THE MAN AKPO In the beginning of beginnings, a man who is still believed to come from Nri, Settled in the South East of district of Aguata, to be precise at AKALABO; in the heart of a town called Amesi by circumstances of birth and history.
This man whose name was Umennebe Dike has three sons- Amesi, who was the first, Akpo, the second and Ebele as the third and last child. Ebele's name signifies the level of consolation his father receives owing to his long expected birth.
Being the first son, Amesi occupied the Obi as tradition warrants in most parts of Igbo land, and Umennebe Dike thereafter blessed him with knowledge of herb and there natural importance.
Akpo, the second son, who so much took after his father in strength and knowledge, became the police of his father's empire. He supported his father in his works, especially farming. In his fathers absence, it was said that she spearheaded the inter- tribal, war against Ahafia and Aro people.
Due to his strength, his father love him so much that he called him, Akponnaya; which means the strength of his father. Umunnebe Dike, before his death, allotted the northern part of his kingdom, which was believed to be more volatile than any other part to Akpo.
This he did considering the level of hostility that was coming from that part of his domain. The southern part of the kingdom, now Achina, was allotted to Ebele. Akpo married two wives, Eziamaka and Ihiteama.
Eziamaka had the first son for him called Oguerinam, while Ihiteama had the second son called Onyeanusi. At the appointed time, Oguerinam got married and had three son's namely Okpala-Okworo, Okpalaradoshi and Ezedike.
These three son's of oguerinam constituted the present Ezi group of villages in the town, namely Agbelu, Uhuala and Umueze. Onyeanusi on his part also hard three son's, Dimegoro, Ezemegwara and Ezeoyeashi.
They were the father of the present Ihite Group of villages up of Ogbo, Amaife and Udo respectively. Consequently, it is the son and the daughter of these six villages that make up the present Akpo town. LOCATION Akpo is within the heart of Igbo land, in the south- Eastern part6 of Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The town is bounded by Achina, Nkpologwu, Ogboji, Aguluezechukwu and Amesi at all the possible angle of the town. Akpo has an estimated population of about 50,000 people. THE PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE. Akpo has a rich cultural heritage, which the people still preserve to a large extent despite the influence of western civilization and religion.
A lot of effort is being expended in trying to preserve this culture considering the rate at which western civilization eroding Igbo culture and principles generally.
Some still persist. However, among the visible traits that are still remaining are: THE OZO TITLE: The Ozor Title was the most expensive and sacred cultural practice of the people of Akpo.
From time immemorial, before a man decide to take this title, he must have considered his wealth status, which then was measured in terms of one number of cattle, fowls, size of his barn, economic tree and farm land Before a man takes the Ozor title proper, he initiated into the folk by the preliminary "Igbuichi".
This involves tattooing of his face, after which the man kept indoors until the wounds heal, which may take up to a month or more. After the tattooing comes the next stage, "Isupu Oko"; which is followed by the other rite before the final outing ceremony, igba nkwa; usually, the man who performs these rite also perfumes those of his wife or wives simultaneously if he is married.
When the woman rite the woman's right re completed, she take lolo ad the tiger "when the woman's rite ade completed. She takes lolo as the title.
RELOGIN: Before the advent of Christian Region Akpo people worshipped some gods and goddess as obtained in other parts of Igbo land. 'Nkwo' and 'Ala' were generally worshipped by the entire Akpo people, but 'Ogovu' was worshipped by Agbelu Village, Ezenyebu by Uhualla and Ogbo worshipped Udo-akwa.
Umueze Village Worshipped Okwara, Amaife Worshiped Udo-Nkpukpo and Udo worshipped Ogwugwu-udo. Worshipping of this gods and goddesses usually go along with big festivals, which would start from the seventh month of the Igbo calendar (around September).
This was usually the period of test after heavy planting and harvesting season. The festival use to come one after the other with Nkwo coming first then Ala and others.
Another important god was Ezeokoro it was normally celebrated on the ninth month, before ogwugu, which was celebrate on the eve Ezeokro. During these celebrations, outstanding masquerades and dances perform.
Among the masquerades were otiwaudummiri, Oganachi, Igbohulukwe, Aliaku na Olueji. Anyagharaigwe, Ohiaagbara, Ajaewunataede and other's while dances included Obodo-Idu, Ukondurugbo and other female dances.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEN: Akpo Community, like the English system, has duel administrative arms of government, which ensure effective and efficient management of people and materials in the town.
