The traditional ruler of Ubah Agwa Autonomous Community, Oguta LGA, Imo State, has observed the 2025 blessing/breaking kola nuts in his palace.
The morning kola nut event is an annual occasion that is celebrated by the people of Ubah who come home during the Christmas.
His Royal Highness, Eze Herbert Chima Azubuike, the Ohanyere 1 of Ubah Agwa Autonomous Community, Oguta LGA, Imo State, equally used the occasion to bless the people of his kingdom for the year through the pronouncement of royal blessings.
The gathering featured lectures on Igbo kola nuts delivered by the Traditional Ruler of Ubah Agwa Autonomous Community on the importance of Igbo kola nuts and their significance.
According to the number of lobes.In his lectures, Eze Ohanyere stressed that kola nuts, all over the world, are a symbol of welcome or acceptance.
He opined that traditional Igbo were ubiquitous in their way of celebrating the Igbo Kola nuts, which have spiritual and physical significance and symbolism. Ohanyere 1 maintained that is why it is very rare for one to break an Igbo kola nut that has two lobes. However, if such happens, it signifies a bad omen, and such Kola should be thrown away; hence, it did not represent the four Igbo Market Days of Nkwo, Eke, Orie, and Afor. According to the oldest traditional ruler in Agwa and the 4th in Oguta out of 24 Autonomous Communities, Igbo kola with three lobes is good but not as good as the one with four lobes with full significance and representation. Kola nuts, with five, six, and seven lobes, represent abundance and overflow of physical and spiritual blessings.
He used opportunity to correct one of the misnomers that is fastly becoming a norm in the Igbo kola nut blessing/breaking celebration.
Eze Chima explained that when buying a kola to be administered traditionally, the idea of buying a kola without it covered with the shell is wrong. In his counsel, buying such Kola to predetermine the number of the lobes is like someone deciding his or her luck. He maintained that if anyone wants to buy Igbo Kola for traditional purposes, they should buy the ones that are covered with the shell, and any number of lobes they see in the kola are the perfect symbols of the kola nuts. “I want to use this opportunity to welcome everyone this morning who has come to honour this invitation. In our traditional manners, this occasion is an age-long royal ritual, but due to the crisis that forced us out for two years now, we have not been able to do it; we thank God that peace has come.We are here to consummate the peace of Ubah and Agwa at large, and today, in my palace, on the 1st of January 2025, I sincerely thank all the sons and daughters of Ubah for embracing peace.” “In our usual culture, Ubah used to host yearly traditional blessings of Kola nuts and lectures”,he informed.
This programme heralds the blessings of the new year and friendship, but we have not been able to do it due to the deadly crises that happened in Agwa, where Ubah is one of the key actors.
According to the Royal Father,this is a story that all of them (indegenes) know and experienced.
Speaking further, the former councillor of Mgbala/Ubah Ward also reminded the people of his kingdom and all who have come to celebrate with them that this year’s celebration is very historic.
“The 2025 celebration is very historic and cheering. It is because we have two of our prominent sons who have carved a niche for themselves in business and society to be honoured with chieftaincy titles”.
We have a big personality whose character and contributions to the people of Oboabo, Izombe, Oguta, Imo State, and Nigeria at large are noteworthy and a friend to the Ubah Community.
He is a successful businessman, philanthropist, and big contractor with Sterling Global Resources, and the traditional prime minister of Oboabo, Izombe Autonomous Community, Chief Monday Edim Onukameike. We also have Hon. Oscar Chima Ukemezie, a proud son of the soil who has made Ubah and Agwa proud. He has equally paid his dues in Oguta LGA during his recent audacious outing during the 2024 local government elections in Imo State, where he vied for the executive chairman of Oguta LGA and, through his philanthropic activities, was recognised by the Imo State Government with an award of Justice of Peace (JP) in 2022.
Both Chief Monday and Hon. Chima shall be honoured with the chieftaincy titles “Ugwu Mba 1” and “Ochiagha 1, respectively. HRH, Eze Herbert Chima Azubuike, after the lectures and reading the abridged citations of Chief Monday, fully and publicly honoured “Ugwu Mba 1.”
Delivering his acceptance speech, Ugwu Mba 1 thanked HRH, Eze Herbert Chima Azubuike, his palace chief, and the people of Ubah Agwa Autonomous Community for honouring him with the title.
He said that he has been a friend of Ubah people in good and bad times and has always identified with them. The Traditional Prime Minister of the Oboabo Izombe Autonomous Community, in a way to express his happiness and appreciation, asked Eze Chima to provide him with two skilled youths for employment.
He also donated money to the palace chief, the youths, and women. The event was attended by recognized, Eze Samuel Onuegbu, Udo Mba 1 of Mbano Agwa Autonomous Community; Chief Kute Umezuruike, the President-General of Ubah; members of the palace chiefs,the youth leader, the women, among others.
