CHAPTER 1
HOME, AWAY FROM HOME
The war had been won or lost, depending on one's side of the divide.Nevertheless, it was now how to survive the peace that was foremostin the polity. For some, the peace was as hazardous as the war. Mr.Oke Okoro was a trader and was from a family that, according to hisknowledge, lived in a village in Isokoland. His mother died when he wasyoung, leaving him and an only sister, Ochuko. A stepmother, Uduma,brought them up. She was more of a sister to Oke and Ochuko by age.Their stepmother was more concerned with getting her own children.Fortune was, however, reluctant to favour her wish.
The occupation in Isokoland was peasant farming. The communitywas made up of kindred units. Within a kindred, members were guidedby what was handed down to them by their forebears. According tothe history that was passed orally from one generation to another, OkeOkoro's ancestors migrated from a place across the big river calledOsimiri. Oke Okoro's forefather had lost his father when he was young.His paternal uncles denied him access to the land and crops that werehis share from their father's assets. When the mother of his forefatherdied, the pieces of land that she cultivated were also taken over byanother woman. This woman was expected to look after the orphan.She did not and no one cared. Now in his teens and able to work, OkeOkoro's forefather left the village without telling anyone. After a fewdays and weeks, it was assumed that he had been eaten up by wildanimals. Again, no one cared. He travelled for several days, finding foodfrom fruits, tubers, fish and meat from wild animals along the way. Hecrossed Osimiri and continued until he reached a tiny settlement. Hewas surprised at the hospitality of the few occupants of that settlement.It seemed as if they were in need of new settlers. They gave him a largepiece of land in addition to the communal farmland. He soon took awife and began his own family. The other settlers had done what he did.The settlers developed a language that was, at best, a mixture of dialects.The community itself became known as Umuderi village in Isokoland.Kindreds were formed over time. The new settlers, beyond folklore, didnot maintain links with their ancestral homes because the journey backto those homes was stressful and dangerous.
With changes creeping into communities, people began to travelfar from their ancestral homes to look for the proverbial greenerpastures. It required a somewhat higher level of enterprise to leaveone's home and settle among strange people. Often, that entailed theacquisition of a new dialect or a new language altogether. Tradingwas on a higher social order than peasant farming was. Oke Okoroscaled that ladder and travelled to Zungera, up in the North (UgwuAwusa). He served as an apprentice to a rice and beans merchant whowas from a neighbouring village called Mukabia. At the completionof his apprenticeship, his master settled him generously because Okehad served him meritoriously. Oke never stole from his master and wasexemplary in obedience. Normally, a freed apprentice was not permittedto do his master's business in the same environment as the master. Thiscustom was waived for Oke Okoro. His master felt that he could dowith his assistance from time to time. While he was undergoing tutelagein food commodity trading, his sister, Ochuko, got married and beganto have her own children. Her husband was another peasant farmer. Shetook to petty trading to make ends meet.
Oke Okoro bought rice, beans, and onions, which he transportedto Umuderi and sold these commodities there. He had been doing thisbusiness for some five years. Buying up the items in Zungera was notdifficult. The customers who sold to him were acquainted with him. Healways paid for the commodities before transporting them to Umuderi.He had to sell off his commodities before returning to Zungera. Thisarm of his trade took some time. He had nasty experiences when heentrusted the sales to a younger cousin. The latter sold the goods andoften kept the money or part of it. Whenever Oke confronted him torender accounts of sales, this cousin had a pack of lies to give in placeof the money he realized from sales. Oke began to spend a longer timein Umuderi to sell most of his stock before returning to Zungera. Theeffect of the new strategy was that Oke Okoro began to make moremoney. When he saved enough money, he convinced his father thathe was ready to marry. It was the custom to marry from near one'sancestral home. Oke Okoro's father had a friend whose daughter wasripe for marriage. Oke Okoro had known the girl from a few occasionsshe bought yams from him. On some of his trips back to Umuderi, hewould make presents to the girl's parents with Ugwu Awusa yams. Hesoon extended his generosity to their daughter, Adaego. Thus, whenOke's father suggested his friend's daughter, Oke agreed that he likedthe girl. The traditional rites were soon completed and the couple, OkeOkoro and his wife, Adaego, travelled to Zungera where they settleddown. Oke continued with his trade.
