Ahamefula Ogbu
26 May 2008
Lagos — Chijioke Okoro, an ex-aide of the former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu who was also a regular at the Okija shrine on behalf of Kalu gives an insight into how they operated and why all the then appointees in the State exhibited robotic obedience to Kalu.
Okoro told Ahamefula Ogbu that the present Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji took oath of allegiance to Kalu twice at Okija shrine
When Chijioke Okoro walked into THISDAY office in Port Harcourt, a flicker of recognition played on my face but doubts of whether the rumour about his death was real or not also nagged my mind before hands were pumped while the memory worked to resolve the myriad of conundrums surrounding his person. But when he opened up on his mission and explained his role in the dreaded oath taking Okija shrine saga of political appointees in Abia State under former Governor Orji Uzo Kalu, one gets goose pimples.
Okoro who is from Arochukwu claimed to have been central to the arrangement whereby to secure the loyalty of those in Kalu's cabinet, a plot was hatched where some people who were misfits in the position they were to occupy were made to go to the shrine called Ogwugwu Akpu in Anambra State where they are made to strip and swear to oath of allegiance.
One had to test his knowledge on the claims. Asked for details of what he knows about the Okija shrine, he replied, "Okija shrine was real. I don't know how it started but I know Ali Nwachukwu introduced the Okija issue and they decided to be using it to secure total loyalty of those that work in his cabinet. In Okija, there are between eight and nine shrines which are fakes that the people there use as business. But the real one where we use to go and make appointees swear to oaths is the original and potent one where Chief Isaac Olisabueze is the Kofi Anan, that is, the Secretary General. That shrine has killed so many people in Abia State".
But why did it take his falling apart with Kalu to begin his campaign? He replied that with the coming in of another crony of the former Governor in Theodore Orji, it meant sentencing the State to the unbridled looting which characterized the eight year regime that has resulted in the non development of the State.
Okoro explained that the essence of the loyalty was that Commissioners and appointees became mere figureheads while Kalu handed them pittances to run their offices with while it is taken as if they were being funded. The rest of the money apart from the handouts was taken by the governor and his mother for their private use. He said he feared the continuation of the practice which places no premium on development and job creation.
Infact, he said the situation could not be different under Theodore who he insisted has been taken to the shrine twice, first as Chief of Staff and secondly as Governor which makes his loyalty to the former governor and his mother an iron clasp situation that funnels the allocations of the State to their private enterprise.
On how he parted ways ith Kalu, Okoro he said that when he noticed that they had some disagreements and his life was threatened along with that of the members of his family, he decided to voice out his problem which he followed up with going to the shrine to report to the Chief Priest who summoned Kalu and his mother.
"In 2003, I voiced out my frustrations after being fed up in the system especially when I lost my mother. I noticed they wanted to kill me so I quit their organisation and because of what I know, they were afraid that I will expose them. Orji sent some people after me and when they stormed my place and did not see me, they met my mother and pounced on her. She died later ", he said.
On the sequence of the appointment and oath taking, he explained that "What we use to do is that leaders in reality organization which is run by Kalu's mother, Eunice asks people to make recommendation of those who have been contributing to the organization well. After compiling the list, it will be screened by Orji's mother who will make sure that those to be announced are not only not qualified, but are misfits who were not expecting such in their life time.
"When the names have been cleared by his mother, they will be handed to the Chief of Staff who is now the Governor and he will go on air and announce the list.
My role starts with the arranging for those announced to meet at no. 28 Nweke Street home of Orji's mother where I held sway. I will identify them and thereafter direct them to Enitonia hotel owned by Chief Godwin Duru who handled the Okija journey. Duru will address the appointees and speak on the need for absolute loyalty. Before he will announce that they will go and swear at the shrine, we would have arranged for those among them to readily agree to go to the shrine.
"Those ones will say that even if it means going to hell to swear they will do it and shortly, every other person will agree to go. Thereafter, Duru will call for commitment on their part and depending on the positions they are to take, asked to pay certain amounts maybe N100,000 each. They are asked to go and bring the money within specified period. When they pay, we will then arrange for ALGON Jeeps and pack them in it. Duru will drive one while I drive the other and we head for Okija.
"There, they are divided in groups and women are set apart. The women are asked to remove their pants before swearing while men remove their shoes. The Chief Priest will after the initial instructions, chant incantations and admonish the people about to be administered the oath to remain loyal to Kalu and his mother or incur the wrath of Ogwugwu. In the proper initiation which involves oath taking with a glass of hot drink mixed with blood and kola nut, every initiate was made to carry a skull and repeat the statement of the initiator all affirming the total subjugation of their will to Orji Uzor Kalu's whims and caprices. They were then shown the corpses of those killed by the shrine to act as a deterrent to those who may toy with the idea of stepping out of line.
"It is from the money levied by Duru that we use to share and give the Chief Priest N200,000. It is pertinent to note at this juncture that I worked directly under Chief T. A. Orji in carrying out the initiation of these people", he narrated.
The erstwhile messenger of the Kalu and his mother popularly known as "Mother excellency" explained that even anointed candidates running for positions as low as councilor were made to take the oath after which they were handed their nomination forms which translated into the positions they wanted in the State and thereafter become sure of their getting the positions.
Tasked on the claim that the present Governor of Abia State who has been sacked by the Elections Tribunal in Abia was initiated twice, Okoro admitted that he watched the initiation of the governor as a Chief of Staff but did not witness the one where he was administered with an oath of allegiance as a governor but recalled that it was the former Governor Orji Uzor that directed that the oath taking at the shrine be recorded on video from where it later leaked. Reminded that the narration had been debunked where Kalu and his mother described him as mentally deranged who should not be taken seriously, he pointed THISDAY to what he said was incontrovertible evidence that he knew what he was saying, adding that anyone who was used to Orji's mother would remember his being a regular face in her house that has been a political Mecca to those looking for appointments.
He further challenged those denying the truth he has been telling on the said cult group to a live debate on Television so that people would watch and know who was saying the truth. He said the idea of the live debate was better because the Priests who participated in the initiation would be there face to face.
"In order to expose the grave falsehood of Chief Orbed Igwe that Chief T.A. Orji was not initiated and swore to an oath of allegiance, I challenge them to a public debate on the matter. Let there be a live television debate between me and them and people will be amazed at the facts I shall put before them. Initially they said I was mad and that they did not know me. Today I am happy they are saying that Ogwugwu Akpu is now a church where they are the members.
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