By Ozioruva Aliu  

BENIN CITY—The ancient Igarra Kingdom in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State came alive last weekend as its sons and daughters gathered for a historic celebration that has set the tone for a new era of unity and development.  

The traditional ruler, Otaru of Igarra/Akuku land, HRH Oba Adeche Saiki II, his immediate family and members of the five ruling houses of Igarra celebrated the annual Ubete festival, which he termed Igarra Day.  

The event was reminiscent of a treaty reached between the first Otaru of Igarra, HRH Ariwo Ovejijo, leader of the migrant Igarra people from Idah in present  day Kogi State, and the aborigines of their current abode, known as the Anafuas, who were said to have a stature that could be likened to the Pygmies of Congo.  

Historical accounts have it that these aborigines vacated the land for the Igarra people about 600 years ago. In the course of their departure, their head (leader) known as Uno took a portion of soil and gave it to Ovejijo, symbolising the handing over of the land to him, hence the name Etuno (meaning “the land of Uno”), by which the Igarra town is also known.

Unity as the cornerstone of development  

The ceremony took place at the royal palace grounds in the community. The celebration commenced with the communal eating of pounded yam, the traditional ceremonial food of the people.  

As is customary, the food was shared age  group by age  group, and all members ate from one big bowl containing the pounded yam, alongside another bowl of soup and assorted meat. According to the people, the essence of eating together from one plate is to cement the unity, love and togetherness of the community.  

The Chief Priest, Okomayin Mmekuzu Ivishe, said: “We are celebrating this day to mark what was handed over to our forefathers and ancestors.” Different cultural troupes in colourful attires performed to make the event a huge success.

A day of heritage and 

hope  

The Otaru declared the ceremony open, dressed in bright, colourful attire with his full regalia, dancing to the royal Arigede drum, a rare occurrence of the king dancing, which is witnessed only on special days like the Ubete festival.  

He said the Ubete festival, which he also called Igarra Day, was part of efforts to preserve the people’s cultural heritage, promote unity and re -energise traditional values in the community for future generations.  

“Igarra Day was the day the soil of this land was handed over to Ariwo Ovejijo, the first Otaru of Igarra, by the aborigines of the town led by their king, Uno, and their people, the Anafuas,” he said. “The Ubete festival features a rather long, robust celebration around the very enriching Igarra community from ancient times to the modern day. It is historically remarkable, being traceable to the Anafuas that handed over the Igarra land to Otaru Oshinoiyi Ariwo Ovejijo, the first Otaru of Igarra. Every year we celebrate it, we thank God for this.  

“My beloved people of Igarra, we can say that today’s event is part of our response to evolving merriments and re -energising our traditional architecture in Igarra to make it more proactive and result-oriented. With this mammoth crowd witnessed today, all in gaiety and joyous mood across the entire Igarra community, I enjoin the cultural dancers to exhibit their best in entertaining the guests and indigenes of the town, as awards and prizes have been earmarked for all.  

“Finally, I hereby admonish all that are present to corroborate the relevance of this Ubete festival, noting that the festival is one of the very many festivals in Igarra usually celebrated with pomp and pageantry.”

He also called on the government to support celebrations such as this, which he said would strengthen the art, cultural and tourism potentials of Edo State.  

Also speaking, the chairman of the organising committee, Obajaja Kenneth, expressed joy for the celebration, saying that the festival remained significant to the people of Igarra both at home and in the diaspora, as it is celebrated annually to promote peace, unity and cultural identity.  

“Today is very significant in the history of Igarra,” he said. “We celebrate this event on an annual basis, and we thank God that today we have very fair weather to celebrate.” On his part, the palace secretary, Otunba Folorunsho Dania, said: “I am happy because it is a time to remember all that we are today from time immemorial. It is a day to remember.”  

Elder S. A. Amana said: “All Igarra people worldwide are always happy about today. It is a great and remarkable day,” just as the president of the Ariwo Descendants Forum, Engr. Femi Amuku, said it was a remarkable day in the history of the people.”  

Also, Chief Okomayin Akomevi, Onotuturuma of Igarra Kingdom extended his congratulations to Oba Saiki II on the success of the day and commended him for his exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to the unity, growth and development of Igarra Kingdom.