Ungwar, an Igala group within the Ankpa Native Authorities Space of Kogi State, was agog on Saturday because the residents celebrated Ogani, a controversial pageant as soon as derided as “pagan” however now fiercely defended by its custodians as an Islamic heritage.
From daybreak until nightfall, clouds of white powder and heavy drumbeats took over the air as males in tight vibrant wrappers, lined from waist to knees and chest to ankles, danced wildly, rhythmically stamping the bottom with their ft. Kids joined gleefully. Aged women and men in several costumes and with faces powdered like battle generals cheered them on.
Gunshots of native powder echoed into the afternoon air as the group grew so charged {that a} lone masquerade was summoned to manage the swelling procession — however even he was overwhelmed.
Ogani not idolatry
Talking with PREMIUM TIMES, Abdulkarim Yahaya, the seventh Onuh (chief) of Ogani, stated the pageant doesn’t characteristic fetish practices.
“We don’t make animal sacrifices—not goat, ram or fowl,” he stated. “What we do is recite the Qur’an from starting to finish inside the primary mosque in Igala land, situated at Ungwar Ogebe. After that, the celebration begins. Ogani is just not idolatry. It’s a celebration borne out of Islam.”
In accordance with Mr Yahaya, the pageant was based by Ali Agaba, a Hausa Muslim who migrated from Kano to Ankpa centuries in the past and launched Islam to the Igala folks.
“The founding father of Ogani introduced Islam to Igala land,” Mr Yahaya harassed.
Ali Agaba — The person who stopped a river
Idris Tijani, the secretary of the Ogani Organising Committee, recalled a extensively instructed legend.
“When Agaba arrived in Ankpa, the Onu Ankpa (conventional ruler) requested what he might do. He stated, ‘I pray, and God solutions.’ The king challenged him to cease a river that was threatening the city. Agaba prayed for 3 days — and on the third day, the river dried up.”
Impressed, the ruler gifted him a spouse, and Agaba established what locals describe as the primary mosque in Igala land, situated in Ungwar Ogebe, Mr Tijani stated.
Since then, Ogani has been held yearly in Rabiu Awwal, the month of Prophet Muhammad’s beginning.
We worship with the Qur’an, not idols
Competition actions start inside the primary mosque in Igala land, the place clerics recite the Qur’an in full for divine safety over travellers getting back from cities and the diaspora for the celebrations.
As an alternative of slaughtering animals, biscuits are purchased and shared as sadaka (alms).
One central image — the Akpata — is commonly mistaken for an idol. It’s merely a log of wooden wrapped in fabric carried by way of the group.
“We didn’t kill or bury anyone inside it. It symbolises carrying away evil and throwing it out,” stated Mr Yahaya. This 12 months’s Akpata was draped in pink, which leaders stated signifies a warning towards “fetish intentions”.
Ladies, spine of Ogani pageant
Ladies play a central however less-talked-about position. Two aged girls, Rabi and Hajaratu Hashimi, spoke with this reporter:
“We inherited this pageant from our forefathers. Younger and previous females take part actively. Tomorrow (Sunday), over 10 girls’s teams will come out to bop. We additionally cook dinner for our husbands to serve their guests. This floor (referring to the world surrounding the primary mosque in Igala land) known as Alu Akapshi. Should you come right here with a burden and pray, God solutions.”
From Violence to Revival: Clerics divided over participation
A number of folks this reporter interviewed recalled that Ogani as soon as grew to become violent when modernised with parades and rival youth teams. However below Mr Yahaya’s management, the pageant was reportedly restored to its unique, non-confrontational kind.
Nevertheless, whereas some Muslims embrace the Ogani, others denounce it.
Mohammed Abubakar, an Islamic preacher from the primary ruling Ungwar household, argued that its critics had been misinformed.
“These condemning it accomplish that out of ignorance. Ogani began as a gathering the place our forefather preached Islam, provided zikiri (reward chants), and fed the wealthy and poor. Even the phrase Ogani comes from the Hausa language: Gane — that means ‘to grasp’.”
Nevertheless, Samuel Adejoh, a pastor of Dunamis Church in Ankpa, warned Christians to remain off the pageant.
“It’s tradition, not Christianity. Although it could be innocent, fights used to interrupt out up to now. I don’t condemn it, however I counsel Christians towards taking part in it. As a result of usually, this Organi pageant is dealt with primarily by the Muslims from Ungwar. You may’t see any Christians amongst them – they’re all Muslims.”
Diaspora return and international ambition
Many members travelled from Abuja, Lagos and even overseas to attend. Abdullahi Halims, the deputy chief of the Home of Representatives and consultant for Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro constituency, was amongst dignitaries who flew in for the occasion.
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“I left all engagements in Abuja to be right here. Ogani is already worldwide. We have now showcased it in Europe — in Paris and throughout West Africa. What you see right here as we speak is only a retreat.”
Mr Halims spoke about plans to develop the pageant. “We would like Ogani to compete with Calabar Carnival and Osun-Osogbo. Different distinguished sons and I are working collectively to develop it. Very quickly, sponsors might be lining up for this pageant.”
Extra Than a Competition — A declare to id
In Ungwar Ankpa, Ogani is greater than leisure. It’s a assertion of id and Islamic legacy.
As nightfall settled over Ungwar Ankpa and the final echoes of drumming light into the night time, what lingered was not controversy however group. Whether or not born of Qur’anic devotion or cultural nostalgia, Ogani stays a bridge between the previous and the current — binding the previous who bear in mind its origins and the younger who dance to its rhythm. In a time when many festivals are dying from neglect or distortion, Ankpa’s Ogani stands defiantly alive, evolving by itself phrases. And so long as its folks hold returning house — wrapping themselves in powder, wrappers and reminiscence — the heartbeat of Ogani will proceed to rise yearly, loud sufficient for the world to listen to.