Not long after the couple returned to Zungera, Adaego complainedof not feeling well. Neighbours told her and her husband, Oke, thatshe was pregnant. When it was obvious that the pregnancy was to stay,at about seven months gestation, Oke Okoro took the opportunity ofanother trade trip to Umuderi to inform the family. Everyone was happybecause Oke was a likeable and helpful young man. However, Oke'sfather and his only sister, Ochuko, insisted on consulting the nativedoctor. Oke was not interested because he did not believe in manyof the customs in his ancestral home. This was common with peoplewho relocated to places of different culture and custom. Such peoplebelonged neither to their people nor to their hosts. When he returnedto Zungera, his father and sister, Ochuko, satisfied their desire to goto a soothsayer. Ogbuefi was both a medicine man and a soothsayer.He dispensed herbs and concoctions composed of insects, reptiles anda special type of chalk called nzu. He also claimed to see visions. Theconsultation by Okoro senior and Oke's sister was to tell them whetherthe pregnancy was going to go to term. They also wanted to know whowas reincarnating through Adaego's pregnancy. Ogbuefi assured themthat the pregnancy would lead to a birth but some sacrifice needed tobe made to avert certain unspecified difficulties. He would find out whoreincarnated after the delivery of the child. Without discussing withOke, Ochuko provided what the soothsayer had prescribed. She wastold about the difficult labour but not about the consequent Caesareansection.
Adaego delivered her baby by operation in Government HealthCentre (GHC), Zungera. After the birth of Oke's son, Ochuko visitedthe soothsayer to thank him for his mediation and intervention. It couldhave been worse without that intervention, Ochuko thought, pleasedwith her foresight. The soothsayer took the opportunity of the visit totell Ochuko who the baby boy was. He was Ochuko's maternal uncle,a wealthy yam farmer, who had reincarnated. That was good news. Theboy was, therefore, expected to be wealthy, either through yams that hisfather also sold or through some other vocation that he would take up.In Isoko tribe, it seemed that only the rich or famous reincarnated. Onewondered why there were poor and lowly people on reincarnation.
As was the custom, Oke and Adaego had to take their son totheir ancestral home, Umuderi, for naming and circumcision on thesecond market week. The baby's elated grandfather gave him the name,Opara, meaning first son. Thereafter, Oke, Adaego and their son Oparareturned to Zungera. In the emerging vogue of professing Christianityamong the Isokos, Opara was baptized and given the name, James. Themother, Adaego and the father, Oke were baptized at the same time astheir son. Adaego's baptismal name was Agnes. His was Kingsley. Thecouple had not been baptized before marriage because their parents hadremained practitioners of the traditional religion. Back in Isokoland,their baptismal names were regarded as nicknames. The `native' names,Oke and Adaego, stuck.
The major purpose of marriage in Isokoland was procreation. About18 months after James was born, Oke and Adaego were blessed withanother son, Okomi. Two years later, a girl, Adaku Caroline, was born.It was a difficult delivery for Adaego. Fortunately, a missionary doctorwas doing a sabbatical stint in the hospital at the time. The labour hadgone on for four days. The presentation of the umbilical cord rather thanthe baby alerted the traditional birth attender. She referred Agnes to theGHC, Zungera. Dr Fugro, a Cuban doctor, performed the Caesareansection. Eighteen months after the birth of Adaku, another girl, Uluaku,was born, again, by operation. Mr. Okoro was a hard-working villageboy whom fortune seemed to have favoured. He married before his age-matesbecause his trading business was flourishing, by his estimation.He was also disciplined. The pregnancy that led to the birth of Caro, asmany fondly called Caroline, had given Oke Okoro some mental stress.A few years later, another son, Urom, was born. He developed whatthe hospital staff called yellow fever and soon died. Another daughter,Nkiru, followed. Seven years after the birth of Nkiru, another girl,Nma, was born. The pregnancy had come as a surprise, as Adaego andOke had accepted the notion that she was no longer able to conceive.
In due course, James enrolled in the Government Primary Schoolin Zungera. At that time, most of the pupils who enrolled in schoolswere boys. A few civil servants and migrants also sent their daughters toschool. One of the teachers, a prince with 43 siblings from a polygamousfamily, also sent his three daughters to the primary school. James wassmall in stature when he enrolled in the Government Primary School.Although he did not meet the requirement at the time, because of thepaucity of pupils, the Headmaster, who was of the same tribe as Mr.Oke Okoro, waived the age requirement for James and a few otherpupils. The requirement was physical. There were no birth certificatesat the time. A few had bought certificates with fictitious dates. Whatwas acceptable was a child's ability to touch the contralateral ear withthe arm across the top of the head. That ability was translated into agefive years or more. James was very bright. This attracted the goodwillof his teachers. He always sat at the front row of the class.
