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Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Nri is very central in the history of the Igbo. Similarly, there is a group of people called the Adamas; who are part of Aguleri and the spiritual part of Eri, from whom priests are produced.
It was gathered that when Eze Nri of either Oraeri or Agukwu was administering Igbo land, it was not an administration of conquest with soldiers, but used to be a religious-like administration.
The Adamas are the chief religious persons that do the work. The head of the Adama is assumed to be half human and half spirit.
Speaking about the Adamas, the Okpala Eri X111 of Oraeri and Eze Adama (King of Adamas), Anthony Okafor, said Adamas are found in Oraeri, Ichida, Aguleri and the three Adazis in Anaocha local government area of Anambra state.
He said, “I represent that group. To become the Okpala Eri XIII took many years. Not all Okpala Eri are from Oraeri, the reason being that initially the Adamas here, we were not exclusive part of Oraeri. We lived at Amuhehi in Ichida. We came from the same group, Amuhehi or Amuleri in Aguleri, from Aguleri to Ichida then from Ichida to Oraeri.
“You find Adamas in Adazi Enu, Adazi Ani, Adazi Nnukwu, in fact the Igwe of Adazi Nnukwu is addressed as Adama. There are so many areas you find them. I have mentioned Amuleri in Ichida; there are still some in Aguleri.”
The Eze Adama who is a pharmacist by profession further said: “I am one of the first one thousand pharmacists produced in Nigeria. I attended the University of Ife; then it was number one in the production of pharmacists. If you look at the signboard at the gate of University of Ife which is what prompted me to accept this position in Oraeri, you will see written on it ‘For learning and for culture.”
He said that from his findings, there is not much difference between Igbo traditional religion and the Christian religion.
“I have been trying to blend Oraeri culture and Igbo culture with that of what the white man brought to us especially religion, that’s what I have been trying to do.
“After analysis, there is not much difference between the Christian religion and that of our people. If you go to the Catholic Church when they are holding mass, you will see that most of the rituals they do in the Catholic Church are almost the same thing. If you go to Rome; you will see so many shrines, so many statues like this one in our community. There is not much difference but the Igbo man in particular has a problem and that problem is the fact that when the white man came here, he overwhelmed us with his motorcycle.
“I still remember my grandfather or great-grandfather when he went to Nkwo market and the first time they saw a motorcycle, everybody in the market ran. People see the airplane and they marveled. So it turned out that if somebody is good, they will say he is behaving like the white, and they accepted blacks as bad because they overwhelmed us.
“The imported religion has made us worse. Our people used to be more humane, our people used to be more attached to each other and very honest. There are things you see in the internet now that are dangerous, if you turn you can see human beings having sex with animals, these are the things that are condoned now but which are abomination. Our young boys are becoming very gay and so on, the girls are becoming lesbians. These are the bad influence of the external society; the rate is alarming.
“Our people were better people before the coming of the white man and unfortunately we have not followed them in all ramifications. If we did, some of their discoveries would have made our administrations better, the village, town, local government, state and country administration would have been better. But because our people, they are no longer our people that is why there is corruption,” he said.
