Features
Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, January 5, 2017
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Akpo Community: Celebrating age-grade development system
Igwe of Akpo arriving the ceremony
Alphonsus Nweze Typical of all towns and villages in Anambra state, Akpo, in Aguata Local Government Area is an active community, especially during the festive periods like Christmas and New Year. There are thriving commercial activities such as drinking spots and eateries, provision stores, motor-bikes and tricycle operators making frantic businesses commuting people from one end of the town to the other or to neigbouring communities. For the elite group, it was a time to showcase their wealth with the type of cars they drive and the gorgeous dresses they wear, particularly the women folk, youths and children. The Age-Grade Formula But one thing that makes Akpo unique and thick from other communities around the area is the age grade system, which has strengthened its unity and sustained developmental growth. Indeed, The Daily Times gathered that the system has become a tradition in many Igbo communities in South East of Nigeria. In a discourse with our correspondent on December 30, 2016, one of the elders in council revealed that the age grade system has been an enduring culture in the community inspite of the advancement in Western civilization and Christian religion. “Every three and four years our community gathers together during the yuletide to inaugurate a new age grade in the community.”
Cross section of the new age-grade True to his testimony, December 30 of the just gone year, Akpo town hosted her prominent sons and daughters from far and near, led by His Royal Highness, Arc Jonathan Okpalaezecha, the Nnamoshimiri 11 of Akpo. The Central School Field was the venue where these young men and women were received into the new age grade called Amaraemenwanne age grade. The occasion, as expected, was colourful and grand. The initiation ceremony into the age grade, The Daily Times learnt, could take up to five years to complete. Nze Chukwuma Ezealigo, an Enugu based Estate Surveyor who is the secretary general of the Amaraemenwanne age grade said that being admitted into new age grade was a process which spans over five years, because the new entrants were taught the culture and tradition of the town. Ezealigo said that admitting the new age grade was always an important ceremony in Akpo community as it affords the people to socialise and network, resulting in new marriages, getting work or opportunities to learn a new trade or business, since Akpo indigenes within and outside the town even those in The Diaspora all come home for the ceremony. Although admission into the age grade was voluntary, but because it confers certain rights and obligations on the members in the community, people offer themselves for admission into the new age grade. ”It is not compulsory but it is important,” Ezealigo said. “The age grade system is very strategic in Akpo because that is
The chairman was full of commendation for the President-General for all he has sacrificed to ensure the success of the official inauguration of the age grade. the engine of development. Every emerging age grade is expected to pick an enduring project for the community,” he added. Said the secretary general of Amaraemenwanne: “The emerging age grade usually donate something to the community. The previous age grade before us donated transformers and high tension cables to the community. We donated a farm land for the community, which indigenes can use for various aspects of farming, poultry, animal husbandry, crop cultivation and other forms of farming.” The President-General of Akpo Development Association (ADA), Chief Ezeno G.O.C, told The Daily Times that the land the new age grade donated would be used as Akpo Farm Centre which will provide employment opportunities and food to the people of the town and even beyond. He said the farm centre is in line with Governor Willie Obiano’s cardinal programmes of encouraging agriculture and that is the more reason they expected that the State Government will buy into the project by tarring the road leading to the farm centre for ease access for those who will use it, which he said the Governor has promised and the design is being worked on.
As enterprising as Akpo community is, they still have myriads of developmental problems, prominent among them according to the Ezeno, was the non-existence of a standard school in their town, no hospital and no good network of roads. “The primary school we have, that is where we are now as and, as you can see, it is dilapidated. We have no hospital as the only maternity we have was provided by the missionaries, which is out of use. “You came here and saw the road you followed and there is no light. We do not have government appointment, yet we have produced highly qualified people. And that is why we are appealing to Governor Willie Obiano, Akpokue Dike, to come to our aid because we are solidly behind him now and even for his second tenure. “We want him to start some of these projects he has promised us. He promised to give us four transformers; we are yet to receive them. If we have those transformers, it will improve our power supply and our people will be happy to support and vote him in his second tenure bid.” But Chief Ezeno did not fail to advise the new age grade and the entire youths of the community on the need for them to realise that life is not a bed of roses. “It can sometimes be sweet and sometime sour, and to that extent, everyone should be very careful in life. He said further: “For instance, if you don’t have education, you cannot attain certain heights in life. If you don’t have School Certificate, you cannot be a governor. They should
take their education serious. We have culture, tradition and norms. When they grow with it they will not go off mark. Don’t go for life on fast lane, it is destructive, avoid it.” Ezeno further encouraged young people not to run away from home, because the more they visit home the more they learn the culture of their people and appreciate them and, “Who knows? Among them we may find somebody who will offer solutions to our many problems in the community.” Expressing his happiness for their inauguration, the Chairman of Amaraemenwanne age grade, Nze Chukuemeka Okpalanyim assured that they will contribute to the best of their abilities to develop Akpo community, saying this has become necessary because development in the town has become age grade based. He said that the formal inauguration of the age grade will further bring unity, peace and progress to the community. The chairman was full of commendation for the President-General for all he has sacrificed to ensure the success of the official inauguration of the age grade. The age grade system in Akpo community has been one of the ancient traditions bequeathed to the younger generation that still survives. The first age grade was named Nnamoshimiri, which was later adopted as the title name for the traditional ruler of the community. Akpo, till date, has 26 age grades, while Udodiri age grade was the immediate past age grade before Amaraemenwanne.