Opinion
In The Name Of Tradition
As children, we were told that masquerades are spirits of our ancestors. Our elders taught us and we also leant from other sources that masquerades in Igbo land serve spiritual, social, and educational purposes, that they are integral part of the cultural fabric of the Igbo people, embodying their beliefs, values and traditions. Growing up, we saw masquerades play some vital roles in our communities such as upholding moral values by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding those who adhere to the societal norms; providing entertainment through elaborate dances, music, and performances at community celebrations and gatherings and many more. But that has changed, especially in Nsukka, Enugu State where Omabe masquerade, popularly referred to as Oriokpa, has become a turn in the flesh of many indigenes and residents. As a secondary school student in the town, many years ago, Oriokpa masquerades were the most dreaded figures because of the way they dealt mercilessly with people, especially young girls and women. The physical assaults, molestations and intimidation were of the highest order.
During Oriokpa season and outing, many pupils and students and even teachers stay away from school for the fear of being brutalised by the masquerades. I recall one faithful day that we were beaten blue and black by a horde of Oriokpa. The school had dismissed, the bordering students returned to the hostels and we the day students and some teachers stood outside the school gate for hours waiting for any means of transport to take us home. No taxis, buses or motorcycles could come near the Urban Girls Secondary School environment because it was Oriokpa season. After some hours of hopeless waiting, a particular “born again” female teacher decided that enough was enough. She cut a branch of a mango tree on the school compound, with her Bible securely tucked in her armpit, she opened the gate and dashed out. Seeing her level of confidence and believing that she would be capable of warding off any masquerade that came near her, almost all the students going the same direction with her, ran after her.
It was a long, lonely, bushy untarred road but we were fearless seeing our leader with a long fresh stick and a Bible and she continued to pray as we moved. But behold, about half way into the journey, within a twinkle of an eye, dozens of Oriokpa masquerades appeared from nowhere and started coming for us. Our courageous born-again teacher could do nothing. Not the stick nor the Bible could be used to confront the large number of masquerades. All the students held her tightly, trembling. Incidentally, our hoped support base was even trembling more than us. She was shaking, begging the masquerades not to harm us. Unfortunately, all our pleas and cries fell on deaf ears. The masquerades descended on us, flogging the daylight out of us as we kept running and screaming. Some of us ran into one uncompleted building along the road but they caught up with us, flogging us like some disobedient slaves. Many of us still bear the physical scars from that experience till date.
The psychological scar is indelible. Painfully, over four decades after, the menace of the Oriokpa masquerades still persists in the university town. Last month, a video of a female nurse being molested by some Oriokpa masquerades trended online. In fact, it is still trending. The victim, Miss Blessing Ogbonna, a staff of a private hospital in Nsukka, was fully kitted, riding her motorbike to the hospital when the masquerades swooped on her and started flogging her until she fell down from the motorbike. She managed to get up and ran, but the hordes of masquerades continued beating her till she fell into a deep drainage. According to her, she did not see the masquerades early enough to run because a tipper blocked her view and before she could see the masquerades, it was too late.
Commendably, some notable people, groups and organisations both within and outside Nsukka including the Enugu State House of Assembly reacted fiercely to the dehumanising act, leading to the suspension of operations of masquerades in the town. Reports have it that in a meeting, summoned by the Nsukka Town Federated Union, which was attended by the Oha Nsukka, the Akpuruaru Nsukka, the Igwes, the Presidents-General of the nine autonomous communities and the youths, a resolution was reached that “Oriokpa masquerade operation has been suspended until further notice to enable the Council of Elders conclude on the assault on Miss Ogbonna and come up with modalities on the Oriokpa masquerade operation.The Enugu State House of Assembly also acted swiftly by setting up an ad-hoc committee to come up with practical measures to regulate the activities of masquerades in the State. The action followed a motion by Honourable Malachy Onyechi on the abuse of human rights, threat to life, and destruction of properties by masquerades in the constituency. Onyechi, who represents the constituency at the state House of Assembly, noted that the menace of masquerades in the area was alarming, as many had either been injured or lost their lives following their activities.
The security agencies also played their part by ensuring the arrest of the suspects involved in the episode and charging them with assault, extortion and blockade of a federal road. All these steps so far taken are commendable. One only hopes that the modalities of operation to be arrived at eventually will be implemented and sustained. This is because similar steps have been taken before. They brought some sanity in the town for sometime but there was a relapse with the passage of time. One of such measures was the restriction of the operation of Oriokpa to the then villages like Echara, Umakashi, Nguru and others. They were not to be seen at Enugu Road, Odenigbo and other urban areas at that time. Incidentally, most of the then rural communities like Echara, Orba Road, Isiakpu, Echara and others are now township areas. They are all built up with a lot of economic activities going on within and around them. These communities are now being inhabited by people of diverse ethnic groups, religions and beliefs. These deserve to have their rights protected.
