By Ezugwu Okike
MY mother told me a history. I have never for once recollected that history without being convulsed with laughter. It came about that a rift crept into the relationship between Opi and Ohodo. Unto this day, the two communities are neighbors that almost touch each other. A legend, ancient in origin, has it that the two communities were founded by two brothers. In strength, population and expansion Opi progressed astronomically. Unhappily, Ohodo did not witness similar prosperity. As Opi expanded into three populous and powerful clans, Ohodo remained small with one of Opi’s three clans overtopping her in land mass, number, might and what have you.
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Ohodo grew red with envy. Conseqently, the two brawled and were cast at daggers drawn. Ohodo knew that discretion was the better part of valor. She did not encourage open conflict with her redoubtable neighbor. But she had a bee in her bonnet on how else Opi could be dealt with. Opi had then founded a far-famed afor market which flourished greatly, drawing merchants from all sides of Igbo land.
The elders of Ohodo held a conference and unanimously resolved that no son or daughter of their land should again buy or sell at afor market. That was designed to inflict economic injury on her rival. The idea was bought wholesale and hailed as wise. To secure the strictest compliance, they were shepherded to the shrine of their prime deity where they swore a solemn oath that nobody should do otherwise. Udene, a dreadful and greatly revered god, was to kill anyone that was so feekless as to sabotage the common wish of the people.
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The boycott commenced in earnest. They realised too soon that their resolution was hasty and ill-considered. Orie, their own market, provided no meaningful economic support. It was sluggish and straggled disgracefully. Farmers took their produce to Orie and returned them unsoled. Money hurtfully vanished from the land. The supply of necessities dropped miserably. They were wretchedly huddled up in artificial scarcity like a clique of sullen rebels embarked on a mass hunger strike. Still, the land was overspread by the dread of Udene. Nobody dared. They stoically bore on.
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One day the tide turned. A man was robbed of his hard-earned bag of maize at afor market. The dispossessed man was infinitely infuriated. As the saying was, he tore out a strand of hair from his head and chewing it vowed loudly that his dispossessor must pay. In a vengeance-filled state, he hastily careered to Ohodo to consult the priest of Udene.
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The priest had his heel of Achilles. He was a particularly avaricious man. He also had an ungovernable penchant for palm wine. It was believed that he could bend the rules at the sight of good wine. On spotting the robbed man, he shuffled the strings of divination and told him that Udene was only asking for a gallon of good wine. The man was too bitterness-torn to haggle. It was without much ado that he made it available. Selecting the insignia of his alusi, the priest fanned out to afor market to hunt the thief.
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The elders of Ohodo coughed in deep relief and reconvened. An extremely shrewd elder took the stage and indicted Udene himself. He told them that Udene became the first to violate the oath they took in his shrine . In flagrant breach of what they agreed at his shrine, he had allowed himself to be carried to afor market by a greedy priest. The oath lost its validity. Boycott ended to the profound relief of all. Udene gave the law. Udene broke the law…
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Like Buhari like Udene. Buhari’s attitude has been consistent with that of Udene and his unfaithful priest. A president decidedly oppossed to division shouldn’t be indulging in divisive acts. But that astonishingly is not the case with Buhari. He has placed himself above the law against divisive conducts. With the recent appointments into the top management of the country’s cash cow – NNPC-Buhari has jumped past the red line he drew. Like the assertive subjects of Udene , Nigerians are free to fan out and trade uproariously at the market of division.
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