Our History

By Peter Chukwunweike Igbo

Abba is one of the communities in the present-day Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The Njikoka Local Government Council, with its headquarters at Abagana is made up of six autonomous communities, namely: Abba, Abagana, Nimo, on one part as Umuowelle clan, and Enugwu-Ukwu, Enugwu-Agidi and Nawfia on the other part representing UmuNri clan. As the Umuowelle clan belongs to constituency II in the present-day Anambra State House of Assembly delineation, the Umu-Nri clan forms the constituency I.

Abba lies on the 60 11′ N latitude, 60 55′ E longitude of the old Enugu/Onitsha trunk ‘A’ road through the local government headquarters, Abagana. The Enugu-Onitsha dual carriage interstate road bifurcates the community into the ancestral home (part of which form the present-day farmstead) and the present-day homestead of the town. Abba, with its extensive farm land, is also endowed with natural resources such as ceramic mineral and natural spring water source known as, and called “Oyi” stream; the best spring water nature can provide. The abundant availability of ceramic mineral provided employment opportunities for manufacturers of clay products from both far and near. 

Bounded, as it were, by six autonomous communities, on one side; Eastwards is Ukpo community in Dunukofia Local Government Area, West of Abba is the Awkuzu community in Oyi Local Government Area; on her Southwest area is more of Ifite dunu community also in Dunukofia L.G.A than Awkuzu in Oyi L.G.A. On the South of Abba lies Ifite-dunu. Northeast is Enugwu-Agidi in Njikoka L.G.A and Nawgu in Dunukofia L.G.A. in the North. With a contiguous land mass of 7.9 kilometers, (the topography of) Abba indicates sloppy, stony and minor hilly features, but generally on a table plain.

From the most reliable oral tradition, Abba was more than the present four (4) major villages: Ire, Amabor, Okpuloji and Ezi-Abba. Some accounts contend that Abba was up to nine villages at certain period of time. The four distinct villages as the present generation knows them are: IRE, AMABOR, OKPULOJI and EZI-ABBA. There had been fusions of clans, tribes, regions, states and nations all over the world from the beginning of time. And these basic units of social organization have equally experienced diffusions at various places and periods of time. A typical example of this fusion and diffusion is seen in the case of Somaliland and Somalia  two independent countries in the horn of Africa.

The merger and fusion of the nine villages was necessitous because, as at the time, there were echoes of Greek tragedy about the succession of blows striking some of the villages. There were some kind of plague of consistent deaths and tragedies. So some of the villages left Abba for settlement in areas they found safer haven; some felt more protected merging with their immediate brother villages, and to be able to cope with the levies and contributions contributed on village basis. So, it is not surprising why Abba is left with only but four larger villages aforementioned

The ancient people of Abba were predominantly clay-pot makers and merchants. Added unto these two occupations were large scale farming and hunting.

 

The New Yam (“Alumuo”) Festival:

“Alumuo”, “Alomoo”, “Alo-m mmuo”, “Awam ji”, ‘Ilomuo”, “Iwa Ji”, “Ahiajioku”, “Ahianjioku”, “Hajioku”, “Iro moo”, are all various Igbo names that simply mean New Yam Festival. The problem in the orthography and pronunciation of these words lie on modulation of the voice and mode of utterance of the word, characteristic of area of Igbo land. There are more other names than the ten (10) identified here, such as “Emume ji ohu”, “fejioku”, etc. The point here remains that they all mean simply the same traditional festival, marking the eating of the new yam in Igbo land.

ABBA:   The Odyssey

From all accounts; from one account, mine, not much is known to be written down as the history of the father of Owelle, the father of Abba. The much that had been spoken about the father of Owelle are substantially based on the oral tradition and notion of the descendants of Owelle which, in the general thinking of scholars, had hardened into truths passed from one generation to another. Some people seem to favour the thinking that a certain man called “Ogidi”, pronounced “Ogi-di”, was the father of Owelle. This contention was supported by no more than few, as Owelle was thought by many to be the direct descendant of Abba  the second generation of the Igbo race. The relationship between Owelle and Ogidi is thought to be more of fraternal than otherwise. The fraternal relationship is thought from the point of view, by oral tradition that they descended from joint ancestor.  

Some Hamtic theories posit that the Igbo nation is of the original Jews. In that regard and to that extent, Igbo is believed to be the name of the aboriginal people who first inhabited the forest regions of West Africa for thousands of years and have witnessed waves of migration over the millennia. The name, according to Prof Nwabuenyi Ugonna, is derived from the proto-kwa word “igbo”, “ugbo” or “ugboko”, meaning bush or forest. His works held that the people migrated to the present habitat from the desiccating Sahara about ten thousand years ago and settled in Igbo-Etiti in the valleys between Olu and Okigwe highlands, through the Niger-Benue confluence.  Prof Ugonna was quick to believe that the eponymous father of the Igbo (people) had five sons whom he identified and called Njoku, Isu, Osu, Nkalu, and Oru.  But after the immolation of Njoku who was later deified as “Ahiajioku” (also pronounced “Fejioku”) to avert famine which threatened to send into extinction the entire Igbo race, the other sons of Igbo, in fullness of time, spread to other parts of Igbo land where they live today

Nonetheless, the views of Igbo (2006) had difficulties doubting the above contentions of Prof. Ugonna, but added Abba as the sixth of the sons. It is the views of the senior elders of Aro-Abiriba, Abam, Ohaofia regions where the present author visited, that, it is the deification of Njoku that the present Igbo nation today celebrate as New yam festival. The name “Ahiajioku”, “Fejioku” or “Fee-Njoku” means adore “Njoku”, for he was immolated and deified to enhance bounty harvest, at the behest of Abba in his role among his brothers as father.

Out of the six sons of Igbo namely: Njoku, Isu, Osu Eri, Abba and Nkalu, Eri and Abba were the only ones that adopted Hebrew names (because they inherited the spiritual and patrifocal heritages respectively of their proto- Hebrew origin)

“And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, Abba, father.”

(Gal. 4:6)

 “For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Rom.8:15-16)

 The hypothetical expression made in Okeke, 1984 that; “Anyi (Abba) na Abagana na Nri bu nwanne” meaning; “We (Abba) and Abagana and  Nri are brothers” is only true to the extent that Eri, the father of Nri is of the same parentage with the first generation of Abba who begat  Owelle. Owelle then begat four sons, namely; Abba, Abagana, Nimo and Ezi-owelle. Owelle was described by oral tradition as a great hunter and farmer of repute and was the first person to clear, farm and settle in the vast area of land known today as Ezi-owelle, Nimo, Abagana and Abba. In the course of his hunting expeditions, Owelle saw a vast fertile and uninhabited area of land situate by the bank of a stream which flow in the area. After observing the luxuriant nature of the land, Owelle was satisfied that it was suitable for farming. And on clearing a portion of it, he built a farm hut within it and thereafter took possession of the land by continually farming on it. Whilst cultivating the land, he observed that a tree known to the Igbo race and culture as “Soyabudibia” grew there; he established his “Juju shrine” called “Okwu Fiajioku”. In Abba community, “Okwu Fiajioku” houses the “Fejioku Deity” which the people, like in most Igbo communities, remember annually during the New Yam festivals.