At the age of 11 years, James applied to sit the common entranceexamination to federal secondary schools when he was in Primary 5. Inthe application form, he was required to state where he was born. Hefilled Zungera. The class teacher, Mr. Yakub Isa, who had encouragedhim to sit the examination, in spite of his being in the penultimateclass for the examination, called him to see him in his office. Jameswas honoured that his class teacher requested him to come to theoffice. Only two types of students entered the teacher's administrativeoffice. These were the best and the notorious students. James was awell-behaved pupil and knew it from his reports and commendationsfrom the teachers.
`Yes, James, how are you?'
`I am fine, sir.'
`I am sure you are. Sit down.'
James, feeling bashful, sat by the edge of the chair. The class teacherasked him to sit squarely and he obeyed.
`I am sure you are studying very hard for your forthcomingexamination?'
`Yes, sir. I am trying my best.'
`Even though you are in Primary 5, I am sure you will sail through.I was going through your application form for the examination. I thinkyou are from Umuderi, where your father filled that he was from?'
`Yes, sir. I was born in Zungera. I know it from my birthcertificate.'
`You are quite correct, but what is meant is your State of origin. Foryou, it is Delta.'
James was confused. However, he was afraid to ask any questions.He would reserve those for his father.
`Thank you, sir. I am sorry.'
James did not know what he was sorry for. He was sure his fatherwould explain to him. He took the form from his teacher and filled DeltaState. He did not know about Delta State beyond the few Christmascelebrations his family spent in Umuderi. He knew he did not really likethe place because he did not have any friend there. Besides, he spokeHausa very well and his father's language, Isoko, sparingly. At homethat evening, he was anxious to field his question lest a more pressingissue arose. While his father was still washing his hands after a meal,with a toothpick sticking out at his lips, James asked, `Papa, where amI from?'
His father replied, `Umuderi, Delta State.' Therefore, to his surprise,the teacher was correct. He was still not satisfied.
`But I was born in Zungera. I saw it in my birth certificate.'
`Yes, Zungera is your place of birth and abode, but you are fromDelta State. That is why I keep warning you to speak our language. Inthis country, you are from where your ancestors lay claim.'
`Thank you, papa.'
Rather than his confusion abate or dissipate, James became moreconfused. Neither his teacher nor his father faulted his place of birth,Zungera. However, as far as they were concerned, he was not fromthere.
The entrance examination result came out three months later. Itwas advertised in the national newspapers for all to see. The studentswould be invited for interviews. One justification for this was that somepeople were rented as surrogates by parents to sit the examination fortheir wards. At the interview, each candidate would be matched withthe passport photograph he or she had submitted. Many were called tothe interview from which only a few would be chosen. James's father andthe teacher were aware that merit was not the only factor considered inoffering places to the candidates. Both knew about the Federal characteras well as Catchment area criteria. James found this confusing. He didnot ask questions.
When the result of the interview came out, James was not offeredadmission. He scored 493 out of a maximum of 600 marks. His friendDogo, who scored 370, was offered admission. At first, James thoughtthere was a mistake somewhere. There was none anywhere. He had notreckoned with the Federal character and Catchment area criteria. Hisfather attempted to explain these terms vis-a-vis the examination thatJames had just taken. It did not make sense to James how someone whoscored 370 was admitted while another one with 493 was not taken.He wondered if he should deliberately score a lower mark the next year.While this was the thought of a teenager, it made sense, a whole lot ofsense, to the teachers and elders. Yet, there was nothing they could doabout it.
CHAPTER 2
EMBERS OF DISCORD
Dogo was sympathetic with his friend James, although he could notappreciate the enormity of the situation in which he, with a lower score,got admission in preference to his friend who had scored a higher mark.James did not bear a personal grudge against Dogo. They remainedfriends. This friendship did encourage rather than discourage James.His teacher, until the episode of that application of the Federal characteragainst James, had not thought about the practice and how unfair itwas. He took his time to debate it within himself. James and Dogowere born in the same place. James's father was a trader. Dogo's fatherwas a senior civil servant in the Ministry. Although his rank was notknown, he drove a car. That was a status symbol. The implication ofthe `admissions scandal,' as Mr. Yakub Isa considered it, was that theson of a trader was advantaged over the son of a senior civil servant. Itwas not right, he thought. It was a paradox. The only way to rationalizeit was that it was God's will. In his admonition of James, this was thethought that clicked. James believed his teacher. Mr. Isa also taught hispupils that `heaven helps those who help themselves.'
James believed Mr. Isa and was determined and hopeful to succeedin the next diet of the entrance examination. Meanwhile, his father, OkeOkoro, continued his trade trips. He shared the same beliefs with Mr.Isa with whom they attended the same Catholic Church. They oftenreceived the Holy Communion together with other communicants. Thetwo parishioners discussed the progress of James from time to time.Mr. Isa promised to help James in his studies. Mr. Isa was a man of hiswords and kept his promise.
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