While there is the dynasty, which is made up of the Igwe of Akpo and his Cabinet, who are the prime of custodians of the people's culture and tradition, there is also the Development Association headed by a President General. This is a political class that runs the day-to-day affair of the town.
THE POLITICAL SYSTEM: The people of Akpo and Achina towns express and demonstrate their brotherhood birth, which came as a result of their ancestral history.
Their relationship went deeper that it extended to marriage to the point that it was widely said and accepted that "nwa ebighi Akpo, obiri Achina", which was interpreted as a true daughter of her parents must get married in Akpo or Achina.
That was understanding was strengthened and in 1928 the brotherhood gave birth to a union that governed the joint affairs of the two towns. The union, which was know as Akpo and Achina Combined meeting (AACM), had the late Okpalaugo from Achina as its first chairman, while the late Prof. S.O. Orajaka became the first secretary.
The union was in full control of the Mbara Orie market, which includes supervision of the feeling of trees at the market. Regrettably however, the union failed to function because the chairman, the late Okpalaugo failed to obliged to a fine charged him by his task force on oil spillage at the market. Still haunted by the spirit of brotherhood, in 1938, the late Mr. Jonathan Nnaike and Moses Ezekwudo, both of Akpo, spearheaded a union to reconcile the two towns, but their effort yielded no fruit.
When it became clear that the two towns could no longer come under one umbrella, Akpo people, on the 31st of December 1941, gathered at St. Paul's School compound and founded the Akpo progressive Union (A.P.U) for the furtherance of the town's socio-political well being.
A.P.U had Misters J.C.I Okpala and P.I. Oyemobi as its first president and secretary general respectively. The union became effective and concerned itself with the education of Akpo children. Through the programmes of the union, a lot of Akpo indigenes completed their secondary school education, while some were sent abroad to further their education on scholarship.
In its general election in 1949 the late J.C.I. Okpala was returned unopposed, while the later, the late P.I. Onyemobi took over the mantle once again as the secretary general from Pro. Orajaka. In 1962, following a change of government, the late Chief C.D Jones Okpala became the president general, while Onyemobi remained the secretary general.
However the change in power could not help in bringing the people together due to some squabbles already existing in the union. Meanwhile, A.P.U. ceased to exist following the ban on unionism by Federal Government of Nigeria in July 1966 following coup de tat. In the interim, an Ad hoc Committee for the Renaissance of Akpo (ACRA) was set up.
The chairman of ACRA was Fabian Anosikwa with Godian Ezulike as the secretary. The committee met in various towns outside Akpo such as umuahia, Enugu and Onitsha. And following their series of meetings, Akpo Development Association (A.D.A) was born to replace the defunct A.P.U. when the ban on unionism was lifted after the civil war in 1970. A.D.A. had its first President General in the person of Mr. A.C. Ogamba, while Mr. C.I. Ononamadu became the secretary general.
After the civil war, the administrative structure set up by the then military regime allowed the existence of country of county councils, which stood as arms through which the Divisional Headquarters (now Local Government Areas) related with the communities/towns under them.
Each Town County Council was presided over by a chairman appointed from the community and a secretary posted to the town's country from the Divisional Headquarter. Though town unions existed along side the Country Councils, as it was the case in Akpo, somehow, the council officials were more overt in the day- to-day running of their communities than the town unions.
This was due to their links with the government of the day. With this arrangement, Akpo County Council had its chairmen in such person as Mr. Solomon Okpalaji, Philip Ezeocha, Charles Ezenwata, Julius Patrick Dim (Jupa Dim). But with the abolition of the county system in 1976, town unionism became as strong as it were. The Administration of A.C. Ogamba was responsible for the building of the community Secondary School Akpo. Meanwhile, after the reign of Mr A.C. Ogamba and C.I. Ononamadu as president and secretary general of A.D.A Sir E.O. Emeh and Dr.
James Obi Okpala took over the mantle of leadership as president and secretary general respectively. Their tenure was abruptly interrupted and the Lagos Branch of A.D.A took over as Caretaker Committee in 1990. And their major contribution was the electrification of the town. The Assistant Chairman of A.D.A Lagos, Emeka igwe, was to head the Caretaker Committee with Mr. Emezie Ezeonwuka as the secretary. Their achievements include the re-roofing of Akpo Town Hall. They also initiate the registration of Akpo Community Bank.
The Caretaker Committee later handed over to Nze C.N. Okechukwu as ADA President General with Augustine C. Mbah as General Secretary after a general election was conducted.
The major achievements during this regime were the formal opening of Akpo Community Bank. After the C.N. Okechukwu regime, Sir E.O. Okpalanwa took over the seat of the President General, with Eugene Okpala as general secretary.
