HISTORY OF NGUGO OBAIRE IN IKEDURU LOCAL GOVERNMENT

According to Jo Alutu (1963:4) the putative projeniter of Nnewi people was a man called Digbo. Therefore, the history of Ngugo Obaire is woven around a man called Obaire Ike. Ike was the son of Duru who migrated from Eziama Obiato in Mbaitoli local government area. Duru lost his way during hunting expediction at Ugirike. Duru gave birth to Ike and Ike begot many sons that make up what is known today as Ikeduru.

Traditional Rulership Of Ngugo Obaire

Obaire was the fifth son of Ike, the incidence in the life of Obaire which forced him to run to Amaraku in Mbanu make interwarlists believe that Ngugo Obaire migrated from mbano. Tradition has it that obaire the fifth son of Ike was a problem son, Ike wanted to do away with obaire by selling him to the Portuguese slave traders, obaire’s mother caught mind of Ike’s intention by secritely advice her son Obaire to take flee to his maternal home in Mbano for refuge. Obaire complied to his mother’s advice and fled to Amaraku through narrow bushy routes. The ruler of Amaraku being a royal father gave Obaire proper protection. After some months of Obaire’s settlement at Amaraku, the ruler gave him a gun, a bow and arrows as a means of getting Obaire gainfully occupied as a hunter. 

History of Ikeduru local government

The agreement was that he would give one-third of the game he killed to the ruler, Obaire agreed and did so. As time progressed, Obaire in his usual characteristic ways discontinued giving the ruler of Amaraku any game. Misunderstanding arose between him and the ruler who sent him out of his kingdom.

        This began his northward journey that brought him to Amaimo through track routes. Tradition has it that Obaire settled at the most forested village where he returned in the evening to roast games and some foods he gathered during hunting. Later misunderstanding arrows between Obaire and Amaimo people. This resulted to Obaire’s further northward movement which brought him to a place known as Ngugo Obaire today. When Obaire migrated to this new area, he settled permanently because of physical features like the presents of Mbaa

Mbaa stream

 stream for fishing, tick forest for hunting and fertile soil for cropping.

    It was because of the presents of fertile soil and the problem of who would cultivate that calculated to a war between Obaire and Emekukwu. Obaire drove him away. He migrated to the area known today as Emekukwu. Obaire then settled and married and gave birth to many sons who migrated to other areas except his powerful son called (Nga-Ugo) written as Ngugo by the white that occupied Obaire’s home and maintained the name Ngugo. As a famer and a hunter, Ngugo Obaire married many wives and begot the following sons

1)  Duruagwu

2)     Ezeala who begot

3)     Oparaku (Umuopara)

4)     Alim

5)     Ekooekoe (Ekom)

6)     Eto (Amachara, Umuduruebe and Umunomo)

7)     Amaeze. (Umumeze)

The three sons of Eto and the four sons of Amaeze makeup Amasaa. Ochicha (Ochucha) migrated from Ochicha Emeabiam Owerri North local government. These seven sons of Ngugo and Ochicha Emeabiam makeup the eight villages in Ngugo Obaire. In 2011 Amasaa attended an autonomous status with his royal highness Eze Francis Nzeji the Asaa 1 of Asaa as their traditional ruler. History Of Ikeduru Movie Association

 It was Nze Philip Osuji of Umudurugo that merged Umuemeto (Amato), Amachara, Umuduruebe, Umunomo and Amano, Okonomo, Umuanu, Abanze and Ihite to answer Amasaa after Nigerian Biafran war. Ngugo Obaire existed as an entity with it’s own cultural inheritance before the advent of the Whiteman.