IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, M.A

The hue and cry, and indeed the hullabaloo about the Iriji Mbaise Festival 2022 has reached the highest parts of the heavens and hills.

Incidentally, it's been a sheer case of much ado about nothing. That's because the biggest story distilled from the verbal crossfire among Mbaise people and their interested friends and associates has been about the date of the celebration of the festival!

What's the big deal in a date chosen by a person or a group of people to celebrate the ritual of eating of the new yam? Will yam not be yam because the new yam festival wasn't celebrated? 

Evidently, the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing has become so politicized that it's no longer just all about celebrating the eating of the new yam, but about furthering the political interests of Mbaise politicians and their external allies.

For instance, the Ezuruezu Mbaise, the Ezeji Cult, and the Traditional Rulers Council, et al have for sometime now been at crossroads in loggerheads over when the "Iriji Mbaise" of thing will hold and when it won't hold.

And interestingly, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the ex-Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, has remained a recurrent decimal in the brouhaha over when and how Mbaise people will perform their ritual of Iriji!

Consequently, it appears Mbaise people have been tightly boxed into eating new yam only whenever Ihedioha, with his Ezuruezu Mbaise, decides to eat new yam.

That has raised questions of whether the new yam festival is "Iriji Mbaise" or "Iriji Ihedioha" or both of the above?

The burning argument has been that by consensus, the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing secured a perpetual injunction that it must be held on the 15th day of the month of August in any given year.

But in the immediate past five years, it's not certain that the injunction has been sacrosanct and applicable to the celebration of the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing.

One recurrent issue with the verbal hostilities over the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing, which makes it appear to be "Iriji Ihedioha" of a thing is that the former national legislator, who without doubt or controversy nurses an eternal gubernatorial ambition, has repeatedly expressed aversion to the conferment of chieftaincy titles to non-Mbaise indigenes during Iriji Mbaise festivals.

That has always heated up the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing to very febrile heights of the environmental atmospheric thermometer.

It gets most precarious when there's news of plans to confer chieftaincy titles to a sitting governor or allies of the sitting governor.

For instance, in 2018, when the 2019 governorship election was only months away, as the date of the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing approached, _wahala_ and _katakata_ erupted, albeit clandestinely in Mbaise nation.

And, what for? The traditional rulers of Mbaise nation planned to confer a chieftaincy title upon Chief Uche Nwosu, who was a leading contender for the office of Governor as a potential successor to his-father-in-law and outgoing governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in 2019!

Rife in the rumour mill at the time was that Ihedioha, who was also a top contender for the office of governor, wasn't pleased with the plan of the traditional rulers to honour Uche Nwosu with a chieftaincy title, and didn't approve of it!

That made many pundits wonder aloud whether or not it's "Iriji Mbaise" or "Iriji Ihedioha" that was being annually celebrated since at least the past half a decade! 

That question was partially answered in the 2019 "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing, when it was celebrated with Ihedioha in his brief occupation of Douglas House. It was simply "Iriji Ihedioha"!

In the 2020 edition of new yam festival, the celebration wasn't celebrated on excusable excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic that posed enough threats to lives of the people. 

Yet, the 2020 "Iriji Ihedioha", however, took place in his palatial country home at Aronta Mbutu, in Aboh Mbaise LGA.

In 2021, the "Iriji Mbaise" wasn't really celebrated as it was held in low key in individual homes and houses. But "Iriji Ihedioha" was unfailingly held in the home of the ex-Speaker.

Now in 2022, the characteristic heat from the roasting kitchen of the "Iriji Mbaise" festival again raged across the land! And why?

The traditional rulers of Mbaise nation agreed to confer a chieftaincy title upon the Executive Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.

Apparently, Ihedioha again didn't approve of it. Hence, the making of a storm in a teacup and building mountain out of a molehill by his camp that also hold sway as the helmsmen of the pan-Mbaise socio-cultural group called Ezuruezu Mbaise.

The end of discussion was that while "Iriji Ihedioha" was held on Monday, August 15, 2022 by Mbaise people, the "Iriji Mbaise" proper was held by Mbaise people on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.

An enterprising commentator on the brouhaha, Izuchukwu AiC Akwarandu, who as a "true son of the soil" knew what he was talking about, properly guided reasoning on the faceoffs and fallouts on the 2022 "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing!

Commenting on a Facebook post explaining on the double dates for the celebration of the 2022 "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing, he said in the following paraphrase:

"The celebration of the Iriji Mbaise has been an agelong practice that holds on the 15th of August each year. 

But anybody may decided to celebrate it on any other date he wishes from 15th August to December. But the actual date of the celebration is 15th of August each year"! Good!

Now, if, as AiC guided, anybody can decide to celebrate the "Iriji Mbaise" of a thing on any date of his choice from August 15 to December 31 in each year, why then the hullabaloo about celebrating the 2022 "Iriji Mbaise" of thing on August 16?

The trouble, this time around, mustn't be unconnected with the decision by the traditional rulers of Mbaise nation to confer a chieftaincy title upon Governor Uzodimma!

Why Ihedioha and his camp are perennially troubled by the traditional rulers' decisions to confer chieftaincy titles upon deserving people of Imo State, as is the custom of Mbaise nation during each "Iriji Mbaise" festival, is a subject for research by interested people!

