Everything you need to know about oji Obizi BY: MR. KAKA .C. PRINCE THE LEGEND

Oji-Mbaise:
This celebration is held on the 1st of January each year, before the celebration takes off, there are always preparations made in-wait for the great feast.
Oji (kola nut) has great importance attached to it in Ezinihitte and the whole Igboland in general. To the Igbos, the kola nut is not just the small seed in actual fact as Ogaraku confirmed “The seed is very often bitter to taste, it is merely the non-juicy unattractive, red, or yellowish small content of the pod of a tree called Osisi Oji. Kola nut excels more in Igboland for socio-cultural significance compared to its value in any other ethnic group in West Africa”. The kola nut is among the things which the Igbos deem very important. When this kola nut is presented, the ceremony accorded to it is performed by the oldest member or person present and he carries out what is called “igo ofo”. This may consist in blessing the kola nut, as well as the persons present and the person who provided it in giving thanks to their ancestors and in wishing those present good fortune. After this, the youngest knowledgeable person splits the kola nut ceremony involves: presentation, blessing, splitting and sharing.
The first formal preparation was done by ’Ndi Eze Ezinihitte’ (Ezinihitte traditional ruler), chiefs and Ndi Nze. The celebration of the get- together usually rotates among the component towns on the principle of seniority of descendance. The oba oji Ezinihitte (kola nut saucer of Ezinihitte) also rotates from the community where it was held to the next community to hold it. This was done by Ndi Eze, December of each year, these titled men the Ezes) receives the oba oji Ezinihitte from the Eze who held it last at the boundary of Eze’s community. This receives of oba oji is followed by sixteen (16) gun salute (canon short). This is followed by the handing over of the oba oji Ezinihitte to the hosting community by the Ndi Eze, chiefs and Ndi Nze at the host’s place and acknowledged by another sixteen (16) gun salute, (canon shoot). According to the 1976 program of events the above is the first step in the preparation activity. Following this is ‘’the inspection tour of the hosting community by Ndi Eze (traditional rulers)’’. This is to satisfy themselves that the hosting community had no existing trouble that could hinder the celebration in their town.
The preparation ceremony also involves the cleaning and arrangement of canopies and sits by the central age- grade in that community and this done in their market square. All these preparation are done for the oji celebration day. On the early morning of the 1st of January the celebration is kicked off by twenty one (21) gun salute (canon shoots). As this festival is one of the traditional practice in Ezinihitte that has been given Christian outlook, religious services were held in all churches in the clan to command the day into the of God. Traditionally, there is also visit to the shrine at Orieukwu Oboama na Umunama to rub the “u” far ndu’’ (calcinter) or ‘’Nzu Uwaoma’’ according to Eze N.N.Anyanwu “symbolizing peace, wealth, birth,love and unity and takes us back to our common parentage in Ezinihitte”.
“Ekpe” dance presides over before the “Ikoro” (community drum) plays to summon the arrival of guest and dignitaries. The “Ekpe” dance has been accepted by Ezinihitte development association as the official traditional dance for the presentation and reception of Oji during the ceremony. At the arrival of the traditional rulers who gather at the palace of the hosting Eze before proceeding to the market square where the ceremony is taking place, they are welcomed with twenty one gun salutes as the traditional fathers of the day. After the traditional rulers must have taking their site, the hosting Eze (traditional ruler) arrives with the Oba Oji Ezinihitte with his Chiefs and Nzes and carried it to the dias. After the arrival of Oba Oji the opening prayer is said and the ceremony moves on in full swing.
As the tempo of the festival increases, songs, ekpe and address will be presented sequentially. The celebration is marked by a carnival of traditional rulers, Chiefs, Nzes, Ozos and other titled men adorned with colourful masquerades and dancing groups. The main feature of the feature remains the presentation of kola nuts and Nzu, which symbolizes peace, love and unity. Oji (kola nut) and Nzu or Ufara (calcinter) are now presented in order ofrelationship its presentation is by order of primogeniture (starting from the eldest community to the youngest). The procedure for receiving kola nut (Oji) is that the number of persons to receive kola nut (Oji) on behalf of each town will be the number of the component villages which makeup the town. Eg.14 persons will receive Oji on behalf of Oboama na Umunama which is made up of 14 villages while 10 persons receives on behalf of Onicha community which is made up of 10 villages etc. On the same line of action, the persons to receive Oji will be expected to be in traditional attire, ready to dance to the Ekpe (the official dance of the festival) while proceeding to receive Oji on behalf of their towns. Any town or community that came to receive the “Oji” their traditional ruler will come out from where the Ezes are sitting and receive the kola nut and calcinter first and then hand it over to his people who came to receive the Oji then they will dance back to their canopy while the Eze goes to sit down. This “Oji” and “Nzu”or “Ufara” are presented by the traditional ruler of the hosting community.
After the presentation, a short speech follows to thank everybody who took part then tradition dances will played one after the other and inspected by the “Ndi Eze”. Entertainment takes the other of the day and this ends the festival. [Umuhu, Ibeku and Lagwa who forms Okwuato have been carved out of Ezinihitte by the creation of Ezinihitte local government, they still take part but they don’t host the festival.]

