Oriri Njoku Ọha
Oriri Njoku Ọha in Mgbidi
Oriri Njoku Ọha was once the grandest quadrennial festival in Mgbidi, Enugu State. Its heartbeat began a year earlier with the sacred Igba aja Nkoju-oha ritual, honouring Njoku, the revered god of yams, cocoyams, and other staple foods.
Origins & Lineage
The ritual sprung from the family of Uzoechi Eneka of the now-extinct Ugwu-oge clan. Only his descendants held the exclusive right to perform these holy sacrifices. Before his passing, Uzoechi Eneka entrusted his eldest daughter (settled in Umu-agu), her sister in Eziama, and his friend Enukwu Udu in Ogba to jointly execute the Njoku Ọha rites and share in its bounty.
Ritual Journey
- Umu-Agu: The sacrificial ram began its journey here.
- Eziama: Where the ram was slaughtered; its blood sprinkled along the road.
- Ogba (Umu-Enukwu): Blood rites repeated at Enukwu Udu’s ancestral home.
- Return to Umu-agu: Final rites concluded the hallowed cycle.
Strict Rule: Anyone guilty of adultery or incest was forbidden from crossing the ram’s bloodline or entering Umu-agu during the ritual else, death was believed to follow.
The Festival Year
One year after Igba aja, the Njoku Ọha festival erupted in joyous reunion. Newlyweds brought Nkpiripki ezi (half of a pig) as offerings. The town brimmed with masquerades, Abia drumbeats, and feasts, akin to a Christmas celebration for every Mgbidi indigene.
Closing Rites: Iba na Oba Ji
At festival’s end, each family’s eldest men brought a cock and two yam tubers to their clan head’s barn. All cocks were slain together; blood collected in a calabash. Only a “pure” woman, untainted by adultery was allowed to prepare the feast. This final rite, Iba na Oba Ji, sealed the community’s gratitude to Njoku Ji and Njoku Ede.
"Oriri Njoku Ọha united Mgbidi’s scattered people—celebration, sacrifice, and sacred law bound them in one rhythm of faith and thanksgiving."
