M. O. ENE
PREAMBLE
Agbaja is the most autochthonous and homogenous of the five cultural areas of current Enugu State (Greater Awgu, Nkanụ, Nsụkka, and Enugu Urban or Coal City). Since the publication of “Udi: Land of Tomorrow” (2001), not much has been added to the narrative to narrow various versions of Agbaja myths.
AGBAJA SUMMIT
The 2022 Agbaja Investment Summit, held on November 2-3, has brought the Agbaja lore back to the fore. Agbaja is the ground that giants walk, the arena of academicians and artisans, the mountain of mineral resources and movies… the homeland from whence the best of beauties and brains emerge. Seeing the crème de la crème of Coal City from all over the world at the Summit is spectacular. Beyond speeches, the Summit accomplished a major feat: the renaissance of an ancient amalgamation of correlated communities. Indeed, “ihe e ji mara Agbaja eshike”!
INTRODUCTION
Agbaja is home to good and grand ancestors, a land of liberty and love, the abode of free spirits, and the base of benevolent beings of bodily and divine dimensions. Since the beginning of human activities in the theater of Igbo civilization, people immigrate to and emigrate from Agbaja area. The existence of Agbaja in other Igbo communities is a testimony to the avid adventurism, expert entrepreneurship, and social sophistication of the people. Agbaja is a land of settled springs and rivers, a hilltop of serene weather conditions and towering palm trees. People live, survive, and thrive in this liberty-enabling environment devoid of worthless wars and abominable acts. The average Agbaja person has an inherent love of the land, peoples, cultures, and general knowledge.
Agbaja comprises peoples of contiguous communities between the wooded lands of Awka across Oji River to the rocky valleys of Enugu. Agbaja is made up of communities in present-day Udi, Ezeagu, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River, Awgu, Enugu North, Enugu East, Enugu South, and Nkanu West local government areas. However, the influence of Agbaja extends to lands beyond the contiguous communities to as far afield as Abatete and Mbaise. The flourishing folklores and connecting cultural contents await serious studies.
ANTEDILUVIAN AGBAJA
Agbaja is an amalgamation of autochthonous areas whose indigenous inhabitants largely do not claim to be of recent external extraction. In essence, Agbaja is a land of sons of the soil and daughters of the domain. In many Igbo legends, a certain man sired, say, seven sons who begot seven villages. The rest is a matter of who has the most convincing story. Agbaja is no exception. Such legends produced the sons and daughters that founded Umuneke, Oshie Aniugwu, Ojebe Ogene, Ugwunye, Ezedike, Ezeagu, Ngwuo, and the founders of adjourning communities under the greater Agbaja sphere.
Some stories sometimes go off the tangent. We eventually return to a common conclusion: We are all brethren in humanity. The geopolitical partitions are mere administrative attributes. No one knows exactly who first inhabited a particular part of any country, even supposedly virgin lands with no signs of previous human habitation. The modern Igbo have a name for such counterfeit claims of discovery: “Akụkọ Mungo Park”! It is ignominious ignorance to claim such discoveries: The earth existed before the dinosaurs! Evidence shows that the continents were contiguous.
COLONIAL AGBAJA
Communal spirit, extended-family structures, and responsive republicanism of Agbaja folks made developmental work under colonialism much more effective and efficient. Communities from as far away as the emirate of Gwandu sought to learn from then Udi (Agbaja) experience. Folks settled in Agbaja and coexisted constructively and peacefully. The people were productive, tolerant, and embraced modernity seamlessly.
It is said that history is basically the biography of great men and women. This is true of Eze Onyeama n’Eke, Okwuruọha Agbaja. His story is the history of early colonial Agbaja. On pre- and post-independence, the influence of Agbaja and colliery in the making of Nigeria is evident. Agbaja people are neither petty protesters nor pathetic pushovers; any attempt to arrogate oneself to the pinnacle of absolute power is almost always resisted for the interest of the people, ọhanaeze.
AGBAJA PEOPLE
Agbaja has beautiful and powerful women, as evident recently on world stages. They tow the footsteps of fabulous socialites of substance. A long line of great men came from Agbaja neck of the woods. The legendary Ichie Nnebe Ụzọ, an accomplished technologists from Ụmanaa, introduced iron smithery to Awka. Eze Onyeama was the greatest Igbo king of the last century. Agbaja delivered the first Igbo western-trained medical doctor, the first Nigerian World Court judge, four other supreme court justices, the first Igbo pilot, great politicians, erudite professors, writers, artists, the first airport at Udi, coal, first Igbo administrative center, et cetera.
CONCLUSION
Agbaja is not where it should be in terms of modern development, possibly due to the pull of Enugu urban taking the shine off Udi Kpọmkwem. Mass literacy campaign started in Agbaja in 1949 with Oscar-winning moviemaking that produced many teachers and professionals. Yet, Agbaja is the only cultural zone without a standard university. With the busiest vehicular junction and a culture of ironworks, Agbaja should be a manufacturing and distribution hub—not just home to big beer brewers! With coal from the wombs of Udi Hills, Nigeria produced electricity and fired a vibrant railway network. A century later, many Agbaja communities have no dependable electric power, no rail lines, no waterworks.
Agbaja will blossom for all who believe in its essence: fraternity, liberty, equity, and progress. It’s hard to find intercommunal clashes or nose-bleeding bigotry in Agbaja. The focus has always been on enhancing economic environment and sociocultural status quo to bring out the best in people, no matter where they started life. This is accomplished by preserving Igbo culture, our future. Thus, Agbaja holds the promise of a land of greater tomorrow for the good of humanity.
Kudos to the organizers for pulling off a cultural extravaganza with familiar faces in attendance. Hopefully, investment will follow with the emergence of invested leadership. Agbaja amaka!
©MOE, 11.03.22
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