palace in Warri and appeal to them for peace to reign. In the end, the protest was without any recorded incident - thanks to the free food and other supplies that apparently kept the youths in check.

Nonetheless, one interesting aspect of the obvious collision of cultures in Iwere-land (Itsekiri Kingdom) remains the invaluable power of dialogue in social conflict resolution. Moreover, considering the prominent role played by women like Chief Lori-Ogbebor or even Mrs Progress Oyibo who led the group of volunteers that cooked and dished out meals to the protesters, the argument often presented in many cultures in Nigeria that women should only be seen, but not heard in traditional issues should be reasonably perforated.

lifestyle 6:33:00 AM