Except, the speculation is true that Ihedioha wants Mbaise people, with their friends and associates, to be celebrating "Iriji Ihedioha" instead of "Iriji Mbaise", otherwise, why the noise?

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has again met with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

Also at the meeting which was held on Monday night at Wike’s private residence in Port Harcourt is the former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko. It was gathered that the Rivers leader also met with ex- Cross River Governor, Donald Duke; Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom; Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Gombe State ex-governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo among others.

Although the purpose of the meeting could not be ascertained, it may however not be unconnected with the 2023 general elections. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Mimiko shared a photo with the politicians, saying that it was nice to spend some time with them.

“Nice to share some time last night with @GovWike @Donald_Duke @PeterObi @HEDankwambo @GovSamuelOrtom, @GovernorIkpeazu, Mohammed Adoke SAN and many other friends,” he tweeted. 

Barring any change, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2023 appropriation to the National Assembly in September. The Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at training on budget preparation using the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System.

A two-day nationwide training on budget preparation is organised for over four thousand budget officers drawn from about nine hundred ministries, departments and agencies of the government. 

Akabueze who was represented by the Director, Expenditure (Socials) in the Budget Office, Mr Fabian Ogbu, said the federal government under Buhari is determined to ensure consistent and timely preparation, submission and approval of annual budgets as part of its Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms.

Akabueze, however, lamented that MDAs do not study the Budget Call Circular in detail and as such make mistakes that should ordinarily be avoided if they had complied with the relevant sections of the Budget Circular. “The main goal of this training is to provide continuous learning to equip budget personnel with the requisite knowledge, skills and the tools they require to prepare and submit the 2023 budget,” he said.

A frontline politician and notable son of Mbaise nation, Chief Chidi Ibe has taken former Deputy Speaker of House of Representative, Chief Emeka Ihedioha to the cleaner over his ambition to be Governor, describing his third term bid as wicked and uncalled for.

He said that anyone still believing that Ihedioha will continue to hold onto PDP ticket every four years is not only dreaming but suffering from hallucination.

“Between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon Ihedioha, SamDaddy is a virgin who has a human heart. PDP cannot dream of making another mistake by giving Ihedioha with vindictive tendencies it’s ticket. This mistake if made again will be the end of PDP in Imo state.”

Chief Ibe gave this warning Tuesday during the “iriji” Mbaise festival at the country home of an erstwhile PDP Senatorial aspirant for Imo East, Sir Basil Maduka.

In his remarks, Chairman of Divine Mandate Movement (DMM), Evang. Mike Ikeokwu applauded the people of Mbaise for preserving Igbo culture and tradition, appealing to them not to allow the Igbo identity to go into extinction.

According to him, Mbaise nation is where 90 percent of his wealth is spent because of the love he has for them as an in-law, urging them not to relent in supporting the host, Sir Maduka whom he described as an asset.

He charged Mbaise people to wake up from slumber and take destiny in their hands, wondering how any sane person would ever allow one person to continue to hold them to ransom.

Evang. Ikeokwu regretted that despite the potentials inherent in the Mbaise youths, the continued political hegemony of an individual has not allowed an average Mbaise youth to showcase his political relevance.

Contributing, Director General of DMM, Hon Ngozi Ogbu described the new yam festival as one of the age long traditions in Igbo land, urging everyone to keep it sacrosanct.

Hon Ogbu assured them that the next festival for Mbaise nation would be taken beyond the shores of the state, if the DMM Movement is supported to thrive.

He warned against any act capable of making PDP lose the 2023 elections if an individual is allowed to continue to hold onto the party’s ticket, advising them to do their best to preserve the party.

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, operating in the North-East region, have rescued another Chibok girl and three others, abducted by Boko Haram terrorists over eight years ago.

Boko Haram terrorists had in April 2014 kidnapped 276 female students mostly Christians aged from 16 to 18 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State.

In a statement on Saturday on its Facebook page, the army said the victims were rescued by troops of 21 Special Armoured Brigade, Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) at Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. Aisha Grema, the Chibok girl, was received by the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA).

NAOWA President, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya, donated relief materials and financial support to a newly rescued abducted Chibok, a statement by the group said.

“Aisha was rescued yesterday, 12 August 2022 with her four (4) years old child by troops of 21 Special Armoured Brigade, Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) at Bama Local Government Area (LGA) while the three other girls were rescued by troops of 242 Battalion, Sector 3 OPHK at Mongonu LGA of Borno State,” the statement said.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says the club "needs quality players" after conceding the standard of the squad is not good enough. United were thumped 4-0 at Brentford - conceding four in the first 35 minutes - and have no points after two Premier League games.

Dutchman Ten Hag, who took over at Old Trafford in May, told Sky Sports the situation is a "difficult process". "We have to provide higher standards than what we did today," he said. "We are, as a team, in a difficult process. You expect a different start. It's not what we expected. "We need new players. We need quality players. We are working on that and we'll do everything to convince them to come."

United have been involved in a long-running hunt for fresh recruits since the transfer window opened, following a disappointing campaign last year and a shock defeat at home to Brighton last Sunday.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been the main target for Ten Hag but the 25-year-old has reportedly indicated he would prefer to join Chelsea if he left the Nou Camp.