22/05/2025
Thanks for putting the clearly
A lot of people have asked me what an Omu really does. I have tried in my own way to explain to them, without saying more than I should, what the Omu is.
Apart from the Enuani people, the only other people who practice the Omu system, are the Ọnịcha Mmili, Ogbahu and Ossomala people.
Currently, I think only Ogbahu has an Omu amongst the three. She is the Distinguished Senator Stella Oduah fmr Minister for Aviation.
In the Enuani region where I come from, the Omu is usually selected by the Gods. The elders of the land go far and wide to consult the Gods and at the end, it is revealed who the next Omu would be.
The elders then go to the family of the woman to inform her people that their daughter has been chosen by the Gods.
If the woman chosen by the Gods is married, then the marriage has to be dissolved. This is because an Omu becomes a man and can no longer be under a man.
She would have to return to her father's house and bear her family name. If she has no house, the community is expected to build one for her. This is because the Omu is now the mother of the community.
The Omu is also free to marry wives because she is now a man. These wives can have children through "special" means and the children are the biological children of the Omu and they bear her name.
The Omu is the custodian of all the deities and shrines in the land. She is the head of all the women and children in the land and she is the leader of all the markets in the land.
The Omu has her own market day when she comes to the market, fully dressed in her royal regalia. She opens the market with prayers and it is from the levies and taxes the market women pay to her that she is sustained by.
Her functions are 20% physical and 80% spiritual. She is the spiritual guide of the land and it is she who tells the Obi what the Gods say.
The Omu has her own cabinet of chiefs, just like the Obi and she holds her own festivals and ceremonies too. In fact, the Omu must first hold her festivals before that of the Obi. She is also a member of the cabinet of the Obi.
If the chosen woman refuses to accept the Omu position, then the town has no choice than to remain without an Omu until her death. This is because you can't have two Omus at the same time.
Our ancestors were so wise, that they understood that women are higher than men spiritually and so they entrusted the spirituality of the land to the Omu.
They understood that most cases that involved women were not fit for men to settle, so such cases were handled by the Omu.
Men think in straight jacket forms but women think in multiple ways, thus being able to see different angles.
I must celebrate my late mother and mentor, Hrm Obi Martha Dunkwu who took it upon herself to revive the almost dying culture of Omu.
She remains a light in the history of the Omu institution.
Daalụ nu shinne 🙏
HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo - Omu of Obio