On Wednesday, April 7, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Nnaemeka M Onumonu wrote:

"Slowly but surely, Onyeama got the colonists to award him the "warrant
Chiefdom" of Eke."

Ndeewo nu.

A friend presented me with a copy of KWENU. I spent a lot of time perusing
and enjoying this great magazine. The owner MOE is to be commended for a
great work. Starting with the first page on which the Igbo calender is
depicted, the magizine takes you on a tour of great events.
Thanks to the magazine a new avenue to the investigative work of EKWE
NCHE research committee on "The Great Igbo Civilization" has been opened.
As this investigation continues the same conclusion is reached by all the
investigative members - That Ndi Igbo are the custodians of civilization.
The results of this investigative work will be presented to Ndi Igbo in due
time.

It is important that Onyeama n'Eke be carefully examined, for there are some
very frightening similarities in his time and to the present. It must be
remembered that the British were in the process of trying to subjugate the
Igbo nation at this period, now consider the present plight of Ndi Igbo
under the Hausa-Fulani domination. Since the British needed a vehicle to
enslave Ndi Igbo, the vehicle being the "Warrant Chiefdom", this compares
favorably to the vehicle that the Hausa-Fulani mafia are now trying to use
to enslave Ndi Igbo - paid lackeys who would insult the Igbo nation by
addressing Ndi Igbo in Hausa. Paid lackeys who would try to turn the
culture and tradition of Ndi Igbo, upside down.
Is it not interesting that the sickness that Ndi Igbo had to overcome
then, the same sickness we now strive to destroy. More interesting is the
cancer that Ndi Igbo struggled mightly to destroy.

So why is a look at Onyeama so important?
Lets start with a look at his humble beginning. Here is a man who understood
the Igbo saying that "if a man agrees strongly, his Chi will also agree".
From the article it can be surmised that he believed in himself and was
ready to work to achieve his goal. But like most of our educated brethren,
he conveniently forgot the remaining part of the above saying - in fact the
most important part, "our Chi is part of the Collective CHI, or that we are
part of the Collective and cannot, yes, can never be more than the whole".
No one can go against his Chi, how much more the Collective CHI.
Who were the so called enimies of this chief?
Since he was a tool of the British government only one conclusion can be
reached. If you opposed the British government you obviously was his enemy.
So one reaches the conclusion that this Igbo son denied his Igboness and
sided with the enemies of his people.

We should also remember that Ndi Igbo are a nation that know no kings.
I am reminded as a child of my cousin telling us that he now wanted to be
called "Osimiri", that was no big deal to us, we started calling him
"Osimiri". Even more interesting is what a friend related to me. He told
me that the praise name of his grandfather is "Eze Igbo", and that the
praise name of his mother is, you guessed it, "Igbo Enweghi Eze". Yet
this presented no conflict to any one, this my brethren is the Igbo way.
Onyeama had every right to call himself whatever he wanted, he could
have called himself "Eze Uwa" and no one would have cared, but he had no
right to impose himself on others. He definitely had no right to pursue
and destroy his brethren. When he lifted his hands and put to death his
brethren he commited Nso Ala. He went against his Chi and the collective
CHI of Ndi Igbo. He signed his death warrant. He had no choice but kill
himself. He is gone and forgotten, but Ndi Igbo and their way of life
continue.

Let all those that would go against their Chi and our Collective Chi
beware, just as Onyeama failed, and died in shame and alone, so will
they if they continue their evil ways. No one goes against Ndi Igbo
and survives.
Onyeama should be studied in the context of what if means not to be Igbo.
He was not a hero, he might have been a hero in a feudal society but in the
Igbo nation, he was an aberration. He was a stooge of the British government
and should be pitied. He had no redeeming qualities. HE WAS NOT IGBO.

Ndeewo.
Emeka.

this particular writer obviously forgot to mention that Onyeama was an instrument of civilization and industrialization of Enugu state as a whole.

he was not educated and still managed to make Enugu a formidable place. the first Igbo Doctor was on his account, the first Black Judge to international court of Hague(during high cases of racism) was on Onyeamas account.

He made sure that his People were educated. what more do you want an uneducated man who got power by his natural ability to learn and exhibit high level intelligence as at that time?

this particular writer, look him up well, must be a coward and by todays standard, his intelligence has not and will not match that of Chief Onyeama, The Okwuru Oha 1 of Agbaja.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)