Ogbunike Palace Ground: Osadebe’s Mischievous Attempt At Criminalizing Ogene Igbo, Igwe Umunya

I was elated last December after observing the enthusiasm of some Ndi Ichie Ogbunike, whom in their positive quest to institutionalize our cultural heritage, initiated the idea of having a befitting palace for Igwe of Ogbunike, a hall for Ndi Ichie as well as a cultural centre. 

This is what obtains in some advanced monarchies and have contributed in no small measure to the status such institutions as the English Royalty enjoys today. As someone, who has traversed the length and breadth of this world in pursuit of business and knowledge, I had to embrace the initiative with both arms and have since then, been canvassing for support for it amongst my friends and associates in Ogbunike and beyond.With the potentials of our town in the area of tourism, I have figured that such architectural masterpieces, if well-designed today, would outlive us and become monuments of the future, which will not only attract tourists, but enshrine the name of Ogbunike on the history pages of Africa and the world. 

During a recent trip to Egypt, my host and business partner, Ahmed, who was my classmate in Tokyo, took me to Giza, an Egyptian town notable for pyramids, structures built hundreds of years ago in honour of their kings. I was pleasantly surprised when the tour guide at Giza told me the hundreds of millions of dollars that accrue to that town on a yearly basis on account of those pyramids. Those were developmental foundations laid by their visionary fore bearers. That is why the Bible notes that ‘people perish for lack of vision’.

With all these accruable advantages in sight, it therefore, beats me silly to read a petition by Chief Chukwuma Osadebe, castigating not only the laudable initiative but also demonizing the people behind the laudable projects as well as some invited dignitaries, who are keying into the vision. I had initially dismissed it as ‘huge fake news’, but after personal inquiries, I was furnished with photocopies of the petition signed by Chief Osadebe, with reference Number: AKZ/OC/OPG/22/007 and dated 20th of January, 2022.

In the said petition, the Osadebe tried feebly to explain how he and our late Igwe had been planning to erect such facilities but failed to explain convincingly why he is annoyed that other sons of Ogbunike like Ichie Nwafor Onyezia (Ikpemalu eziokwu), Ichie Harris Odili (Ogene Igbo) and Ichie Tochukwu Obiakor (Akudinobi) in collaboration with other Ndi Ichie have kick-started the process. He sounded so bitter in his petition like someone, who had desired a project in his community, but angry because the day it came, he had no hand in it!

Such attitudes towards developmental efforts simply remind me of the popular quote:  “Backbiting is the attempt of one who is incapable of doing better himself” by Hazrat Ali Ibn Abu-Talib.
I am amazed that Chief Osadebe could allow himself to be used by pawns to sign such a petition because he has just by doing so, marked himself as an enemy of the people. More worrisome is the attitude of splashing mud on the revered Igwe Umunya, who, came all the way from his kingdom to support the initiative and the gratitude he could show him was telling him how untraditionally he had behaved! That act is anything short of polite and has not only put a dent on Igwe Umunya but on the respectable people of that kingdom. 

We cannot continue to curry hatred due to the interest of one man, who is sad and desires to put spanner in the wheel of progress because good things are not happening through him. We have witnessed Pull Him Down (PHD) syndrome over the years, but this as exemplified by Chief Osadebe is of immense proportion and should awaken the people of Ogbunike from their slumber about our friendly-enemies.

I will advise Chief Osadebe to withdraw his malicious allegations and apologize to the gentlemen in question. His allegations are spurious, malicious, and rooted in misplaced envy. He could go further by liaising with them to see to the fruition of the projects, rather than throwing spanner on the wheel of progress. It is an ill-wind that will blow none any good. May God bring progress to Ogbunike.

Dr. Felix Nwabueze, KSJI Indigene of Amawa, Ogbunike Lives in California, USA.