Masquerades and masquerade festivals are beautiful agelong culture which should be upheld but their operations must be adequately regulated at all times by the government and the traditional heads so that hoodlums do not hide under the guise of masquerade to bear illegal arms, to undo others and to cause nuisance in the society. The disruptions of public order – causing traffic congestion, disturbing the peace and interrupting business activities which negatively affect the local economy must stop. The extortionist acts of the masked spirit are highly resentful. As has been insinuated by some people and alluded to by a renowned university teacher, Professor Damina Opata, “The real danger is that some reckless youths even from outside Nsukka and Omabe culture areas go into the bush, don Oriokpa outfit, and begin to waylay people on the road, forcefully extorting money from innocent citizens, and even beating people who refuse to give them money.”
The solution to this was also proffered by the don, “…One way out of this is for village vigilantes and the police to arrest Oriokpa who block main roads, begging for money. The Igwes should also play a part in controlling the excesses of the modern Oriokpa.” The traditional rulers, town unions and other stakeholders should not allow outsiders to mess up their culture. Reformation of certain aspects of the masquerade tradition both in Nsukka and other parts of the country to align with contemporary societal norms is inevitable. It is crucial to balance cultural heritage with the need to maintain public safety and order.
Calista Ezeaku
Quote:”Communities have rights to peace, safety, and quality of life. Noise pollution, crowds, or other impacts from religious activities can affect these rights. Balancing these interests requires consideration and dialogue”.
“All work and no play”, its said, “makes Jack a dull boy.” Despite this age-long maxim that recognises the role of play in early childhood development, play appears to be eluding many Nigerian kids. The deprivation of play opportunities comes in different forms for the Nigerian child depending on family’s social setting or status, but the effect is much the same. For children in Nigerian poor families, life is becoming as much a hassle as it is for their struggling parents. Due to harsh economic conditions, many families resort to engaging their kids prematurely in trading activities especially in hawking, to help boost family revenues, when these kids should be enjoying leisure after school. Some of these children barely attend schools while being forced to spend much of their childhood hustling in the streets. For children from well-off families, time could be as crunchy as it is for their busy parents when, obsessed with setting agenda for the future of their kids, parents arrange stringent educational regiment too early for their kids.
These group of children are made to get-off the bed by 5.30am every weekday, get ready for private school buses that call at 6.00am, otherwise report by however means to school at 7.20am.The situation is worse for kids in the city of Lagos where the need to beat urban traffic rush-hours is very high. Most children are further subjected to extra hours of lessons after school at 2.00pm, only to be released with loads of homework. On many occasions children who leave home for school at 6.30am get back by 3.30pm. With hardly enough time to eat, do school assignments and take afternoon naps, these children hardly had time for plays before dinners. In Nigeria, kids of ages between 3 and 12 spend averages of 9 hours a day and 45 hours a week to and from schools, and additional hours doing home assignments and domestic jobs, whereas their peers in developed countries spend about half that duration and have more time for leisure.
Any remaining spare time left after school work or street hustle is further stolen, when kids who usually are fascinated by gadgets, are exposed to household electronics like phones, tablets and gaming consoles. Electronic games may create a sense of leisure, but the difference with human interactions is that kids doing games interface mostly with machines or with programme structured in ways that entrap a child’s pysch directionally, according to the game’s programming, in ways that may not encourage independent thinking. Moreso, attraction to such gadgets displaces kids’ attention from important television and radio programmes. The prevalent tight, academic schedules for some Nigerian kids, though intended for academic excellence, encroaches on childhood leisure time needed to achieve an all-round childhood development, and could make children to resent formal education altogether. Besides, academic excellence or economic pursuit, is not all there is to living a well-nurtured life.
Children’s leisure time, defined as time left over after sleeping, eating, personal hygiene and attending school or day-care, is very crucial to childhood development. Sociologists recommend that children should have at least 40 per ceny of the day as leisure. According to Berry Brazelton, a former pediatrician at Harvard Medical School, “Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about him or herself.” Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships with their peers, and in the process build self-confidence and self-control. Play is one of the important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills. Leisure time enhances learning as fun enables children to learn at their own level and pace. Young children naturally explore and learn many skills by making cognitive connections from events that catch their attention.
