Ubulu Uku made news recently when a 15-year old was crowned to replace his murdered father, who was the monarch of the town. Tony Eluemunor writes about the child of destiny
Life“, John Lennon quipped, “is what happens to you when you are busy making some other plans.” Master Noah Chukwuka Ofulue (as he then was) obviously could never for the life of him have had being a monarch among his Christmas or New Year wishes. Like any other 17 year old, he could have wished for so much fun in 2016 that he would have wanted every second of it to all be like New Year’s Eve. Boys, after all, must be boys and adolescents must be adolescents.
Instead of fun, the year dragged out the boy in him and made him not just a man but, please wait for it, as one had to grope for the right word…a monarch, yes a sovereign! And the year 2016 is still in its second month. In a moment of almost misguided candour; I nearly asked if he had a swell Valentine day celebration on February 14. But if any chatty, chattering, blabbing or prattling journalist had enquired from me what sort of Valentine day he had, I would have asked that ranting fellow to please be serious!
Before the end of the second month of the year, he had become His Royal Highness Noah Chukwuka Akaeze I, the Obi Agbogidi, Obi Agu (lion), of Ubulu Kingdom. Yes, by February, he was meeting, not with his playmates, but was presiding over a council of chiefs that included old and wizened men, and had been hosted by the Governor of his state, Delta, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa at the Government House, Asaba. At his age, his father was still playing football, still moving about being a normal lad.
From schoolboy to royalty
It was a rude awakening for Master Noah Chukwuka. He was expecting his daddy in the United Kingdom last January. Instead of the man walking in through the door, a sad news arrived; his father, His Royal Majesty Edward Ofulue III, the Obi of Ubulu kingdom, had been kidnapped. Then despite all hopes for his release, another sad news filtered in that he had been murdered.
As Ubulu-Uku people mourned and tried to come to grips with the tragedy, a palpable fear always popped up in the town folks’ discussions: would the late king’s son agree to come down from England to ascend his father’s throne? How long would it take him to overcome the trauma of the abduction and death and come down to assume the throne that was his manifest destiny? Would the tragic end of his father’s life and the fear of an unsafe Nigeria not be enough for him to say, “to hell with it”?
The British authorities were averse to his return home any time soon. As soon as the news filtered into his school that his father had been murdered, policemen called at his home. That the sad event happened in far away Nigeria did not make the British authorities to keep their distance. The late Obi Ofulue III was born in Britain and so was a British citizen. That he was brought back to Nigeria when he was all of two years old did not change matters. The British authorities wanted some questions about how he met his death, answered. Then they counseled his son to stay away from Nigeria. And they found numerous reasons to keep his feet firmly on British soil; that he and his mum needed counseling was part of their plethora of reasons.
Yet, to the young lad, his mind was made up. Can an animal say no to hunger? Can a tree say no to sap? Like a sailor who is hearing the call of the sea, he heard the call of his people. Bravely, yes bravely, like the agu (lion) that is part of his honorifics as an Ubulu-Uku king, he elected to embrace his destiny, and be the very person he was born to be. In a sense, he had no choice in the matter; the moment he was the first born male of the reigning king, he became the heir apparent – there was never a question about that; just as there was never a question about his father’s becoming a king.
Thursday two weeks ago, he was coroneted king of Ubulu Kingdom. As though that was not enough rude awakening from the joyride of boyhood to manhood, he buried his father the following day, a Friday. Suddenly, he had become not just the man of a household, but the ruler of a large town, one of the largest in the entire Delta State.
What plans does he have for the town? How would he proceed? The “Eze Nwata” (youthful king) first thanked all who contributed in one way or another to the burial of his father and in his coronation. Then he told his chiefs that he would cherish their advice because his father had always spoken highly of them. He promised that every Ubulu-Uku indigene is a stakeholder in the advancement of the town and should always be ready to go to any length, proffer profitable advice for the betterment of the town. He said he would never be a lone ranger on the throne, but be open to all. He said his father had always told him that he first became an Ubulu-Uku person with the town’s folks before he became a king for them, and that he would never forget such an advice. He had visited home several times before and so he knows that Ubulu clan is vast. He promised to do all in his power to see that a clear unity of efforts will propel the clan to greater heights, as there is strength in unity.
The 17 year-old king will soon be returning to England to continue with his studies. Many have commented on his young age and called him Nigeria’s youngest monarch. Obi Akaeze I may hold the title for now, but the all-time title holder is the Dein of Agbor. His Royal Majesty Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi I was born in July 1977, but following the unexpected death of his father, the late Obi, in 1979, he was crowned when he was just two years old. He was taken to London where he finished his education and returned to his kingdom, a full grown man. That is a worthy example to follow. The following year, John Lennon, the lead singer of the Beatles Band, was shot dead on December 8. So, I won’t be surprised if neither of the two kings mentioned here knows anything about Lennon. But his immortal words hold true for them; much of what happens in life is totally unexpected. Or as the French put it, “cesa vie”- that is life!
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