By Dr Innocent Chidumebi Okonkwo.
There is an age long rivalry between Mgboko and Eziama-Okene villages.
Okene and Mgboko are the most populous villages in Igboezunu Aguleri.
Mgboko influences her sister villages: Umuekete and Umueze,
Similarly, Okene Oruba determines for her neighbouring: Eziama and Umumba.
There is variance in some of their cultures and inter marriages.
Mgboko people marry more from villages like Ogbu, Umuatuolu and Umudiana all in Umuleri. Marriage between people of Mgboko and sister village, Umueze, and indigenes of Umuleri are very rampant.
Eziama and Okene people inter marry with people of Ubaruisioye Nando and they relate very well due to proximity factor.
During the period of....., Ozu Nwa Ada was very sacred. This was because, according to the custom of Omabala community, the corpse of a married woman must be brought back to her father's home for final burial.
Ibunete ozu Nwa Ada or returning of daughter's corpse was prevalent among the Omambala community
That time, once the corpse was returned, they would start throwing sticks called "mburu" on as many fowls as possible.
Killing of fowls dominated the Okwikwa Ozu Nwada activities to the extent that the Ikwa Ozu Nwada became an opportunity for killing of domestic animals of innocent people, such as,' ducks and goats
Subsequently, returning of Nwa Ada's corpse was abused when Aguleri and Umuleri started having constant land crisis.
In the 1990s, there was no single cassava grinding machine in the entire Igboezunu,; the people of Mgboko and Umueze preferred to go to Umudiana and Umuatuolu Umuleri to grind their cassava while Eziama and Okene preferred their Nando neighbour.
The location of Igboezunu in outskirt of Aguleri made it difficult for them to relate in some certain areas with other Aguleri communities.They dealt more with the communities near them.
Eziama na Okene women do not take "Iyom" Chieftaincy titles like fellow Aguleri women. They adopted "Ekwe title" from neighbouring Nando.
Mgboko and Umueze women are often conferred with "Iyom" Chieftaincy title as applicable to other parts of Aguleri and Umuleri.
In terms of wealth, Mgboko people had wealthy men like late Work and Pay Anukwu ( Father of Okwanka), Ogbuevi Akala Ovoka ( Papa Emmanuel Oforka), Chief John Nnana ( father of Sam Nnana), Mathias Okeke (Father of Barr Francis Okeke) all of blessed memory. They were favourably competing with their Okene counterparts like Late Paul Ndigwe, Okika and Ekwozor to mention but a few.
Mgboko laws were always different from other parts of Igboezunu. For instance, in 1990s, they made a law restricting masquerade outings in the entire Mgboko village. The law enforcers like Late Nzekwu Odikpo and Ojiako Adeh were arresting any masquerade from Eziama and Okene that flaunted the law.
Mgboko also had the most beautiful young girls in the middle 1990s and they attracted a lot of young men from Eziama and Okene to the village and made it lively. There was more night life in Mgboko.
RELIGION IN IGBOEZUNU IKENGA
Majority of Ndi Eziama are members of Igbe religious worship because Igbe Headquartered at late Nwaranne Atuanya's compound in Eziama. They also have Okpanime deity generally owned by Agulerians.
Another name for Eziama village is Ama Ubom. A very significant village square in Aguleri. The priest of Okpanime deity is usually selected from Ezinando family. They had few christians in early 90s. Even the few Christians were mostly Roman Catholics. They saw Anglican as Uka Ndi Mgboko na Umueze because of it's location. Ndi Uka CMS were not up to 5%.
Umunba are the custodian of Ajana Ukwu Aguleri. But they still had few Catholics but dominated by Ndi Uka Odoziobodo people like late Ajah family, others attend Uka Sabbath and Uka father. The Anglicans are very few.
Ndi Okene are the owners of Ovilivo deity. It is the home of Fr Tansi. Presently, Ndi uka Father and traditionalists are at each others neck because of the stream. The Catholics are struggling to rename the Ovilio stream after Father Tansi. They compete with the traditionalists over the ownership, but there seem to be physical traditional dominance of the stream presently as sacrificial items like fanta, biscuits usually flood the head of the stream.
Ndi Umueze own a very powerful shrine called, Alusi Odandulu. The priest family doesn't drink alcohol. If any family member mistakenly consumes it, the effect is that boils will show all over his body immediately. However, they produced a one time youngest Anglican Bishop in Nigeria, Lord Bishop Amechi Udeogu. Chizoba Nnaluo also became a knight of Anglican church at a very young age. majority of Ndi Umueze are Anglicans.
Mgboko has Ibobo deity. It helps Aguleri in times of war.
Majority of Ndi Mgboko are Anglicans except few families like ; Anukwu, Nkesi, Igwas.
In all, Majority of Christians in Igboezunu are Anglicans followed by Uka Father. Uka Odoziobodo is just about 10%.
In today's Igboezunu Aguleri, the rivalry between the two Amas still exist but now in a more healtheir manner: Pastor Jossy, Eze Omeogo Igwe Oke Afa, Eseli Aguleri,John Ekwozor, Justice Anukwu are all from Okene Oruba while Prince Amechi Michael Omazu, Engr Marcel Ifejiofor, Ben Ogugua, Engr Okwanka, Chubby Omazu, Sam Nnana, Aliwa, and others are all from Mgboko Ikenga village.
The present Mgboko Ikenga village seem more united than Okene Oruba village. Mgboko won Eziama and Okene in the last Ijenoke crowdfunding. Looking at the current Ijenoke table, one will see a possibility of second winning.
It is now another image battle between the rival Mgboko-Umueze and Eziama-Okene. As they make history for the coming generation.