MAZI UCHE EZECHUKWU’S OFFERING AND MBAISE BY M A C ODU Mazi Jude Onyenwe, a constant reader of Daily Sun, presented me a copy of Daily Sun of May 20 2013, which medium carried a full page essay by Mazi Uche Ezechukwu with the subject: Mbaise Versus Catholic Church. It was a good effort by the author as a good catholic. I intend to examine that essay dispassionately for the benefit of Ndigbo and humanity and expose certain facts for awareness of the world at large. Perhaps, Mazi Uche Ezechukwu can gain from this. Mbaise is the land of undefeated warriors of Igboland in every concept of the statement. Mbaise confronted colonists and dealt with them one hundred and twenty years ago. Mbaise killed a white man and hung his bicycle on a tree. Mbaise ate him and attracted the wrath of colonists. We received colonial wrath and did not bat an eyelid. About eighty years ago, my clan Ngwuru resisted the injustice of colonial courts and their black court clerks. Women riots of 1929 sacked the colonial courts following resistance to taxation, forcing them to relocate from Nkwogwu to Enyiogugu. In same Ahiara as under radar, Biafra was declared a nation by General Odumegwu Ojukwu. Mbaise hosted the last outpost of Biafra, which was a country. The war ended before it got to Mbaise. The land of Mbaise is sacred in traditional idiom and cannot be a playground for whims and caprices of anyone. I am a second time incarnate of the land of Mbaise. I have no apologies to offer anyone for the sad contradiction which this statement implies in the belief system of received religion in contradistincti on with tradition, which I find superior in most respects. The key issue here is that the man dies in anyone who fails to stand up against injustice for sake of man-made laws and conventions and practices even when they are not supported by Natural Law. Popes are known to have set the world back in several instances based on apocryphal infallibility. The history of the church is well known to developed minds and scholars of history. It had sad episodes of undue interference in ordinary rights of sections of humanity arrogating to herself undeserved final authority during the middle ages. The Renaissance put paid to all that. The world is changing from docile acceptance of dogma to reasoned and proven principles of conduct based on fairness to all concerned and justice based on sound judgment of all interests in any subject matter under examination. I do intend to set out the issues in particular order for anyone who believes in argument without dirty innuendoes as basis for appraising the quality of decisions made. Ndigbo through the ages was governed by representatives of the common will domiciled in elders even in monarchical settings. One group did not and cannot benefit perpetually to the exclusion of other groups. That is our own democracy. It has entered the political lexicon. No part in a given constituency takes and takes while other constituents wait and wait in Igboland. Civil strife is a concomitant of that anomaly. Francis Cardinal Arinze issues from Eziowelle clan comprised of Umuekwele, Umunnama, Ezinimo, Okpaliko and Ubulu villages. It is a historical fact that Okpaliko and Ubulu migrated from Nteje during slave trade era. They could have migrated in gainful pursuit of slave business. Francis Cardinal Arinze could have been of an Aro lineage. Iguaro is a longstanding festival in the area. Francis Cardinal Arinze did not name his own village throughout his glorious career as the youngest cardinal ever in the history of The Catholic Church. He had a mentor in Father Tansi and with his influence in Rome prevailed on Pope John Paul now beyond our plane to beatify him. He was sufficiently influential in bringing the pope to Nigeria during Abacha’s trifling with public will. Cardinal Arinze has had his way nominating priests to bishoprics without challenge. He has spent the better part of his life in Rome and in service of The Vatican outside Nigeria. He is haughty and imperial in his carriage. He had never received any challenge. Granted, he was revered as a brilliant man and had stints of noteworthy contributions to papacy. He was a star in Onitsha Archdiocese and all that. He was a star in Rome and came close to being first African Pope. He had an overbearing personality and naturally repulsive to those who are humble in high office like the current pope. He had to play his nepotist card with Pope Benedict before his emeritus status. In spite of his craving, age denied him papacy. He has got away in multiple cases with his cavalier and unilateral control of the fate of the church in Igboland. He has shown nepotism in the appointments he has made nominations that have been skewed in favour of his own local government. This is the trait by which Aro people cornered southern Nigeria during Slave Trade. They held other groups captive for over a century in Igboland. There are settlements of Aro people throughout Igboland. Mbaise has its share of their spread. But their exploits during slavery is like a stigma that will not go away. Ndi Aro are now suffering for their exploits during slavery. They have not learnt their lessons judging from the current conundrum. Mbaise cannot allow nepotism within its own territory. Cardinal Arinze just has to stop in his tracks. The infallibility and supremacy of the pontiff is now called to question. The churches were built mainly from resources of our people and we just have to have a say. We have Mbaise priests all over the world and in other states of Nigeria but not one bishop. Yes Mbaise entered dialectics about whom to nominate and fell short of agreeing on one timeously. But Mbaise loathes the assumption that they are worthless people. We had always been in reckoning through Nigeria’s history. We have always rejected injustice and will continue to do so without apologies to anyone. This is not the opinion of every Mbaise man. There are many diehard Catholics who believe in the pontiff’s unquestionable authority. Such would gladly fall into fire if the pontiff directs them so to do. I will not and a whole multitude of Nde Mbaise will not do that. As far as I am concerned, my ancestors were closer to Natural Law than the churches ca never be. Crime was not as rampant in my previous incarnation. We had uniqueness then which we stoutly defended. Our children, like Cardinal Arinze drank from the infectious pool of white received religion and seek to tear our systems apart with highhandedness and false sense of importance. It will no longer fly. Ndeze who are custodians of tradition and papal knights have a choice: stay with tradition or abdicate their stools and carry arms for the Catholic Church. Mbaise will not sink if the Catholic Church cuts out. In fact some wealth will remain for our aged and long suffering adherents of Catholic faith to lengthen their lives with. Proper attitude to life in more eternal idiom will result from the impasse and Mbaise will not be losers in the end. I have avoided being destructive in this essay as a mark of respect for all readers and Mazi Uche Ezechukwu himself. Matters set in print had better be circumspect and eternally contemplated. As for population, we have the numbers in both poor and influential. Our problem is we are shy with being unfair. “Ogu” the eternal symbol of justice remains with us and fights those who think that power could be applied unjustly for short term gains. Even our sons who wield their power unjustly will crash and our people’s memory will not find space for such. But we must continue to resist injustice from all quarters unto the death if need be.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:45:57 +0000
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