Politics, Portrayal Below Expectations From Ohafia!
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Okwubunka of Asa and Okeamadi Gburugburu.
Friday (Eke) 13-02-2026.
Every clan in Igbo land has what it is known for. People from Nnewi have, over the years, been known and admired for their business ingenuity. They are known to have produced the first Nigerian Billionaire, in the person of late Sir Louis Philip Odimegwu Ojukwu, 1909-1966, who distinguished himself in Texiles and Road Transportation.
In the same light, the clans of Abiriba, Item, Nkporo and Igbere are highly respected for their skills and cumulative successes in trade and commerce.
On their own, the people of Ohafia have, for generations running, been associated with Education, Intellectualism, Professionalism and Bureaucracy. Before the outbreak of Nigerian civil war, otherwise known as Nigeria/Biafra war, 1966-1970, an erudite son of Ohafia, Professor Eni Njoku, was already the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos.
Ohafia has produced many credible personalities that have seriously added to the collective respect of the Igbo Nation. The likes of a former Chief Judge of Borno State, late Hon Justice Kalu Anya, a financial management wizard, former Nigeria’s two-time Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Planning and Transportation, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Abia State, Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, and many others, are just a few to mention of the calibre of citizens Ohafia has produced and made available to the Igbo Nation, Nigeria and the world. I hope I did not forget the late charismatic Chief Ojo Maduekwe, 1945-2016, who was at different times Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and High Commissioner to Canada? Should any one be in a hurry to forget a spectacular influential Cleric that was almost a colossus, late Rev Uma Ukpai?
In culture and music, Chief Paulson Kalu stands tall amongst Nigerian musicians that have given their people a cultural identity.
In the realm of Christianity, Ohafia people are deeply committed Presbyterians who have, for more than a century, shown absolute faith in God. The God of the Presbyterians would never instruct a faithful to pray for the death of even his or her worst enemy, not to talk of Presbyterian Mothers lining the streets and singing death songs against a man created by the same God they worship.
Once one is meeting an Ohafia man or woman, the first impression one would have is that one is meeting with a highly civilized refined cultured and decent character. By their exposition, Ohafia people are not known for incivility and crudeness.
Ohafia people are among the group of Igbo clans that are generally referred to as ‘Ogbo Group’ of peoples. The Ogbo Group are Ohafia, Abiriba, Nkporo, Igbere, Item, Bende town, Ozu Item, Ozu Abam, Alayi, and Uzuakoli, not necessarily in their hierarchical order. They have always been tagged as peoples that exhibit great common understanding amongst themselves, and also love themselves.
It was, therefore, quite bizarre to many right-thinking persons to observe, of all persons, women of Ohafia, not just protesting against a former Governor of Abia State and Ranking Senator representing Abia-North Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, Most Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, but most surprisingly and painfully singing death songs against him.
By their simple culture of education and civility, Ohafia women, most especially mothers, are the least to be expected to go about singing death songs against a fellow mother’s son, and an Ogbo Man.
Responsible protests are allowed in Nigeria’s statutes, and no one should deprive Ohafia mothers that constitutional right. But what is indecent, especially coming from Ohafia, unlawful and unconstitutional, is the gory sight of highly respected Ohafia mothers being injected into the street singing death songs against their fellow human-being. That type of politics is surely below expectations from Ohafia!
Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, and Publisher of Equity Global Reporters Ltd.
