AGILA AND THE REIGN OF VIOLENCE

I plead that we read this piece with good mind. Many phrases are in Agila words. Try and understand

By Bishop Uba Udenyi

I woke up today, July 18, 2024, to see a piece with the caption, “MUST EVERYTHING IN AGILA BE SETTLED BY VIOLENCE?”, followed by write-up chronicling the recent attack on each other by two factions of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Agila. Many people have expressed their sadness over the incident with words of condemnations. Some people, as always, will be looking towards me for comment. Therefore, I come with similar condemnation like all other good minded Agila people. However, I feel like brushing over the question seeking answer if everything in Agila must be settled by violence.

We all know that an Agila person is resilient on the inside from the cradle of history. By geographical location, our being located in the midst of enemies, just like the Israelites, built us into capable defenders any time and any day. This is a solid fact. Naturally we are such beautiful creatures in wisdom, kindness, hospitality, brotherhood and many more. But yet we are valiantly defensive and constant.

*THE STRUCTURES WE FIND OURSELVES*

Unfortunately, the structures we carved for ourselves from ages support enmity, retaliative posture, unforgiving attitude and harbouring of offenses against one another, for ages. A nation with these tendencies voids wisdom and settles self with violence most often. We thus grow up hearing *Olé yô, ká éyô; otsé no kámi vékétá ni, ngá ché ko vákárábi no, and ôtsé no láyinû kwûn lé énwu no tirihô umi ni, ngé láyinu kwô lôgo omûtsû nû ngá tirihô émi nû no*. All these statements are retributive phrases we use in recycling violence for violence; eye for an eye, of sort.

Another structure is the institution of age group called Ikpanyaa. An *ikpányáá* person is one from the opposite age group called *Ôwá.* From ages these group build themselves into lifelong enemies of each other. They would beat themselves to death if possible. Each of these groups can fight one another even at oldest age under a minor provocation.

Again, I would want us to look at the unforgiving institutions established in Agila. Any average Agila person never forgets and forgives anyone who took his or her family member to court. This is more hated if the person taken to court is sent to jail (*ijálo* in Agila term). In another development, an average Agila person will never forget or forgive any person who befriended his wife or the wife of relations. If such a person was able to move out the lady from the husband and married her, the enmity is spread from generation to generation. Even when a man divorces his wife, whoever marries her becomes an enemy of the family. Violent can be visited upon the culprit or his relations by the members of the victim any day.

Politically, an Agila person considers one in a different political party as it is done to an *‘ikpányáá’* person. In those days, if two people contested for the seat of Otsé Âgila and one won the seat, all those who belonged to the opponent are beaten up, had their homes burnt down and chased out of Agila. We still have those their families were chased away in our neighbouring communities like Éhá Âmûfû, Égbô gôdôgô, Ékiléhá and the Édûmôgá .

Few points raised above, to me, formed the reasons Agila people use violence to settle cases on the premise of her word ‘ôléno chôpfû, ká’yálôpfû’ or élôlá bôbô ngé ch’ágilá né. We can see these unfriendly relationships in our local songs which are dominated with vituperating words against one another as well as proverbs depicting insults on one another.

As someone mentioned earlier, and I reiterate once more, that the protracted border conflict with our neighbours influence us negatively in all aspects.
In the responses of some of our members are seen questions asking about where are the elders in the land. I think we have rejected the leaderships of elders in our land. Most of the younger ones see the elders as scions of their supposed enemies. Members of another traditional or political groups are seen as ones to be opposed when discussions are going on. In any gathering, we seem to see ourselves as convergence of enemies. How can we listen to good talks which can usher in peace and settlement in this kind of environment?

BUT THINGS CAN CHANGE STILL

With the presence of a seemingly hard ground to break through, things can still change if we want. We must be the ones to settle ourselves by agreeing to come together and chart new ways of relationship. We must refuse to stand on anything negative that our ancestor might have be quitted to us. We must refuse to inherit enmity from our parents, both those gone and those still alive. No outsiders can settle us, No religious intervention from outside can do any good. Such meetings are reasons the Ngbos are coming to Agila and we are going to them these days.

When Agila people are to settle themselves they always say “Ánô kwélôtété pfonû géné. As long as we refuse to discard old offenses and forget them and forgive ourselves we will remain using violence for settlement which is highly unacceptable, anti-progress and development.

Yes as political animals we can belong to different parties. Instead of grouping ourselves for fighting and killing one another, we can give room for egalitarianism. We can deliberately create egalitarian environments for ourselves by bringing into force our adage of “Éná éré, kéwû ogé ré bôô.” We the Agila of this age must know that with all the violent institutions I mentioned above, our ancestors kept the general unity of Agila intact. They had pockets of violent groups but they allow the Agila spirit of ‘ibi áné élônyé lôblôbô rule our psychic emotion and reactions. We must make rooms for seeing ourselves as great people who must bring ourselves into enviable nation by thinking positively towards joint development efforts. We have the people and those with resources. We have allowed those who supposed to develop us wasted their resources on enmity and manipulated anger just for few individuals to be eating. Most of our present fighting and rancour are being orchestrated by selfish individuals. Let enough be enough!