Unstructured plays help children developed their cognitive, physical and communication skills that make them acquire social qualities necessary in navigating relationships in adult life. Plays enable children assess how others feel and learn perspectives as well as empathy through observing differences in facial expressions, body language and even tone of voice, which helps them copy how to express themselves to others, and therefore develop socially acceptable behavours that build relationships. In cooperative activities, children willingly take things in turn and may delegate roles. Children can also share the glory of winnings through competitive games, which is all great for working together in task sharing. Aside encouraging parents to ensure adequate leisure time for their kids at home, schools should make plays and exercises an integral part of the educational curriculum. The educational curriculum set by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) includes specific training durations and break periods, as well as sporting activities, as part of the school system.
Due to poor government funding, sports in public schools have declined, while most private schools lack sporting infrastructure or even play grounds. These make recreational activities and sports implementation almost impossible in schools. Also, the increasing rate of urbanisation in Nigerian communities is gradually eroding ancient playgrounds, while established urban centres have lost community playgrounds. With tightening apartment spaces now being the norm in most urban residential areas, many kids are forced to wriggle within burglary-proof enclosures. Nigerian governments and the relevant agencies should ensure that existing child labour protection laws, educational and urban development codes are implemented in the country, to enable proper nurturing of children as the future stakeholders of our society. Private schools, especially, should be supervised to ensure they follow the educational curriculum standards set by NERDC.
In a bid to impress parents and draw more patronage as better option than public schools, private schools, most of whom operate in cramped environments, have continued to set high regiments of training schedules beyond the capacity of most kids, and even encourage enrollment of pre-school age kids who can not sit still to listen for an extended periods of time. Schools, from creche to secondary levels, without playgrounds and recreational facilities should not be allowed to operate, and should be made to understand and implement appropriate curriculum and training durations. Many Nigerian kids, whether from rich or poor families, appear to have been set-up inadvertently, in the same leisure denial that affects their parents. All work and no play could lead to some messed-up kids who grow up not understanding social cues, and being unemotional and self-centered, manifest later as obsessive-compulsive adults.
By: Joseph Nwankwo
We thank God who is above all human contrivance and arrogance. Congratulations, Your Excellency Amaopusenibo Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara. Your victory takes us back to the Bible as a living document of a God that rules in the affairs of all His creation. In a manner of speaking, welcome back from your first war with Phillistines, Your Excellency! Yes, first example is David and Goliath! And like David, Your Excellency stands over Goliath in victory. But that is not enough. Our real enemy is that Your Excellency is Governor of a State with a wretched economy. Indigenes of Your State are today reduced to battalions of beggars waiting for who will hire their loyalty on the usual “pay-as-you-go” basis.
Your Excellency, it brings us to another Bible- based parallel. Conscientious Rivers indigenes above 50, should identify with and commit our all to this second parallel. It is to liberate the economy and people of Rivers people from 23 years enslavement and poverty, for us to regain our dignity and pride. When the economy of Egypt was drifting into a disaster zone, even Pharaoh did not know it. He also did not know what to do. But God sent a Joseph to build the economy into a fortress of good fortune that overcame the economic and social disaster Egypt did not know was ahead. Your Excellency for 23 years, Rivers State has been ruled without any logical, credible and consistent PLAN of how to overcome mass poverty from our dehydrated local economies.
Your Excellency, Rivers State cannot survive one month without Federal allocation! So called IGR only about 10 per cent of Federal allocation.It is also not based on what we produce but on tax from other people’s productivity that pass through our State. Pharaoh did not know what to do in the case of Egypt. May it please God to position another Joseph in Governor Siminalayi Joseph Fubara to heal Rivers State and build an economy that all Africa will come to access in order to chart a new course out of worsening economic hardship that is caused by near zero investment in productivity and endemic reckless looting. They are the twin chambers nursing a corporate cancer unfolding across Nigeria and Africa. The hard work begins today, Your Excellency.
We need an economic blueprint that will enrich every Rivers senatorial district from investment to grow productivity and to enrich every Rivers person from career-based productive labour, just as Pharaoh was enriched by Joseph’s economic Blueprint. Let Rivers State stop the trend of waiting the lives of young Rivers people recruited by Phillistines into cultism, thuggery and easy money, as a career. These Phillistines believe they have only lost one phase of many legal battles and battles by other means. But from comments in the public media, their eyes are fixed on 4-years of war and more! Your Excellency, we the people will not let you forget what you owe us. We have to make unbelievers see that your leadership is different and that we are uprooting the old order of an unproductive Feudal System. That system makes a few persons and their cronies to monopolise our collective wealth, while the majority are left in misery. Let’s put an end to enslavement by cabals and mass poverty in Rivers State. That is when the Phillistines will surrender.
By: Amaopusenibo Brown