By DADA AYOKHAI
A fresh insight into the ancient history, culture, of Ivbiaro people, in the present Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State was recently packaged in a book which is expected to counter some decades of erroneous distortions and half-truths, is now available in the public domain.
For decades, the distortions and half-truths have left a gaping hole in the subconsciousness of the people, to the extent, that such misrepresentations have gone unchallenged and worn the garb of being the truth.
However, the fresh insights and perspectives on the exact history of the Ivbiaro people are expected to set the records straight and put a definite spin on the matter.
A new book written by Alhaji E. A. Yesufu, titled “The History and the Culture of Ivbiaro Community”, throws more light on the subject matter as well as traces the transitional process of the district to the present day.
Indeed, the book is a bold and commendable efforts on the part of the author to counter and dispel the litanies of half-truths and distortions that have been circulating in the public domain about the Ivbiaro people.
In the belly of the book, the author gave a vivid chronology of the region, starting with the coming of the British missionaries and the birth of Christianity to the invasion of the Nupes which brought Islam, a counter religion, and went on to demystify some of the conflicting historical versions about the people and then traced how it was able to evolve through different phases based, of course, on certain historical encounters.
Interestingly, the book also detailed how the Afenmai or the Kukuruku district, similar to Nigeria as a country moved the headquarters from one location to the other before finally settling for Auchi, the present day political and economic hub of the Etsako West local government area.
According to Yesufu, the first administrative headquarter of the district was Avhiawu, Fugar, in the present-day Etsako Central local government area. In 1913, the headquarter was moved to Ivbiaro, in the then old Ivbio _Otsakor district, which later transformed to Owan local government area and now Owan East.
The headquarter remained in Ivbiaro till 1921 before it was relocated to Auchi, Etsako West.
The author tried to account for the constant movement of the administrative headquarters by the then colonial government, stating that the relocation from Avhiawu in Fugar to Ivbiaro was done through a panel set up for the purpose. Marshall report .
One of the compelling reasons for the choice of Ivbiaro over and above other places included the “wonders of the gushing pure spring water called “Asimida” river, the panoramic view provided by the topography made up of exquisite rocks, and the plateaus.
Yesufu stated that the British colonial rulers set to recommend a suitable place as the new administrative headquarter for the region.
The panel toured extensively and became attracted to Ivbiaro for the obvious reason of its natural endowments as well as the panoramic view of the entire district.
The district officer residence was located at Okpokhumi plateau in Ubuneke- Ivbiaro.
Sadly, in 1921, just eight years after it became the headquarter of the district, Ivbiaro lost its status to Auchi due to what the author attributed to the hostility of the indigenes towards the white men.
It was claimed that the whitemen would violates the sanctity of Ivbiaro by compelling the chiefs, elders and married women to do their bidding.
This book by Yesufu is a compelling read for those interested in the evolution of the entity called Edo North. Each chapter in the book contains an exact historical account as well as the context of some of the events that took place, with the end result of demolishing myths and setting the records straight.