A True Story By Helen Roseveare, Missionary to Africa This is a really inspiring story a friend shared with me and it made an interesting reading. Most times we pray and don’t really believe that God will answer our prayer. I hope you get blessed as you read

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A True Story By Helen Roseveare, Missionary to Africa
This is a really inspiring story a friend shared with me and it made an interesting reading. Most times we pray and don’t really believe that God will answer our prayer. I hope you get blessed as you read.
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
“All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.”
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?”
As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say,”Amen”. I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.
By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting.
Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes
sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out – yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!”
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?”
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “that afternoon.”
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
Dr. Helen Roseveare is an English Christian missionary. She worked in the Congo from 1953 to 1973 with World Evangelization for Christ (WEC) International and practised medicine and also trained others in medical work. She stayed through the hostile and dangerous political instability in the early 1960s.

GOOD FACTS ABOUT GOOD WOMEN !!! It doesn't matter what you think about women,all i know is that women are GREAT!, yes Legionafrica said so. 1-Among all creatures women are the ones that cries easily, just to express their inward feelings. 2-Is only a woman that can change her surname all because of love. 3-Women are the easiest creature you can convince. 4-When a woman loves you, she loves with her whole heart. 5-Is only a woman who would prefer starving herself, just to make sure that her children are not hungry. 6-Even at the late hours of the night she's still awake preparing meals for the family for the next day. 7-Is only a woman who would joyfully give up her life just to save her child/children. 8-They are always in the kitchen inhaling the smoke without complaining, just to prepare something for their children and husband to eat. 9-Is only a woman who would happily abandon her family just to start up a new one with you(the man)..i mean you that is reading this post.. 10-A woman even when she's battling with the pains of pregnancy, still take care of the family. 11-The most amazing thing is that she do all these things with smiles and happiness,sometimes coupled with songs. I think every woman deserved to be respected, irrespective of some of them that are wayward and dangerous. But it will be unfair to generalize all of them. GOD BLESS THE WOMAN ! I LOVE YOU !

GOOD FACTS ABOUT GOOD WOMEN !!!
It doesn't matter what you think about women,all i know is that women are GREAT!, yes Legionafrica said so.
1-Among all creatures women are the ones that cries easily, just to express their inward feelings.

2-Is only a woman that can change her surname all because of love.
3-Women are the easiest creature you can convince.
4-When a woman loves you, she loves with her whole heart.
5-Is only a woman who would prefer starving herself, just to make sure that her children are not hungry.
6-Even at the late hours of the night she's still awake preparing meals for the family for the next day.
7-Is only a woman who would joyfully give up her life just to save her child/children.
8-They are always in the kitchen inhaling the smoke without complaining, just to prepare something for their children and husband to eat.
9-Is only a woman who would happily abandon her family just to start up a new one with you(the man)..i mean you that is reading this post..
10-A woman even when she's battling with the pains of pregnancy, still take care of the family.
11-The most amazing thing is that she do all these things with smiles and happiness,sometimes coupled with songs.
I think every woman deserved to be respected, irrespective of some of them that are wayward and dangerous. But it will be unfair to generalize all of them.
GOD BLESS THE WOMAN !

7 TRUE FACTS OF LIFE 1. Everyone has a song in their playlist which they always skip, but never delete. 2. People who talk to themselves are more likely to have a high I.Q. 3. If you chew gum when you study a subject and then chew the same flavor when you take the test it can help you remember. 4. Your body is actually designed to get 4 hours of sleep twice per day instead of 8 hours once! 5. Coca-Cola says only two people alive know the Coca-Cola 'recipe', and they aren't allowed to travel on the same plane in case it crashes. 6. Over thinking can cause physical and mental fatigue, it may also lead to chronic depression. 7. Ironically, sometimes the people who don't talk to you are the one's who really want to.

7 TRUE FACTS OF LIFE
1. Everyone has a song in their playlist which they always skip, but never delete.
2. People who talk to themselves are more likely to have a high I.Q.

3. If you chew gum when you study a subject and then chew the same flavor when you take the test it can help you remember.
4. Your body is actually designed to get 4 hours of sleep twice per day instead of 8 hours once!
5. Coca-Cola says only two people alive know the Coca-Cola 'recipe', and they aren't allowed to travel on the same plane in case it crashes.
6. Over thinking can cause physical and mental fatigue, it may also lead to chronic depression.
7. Ironically, sometimes the people who don't talk to you are the one's who really want to.