They made plans and buried the late Igwe Umeuzuegbu and worked hard to re-roof the Community Secondary School. Sir E.O. Okpalanwa handed the baton to Mr.Dom Ezeukwu (JP), who became the president general with Prof. Peter Nnabude and Martin Ezeomedo as secretaries.
Their major achievement was the settlement of the accumulated debt from the immediate past regime. They also reduced the tension that was generated by the hurriedly quest for a new Igwe. The incumbent regime is under Chris Akpunonu as the president general with Mr. Edwin Okpala secretary.
The achievements so far have been captured in the President's address. THE DYNASTY THE Akpo Dynasty is as old as the town itself and was the main stream of governance before the advent of the colonial's masters.
The Akpo Dynasty is headed by the Isi Obi, Who has a cabinet made up of Ndi Ichies; The Ichies are made up of six Isi Obis from each of the villages that make up Akpo. However, depending on the arrangement at a time, other prominent members of the community could be appointed from the villages based on merit to join the Ichie Council.
They form the team with which the Igwe rules the town as well as maintain and preserve the traditions and culture of the people. In modern day Akpo Community, the Igwe features more on the ceremonial occasion like presiding over the New Yarm Festival.
It was this traditional institution that His Royal Highness, Igwe B.O. Umeuzuegbu, the Nnamoshimiri 1 of Akpo, held until his death. CHRISTIAN RELIGION In 1914 through the concerted efforts of some Akpo and Achina indigenes the first Christian Church came to the town under the church missionary Society and was named St. Peters (C.M.S)Church Akpo and Achina.
Few years later, the Catholics came in too, and St. Paul Roman Catholic Mission was born in the town. Today, there are many other Christian bodies in the color of Pentecostal, evangelicals, white garment churches etc. dotting different corners of the town with about 98% of the entire community as Christians. THE ECONOMY In the early period, Akpo people were mainly farmers who had to show their wealth by the size of their barns.
People who had large numbers of economic trees like palm tree (nkwu) and breadfruit (ukwa) were also considered as wealthy people. Women on their part showed their wealth by farming on cocoyam and cassava.
Then, the people who do not have enough farmland or yam seedlings would go to neighboring\ distance places to farm in order to generate money for livelihood. In about 1900, some Akpo indigenes started to venture into place like Onitsha (Ose) to work as casual hand. Such people became a great source of influence that caused Akpo youths to start moving to abroad.
Among the early adventurers were the like of the late J.C. Okpala, whose success encouraged the youths to learn trades. Many others came out successfully through this influence, people like the late Francis Ezeuduji, who traded on palm produce, the late Chief C.D Jones Okpalaejiaku, who was internationally renowned teacher, banker, contractor and astute businessman, among his likes were the late Chief Felix M. Obidima, an aggressive businessman and contractor and late Mr. Julius Patrick Dim (Jupa Dim), who was one of the earliest travelers to the far northern part of Nigeria; he got himself established in Kano and drew some notable Akpo indigenes to that city even before the Nigerian civil war, Akpo did not stop at business. In 1955, the town jointly sent one of their sons, the late Prof. S.O. Orajaka, to overseas to study on scholarship.
And on his return, he became the first indigenous dean on the faculty of Geological Sciences at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Since then, Akpo has produced a lot of people in different spheres of academic disciplines. Today, there are many professors and heads of institutions from the community. In the area of trading, up till 1940's and beyond, Akpo people had by history dealt mainly on grains produce, but today, the sons and the daughters of the town are in every sphere of human endeavour controlling major items of trade.
At Coker Market in Lagos, Nigeria for example, Akpo sons are in control of building material section, initiated by people like Mr. Stephen Umenze, Mr. Vincent Anudu and Nze Alfred Okechukwu to mention but a few. At Agarawu, still in Lagos, the tools business is also being dominated by Akpo indigenes following the pace that was set by people like Mr. C.Y. Igwe. In Enugu, the influence of Chief A.A Dim in the tools business is still at its firm grip. While one will also not forget the influence of Akpo sons on motor parts initiated by the Willow Brothers and the astute acts of people like Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka and Nze Chuma Obi at Nnewi.
These are early mentors greatly influenced the drift of the indigenes from civil service to commercial ventures. Affairs with our neighbouring towns because there were incessant wars coming from all the comers of the towns.
They were natural peace keepers which reflected in their individual households. They were great men indeed. There is no living member of the NDIDI age grade at present.
